16 Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit in 2023

Top Credit Cards For Bad Credit

Best Secured Credit Cards for Bad Credit with $1,000 Limits

Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card

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The Chime Credit Builder offers a different take on secured credit cards. It’s designed to work alongside Chime’s Checking Account, and you can’t have the credit without it. 

You decide how much money you want to move from your checking account to your Credit Builder account, and that amount becomes your security deposit.

To apply, there’s no credit check. You’ve got a near guarantee of getting this secured card as long as you have a checking account.

Since you can move money instantly across accounts, there’s no set credit limit. That means you won’t increase your credit utilization—a factor that could hurt your credit score. 

The Chime card offers a fresh take on secured credit, but if you want a more traditional credit card, there are better options.

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Capital One Platinum Secured

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Capital One offers QuickCheck—a service it says offers “100% certainty before you apply.” 

Except in the small print that’s supposed to mean “unless we can’t,” but you are more than likely to qualify for this card if you’ve got normal bad credit. 

Depending on your security deposit, you can start with a $49, $99, or $200 credit limit (or boost that up to $1,000).

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Self Visa® Credit Card

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The Self Visa Card isn’t just a secured card, it’s also a credit builder loan. The deposit is tiny, which would suit those looking for low-income credit cards. 

First, you open a Self Credit Builder Loan and put $100 into your savings. Then make at least three on-time, in-full payments.

After that you qualify for a Self Secured Card based on the amount you’ve saved. That’s your security deposit. Save up to $1,000 and there’s your new limit.

There are a few different pricing structures you can use, which can be a little confusing. There’s also a $9 admin fee for opening the account. 

The beauty of this card is that you don’t have to be approved in the same way. By the time you’ve got $100 in savings, you’ve already qualified.

Pros

Cons

Read our full Self Visa® credit card review.

OpenSky Secured Credit Card

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Another credit card with no credit check, designed with bad credit in mind. The OpenSky card has a reasonable APR for a secured credit card, which comes with a low annual fee. All you need to qualify for this card is to raise the deposit. 

OpenSky claims an average 87% approval rate in the last five years. If you’re looking for easy credit cards for bad credit, your chances of approval here are fairly high.

The OpenSky card is often used by people rebuilding their credit or starting from scratch, so don’t worry about applying with a bad credit report.

The downside is the lack of rewards. But you can work your way to an unsecured version within six months—and then apply to other providers for cards with more perks.

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First Latitude Platinum Mastercard® Secured Credit Card

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First Latitude Platinum Mastercard® Secured credit card is yet another option for you to build or reestablish your credit. 

It requires a security deposit of only $100 and offers cash back on purchases. It has a low annual fee of $25 and one-time fee of $19.95.

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Discover It Secured Credit Card

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Unlike many other secured cards, this one from Discover offers pretty good cash back rewards. You’ll even get double your cash back at the end of your first year, thanks to Discover’s Cashback Match. 

If you have $200 or $1,000 for your deposit, you can set that as your initial credit limit. It’s a flexible card for every budget.

It’s also easy to get, even with bad credit. There’s no credit check, and all you need to apply is your Social Security number, bank account details, and no bankruptcies on your credit report.

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Best Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad Credit With $1,000 Limits

Petal 2 Visa Credit Card

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The Petal 2 helps people who are new to credit or who are rebuilding it. 

There’s no credit check when you apply, but the issuer will check your banking statements to verify your income.

If you’ve got some regular income, you’ll find it fairly easy to qualify for the $300 starting limit. Bumping that up to a $1,000 credit limit might be a little harder if you’re on a low income, but the Petal 2 has a top range of $10,000—so you’ll still likely qualify with bad credit for a relatively low limit.

Like the Discover card, the Petal 2 has some great perks for a bad-credit credit card. You can earn up to 10% cash back at selected merchants—and if you use the app, there’s a handy map to show you who they are.

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Mission Lane Visa® Credit Card

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Look on any forum, and you’ll see that many people are approved for $1,000 limits with the Mission Lane card. It’s kind of their thing, along with no activation fees or “over-limit” fees.

This card is for people with limited credit or those who need to rebuild their credit. 

As long as your credit score isn’t really low, you stand a good chance of getting approved for this card. 

They pull your credit—so if you get denied, it’ll leave a mark. 

Mission Lane also promises to provide instant decisions on applications, so this is a good option if you need to get a credit card quickly, but don’t like the idea of finding cash for a security deposit.

