Unsecured Yet Easy Credit Cards to Qualify For

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Even if you have bad credit, you can still often find an easy credit card to qualify for. Depending on whether you have a poor credit history, or just no credit, you might even get approved for a solid unsecured card. In fact, those who have limited credit have quite a few attractive options.

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Credit cards to rebuild credit

Capital+One Secured+MasterCard Credit Card
One of the best easy credit cards to get is the Capital One Secured MasterCard. You only have to put down $49, $99 or $200 (based on your credit history) to get the $200 minimum line of credit, though of course you may get a higher limit. It’s the best card for people who can’t make a full $200 or $300 security deposit, because you can pay in installments for up to 80 days if need be. If you need cash quickly, this is the ideal card. The annual fee’s a low $29 – one of the best in the business, and definitely better than you’d get with a so-called unsecured credit card. If you need cash fast, and you need it cheap, the Capital One Secured is better than an unsecured credit card or payday loan. It also helps build credit, so you can “graduate” to a no-fee, higher limit card.

US+Bank Secured+Visa Credit Card
Another credit building card is the US Bank Secured. Its annual fee is higher than the Capital One card’s ($35, compared to $29) but again, it’s a lot more affordable than a payday loan or unsecured credit card. The minimum security deposit (and therefore credit line) ranges from $300 to $5,000, and is kept in an interest-earning account. You can also get discounts on car rental services like Alamo or Hertz.

Credit cards for no credit

If you don’t have a credit history (versus having a bad credit history) you have a few more options on the table. Remember, though, that this is for people looking to build, not rebuild, credit. Some thin-file-friendly credit cards include:

Capital+One Cash+Credit+Card+Rewards+Average+Credit Credit Card
The Capital One® Cash Rewards. The Capital One® Cash Rewards offers a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases – 1% regularly, and a 50% points dividend at the end of the year. Unlike the Barclaycard, this one has an annual fee – $39 a year. Still, you do earn substantial rewards, and it’s a great average-credit card to boost you into the higher FICO score range.

Barclays Rewards+MasterCard+-+Average+Credit Credit Card
The Barclaycard Rewards MasterCard for Average Credit. With no annual fee, the Barclaycard is pretty much the most affordable offer out there for those with fair or no credit. It earns 1% back on all purchases, plus 2% on gas, groceries and utilities. You’ll get a signup bonus of none after your first purchase, too, and 6 months of zero interest on purchases and balance transfers.

Unsecured credit cards

In addition to the cards mentioned above, there are a number of unsecured credit cards for bad credit out there – you’ve probably heard of the First Premier, Matrix Hybrid, Cerulean, Applied Bank and others. The unfortunate part about these cards is that they often have very expensive annual fees, which are deducted from your initial credit line. For example, the Matrix Discover card has a $75 annual fee, so your initial credit limit is just $225, not $300. Moreover, your annual fee rises to $219 after the first year ($75 billed annually, plus $144 billed at $12 monthly). That’s insanely expensive for a $300 line of credit.

Again, contrast this with the Capital One Secured, where you can put down as little as $49-$200 (depending on your credit score), get a $200+ line of credit, and increase that limit without having to pay a fee. The Matrix card charges $30 for every $100 credit limit increase.

The Cerulean card is just as bad – it’s the exact same card, more or less, with the same shoddy terms. And the First Premier card is worse: It charges a $95 application fee, on top of a $75 first-year annual fee and $120 ongoing annual fee ($45 billed annually, $6.25 billed monthly). You also have to pay a fee of $25 for every $100 credit limit increase, after the first year, which is assessed against the credit limit. So if you increase your limit by $100, you’re really only getting $75 in available credit.

This is all to say – unsecured cards are a bad idea. Really, they are. If you’re still convinced that you want one, you can find an unsecured card via Google, but they tend to be far more expensive than secured cards and in most cases not as good of a product.

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    credit cards always make the life easy

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  • Carmelo Basilisco

    I recntly applied a credit card from chase slate visa platinum and was not approved at this time I recently applied for a new car loan and was approved through ally finnanial I was in bankruptcy in 2001 and I do have a tax lien that Im trying to take care of now for $8,500.00 that is why Iam trying to get a loan of $8,500.00 I recive a pension and social security Disability which totals a sum of $3647.16 a mounth I been a victim Identity Theft that reflects on my credit report is there any bank or creditcard company help me contact me at cbasilisco@wowway.com thank you

    • WARRZONE

      Your bankruptcy doesn’t matter anymore. They disappear after 10 years.

  • seth venus

    Credit cards are easy to obtain with bad credit. But finding work and finding a loan for a home are much more difficult. If you’re looking to repair your credit I strongly suggest hiring out Lexington Law. They have been in the business a really long time and have a great reputation.

    • Pittsburgh Kid

      3rd parties are the worst way to go all it shows is that the people at fault are not capable of taking care of their own problems they also put you further in debt doing things people can do on their own in the days of rapid rescores

  • disqus_wgs9PgGIjr

    how do i get a credit card with bad credit and no bank account help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • http://www.nerdwallet.com/ NerdWallet

      Hi,

      Thanks for the comment.

      If you have bad credit, take a look at secured credit cards. They’re like credit cards with training wheels.

      You send in a deposit, the card company gives you a credit limit. You send in further deposits, the card company gives you a higher credit limit. See where I’m going with this?

      The higher the credit limit, the longer you pay your bills in full and on time, the quicker your score will bounce back. Do that, and you can graduate to a card with rewards.

      One of our favorite secured cards is from Capital One. There is a small annual fee, but that’s difficult to avoid with secured cards — and it’s not always a bad thing. For more detail about all that, just follow that link, to the card, and read the brief review.

      Best of luck!

  • http://www.facebook.com/allison.m.hunter.1 Allison Mary Hunter

    I’ve been trying to get ANY credit card since I was 18, I am now 23 and was JUST approved for a Fingerhut card TONIGHT. My credit score is LITERALLY zero. I have applied for EVERY credit card I can think of, including store cards. So the theory that establishing credit as being easy, is 100% BS.

    • http://www.facebook.com/joetta.crawford JoEtta Crawford

      Every time u apply for a card your credit score goes down so only apply for cards you are sure u want and are ok with the fees etc.. I think my first visa was a clout gold visa card. Really the secured card is the way to go rather than pay a ton in fees. I wish I had done that way back when rather then taking the first card I got approved for. You can get a secured capital one card even with student loans as thats the only credit card I use now as I stay on a cash only basis most of the time. Much fairer card than many out there.

  • http://www.facebook.com/allison.m.hunter.1 Allison Mary Hunter

    Also, I have never filed bankruptcy or had any identity theft problems. I am the ONLY person that anyone I know has EVER met who has a credit score of 0 and is 18 or older and who has never had any type of credit card.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jerry-Summers/1503767562 Jerry Summers

      Just you purchase something with fingerhut and as soon as your credit file i finally established, it should be much easier