Best Secured Credit Cards of March 2024

ElitePersonalFinance
Last Update: September 18, 2023 Credit Card Reviews Credit Cards

There are many with no annual fees and even cashback rewards if you’re looking to get the best-secured card. You don’t need good credit because secured credit cards are made for those with bad credit. They work by providing you with the ability to borrow up to the amount you put as collateral. It’s like a prepaid credit card, but the company that offers it typically reports to the major credit bureaus.

The difference between a good and a bad secured credit card is huge. Good ones not only report to credit bureaus but also convert into unsecured ones at a later date. The best will go a step further and give you your deposit back. But some of the ‘bad’ cards will keep this when they give you an unsecured card.

At ElitePersonalFinance, we strive to provide you with the most advanced information on everything credit and identity theft-related. Nothing can help more than a great secured credit card if you are in a bad credit situation. But we know many duds exist, and our expert team has gone over countless cards in recent years.

So we’re just going to break it down for you with the current best-secured credit cards on the market. You don’t have to waste your time fishing around anymore!

Best Secured Credit Cards of March 2024

For anyone with bad credit or no credit, these secured cards are readily available and offer tremendous benefits.

Discover it Secured Card

Secured Discover it Credit Card

We all love getting cashback. It’s the one thing, people with bad credit envy the most about people who can get any card they want. There are a few great secured credit cards with cashback rewards on the market. Discover it is one that distinctively deserves to rank on such a list, though.

What makes Discover great?

You can get a maximum of 2% cashback. This means if you spend $1,000 a month, you’ll be receiving $20 every month back. This would equate to $240 in a year.

It works out as 2% cashback for restaurants and gas station purchases. Then you get 1% on any other purchases you make. However, they limit you to $1,000 every three months.

With Discover it secured card, you also get to enjoy DOUBLE your rewards in your first year.

After you pay on time for a little while, you will get a chance at an unsecured credit card through Discover. You can work on your credit. A great add-on is your free access to your FICO score.

Citi Secured MasterCard

Secured Citi Credit Card

Citi Secured MasterCard recently changed its terms to allow its cardholders to request an unsecured after 18 months.

Citi Secured has a $25 annual fee, which is even cheaper than the Discover It Card. The biggest downfall is that interest rates are steady at 21.99% APR. You will be able to deposit $200 to $5,000, making it one of the higher secured card limits you can get.

This card has been a favorite for many users. A few aren’t as happy with it now, as it used to have a flat 18.24% APR, but the impact is minimal for most. The access to a $5,000 credit limit is what really makes it great. Once the 18 months pass, you’ll be able to easily qualify for upwards of a $5,000 unsecured credit limit.

Capital One Secured MasterCard

US Bank Secured Credit Card

With Capital One Secured MasterCard, $300 to $2,500 is your credit limit range. This card has a 19.8% APR rate.

Once you have it, you’ll have a $59 annual fee. You might only need to give between 30% and 50% of this amount to get started. The lowest you’ll have to give up is $75 for collateral.

Give it 6 to 18 months, and you should be able to convert it into an unsecured Capital One card. If you convert cards or close Capital One, the deposit will be refunded to you once the balance is paid.

USAA Secured Card VISA Platinum

USAA Credit Card - Secured VISA Platinum

This is a great secured card. It has a 10.15% to 20.15% APR rate, a $35 annual fee, and a $250 to $5,000 limit, just like Discover.

The USAA Secured Card VISA Platinum’s biggest weakness is that it will not ever convert into an unsecured card. So you have to close the card and lower your average credit age if you don’t want to pay an annual fee to keep an unneeded card. You’ll find yourself upgrading from your secured cards once you get the chance, as unsecured ones have a larger impact on your FICO score.

USAA Secured Card

USAA Secured Credit Card with American Express

If you aren’t worried about getting cashback, USAA Secured Card American Express is a great card to have. It has a $35 annual fee, 10.15% to 20.15% APR rates, and if you’ve just deployed, you’ll enjoy a 4% APR until one year past when you finish your tour.

You can set up the card anywhere from a $250 to $5,000 credit limit when you set up the card. The only downfall is that this card doesn’t convert into an unsecured card at any point. You will have to close it whenever your creditworthiness grows and you have more unsecured cards. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with a $35 annual fee to maintain it just so your average credit age can grow.

OpenSky Secured VISA card has $35 annually, a 17.64% APR and up to a $5,000 limit. Secured VISA Gold card has $49 annually, a 9.99% APR and up to a $5,000 limit.

About Secured Credit Cards

What is a secured credit card, and how does it work?

First, you apply for the card, and then the company will either approve or reject your application. If you are approved, you’ll either have to make a partial or full deposit. These funds will be used as collateral to ‘secure’ the card. You usually get the money back after converting the card to an unsecured one or if you close it for good.

Does a secured credit card help your FICO score?

Yes, it does. If you’re a bad credit or no credit borrower, it’ll be a huge plus. You can use it to build or repair your credit strength. However, it will be reported to the credit reporting agencies as a ‘secured’ card specifically. This has a little less positive impact on your FICO score than an unsecured card. Still, you get the benefit of increasing your average account age. Converting the card to unsecured will get your collateral funds refunded, which can then be used to pay off whatever you owe, and then you’ll also have a low utilization rate.

What’s the credit limit of a secured credit card?

Your deposit dictates how much you can borrow off your card. Each card issuer sets a different cap on how much you can place as collateral.

What’s the highest limit secured credit card?

$5,000 is the highest common limit you will find for a secured credit card. Only one card sticks out as having a higher maximum limit. That’s Wells Fargo Secured Card, which features a $25 annual fee and a $300 to $10,000 limit.

Secured Credit Card Offer from Wells Fargo Bank for United States cardholders

If you’re willing to consider a card that caps out at $5,000, here are some that exist:

  • Excent Secured Credit Card ($200 to $5,000)
  • OpenSky Secured VISA Card (avoid this card)
  • Primor Secured VISA Gold Card (avoid this card)
  • USAA Secured Card American Express ($250 to $5,000, great card!)
  • USAA Secured Card VISA Platinum ($250 to $5,000, great card!)

How much do you have to give as a deposit?

They will make a credit report inquiry to see what kind of creditworthiness you have. If it’s determined that you are somewhat responsible, you might be able to give something like 25% of the total card limit. In most cases, though, you have to fork over 100% collateral.

Which of them offer cashback?

You will be hard-pressed to find a secured credit card that has a cashback reward program. The only one we know of that’s worth considering right now is Discover it secured. There might be some new cards that come about in the future that offer better rewards. For now, the Discover it card is pretty good as it gives 2% cashback on gas and restaurants and 1% cashback on all other purchases.

Which secured credit cards have no annual fees?

Capital One Secured MasterCard comes with a $0 annual fee. It’s the only high-quality secured we know of right now that has no annual fee. However, you can still find some that offer $0 for the intro year. You will find many that have annual fees between $25 and $35. Some have fees in the $50 or higher range, which will be too high for most people to bother.

Secured cards that don’t upgrade?

If a secured credit card won’t convert to an unsecured one, why bother with it? The reason is simple … an unsecured card creates an additional amount of required trust. If you’re not confident, you can leave your debts paid. Having collateral on the card will prevent you from messing things up. This will save you from destroying your credit score.

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