Can I Switch From My Secured Credit Card to an Unsecured One?

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- Many major credit card issuers provide an automatic upgrade path, where they review your card use after a few months and determine whether you qualify for a switch.
- With other card issuers, you won't get the benefit of automatic or periodic reviews, but you can call on your own and ask to upgrade your credit card.
- And with some smaller issuers, there are no card options at all when you're ready to move up. In that case, you'll need to close the account to get your deposit back and then consider other issuers.

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In this article
Secured credit cards that spell out their upgrade paths
What to do if your secured card is unclear about upgrades
- Credit cards for fair credit could be a fit if you’ve attained a FICO score of at least 630.
- You can also consider so-called alternative credit cards, which are offered by financial startups and can use nontraditional underwriting to evaluate applications.
How to improve your odds of graduating to an unsecured card
- Make sure your card activity counts: Opt for a card that reports your account activity to the three major credit bureaus.
- Pay your bills on time (and ideally in full), every time: Your payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO scores, and late payments can result in steep fees. Many secured cards charge high interest rates, so paying your bill in full can help you avoid expensive credit card debt.
- Try not to max out your card’s credit limit: Credit utilization, or the portion of your total credit limit you charge each month, accounts for 30% of your FICO score. We recommend you only use 30% of your total credit limit during a billing cycle.
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