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If you're fresh out of college, your credit card options may be limited. Here's why:
- If you never had a student credit card to practice with, you may have thin or no credit.
- If you had a student credit card but ran into trouble managing it responsibly, you may have bad credit.
Whichever category you may fall into after graduation, prioritize a card's credit-building features over nice-to-have perks and benefits.
A card without an annual fee makes it easier to keep the account open and active, and preserve your credit score. Ideally, the card also reports payments to all three major credit bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian — because those companies compile the information that helps calculate your credit scores. It can further help your credit journey if there's a possibility of credit limit increases over time or a path to upgrade to a better credit card with the same issuer after displaying good credit habits.
Here are some beginner-friendly credit cards that can help you establish credit.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
If you can’t qualify for a credit card, consider getting a co-signer or becoming an authorized user on someone else’s credit card. These options can help you establish credit. Options if you have no credit
Chase Freedom Rise®
The Chase Freedom Rise® is an excellent starter card, and it's attainable for those with no credit history. It has a $0 annual fee, a decent rewards rate of 1.5% cash back on all purchases, plus a possible path to upgrade to another credit card in the Chase portfolio (namely, the Chase Freedom Unlimited®).
The Chase Freedom Rise® is an unsecured card, so you don't have to come up with an upfront security deposit, although Chase says you can increase your odds of approval if you have a balance of at least $250 in a Chase checking or savings account. You can be evaluated for a credit line increase in as little as six months, and the card reports payments to all three major credit bureaus.
Zolve Classic Credit Card
The $0-annual-fee Zolve Classic Credit Card is a good choice if you’re a newcomers to the U.S. who can’t meet the Social Security number requirement on most credit cards. With this card, you can potentially qualify with alternative documentation such as an I-20 if you’re a student, offer letters or pay slips. It reports payments to all major credit bureaus, and it earns 1% back on all purchases.
There’s currently no path to upgrade to a better credit card from Zolve once you've used this one to establish a good credit history. But that may not be a dealbreaker in this case, considering that there aren't many credit card options for those lacking a Social Security number.
Options if you have fair credit
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid unsecured starter card for new graduates. It earns an unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases, plus 5% back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal. You’re also automatically considered for a higher credit limit in as little as six months, which could bump up your credit scores. (A higher credit limit can lower your credit utilization ratio, a key factor in your scores.)
The card reports to all three major credit bureaus, and its annual fee of $39 is reasonable, given that the market for those with fair credit is small.
Tilt Essentials
The $0-annual-fee Tilt Essentials credit card is one of three cards in Tilt's portfolio, which is generally aimed at those looking to build or rebuild credit. This particular Tilt card is the most rewarding one, offering 3% cash back on gas and groceries when you set up automatic payments, and 1% on all other purchases. But unlike its two siblings, you'll typically need at least fair credit to qualify for the Tilt Essentials. That said, the Tilt cards can opt to rely on more than just your credit scores to evaluate creditworthiness. (There's no security deposit, but you may be required to link your bank account through a third party to provide the real-time spending data that can be used in the underwriting process.)
All Tilt cards report to the three major credit bureaus and offer several ways to increase your credit limit. But keep in mind that Tilt's pre-qualification process will determine which of the three Tilt cards, if any, you qualify for.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
For most credit cards, age and income matter. You can improve your odds by applying for a credit card that’s in your league. Options if you have bad credit
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
The $0-annual-fee Discover it® Secured Credit Card is among the most generous secured card options. It offers 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent per quarter on restaurants and gas, and 1% back on all other purchases. It requires a minimum security deposit of $200 to qualify.
That deposit may be a bit steep, but it could be worth it, thanks to the card's cash-back rewards and welcome offer: INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Discover also reports payments to all three credit bureaus.
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card requires a security deposit of at least $200. You can eventually get it back when you close the account or upgrade to a different credit card with Capital One.
The card also has credit-building features like the chance to be automatically considered for a higher credit limit in as little as six months without having to add to the deposit.
Payments are reported to all three major credit bureaus, and you'll also get solid rewards: 1.5% cash back on most purchases and 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Terms apply.
Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card
The Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card is technically a secured card, but it breaks away from that traditional mold in several ways. It doesn’t require a hard credit check, and you don't have to pay a minimum security deposit upfront. But you will need to open a Chime Checking Account.
The money you move from that Chime Checking Account to the Credit Builder secured account determines your credit limit. You can also use this money to pay off your balance, and when you do, those payments are reported to all three major credit bureaus. The card also packs features that can keep you out of debt. It doesn’t charge interest or fees because you can’t carry a balance from one month to the next.
See more from Chime®
Chime says the following:
- The secured Chime Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.
- Based on a representative study conducted by Experian® in Sept 2025, the top 10% of members who made their first purchase with Credit Builder, an earlier version of Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card, between April and August 2024, observed a FICO® Score 8 increase of 71 points after approximately 8 months. Average increase of 28 points across all participants in the study. Credit score improvement not guaranteed. Paying on time may increase your score, while late payment may decrease your score. Other credit activity can impact your score. Credit score is one of many factors creditors may consider in evaluating credit applications.
- On-time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Results may vary.
- Money added to the Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card will be held in a secured deposit account as collateral for your Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card, and you can spend up to this amount. You can use money deposited in your Secured Deposit Account to pay off your charges at the end of every month.
- Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and over the counter advance fees may apply.
- SpotMe® on Credit is an optional, no interest / no fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account available to qualifying members with an active Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card. To qualify for the SpotMe on Chime Card service, you must receive $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime® Checking Account each month and have activated your physicalSecured Chime Visa® Credit Card or Chime Visa® Debit Card. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Secured Deposit Account up to $20, but may later be eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. The SpotMe on Chime Card Limit will be displayed within the Chime mobile app and is subject to change at any time, at Chime’s or its banking partners’ discretion. Although Chime does not charge any overdraft fees for SpotMe on Chime Card, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions and fees associated with OTC cash withdrawals. SpotMe on Chime Card won’t cover non-card transactions. SpotMe on Chime Card Terms and Conditions.
- With qualifying direct deposits, earn 5% cash back as a Chime Prime member or 2% cash back as a Chime Plus member on up to $1,500 of eligible Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card purchases. See the Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card - Cash Rewards Program Addendum for limitations and details on earning cash back on your monthly selected category.
