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3. Milestone® Mastercard® review: Worth the fees?

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407

member reviews

2.6

Rating: 2.6 out of 5.

Editors’ Take: The Milestone® Mastercard® offers the potential to build credit without a security deposit, but only if you’re willing to pay the card’s high fees.

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Great for access to unsecured credit

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Annual fee: $75 the first year; $99 thereafter (you may see different terms on Credit Karma)

The average credit score for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is 565

The average credit limit for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is $710

Explore more about this card:

• Pros and cons
• In-depth Editorial review

Here’s the average credit limit of members who matched their Milestone® Mastercard® or similar cards.

% of members by credit limit range

The average credit limit for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is $710, with $300 being the most common.

Here’s the average credit score of members who matched their Milestone® Mastercard® or similar cards.

% of members by credit score range

The average credit score for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is 565, with 555 being the most common. Note this is just one of the deciding factors when it comes to getting approved.

This content is curated by Intuit Credit Karma’s Editorial team using data from members who were approved for this card or similar cards, or who self-matched this card or similar cards. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse this content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Member stats

Updated daily

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61.6%

Average credit utilization (or what percent of the card’s credit limit is being used) of members who matched with this card or similar cards.

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48 years

Average age of members who matched this card or similar cards.

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$82,229

Average annual income of members who matched this card or similar cards. Note: Income may be estimated for some members by Credit Karma and may differ from members’ actual incomes.

Pros and cons

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No security deposit required

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Can apply without hurting your credit if you’re not approved

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High purchase APR

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Multiple fees, including annual, late payment, overlimit and returned payment fees

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Potential for a low starting credit limit

Our take on theMilestone® Mastercard®

Updated October 30, 2026

This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.

The features for Milestone® Mastercard® discussed in this article, such as the annual fee and APR, are available through Credit Karma. You may see different terms through the issuer or through other Credit Karma offers.

Written by: Jennifer Brozic

Jennifer Brozic is a personal finance writer and has written for Citi.

Edited by: Liza Carrasquillo, Editor, Credit Cards

Editor’s take: The Milestone® Mastercard® offers the potential to build credit without a security deposit, but only if you’re willing to pay the card’s high fees.

The Milestone® Mastercard® is an unsecured card, meaning you don’t need to provide a security deposit to open it. But with an annual fee and a high purchase APR of 35.9%, it’s an expensive card to carry, even without putting down a deposit. Keeping your credit utilization low while factoring in those fees may also be difficult.

Milestone® Mastercard® at a glance

The terms you see here may be different than the terms available through the issuer or through other Credit Karma offers.

• Annual fee: $75 the first year; $99 thereafter
• Maintenance fee: None 
• Security deposit: None
• Credit limit: $300
• Purchase APR: 35.9% fixed
• Penalty APR: N/A

Milestone® Mastercard® best features

No security deposit required

The Milestone® Mastercard® is an unsecured card that doesn’t require you to make a cash deposit before using it. Many credit cards designed for people who are establishing or rebuilding credit are secured cards, which require an upfront deposit that’s often equal to your credit limit.

While secured credit cards may be easier to qualify for, not everyone has the cash on hand to pay a deposit upfront — so an unsecured credit-building card like the Milestone® Mastercard® can be a good alternative.

Apply without hurting your credit

If you submit an application and aren’t approved, the application won’t generate a hard credit inquiry on your credit reports. Milestone will perform a hard credit inquiry only if your application is approved.

Hard inquiries can temporarily decrease your credit scores by a few points, which may make it more difficult for you to get approved for a different credit card.

Minimizing actions that can negatively affect your credit scores is crucial when you’re working to build credit.

What are the drawbacks of Milestone® Mastercard®?

High fees

The card comes with an annual fee of $75 the first year; $99 thereafter. Depending on your card’s specific terms and conditions, you may also see a monthly maintenance fee added to your account.

The card also charges overlimit, returned payment and late payment fees of up to $41. You won’t be charged an overlimit fee unless you opt into overlimit coverage, however. If you don’t opt in, your transaction will simply be declined.

Not all credit-building cards have annual fees. Cards that don’t may require you to make a security deposit, but you’d only need to pay the deposit once. Unlike an annual fee, you typically get your deposit back when you “graduate” to an unsecured card or close your account if it’s in good standing.

High purchase APR

The card’s 35.9% purchase APR is much higher than the nation’s average credit card interest rate, which sits at around 20%, according to the Federal Reserve. If you carry a balance, interest charges could add up quickly, increasing both the amount you owe and your credit utilization.

Your credit utilization is the amount of credit you use compared to the total amount you have available. It’s one of the key factors used to calculate your credit scores, and keeping it low, typically below 30%, generally has a favorable impact on your credit.

If you carry a balance on your credit card, you may have a hard time keeping your credit card utilization low, especially if you factor in the annual fee.

Potential for a low starting credit limit

At $300, the Milestone® Mastercard® starting credit limit is comparable to similar credit-building cards (You may see other credit limit offers on Credit Karma or through the issuer). While it’s possible to get a higher credit limit from certain credit-building cards, it’s not always guaranteed.

But because of the fees charged by the Milestone® Mastercard®, your actual starting credit limit could be much lower.

For example, if you’re charged an annual fee of $75 for the first year and you open the card with a $300 starting credit limit, you’d actually only have a starting credit limit of $225.

How to build credit with Milestone® Mastercard®

To build credit with the Milestone® Mastercard®, you need to start by making consistent, on-time payments. Keeping your credit utilization low and your account in good standing will also help you establish credit history.

Here’s a breakdown of these steps: 

• Pay your credit card bill on time, every time. Showing that you can pay off your bill each month is crucial to building credit because payment history is generally the most important factor to your credit scores.
• Keep your credit utilization below 30%. Prioritize paying off the annual fee that will be deducted from your credit line when you open your account. Then, focus on keeping your credit utilization below 30%. To do this, spend only as much as you’re able to afford so you can pay off your balance in full each month. You can also consider making payments more than once during the billing cycle.
• Keep your account open and in good standing. Longer credit histories generally have a more positive impact on credit scores than shorter histories, so plan to keep your account open at least until you qualify for cards with no annual fee. After you apply and are approved for a different card, you can decide whether it’s worth it to keep paying for the Milestone® Mastercard®.

You can see how using your card affects your credit by tracking your progress month to month. Credit Karma provides free VantageScore® 3.0 credit scores, as well as free credit reports, from TransUnion and Equifax.

Other cards to consider

• Citi® Secured Mastercard®: This secured card may be a good option for someone who wants a higher starting credit limit and doesn’t want to pay an annual fee.
• Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card: Check out this card if you don’t mind making an upfront deposit and want to earn cash back on your purchases.
• Capital One Platinum Credit Card: If you want an unsecured credit card with automatic credit line reviews and don’t want to pay an annual fee, this card may be worth a look.

Are Credit Karma Approval Odds accurate?

Credit Karma’s Approval Odds provide a window into credit card and personal loan offers you’re more likely to be approved for. Offers with Outstanding Approval Odds have your highest likelihood of approval for offers on Credit Karma.

Approval Odds are built on advanced models that look at many data points to provide you with a reliable estimate.

To do this, Approval Odds consider …

• Thousands of data points
• Insights from 20+ score versions
• Criteria that lenders actually use
• Your credit profile

Keep in mind that while Approval Odds use statistical analysis, the final approval decision rests with the credit card issuer after you submit a formal application.