Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit in December 2024

Along with being our top overall pick for the best credit card for bad credit, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card is our top pick for the best secured credit card. That’s because it offers cash back on every purchase, accepts applicants with limited/poor credit and reports your account activity to the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). This can help you build your credit score over time with responsible usage.

There’s also an easy path to graduate to an unsecured card. Once you’ve had the card for seven months, Discover will conduct monthly account reviews to see if you’re eligible to graduate and get your deposit back.

Out of the few secured credit cards for business, the Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card offers one of the best values. It has a $0 annual fee and a flat rewards rate, which makes it easy to rack up rewards on business purchases while also building credit. Plus, Bank of America will automatically review your account to see if you can transition to an unsecured credit card. Still, keep in mind that the minimum deposit is $1,000 — which is pretty steep for a secured credit card.

The Navy Federal nRewards® Secured Credit Card has a very low 18.00% variable APR. It’s rare to find a secured card with a low regular APR. If you have to carry a balance on your card, this will save you in high interest charges. Plus you’ll earn 1X points per dollar spent.

After six months, Navy Federal Credit Union will automatically review your account to see if you’re eligible to be upgraded to an unsecured card.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card is the best option if you have limited/poor credit and are looking for a high credit limit. You can deposit anywhere from $300 to $5,000, making your maximum credit limit available $5,000. By comparison, some other secured cards, like the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card, only allow credit limits up to $2,500.

You can also earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, 2X at grocery stores, grocery delivery, streaming services, gas stations and EV charging stations, 1X on all other purchases.

The Amazon Secured Card offers a high rate of cash back for a secured card. You’ll earn 2% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership. Plus, this card has an extremely low 10.00% non-variable APR and potentially low minimum deposit.

If you make on-time payments and use your card responsibly for at least 12 months you’ll be eligible to upgrade to the unsecured version of the card.

The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card offers an excellent cash back rate on travel purchases, a rarity with cards for bad credit. Plus, you’ll earn a high rate of cash back on other purchases. Cardholders earn 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). And as a Capital One credit card, it doesn’t charge a fee for foreign transactions, which makes it a good choice for international travel.

Further, this $0 annual fee card offers automatic credit line reviews starting at six months to determine if you qualify for a higher credit line.

If you’re looking for a nontraditional credit card to establish credit, the Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa^® Credit Card is a great choice that doesn’t require a credit check. To get approved, you’ll just need to deposit any amount from an existing Chime checking account to your Chime credit builder account — this will serve as your line of credit.

This is the most affordable card we can find with no credit check, since it doesn’t charge an annual fee or monthly maintenance fees. It’s also much easier to fund than other secured cards, since you can choose your line of credit. However, you’ll need to add funds to your account on a regular basis to keep your credit limit — and you’ll also need to pay your balance in full each month.

Typically, when you get a secured credit card, you’ll need to submit a deposit in the amount of your desired credit limit. The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, however, offers the chance to get a $200 starting credit limit with a $49, $99 or $200 deposit (just know that you aren’t guaranteed to get the lower deposit amounts).

You can raise your initial credit line by making a larger deposit. Plus, after six months of demonstrating responsible card usage, Capital One will review your eligibility for an increased credit limit.

The Petal^® 1 No Annual Fee Visa^® Credit Card is the best alternative to a secured credit card for those who are struggling to get approved for a traditional credit card. It doesn’t have an annual fee, and it offers a unique cash score program to get approved. Your cash score is made up of an analysis of banking and bill payment patterns, rather than using your credit score. You can also see if you’re preapproved before you apply for the card without impacting your credit score.

After six months of on-time payments you’ll also be eligible to earn a credit line increase.

The Tomo Credit Card lets you get a credit limit anywhere from $100 to $30,000. Tomo will look at your bank accounts and other factors to determine what your spending limit will be. You’ll have to link a bank account to be approved for the card, but connecting all bank accounts or your account with the highest balance can help score you a higher limit.

You will have to pay a monthly membership fee for the card, but it’s reasonable at $2.99 per month ($35.88 total per year). You can also get approved for the card with no credit check.

The Oportun^® Visa^® Credit Card is another solid option for applicants with low credit scores who don’t want to put down a deposit. It comes with a low annual fee ranging from $0–$49. There’s no credit check, and you don’t need a credit score, bank information or a Social Security number to get approved. Plus, you’ll get a credit line up to $1,000 with this card.