5 Things to Know About the Zolve Credit Card

The Zolve Credit Card is one of a few credit-building options for eligible newcomers to the U.S.

Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.

Updated · 4 min read
Profile photo of Melissa Lambarena
Written by Melissa Lambarena
Senior Writer
Profile photo of Kenley Young
Edited by Kenley Young
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked

The Zolve Credit Card is one of a few options available for international students and H1-B and L-1 visa holders. Unlike with other credit cards, you can potentially qualify without a Social Security number. To do so, you'll need additional documentation to determine eligibility, such as an I-20 if you're a student, or offer letters or pay slips for workers.

There are three subscription plans for the Zolve card, each with varying terms, features and costs. But the plan or plans that you're eligible for will depend on the credit limit you're granted. More on that below.

Here’s what to know about the Zolve Credit Card.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Have a Social Security number or ITIN? You may have access to better and/or less costly options, including secured credit cards and alternative credit cards. Some of these options may also offer a path to upgrade to a traditional credit card later.

1. The card has three subscription plans ...

The Zolve Credit Card is tied to one of three subscription plans: Classic, Signature or Black. Here's a quick look at the basic details of each tier.

Classic

Signature

Black

Annual fee

$0.

$99.

$299.

Welcome points

$15 value.

$25 value.

$50 value.

Rewards

1% cash back on most purchases.

3% cash back on three brands of your choice from a list of options. 1% cash back on most purchases.

5% cash back on five brands of your choice from a list of options. 1.5% cash back on most purchases.

Perks and benefits

Standard Mastercard benefits and more.

World Mastercard benefits and more.

World Elite Mastercard benefits and more.

2. ... But you won't necessarily get to choose among them all

With the Zolve Credit Card, you can get a potentially high credit limit of up to $10,000 depending on eligibility, according to Shivang Badaya, head of retention at Zolve. But whatever credit limit you're approved for, it will determine the subscription plans you can choose from.

For instance, if you get a credit limit below $1,000, you’re eligible for the Classic plan, Badaya says. Those with credit limits ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 are eligible for the Classic and Signature. With a credit limit above $4,000, you can select any option of the three.

3. When it comes to rewards, there's a lot to keep track of

As the table above notes, the Signature and Black subscriptions come with higher reward rates, but only for the specific brands listed below. You may need a cheat sheet:

  • Adidas

  • Aldi

  • Amazon

  • AMC

  • Bath & Body Works

  • Burlington stores

  • Cinemark

  • Costco

  • CVS Pharmacy

  • Dollar Tree

  • Fandango

  • Fossil

  • Gap

  • Great Clips

  • H&M

  • Ikea

  • Kohl's

  • Kroger

  • Macy's

  • Marshalls

  • Michael Kors

  • Nike

  • Old Navy

  • Regal Cinemas

  • Ross Stores

  • Sephora

  • Shein

  • Target

  • The Home Depot

  • Ticketmaster

  • Under Armour

  • Walgreens

  • Walmart

  • Wayfair

  • Zara

  • Air France

  • Air India

  • Airbnb

  • American Airlines

  • Amtrak

  • Avis

  • Booking.com

  • Budget Rent a Car

  • Delta Airlines

  • Emirates

  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car

  • Etihad Airways

  • Expedia

  • Frontier Airlines

  • Greyhound

  • Hertz

  • Priceline

  • Qatar Airways

  • Southwest Airlines

  • Spirit Airlines

  • StudentUniverse

  • United Airlines

  • Zipcar

  • Buffalo Wild Wings

  • Chick-fil-A

  • Chipotle

  • Chipotle Mexican Grill

  • Dominos

  • DoorDash

  • Dunkin' Donuts

  • Grubhub

  • H-E-B

  • India Bazaar Online

  • Instacart

  • McDonald's

  • Patel Brothers

  • Safeway

  • Sam's Club

  • Starbucks

  • Stop & Shop

  • Subway

  • Taco Bell

  • Trader Joe's

  • Uber Eats

  • Whole Foods Market

Electronics

  • Apple

  • B&H

  • Back Market

  • Best Buy

  • Dell

  • eBay

  • HP

  • Lenovo

  • Newegg

  • Samsung

  • Sony

Local transport

  • CapMetro

  • Clipper

  • Dart

  • Houston Metro

  • Lyft

  • MARTA

  • Masabi

  • MBTA

  • MTA

  • NFTA

  • NJ Transit

  • ORCA

  • The Valley Metro

  • Uber

  • Ventra

Utilities

  • 7-Eleven

  • Amazon Prime

  • AT&T

  • Chevron

  • Circle K

  • Comcast

  • ExxonMobil

  • Google Fi

  • Lyca Mobile USA

  • Mint Mobile

  • Shell

  • Spectrum

  • Sunoco

  • T-Mobile

  • Ultra Mobile

  • Verizon

  • Xfinity

Insurance

  • AAA

  • eRenterPlan

  • Farmers Insurance Group

  • Geico

  • ISOA

  • Progressive Corporation

  • PSI Health Insurance

  • SMC

  • State Farm

  • Stillwater Insurance Group

  • Toggle Insurance

  • UnitedHealthOne

You can change the categories that earn elevated reward rates for the Signature and Black every quarter, Badaya says, although changing them isn't required.

Redemption options are limited compared with those offered on other credit cards. You can choose gift cards or a statement credit, and you'll need a minimum of 1,000 points to do so.

Depending on which plan you have, an expiration date may also apply. On the Classic plan, rewards expire after 12 months if you don’t use them. With the Signature and Black plans, they don’t expire.

3. Side benefits also vary widely by plan

Perks and benefits shouldn’t be a top priority when your goal is to build credit. Still, all three subscription plans offer varying perks, which get richer the more you're willing to pay.

Classic benefits

Signature benefits

Black benefits

Specially curated travel experiences

Global Emergency Services

Up to $1,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Coverage

Mastercard ID theft protection

Golf experiences

Up to 10% off at over 7,000 merchants

Travel and lifestyle services

Car rental loss and damage insurance

Airport concierge service

Extended warranty protection

Up to $3,000 accidental death and dismemberment coverage

Golf experiences

Exclusive lifestyle experiences

Up to 10% off at over 7,000 merchants

Fees reimbursed for 2 international money transfers

An Instacart credit (a value of $140)

A Lyft credit (a value of $60)

A complimentary ShopRunner membership (a value of $79 annually)

$3 off Peacock streaming each month (valued at $36)

Complimentary airport lounge access

Car rental loss and damage insurance

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Lost or damaged luggage insurance

Travel accident and medical insurance

Mastercard airport concierge service

Mastercard travel and lifestyle services

Up to $10,000 in accidental death and dismemberment coverage

Cell phone protection

Purchase protection

Extended warranty

Global emergency services

Mastercard ID theft protection

Fees reimbursed for 4 international money transfers

Up to 10% off with over 7,000 merchants

Exclusive lifestyle experiences

Golf experiences

Concierge services

An Instacart credit (a value of $140)

A Lyft credit (a value of $60)

A complimentary ShopRunner membership (a value of $79 annually)

$3 off Peacock streaming each month (valued at $36)

If you're a heavy user of, say, Instacart and Lyft, you could come out ahead with one of the higher-cost subscription tiers. But if you prefer to pick up your groceries — and drive yourself around to do it — then, such credits won't do much in terms of defraying the yearly cost of the subscription.

4. Payments are reported to major credit bureaus

The Zolve Credit Card reports payments to all three major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. This step is key to establishing credit, as these companies record the information used to calculate your credit scores.

5. The APR is high

With an APR ranging from 20.24% to 35.25% (rate accurate as of April 2024), you'll want to avoid carrying a balance on the Zolve Credit Card if possible.

If you can't pay off the balance in full each month, the cost of interest may very well exceed any value you would get from rewards.

Find the right credit card for you.

Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.

Get Started
MORE LIKE THISCredit Cards Archive
Get more smart money moves – straight to your inbox
Sign up and we’ll send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money.