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Tomo Credit Card

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The Tomo unsecured credit card is like the Petal 2—you can apply for it with no credit history or with a low score. 

Tomo offers a zero percent interest rate forever.

The card credit limit is linked to your bank accounts, which means you can update your limit in real-time when you have more income. 

With enough income you get pretty much guaranteed approval, an unsecured credit card with $1,000 limit for bad credit, and no deposit.

Another big difference is that it offers cash back and substantial rewards through partners like DoorDash, ShopRunner, and Lyft.

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Reflex Mastercard®

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The Reflex Mastercard® isn’t the cheapest option for an unsecured card. The higher annual fees and APR are off-putting, but it offers credit limits of up to $1,000 for people with bad credit (you can double it after six months of timely minimum payments).

Like a few other bad credit credit cards, you can get near-instant approval by applying online. 

But first you should consider if you want to be tied to such high rates without the perks offered even by some of the secured cards on our list.

Pros

Cons

Read our full Reflex credit card review to learn more.

Surge Mastercard®

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The best thing about the Surge card is the simple application process. You’ll know the decision in minutes (or even seconds) unless you need to provide a little more detail.

You get all the usual protections that you can expect from Mastercard® (but that’s nothing special compared to some perks other cards on our list offer). 

It’s an expensive option, but it’s a more traditional credit card than the Petal 2 or Tomo—good for people who aren’t as comfortable with technology. 

And if you want a low-limit credit card that’s still useful, the $1,000 credit card limit at the top end of this card should be enough to get your attention. 

Pros

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Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad Credit with $300 Credit Limit

There are a few cards that are relatively easier to get but come with a low credit limit of $300.

Keeping your credit utilization ratio under 30% might be a challenge—but if you’re looking for a credit card for bad credit just to improve it, they’ll help you do just that.

Indigo® Platinum Mastercard®

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The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® is a credit card designed for people with poor credit, bad credit, or no credit history. It doesn’t require a security deposit or collateral. 

The card has an annual fee, and it comes with an initial credit limit than can’t be increased. 

It also offers online account management, including free access to the cardholder’s FICO score each month.

Pros

Cons

Read the Indigo Platinum Mastercard® review here.

Destiny Mastercard®

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The Destiny Mastercard® is for those with not-so-great credit who may not be eligible for other credit cards because of their credit history. 

If you have a low score, limited credit history, or past credit problems (like bankruptcies or late payments), this card could be helpful.

Pros

Cons

Read the Destiny Mastercard® review here.

FIT Mastercard®

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The FIT Mastercard® was created for folks with bad credit. Its primary goal is to help you build or reestablish it. 

We don’t recommend using this card to carry a balance or to pay for everyday expenses.

Pros

Cons

See our full review of the card: FIT credit card review.

First Digital Mastercard®

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The First Digital Mastercard is yet another credit card for bad credit. It can help you build your credit back up if used responsibly. 

It’s said to be one of the easiest unsecured credit cards for bad credit to get approved for.

Pros

Cons

To learn more, read our First Digital card review.

The Top Credit Cards for Bad Credit—The More You Know

Getting a credit card with bad credit is pretty easy. Getting the right credit card is a lot harder.

You don’t want to be ripped off with enormous fees, or have an interest rate that makes it impossible to pay down your debt. You want a card with a low limit that can cover emergencies or see you through to the next paycheck. 

What you need is a guide to the best bad-credit credit cards.

Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

In the long run, you need to fix your bad credit. But stick with us, and you’ll find the best credit card right now.

Bad-Credit Credit Cards

There are a lot of credit cards that accept bad credit. Some are even built with bad credit in mind. 

You need to do your homework, though—don’t get a credit card if you can’t handle it. Bad credit hurts, but being stuck in a never-ending cycle of huge interest payments and rapidly spiraling debts is worse. 

We’ll start with the two main types of credit cards, and how they’re used by folks with bad credit—

Secured credit cards

• Credit limits are based on security deposits.
• Designed for people with no credit or poor credit (300–580).
• Usually have higher interest rates and no rewards.

Secured credit cards use security deposits as a basis for providing credit—the lender asks you to provide a lump sum before approving their card. 

Your credit limit will depend on the size of that deposit and act as a guarantee of payment for the provider if you don’t pay your balance. Your deposit won’t be taken (unless you default on payment), which makes these cards pretty safe for both lender and borrower.

