Kikoff Credit-Builder Review 2025
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at Self
Line of credit amount | $750. |
APR | 0%. |
Min. credit score | None. |
How a Kikoff Credit Account line of credit works
Kikoff fees and penalties
How to apply for a Kikoff line of credit
Other Kikoff credit-building tools
- A $10 per-month credit-builder loan with no annual fees or interest. Kikoff reports your monthly payments to Equifax and TransUnion. After 12 months of payments, you get the money you paid returned to you.
- It also offers a secured credit card “that works like a checking account and debit card.” You deposit money up front, which then equals the credit limit of the card. With a deposit of $50 or more, payments are reported to all three credit bureaus.
- Rent reporting to Equifax is included if you link the bank account you use to make rent payments, provide a valid lease and submit landlord information. For a onetime $50 fee, you can get rent payments over the past 24 months reported.
Kikoff vs. Self
Credit Account
- Offered by Kikoff; no similar product from Self.
- $750 line of credit.
- $5 monthly charge, no interest.
- No credit check.
- Reporting: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- Spending is limited to the Kikoff Store products.
Credit-builder loans
- Loan amount $120.
- 0% interest, no late fees.
- No credit check.
- Reports to TransUnion and Equifax.
- Loan term: 1 year.
- Free payments with bank transfers, or a 50-cent fee to pay by card.
- Loan amount $600 to $3,600.
- $9 administrative fee; APRs around 15% (see the Self website for current pricing).
- No hard credit check that might affect your score.
- Reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- Loan term: 2 years.
- Free payments by bank transfer; variable fee to pay by debit card.
Secured credit cards
- $50 minimum deposit to have the account reported to credit bureaus.
- No hard credit check.
- No interest or annual fee.
- Reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- Fee-free access to funds at more than 55,000 Allpoint ATMs worldwide; $2.50 fee outside of the Allpoints network (in addition to any ATM fees).
- $100 minimum in credit-builder loan account and 3 on-time payments.
- No hard credit check.
-
28.24% Variable
APR and$0 intro first year, $25 thereafter
annual fee. - Reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- Cannot be used as a debit card at ATMs.
Other ways to build credit
- Become an authorized user: If you have a family member or friend with a high credit score and long credit history, ask them to add you as an authorized user on their credit card.
- Get a secured credit card: Consider applying for a secured credit card, a type of card that's backed by an upfront cash deposit.
- Ask someone to co-sign a loan for you: You can get a loan or a regular credit card using a co-signer. Make sure you and the co-signer understand that the co-signer owes the full amount if you don't pay.
- Get credit for paying utilities or rent: You can explore using services like Experian Boost or a rent-reporting company to get your bills counted toward your scores. (Note that Kikoff has a rent-reporting service, but it reports only to Equifax and not all three major credit bureaus.
Article sources
- 1. National Bureau of Economic Research. Prodigals and Projecture: An Economic History of Usury Laws in the United States from Colonial Times to 1900. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 2. Federal Register. Federal Interest Rate Authority: A Rule by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on 07/22/2020. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 3. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Finance Rate on Personal Loans at Commercial Banks, 24 Month Loan. Accessed May 23, 2025.
- 4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Debt Relief Program and How Do I Know if I Should Use One?. Accessed Jan 16, 2025.
- 5. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Truth in Lending Act (TILA) examination procedures. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 6. Experian and Oliver Wyman. Financial Inclusion and Access to Credit. Accessed Jan 23, 2025.
- 7. Internal Revenue Service. Canceled debt – Is it taxable or not?. Accessed Apr 1, 2025.
- 8. Center for Responsible Lending. Payday and Other Small Dollar Loans. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 9. National Credit Union Administration. Credit Union and Bank Rates 2024 Q4. Accessed May 23, 2025.
- 10. Federal Reserve. Military Lending Act. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 11. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Consumer Use of Buy Now, Pay Later and Other Unsecured Debt. Accessed Jan 24, 2025.
- 12. Center for Responsible Lending. Unsafe Harbor: The Persistent Harms of High-Cost Installment Loans. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 13. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What is a payday loan?. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 14. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What are the costs and fees for a payday loan?. Accessed Jun 6, 2025.
- 15. Internal Revenue Service. Home energy tax credits. Accessed Mar 6, 2024.
- 16. Center for Responsible Lending. Unsafe Harbor: The Persistent Harms of High-Cost Lending. Accessed Jun 6, 2025.
- 17. Solar Energy Industries Association. Solar Power Purchase Agreements. Accessed Mar 7, 2024.
- 18. SolarReviews.com. Homes with Solar Sell for 6.8% More [2024 Zillow Data Study]. Accessed Dec 10, 2024.
- 19. Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics - Plan Loans. Accessed Apr 8, 2025.
- 13. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What is a payday loan?. Accessed Apr 4, 2025.
- 21. The Pew Charitable Trusts. Payday Loans Cost 4 Times More in States With Few Consumer Protections. Accessed Apr 4, 2025.
- 10. Federal Reserve. Military Lending Act. Accessed Apr 4, 2025.
- 23. Internal Revenue Service. Retirement topics: Exceptions to tax on early distributions. Accessed Apr 8, 2025.
- 24. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Bankruptcy Basics. Accessed Apr 8, 2025.
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