Tilt Essentials Review: Earn Solid Rewards While Building Credit
The Bottom Line
4.9
You'll earn rewards and the chance to continue building credit without excessive fees or a deposit requirement.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-10%
Bonus offer
None
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 29.99%, Variable APR
Foreign transaction fee
0%
More details from Tilt
More details from Tilt
- 1% cash back on all purchases. Unlock 3% on gas and groceries with AutoPay.
- No annual fee
- 1-10% cash back at select national merchants
- Credit limit increases in as early as 4 months for qualified borrowers
- See if you're pre-approved instantly without impacting your credit score
- Pay with ease with a contactless card or on your phone using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay
- Build credit alongside hundreds of thousands of Tilt card members
- Tilt reports to all 3 major credit bureaus
- Freeze your card in the mobile app at any time for peace of mind
- Zero liability fraud coverage
- No security deposit required
- Card issued by WebBank
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee
Qualify with average credit
Bonus rewards
No foreign transaction fee
Reports to the three major credit bureaus
Cons
No bonus offer
No intro APR offer
Detailed Review
The $0-annual-fee Tilt Essentials is an excellent option for those with at least fair credit, and it doesn’t require excessive fees or a security deposit.
Issued by WebBank, it's the most rewarding of Tilt's three possible cards, offering a solid cash-back rate on gas and groceries that's comparable to what you'd find on cards meant for people with good to excellent credit. (You must meet the card's autopay terms to qualify for that rate.)
And unlike some of those competing cards, the Tilt Essentials features an underwriting process that can consider more than just traditional FICO scores to determine creditworthiness, potentially taking into account things like real-time spending data. You can also find out whether you qualify without any initial impact on your credit scores, and the card reports to all three major credit bureaus.
So if you're looking to help your credit while also earning good rewards, the Tilt Essentials card deserves a closer look. Just keep in mind that Tilt's pre-qualification process will determine which of the three Tilt cards you actually qualify for.
(For more information on how the three Tilt cards compare, see the table below.)
Tilt — under its former company name, Empower — acquired the Petal portfolio of credit cards in 2024. Tilt's three new credit cards have replaced Petal's three cards: the Petal® 1 Rise Visa® Credit Card, the Petal® 1 Visa® Credit Card and the Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card. Applications for those products are closed, although existing cardholders can still use them.
Tilt Essentials: Basics
Card type: Fair credit.
Annual fee: $0.
Security deposit: None.
Rewards:
3% cash back on gas and groceries when you set up automatic payments.
1% cash back on everything else.
Plus, you can earn additional cash back rewards when you shop with specific merchants.
APR: The ongoing APR is 29.99% Variable APR.
Penalty APR: None.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
What to know about applying for a Tilt card
Tilt offers three possible credit cards, each targeted at different credit profiles:
The Tilt Engage (for those with poor to good credit who can't qualify for Tilt's other cards).
The Tilt Motion (for those with poor to good credit who can't qualify for Tilt's most rewarding card).
The Tilt Essentials (for those with fair to excellent credit).
You can use Tilt’s pre-qualification tool to see which of Tilt's three cards, if any, is a good fit. (You'll be considered for all three cards and will be offered terms for the one you qualify for.) Pre-qualification doesn’t have any impact on your credit scores. However, if you decide to formally apply, you must submit to a hard credit pull, which can temporarily lower your scores.
How the Tilt cards compare
| Empty Table Header | Tilt Engage | Tilt Motion | Tilt Essentials |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $59 | $0 | $0 |
Welcome bonus | None | None | None |
Rewards | 1% to 10% cash back at select merchants | 1% to 10% cash back at select merchants | 3% cash back on gas and groceries when you set up autopay; 1% back on other purchases. |
APR | The ongoing APR is 28.99%-33.99% Variable | The ongoing APR is 28.99%-33.99% Variable APR | The ongoing APR is 29.99% Variable APR |
While any credit card could adjust its rewards, benefits and fee structure at any time, new cards from startup financial technology companies are particularly prone to significant changes as they find their place in the market.