Secured cards are usually designed for people with poor credit history (or no credit at all), because they can help you build your credit.

They’re also great for younger people that can’t get other credit cards yet. If you’re looking for credit cards for eighteen-year-olds or student credit cards, a secured card is a good start. 

There’s no minimum credit score you need, as long as you can pay the deposit. 

You might not even need a credit check to get approved. 

Secured cards typically have a higher Annual Percentage Rate, and don’t offer the cash back or point system rewards that make other cards attractive.

Unsecured credit cards

• No security deposits needed (credit limit based on creditworthiness).
• Most are designed for fair to excellent credit (580–800+).
• Competitive rates and rewards.

If you want guaranteed approval credit cards with $1,000 limit for bad credit with no deposit, you’re more likely to want an unsecured credit card. Most credit cards on the market are unsecured, and they’re aimed at people with varying levels of credit. 

Without going into the details of how credit cards work—if you’ve got bad credit, you should know that an unsecured card carries more risk than its secured cousin.

Taking out a credit card is like taking out a loan. Repayment is essential, or you’ll end up in debt. 

With a secured card, you don’t need to worry because you’ve already raised the highest limit you can spend. Go unsecured, and you’re taking away the safety net. 

Bad Credit Credit Cards—Guaranteed Approval

Although there’s no such thing as a guaranteed credit card, there are a few cards for bad credit that are relatively easier to get. 

Here’s a list of twelve credit cards for bad credit with guaranteed approval and no deposit.

We’ve shown you the best bad credit unsecured credit cards on the market, and now it’s up to you to choose one. But where do you start when applying for credit cards that will approve bad credit?

How to Get a Credit Card with Bad Credit

Monitor your credit report

When you’re looking for a low-limit credit card that will accept poor credit, don’t apply for anything until you’ve investigated your credit report.

You need to know what card issuers are going to see when they pull your file and find any mistakes you can fix before they affect your credit score.

It’s easy to do, and you can pull your own credit report for free from Credit Karma, which is what Life And My Finances founder and personal finance expert Derek Sall swears by.

Check your credit score

For many of the better cards out there, you’ll need to improve your credit score from at least bad to fair. But knowing your score means you can apply for the best poor-credit credit card possible.

Typically, providers use the FICO scoring system, which breaks down into five categories you’re rated on. The most important is your repayment history, which counts for 35% of your score.

Get a feel for how your score changes in line with your credit report, learn what makes it go up, and make a plan for achieving that fair credit score.

Save a deposit (for a secured credit card)

Did you notice that almost half of our recommended cards are secured credit cards? 

The best terrible-credit credit cards out there are mostly secured cards, because they’re designed with bad credit in mind.

If you can’t save enough to earn a $1,000 deposit, don’t worry. Start smaller, with $200-$300, and improve your credit by using the card. You can save more and raise your limit easily with the cards we’ve picked.

Secured cards get a bad rep—but credit cards that don’t require a deposit are riskier. With bad credit, you have less chance of approval and more chance of ending up with a ding on your credit.

Make payments on time, every time

Remember how we said your repayment history is 35% of your FICO score? 

You might think 35% isn’t too important—but when you apply for any credit card (especially with bad credit), your payment history is going to be a top concern for most issuers.

If you’re starting with no credit, make sure that you keep track of how much is due (and when). Try not to carry a balance from month to month, and always make at least the minimum payments.

Aim to move onto an unsecured card (as soon as you can)

Secured credit cards are great. We recommend them for people who are new to credit or need to rebuild their credit.

But let’s be honest—most people want to have the freedom of an unsecured credit card. 

It’s harder to get one with bad credit, but there are some (like the Petal 2 and Tomo) that are among the easier credit cards to get.

Having an unsecured card won’t make you build credit any faster, but it might make the difference in moving to a new, better card with your next switch.

Don’t Let Bad Credit Hold You Back

If you’re looking for that sweet spot—credit cards that are easy to get and accept bad credit—keep these few key points in mind:

• Secured credit cards are typically easier to get with poor credit, but there are a few unsecured credit cards with no credit check that you should consider.
• There’s no real guaranteed credit card with a $1,000 limit. No credit card approves everyone.
• Some of the best bad credit credit cards are non-traditional (like Tomo).
• Make sure you have a plan to improve your credit—start with looking through your file.