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Need to Build Some Positive Credit?

Okay, Here's How!

As a part of your credit journey, it is CRITICAL to establish at least 3-5 new Open Revolving accounts, as well as a Mixture of account types if you don't have enough variety.

This is one of the single most important steps that you can take in your credit journey, since it makes up at least 30% of your entire credit score.

Below, you will find a mixture of both secured and unsecured credit cards that we highly recommend for consumers with bad to fair credit.

Please note that they are being shared with you for informational purposes only. Some credit information provided may contain affiliate links, which if approved, may earn us a small commission to help keep our service prices low. Please see the Legal & Affiliate Disclosures below for complete details.

We have listed our recommendations in the order that we suggest you apply. Please read the descriptions carefully, and only apply to the accounts that best fit your current circumstances (lower scores vs higher scores, etc).

Furthermore, only apply for the number of accounts, within each category (credit cards, installments, auto, real estate, etc) that you need.

Ideally, you should have at least 3 revolving accounts (ie, credit cards/retail store accounts) - but no more than 5 (to keep it manageable). Only you know what is manageable for you.

And for the record, there's no difference (from a credit reporting standpoint) between secured & unsecured credit cards. So they're both considered to be within the same category.

You should have at least 2 installment accounts reporting - but no more than 3 (to keep it manageable).

Ideally, you're going to need to have at least 1 auto loan, and 1 real estate trade line. If you also have student loans or a personal loan reporting, that's fine, but auto and real estate (such as a mortgage or rental payments) are more critical.

This, along with your revolving credit lines, will give you a nice acceptable mixture of credit, which makes up 15% of your score.

Please note that while its important to have this mixture of installment trade lines, it's also worth noting that these are accounts that you can acquire over time.

Unlike the revolving credit that you need right now, you do not need to establish installment credit immediately, especially if you're just starting out on your credit building (or re-building) journey.

Focus on the revolving accounts first, and then add-on the installments after 3 months or so, if need be.

With that being said, you will also find some installment accounts below that you may sign up for IF, and ONLY if, you need to establish a mixture of credit as well.

QUICK TIP: If you're in the market for a home loan/mortgage, do NOT finance a new auto loan until AFTER you have purchased and moved into your new home.

If you have any questions about credit building, then please feel free to give us a call.

Active Members may call or text their dedicated Credit Advocate for further assistance as needed.

Unsecured Credit Cards

If your credit scores are less than 620, then we recommend you try one of the "unsecured" creditors that offer a Pre-Qualification application below (ie, Reflex, Aspire, Capital One).

If, for some reason, you can't pre-qualify for any of these at this time, then we'd suggest applying for one of the "secured" cards (in the next section below) instead.

  • First Access VISA

  • Get the security and convenience of a full-feature, unsecured VISA® Credit Card

  • Reporting to all 3 major credit reporting agencies

  • Perfect credit not required for approval; we may approve you when others won’t

  • Easy and secure online application

  • If approved, pay a $95 Processing Fee and you can access the $300 credit limit (subject to available credit)

  • Receive your card more quickly with optional Expedited Processing (additional fee applies)

  • Decision in as little as 60 seconds

  • 24x7 Online Customer Center

  • Issued by Mid America Bank & Trust Company, Member FDIC

  • Reflex MasterCard

  • Pre-Qualify for a REAL Master Card with a credit limit of $300-$750

  • The Pre-qual App won't affect your scores

  • Fast & Easy Approval

  • Credit Limit increases after 6 months of on-time payments (subject to income & underwriting guidelines at time of review)

  • $0 Fraud Liability

  • Reports to all 3 Major Credit Bureaus

  • $75-$99 Annual Fee

  • Variable APR of 25.90%-29.99%

  • First Premier MasterCard

  • Great Credit Builder - credit limit typically starts around $400

  • Eligible for credit limit increases after 13 months of on-time payments

  • Reports regularly to all 3 Major Credit Bureaus

  • Mobile Alerts and Credit Protection Available

  • Aspire Cash Back MasterCard

  • Pre-qualify for a credit limit of up to $1,000

  • Get up to 3% cash back

  • No Credit Score Impact

  • No program fees or Initial Deposit Needed

  • Periodic credit increase reviews

  • Transaction Alerts

  • Capital One Unsecured Card

  • Pre-qualify with no impact to your credit scores

  • Short and Easy Application

  • Instant Decision

  • Reports to all 3 Major Credit Bureaus

  • Free FICO Score

  • Mobile App & Possible Rewards Benefits

  • Montgomery Ward Credit

  • Buy Now, Pay Later with this online Catalog company

  • Shop Brands you already love

  • Very low monthly payments

  • Reports to major credit bureaus

  • Improve your credit score

  • Earn credit limit increases with on-time payments

Secured Credit Cards

We recommend the following secured cards only if you couldn't Pre-qualify for any of the unsecured cards above or if your current credit scores are less than 520.

