ADVERTISER DISCLOSURE
CreditCardMenu.com is an independent, advertising-supported website. CreditCardMenu.com receives compensation from the credit companies whose offers appear on our website. Compensation may have an impact on how and where credit products appear on the website, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within reviews. CreditCardMenu.com does not present, nor does it review all available credit offers.

Credit Cards for Bad Credit

Before going ahead with the application process of a credit card displayed in this segment, it is imperative that you understand the specific terms related to the fee structure of the credit card. New or bad credit cards target sub-prime consumers, with damaged credit ratings. These are customers who are generally considered high risk, and hence card issuers levy a slew of additional charges. This may include, in addition to annual fees, other charges like activation fees or account set up fees, which are one-time fees and recurring charges. However, such cards are helpful to build or rebuild credit history once again as long as timely payments are made with all creditors and balances are kept within the credit limits.

Instant Response
APR
Annual Fee
Summary:
  • Up to $1,000 credit limit doubles up to $2,000! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
  • All credit types welcome to apply!
  • Monthly Credit Score – Sign up for electronic statements, and get your Vantage 3.0 Score Credit Score From Experian
See details
Yes
29.99% (Variable)
$75 - $125, after that $99 - $125 annually
Minimum Credit Level Needed:
Bad, Fair, Good, Excellent
Instant Response
APR
Annual Fee
Summary:
  • No credit check to apply. Zero credit risk to apply!
  • Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2/3 of cardholders receive a 48+ point improvement after making 3 on-time payments
  • Extend your $200 credit line by getting considered for an unsecured credit line increase after 6 months - no additional deposit required!
See details
No
25.64% (variable)
$35
Minimum Credit Level Needed:
Bad/No
Instant Response
APR
Annual Fee
Summary:
  • Bad Credit, Low Score? No Problem!
  • Managing your credit is key! TRY US RISK-FREE FOR 7 DAYS!
  • Receive a $750 Credit Line*
See details
Yes
0.00%
See terms
Minimum Credit Level Needed:
Bad

Bad Credit
You can apply if: you have late payments or maxed out credit balance; you have more than one foreclosure, repossession, defaulted on a loan more than once or have a recently discharged bankruptcy; you have been declined for a credit card in the last three months.

Instant Response
APR
Annual Fee
Summary:
  • $400 credit limit doubles to $800! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
  • All credit types welcome to apply
  • Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
See details
Yes
See Terms*
See Terms*
Minimum Credit Level Needed:
Fair/Poor/Bad

Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However, the information on the cards' rates and terms is presented without warranty. When you click on the "apply online" link you will have an opportunity to review the credit card terms and conditions on the credit card issuer's web site.

Establish Credit History or Repair Bad Credit History

Credit history is an important component in our daily lives. There is nothing you can do without a good credit history, but it is a tricky situation if you have to establish credit history. However, you should establish credit history as this is an indicator of your creditworthiness. Banks and financial institutions will base all their lending decisions on your creditworthiness.

Obtaining secured credit cards is one way to make a start. For secured credit cards, you don't need to have a credit history but you have to deposit a certain sum of money into your card account after which you can use the credit card. The available credit limit would be a percentage or the amount that you would have deposited. Make timely payments with all creditors and maintain your balances below the credit limits to build your credit history.

All is not lost when you have a bad credit history. There are a number of banks that do provide credit cards to those with bad credit, but the interest rates will certainly be much higher and you may be charged extra fees as well. It is important to understand that though you might have to pay a little more by way of interest, you will at least have another chance to establish your credit. This way you can access credit despite having a not-so-good credit history.

If you obtain a credit card despite your bad credit, you must ensure that you use it responsibly. This way, you will be able to level up your credit score slowly and steadily over a period of time. Once you reach a good credit score, you may always opt for a credit card with better interest rates. However, all of this will not happen overnight and it will take many months or even years to rebuild your credit history and bring it to the good credit score levels.

Ideally, your credit score should be more than 700 if it is to be considered a good credit score. In order to bring it to this level you must be really committed to making timely payments to all your creditors, make bill payments, maintain credit balances, and stay well below your credit limits. When this bit of data gets reported to the consumer reporting agencies you can see an improvement in your ratings.

BY CATEGORY:
BY CREDIT PROFILE:
BY TYPES OF CARD:
BY CARD ISSUER:

Copyright © 1996-2024 CreditCardMenu.com.

All information presented on this website is subject to change. We do our best to maintain it accurate and up to date. However, we recommend all our visitors to read the credit cards′ terms and conditions on the application page before submitting the application form. Note that this website may be compensated if visitors choose to utilize the links on this website.

CreditCardMenu.com is an independent, advertising-supported website. CreditCardMenu.com receives compensation from the credit companies whose offers appear on our website. Compensation may have an impact on how and where credit products appear on the website, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within reviews. CreditCardMenu.com does not present, nor does it review all available credit offers.

* The CreditCardMenu.com webpage is a free service and an information resource for credit cards and financial products and services available to eligible United States consumers. CreditCardMenu.com does not offer any warranties and is not a direct service. There are no guarantees for approval or offers when applying for a credit card. Please refer to the application if you would like more information on each credit card. When you click "Apply" for a particular credit card, please take the time to review the terms and conditions of the product/service at the issuer's website. All logos on the CreditCardMenu.com website are property of their respective owners.