Secured cards, credit-builder cards and student cards are three types of credit cards that can be easier to get with bad credit or a limited credit history.

If you’re approved for a secured card, you’ll be required to put down a refundable security deposit to act as collateral in case you can’t repay what you charge on the card. In most cases, the amount you deposit will be the same as your credit limit. Some secured cards allow cardholders to graduate to a partially- or fully-unsecured version of the card after a certain number of on-time payments.

Credit-builder cards are fully unsecured credit cards geared toward consumers with low-to-average credit. Card issuers that offer these types of cards may charge higher fees to help offset their risk. So if you can afford the security deposit, you may want consider applying for a secured card with no annual fee before looking at high-fee unsecured cards.

If you’re enrolled as a college student and are over 18 years of age, a student credit card could help you begin building your credit before graduation. But if you’re under 21 years of age, you’ll need to provide proof of income on your application, or you’ll need to become an authorized user on your parent’s, guardian’s or another adult’s account who is over the age of 21.

One of the most important things to do in order to help build credit is to pay your credit card bills on time every month. Your payment history has the strongest influence on both your VantageScore® 3.0 and FICO® credit scores. Making a late payment even just once or twice can significantly affect your scores.

Next, you’ll want to pay attention to your credit utilization rate, which is the percentage of your available credit that’s being used at any given time. Credit utilization is one of the most important credit-scoring factors for the VantageScore and FICO scoring models. So aiming to keep your credit utilization below 30% is a good start.

Other ways to improve your credit include building up a long credit history and having a healthy mix of revolving credit and installment loans on your credit reports. Finally, try to avoid opening too many credit cards in a short period of time. Submitting numerous applications could result in several hard inquiries that lower your scores — and can also signal to lenders that you use credit in an unpredictable way. It can lower the average age of your credit, too.

What to look for in a credit card could depend on your credit health. Those with strong credit may focus on the rewards and redemption options that cards offer. But if you have bad or damaged credit, you may want to focus on cards that offer no or low fees, competitive purchase APRs, and credit-score requirements that you can meet.

You’ll want to avoid cards that charge exorbitant annual fees or high purchase APRs, which can be costly if you carry a balance. Also, pay attention to any “gotcha” fees like penalty APRs on late payments — or monthly maintenances fees, which get added on top of the card’s annual fee if it charges one.

Finally, consider the card’s credit requirements. Just because a card markets itself to borrowers with lower scores doesn’t necessarily mean they accept all applicants. If you’re really worried about your scores, you may want to stick with secured cards. They’re generally easier to be approved for because your collateral helps offset the lender’s risk.

If you have good credit, then traditional, unsecured credit cards are the better option, since they offer many benefits that secured credit cards do not. This includes lower interest rates, low or no fees, and cash back. But if you have bad credit and are struggling to qualify for traditional unsecured cards, a secured card could be a better choice for you.

Often the question boils down to whether your priority is minimizing your immediate out-of-pocket expense or your overall cost. In many cases, unsecured cards will be a better option if you’re looking to reduce your initial cash requirement, because these types of cards don’t require a security deposit. And while most secured credit cards require a security deposit of $200 or more, the annual fees charged on unsecured credit-builder cards are often less than $100.

It’s important to point out that once you pay the annual fee on the card, you can’t get that money back. Security deposits, on the other hand, are often refundable after you close the account, so long as you’ve completely paid off your balance. So if you can find a no-fee secured card, your out-of-pocket cost will be zero once your deposit has been refunded. There are also some secured cards that offer you the option to “graduate” to an unsecured option and return your security deposit after a period where you demonstrate good habits, like paying on time and in-full. In the long run, secured cards could be the more affordable option — even though they can put a bigger dent in your bank account up-front.