  • Merrick Bank Secured MasterCard

  • Put down a deposit of $200-$3,000 which becomes your credit line.

  • Qualify for credit line increases (WITHOUT depositing additional funds) just by making your minimum payments on time each month for the first 7 months after opening your account.

  • Low APR's

  • Unlike a debit or pre-paid card, this helps build your credit history. Your payment history will be reported to all three major credit-reporting agencies.

  • Get 100% U.S.-based customer service & get your FICO® Credit Score for free each month.

  • Fraud coverage if your card is lost or stolen. Access your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get help staying on track with available Auto Pay and account alerts.

  • Card issued by Merrick Bank, Member FDIC.

  • Assent Platinum MasterCard

    (not available in NY, IA, AR, WI)

  • 0% Intro APR – No interest charged on Purchases for Six Months!

  • Monthly Reporting to all 3 Major Credit Bureaus to Establish Credit History

  • Apply in just a few moments with no negative impact to your credit score; no credit inquiry will be recorded in your credit bureau file!

  • No Credit History or Minimum Credit Score Required for Approval

  • Quick and Complete Online Application

  • Good for Car Rental, Hotels; Anywhere Credit Cards are Accepted!

  • Credit Line Secured by Your Fully-Refundable Deposit of $200 - $2,000 Submitted with Application

  • Annual fee of $49

  • Applied Bank Secured VISA Gold

  • Better than Prepaid...Go with a TRUE Visa Credit Card! Load One Time - Keep On Using

  • Absolutely No Credit Check or Minimum Credit Score Required

  • Automatic Reporting to All Three National Credit Bureaus

  • Online & Mobile Banking

  • 9.99% Low Fixed APR – NO Application Fee,

  • NO Penalty rate - Your Rate Won’t Go Up Even if You Are Late

  • Activate Today with a $200 Minimum Deposit – Maximum $1,000. Increase Your Credit Limit up to $5,000 by Adding Additional Deposits Anytime

  • Refundable Security Deposit

  • Annual Fee $48 - Regular Apr 0.00% & (Fixed)

  • Harley-Davidson's H-D™ Visa® Secured Card

  • No Annual Fee

  • Earn Rewards while building/repairing your credit

  • Reports to the Credit Bureaus

  • Exclusive Perks and Travel Benefits

  • Card Protection

  • $300 Minimum Deposit – Maximum $5,000. Can be funded from a bank account, cashier's check, or money order

  • Easy Application - Ideal for consumers with poor credit

  • 0% Intro APR (on purchases & balance transfers) for 12 months - then a Variable APR kicks in at 14.99%-23.99%

  • Card issued by US Bank, Member FDIC

Installment Accounts

You may apply for any of the accounts below to diversify your credit profile with personal, auto, or real estate trade lines. These are considered installment accounts and ideally, you should have at least 2 of them reporting on your credit reports.

  • Credit Builder Savings Account - When you open your account, our bank instantly gives you a loan and places the loan funds in a FDIC insured savings account in your name. The savings account funds are locked to secure the loan.

  • Build Credit - Make small monthly payments of principal and interest on your loan. The principal is a payment to yourself and is credited towards the lock on your savings – the interest is what we earn for providing the service.

  • Monthly Deposit Plan Options: $15, $30, $50, $48, $89, $96, $100 -

  • Payments are reported to all 3 major credit bureaus

  • No Upfront Deposit - Pay as little as $8.95 to get started today

  • Build A Nest Egg - Part of every payment grows your savings

  • No Commitment - Cancel any time at no cost

  • When your loan is repaid in full, the lock is removed from your savings account. You’ve built both credit and savings.

  • We provide a free FICO® Score monthly so you can track your progress. 90% of top lenders use FICO Scores when making lending decisions.

