What credit card can I get with a 550 credit score?
One of the best credit cards for a 550 credit score is the OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card because it has a $0 annual fee and there's no credit check when you apply, so approval is almost guaranteed.
Yes, it's possible to get an unsecured credit card with bad credit, including a score of 550. Yet the higher your score, the better the options available to you — especially in terms of rewards rates, interest rates and annual fees.
| Lender | Loan Amounts | APRs |
|---|---|---|
| Upstart | $1,000 - $50,000 | 6.4% - 35.99% |
| Oportun | $300 - $18,500 | 10.07% - 35.95% |
| OneMain Financial | $1,500 - $20,000 | 18% - 35.99% |
| RISE | $500 - $5,000 | 60% - 299% |
The Amazon Prime Secured Card* is best for anyone trying to build or rebuild credit. It comes with no annual fee to make it easy on your budget. Because this is a secured credit card, it requires a security deposit after approval. Your deposit of $100 to $1,000, in increments of $50, determines your credit limit.
- OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card: Best for No credit check and no bank account required.
- Chime Secured Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card: Best for No credit check + flexibility and guardrails.
- Mission Lane Visa® Credit Card: Best for Unsecured card for bad credit.
You need a credit score of 550 to 750 to be approved for most unsecured credit cards. The higher your credit score is, the better your chances of getting approved for one of the best credit cards with no security deposit will be.
A credit score of 700 or better is typically needed for a card that offers a $5,000 credit limit. This means that these cards usually require you to have good or excellent credit. You will normally need a high income and little to no existing debt to get a limit that high, too.
It can take 12 to 18+ months to build your credit from 500 to 700. The exact timing depends on which types of negative marks are dragging down your score and the steps you take to improve your credit going forward.
For instance, going from a poor credit score of around 500 to a fair credit score (in the 580-669 range) takes around 12 to 18 months of responsible credit use. Once you've made it to the good credit zone (670-739), don't expect your credit to continue rising as steadily.
Your score falls within the range of scores, from 300 to 579, considered Very Poor. A 550 FICO® Score is significantly below the average credit score. Many lenders choose not to do business with borrowers whose scores fall in the Very Poor range, on grounds they have unfavorable credit.
What credit score is needed for an Amazon store credit card?
Approval odds
Typically, you can qualify for Synchrony's Amazon store cards with a fair credit score (580 to 669). On the other hand, you'll likely need at least a good credit score (670 to 739) to qualify for one of the Amazon Visa cards from Chase.
This notice is provided by TD Bank solely with respect to your Target Card. This notice applies only to your Target Card account issued by TD Bank and does not apply to any other accounts you have with TD Bank or its affiliates. How does TD Bank protect my personal information?
The best store credit cards for bad credit are the Montgomery Ward Credit Account and the Amazon Secured Credit Card. Both of these store credit cards accept applicants with bad credit scores, have $0 annual fees, and report to the major credit bureaus.
First Progress Platinum Elite Secured Mastercard: The First Progress Platinum Elite Secured Mastercard requires no credit history or minimum credit score for approval. Your security deposit is refundable, and the card is accepted nationwide.
The best credit card overall is the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card because it gives 2% cash rewards on all purchases and has a $0 annual fee. For comparison purposes, the average cash rewards card in 2024 gives about 1% back.
Consider a secured credit card
A secured credit card requires that cardholders put down a deposit, which acts as collateral if they're ever unable to make payments. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is one such option, requiring a security deposit of $200.
The minimum credit score needed to get most Discover credit cards is 700 or above. There are a few Discover cards for which there's no minimum credit score requirement, such as the Discover it® Secured Credit Card which you can get with a bad credit score (below 640).
Petal 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa
If you don't want to pay a security deposit, the Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card is an unsecured option that you can get with little to no credit history. Your ongoing APR with this card can be lower than rates you'll typically find on credit cards for limited or bad credit.
- Prosper® Card *: Best for Easy Credit Increases.
- Mission Lane Visa® Credit Card *: Best for no-frills credit building.
- Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit *: Best Card for Additional Rewards.
The best type of credit card for a 520 credit score is a secured credit card. Secured cards give people with bad credit high approval odds and have low fees because cardholders are required to place a refundable security deposit.
What is the second chance credit card?
Using a credit card responsibly can help you reestablish your credit. If you're unwilling or unable to pay the deposit to get a secured card, you have another option: A “second-chance” credit card with no security deposit required.
The best credit card for a 480 credit score is the OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card because it does not check your credit score when you apply and has a $0 annual fee.
- Lower your credit utilization rate.
- Ask for late payment forgiveness.
- Dispute inaccurate information on your credit reports.
- Add utility and phone payments to your credit report.
- Check and understand your credit score.
- The bottom line about building credit fast.
- Check for errors on your credit report. ...
- Remove a late payment. ...
- Reduce your credit card debt. ...
- Become an authorized user on someone else's account. ...
- Pay twice a month. ...
- Build credit with a credit card.
- Pay credit card balances strategically.
- Ask for higher credit limits.
- Become an authorized user.
- Pay bills on time.
- Dispute credit report errors.
- Deal with collections accounts.
- Use a secured credit card.
- Get credit for rent and utility payments.
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