Benefits and Perks
Evaluation based on multiple factors
You must be a U.S. resident with a valid Social Security number or an individual taxpayer identification number to qualify for the Tilt Essentials card, but Tilt's issuer may opt to weigh more than just your credit scores. It can also consider real-time spending data if you link your bank account.
No annual fee
The Tilt Essentials card has a $0 annual fee, making it possible to keep it open over the long term. When you're building credit, keeping a credit card open and active with planned purchases and on-time payments can favor your credit scores, as it preserves the length of your credit history.
No security deposit
Many cards designed for those with limited credit are secured products, meaning they require an upfront cash deposit as collateral, usually at least a few hundred dollars that's equal to your credit limit. You get the deposit back when you close the account (or upgrade it to an unsecured card), but it's money you've got to come up with on the front end. The Tilt Essentials card has no such requirement. (In fact, none of the Tilt cards requires a deposit.)
Solid rewards
The cash-back rate on the Tilt Essentials is competitive with some of the best options on the market, like the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. You'll need to set up automatic payments to earn the top rate, but even the 1% base rate is better than what you'll get on some other credit cards for fair credit.
A potential credit limit increase
With the Tilt Essentials, there are many ways you might qualify for a credit limit increase, which can be helpful to your credit scores. Linking a bank account in the first 30 days guarantees a credit limit increase, according to the company. Tilt monitors positive spending and repayment behavior and could also offer an increase in as little as four months. If you're not eligible for that increase, another avenue includes making six consecutive on-time payments over six months.
A worthy travel companion
The Tilt Essentials card is a travel-friendly card that can save you money when you’re abroad. It has no foreign transaction fees, which generally range from 1% to 3% per transaction for other credit cards. As a Visa card, it also has broad international acceptance.
Tilt offers three kinds of financial products: cash advances, credit cards and a line of credit. Customers are only allowed to have one of those products at a time.
Drawbacks and Considerations
No introductory incentives
Credit-builder cards aren't known for their lucrative welcome bonuses or lengthy APR promotions, and you won't find them on the Tilt Essentials either. But you can find them on starter cards, especially if you're willing to put down a refundable security deposit. For instance, the $0-annual-fee Discover it® Secured Credit Card not only offers decent ongoing rewards, but it also features a potentially rich bonus offer, which Discover phrases this way: "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."
Limited redemption options
With the Tilt Essentials, you can only redeem your cash back as a statement credit. That can still be quite useful, but other credit cards allow for a variety of redemption options, including a deposit into a bank account. The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, for instance, is also aimed at those with at least fair credit. It earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and you can redeem it for statement credit, a check, entertainment, travel, gift cards and more. It does, however, have a $39 annual fee.
Account managed in-app only
As a Tilt cardholder, you can only manage the account in the Tilt mobile app, and not on a browser. (The app is available on iOS and Android devices.) This may not be a dealbreaker for you, but it’s important to understand what to expect when attempting to manage the card.
If desktop access is important to you, a card like the $0-annual-fee Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® can offer the option to manage your account on a browser. It earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase when you pay it back. It, too, is available to those with at least fair credit.
Permanent minimum payment due date
Tilt doesn’t allow you to change your minimum payment due date. If that’s important to you, some traditional credit cards may offer this option.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
The Tilt Essentials card is a good choice if you have fair credit, especially since that's an underserved market to begin with. It's straightforward and affordable — no annual fee or deposit required — and its unique underwriting process means it may be more accessible than other options, too.
If, however, you have at least good credit, you can potentially qualify for even better rewards credit cards.
You'll owe a minimum $200 security deposit upfront, but the card also earns 2% cash back on up to $1,000 in combined spending per quarter at restaurants and gas stations (1% on all other spending). There's also a welcome offer and the chance to eventually upgrade to a more rewarding option from Discover.
Looking For Something Else?
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
About the author
Melissa Lambarena
Senior Writer & Content Strategist