  • Self Lender helps you get a small loan that you save in a CD for 12 or 24 months (FDIC- insured certificate of deposit bank account)

  • Savings plans start at $25/month and includes credit monitoring

  • At the end of account term you've built credit history and your CD savings unlocks

  • Each timely monthly payment builds credit history and adds to your monthly savings

  • Access to the Self VISA Credit Card in as little as 3 months

  • Reports to all 3 credit bureaus. No hard credit pull and no credit history required

  • Available in all 50 States

  • Helpful for future home owners

  • Reports your rental payments to Equifax and TransUnion

  • A new tradeline appears on your credit report as a real estate account type

  • Look for your score to change within 10 days - Average increase of 40 points but points vary

  • 2-Bureau Rental Reporting (Equifax & Transunion)

  • Boost your credit profile and increase your credit score.

  • Provides a seasoned and open trade line

  • Reports the past two years of rent payments for a possible boost to your credit score

  • $8.95 Monthly (to keep the Trade Line Open)

  • $25 One time set up fee

  • Optional $99 Historic Reporting (up to 24 months of history)

  • Quick and easy

  • One Application w/up to 4 loan offers in minutes

  • Apply online, 24/7 in the convenience of your home or office

  • Lowest interest rates available – average customer saves $2000 in interest charges

  • Get approved and have financing in place before going to a dealer

  • Refinance and lower your current interest rate and payments or even skip a payment

  • Also offering Private Party and Lease Buyout loans

  • Fast & free - No fees or obligations

  • Must be at least 18 years of age

  • Minimum income of $1,800/mo or $21,600/yr

  • Available in all 48 states, except Alaska & Hawaii

  • Purchase must meet Minimum Vehicle Requirements

  • FICO scores of 500 or greater

  • Pre-Qualify for Personal Loans (up to $10,000)

  • Check your eligibility WITHOUT it affecting your credit scores

  • Fast & Flexible loans - same or next day funding

  • Easy Application

  • Loans for Various purposes (debt consolidation, moving expenses, etc)

  • Various Financing Types (including LOC's)

  • You're in control - You can Accept or Decline the offer(s) presented to you

  • Reports to the major credit bureaus

  • Rates and Terms Vary by State

  • Check availability for your State

  • All loans are serviced by NetCredit

Instant Credit Without an Application

You can also "legally, morally, and ethically" establish credit instantly WITH years of positive payment history already attached to it, AND WITHOUT actually filling out a credit application.

You may have an immediate need to establish credit in order to get approved for something else (such as a home/apartment, a car, other credit cards, etc), and you may not have the time necessary to build on your own ... so what do you do?

There is a much faster way.

The FASTEST way to establish credit is to piggy-back off of a spouse/partner, other family member, or a close friend with good credit.

You can request to become an Authorized User (AU) on their credit accounts to instantly acquire their years of good payment history, and low balances.

Of course, this is only effective if they're adding you to positive accounts with a history of timely payments and balances at or below 30% of the credit limits.

If you know of someone that might fit this bill, just ask if they'd be willing to do this for you, WITHOUT giving you physical access to the card.

That way, they can help you out with zero risk of you causing them any harm.

At the same time, they score more brownie points and a little extra love from you for helping out a deserving friend/family member in need.

This credit building method typically takes about 30-60 days, which is all the time it usually takes (on average) for the authorized user account to report on your credit reports.

*Side Note: Some authorized user accounts will not report to all 3 bureaus but they usually report to at least 2 of the 3. Experian has stopped reporting many AU accounts.

Limit Your Inquiries

It's very important to understand that too many inquiries at one time, can significantly weigh your credit scores down.

So if you're going to build your credit up, then you must remember to follow these few general rules of thumb:

(1) Submit no more than 3 applications at one time for the same account type.

For example, if you need a credit card, then only apply for credit cards - not credit cards and auto loans at one time. If you need a car, then only apply for auto loans together - not auto loans AND retail store accounts together.

** Multiple applications submitted, within the same account type/category, and within a 14 day period, will only impact the score once.

(2) If you need to apply for different account types at the same time, just know and expect that your score WILL drop a bit.

Majority of the credit recommendations shared above, offer "soft" pulls so as not to impact the credit score. However, the soft pull is only to see if you qualify.

If, in fact, you do qualify and are approved for the account, then there WILL be a hard inquiry on your report once the terms are accepted.

(3) Limit your credit inquiries to no more than 2 applications every 6 months.

Three applications is pushing it, but you may be able to get away with it IF, and only IF, you absolutely must.

Don't go beyond that.

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