TYPES OF CREDIT CARDS AND HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE
In the saturated market of credit cards and credit card providers, it’s hard to know where to start. Samuel L. Jackson? Alec Baldwin? Jennifer Gardner? There are too many actors and too many commercials to count. This article aims to cut through the celebrity fluff and to help you find the credit card superstar your wallet deserves. You can use the following resource to explore cards that work for all score types. They work for scores below 600, and can include amazing rewards like cash back, no annual fee, travel rewards, and more!
THE BARE-BONES
The most standard type of credit card that will be available to the broadest range of users are called “plain-vanilla” cards. They earned the nickname because you guessed it, they’re basic. Yes, they offer no rewards but are generally straightforward and not complicated to use. They come with a set credit limit with a minimum amount due every month. Simple and minimalistic.
THE BIG SPENDER
The charge card will usually be reserved for those with great credit. This card is particularly attractive because it has no limit, but the catch is that it needs to be paid off in full each month. That’s a tall order for most, which makes it a situational card and not the best choice for everyone.
THE CREDIT BUILDER
The secured card option is a great route for those with no credit or checkered credit history. It requires a security deposit but still functions as a credit card with a minimum payment each month. It’s perfect for those looking to build or repair their credit score. Balance Transfer credit cards are a great option since these credit cards often offer a low or 0% introductory APR for balance transfers.
THE SUBPAR
Geared towards people with bad credit and little options, the subprime card is one of the worst available. Yes, they will approve you quickly, but that usually comes with very high-interest rates and other less than ideal terms for the user. It may be a last resort for some, and caution is advised.
THE YOUTH
A great option for first-time applicants, the student credit card is designed for young adults who may not have the credit history needed for most other types of cards. Some other benefits include a low-interest rate and rewards, but generally, the applicant must be enrolled in an accredited school or university to qualify.
THE CRÈME OF THE CROP
Ahh, rewards cards. What if I told you that you could earn free money for spending money? Its name speaks for itself. With a plethora of rewards like cash back, travel points, and credit points, these credit cards give you the most bang for your buck. The only caveat is that you will need a decent credit score to qualify.
THE WRAP
So, there are a billion credit cards out there, all with their perks and drawbacks. Finding your perfect match will take some research and will be partially determined by your credit score. The best option is always going to be with the card that does the most for you and your situation, but you’re going to need the credit. So, take the time and steps necessary to get your score respectable so you can start reaping the benefits of a card that gives you the most.
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BOOST Platinum Card
- Bad Credit, No Credit? No Problem!
- Fast and Easy Application
- No Employment or Credit Check
- Credit Recommended
- Damaged credit to Fair credit
- Credit Line
- $750 Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Regular APR
- None
- Monthly Fee
- $177.24 annually ($14.77 per month)
Destiny Mastercard®
- All the benefits of a Mastercard, without a security deposit
- 24/7 access to your account, even on mobile!
- Reports to all three major credit bureaus
- Less than perfect credit is okay, even with a prior bankruptcy!
- Credit Recommended
- Poor to Good
- Regular APR
- See terms
- Annual Fee
- See terms
- Brand Name
- Mastercard
Milestone® Mastercard®
- Greater access to credit than before - $700 credit limit
- Get a Mastercard accepted online, in store and in app
- Account history is reported to the three major credit bureaus in the U.S.
- $0 liability* for unauthorized use
- Access your account online or from your mobile device 24/7
- *Fraud protection provided by Mastercard Zero Liability Protection. If approved, you'll receive the Mastercard Guide to Benefits that details the complete terms with your card.
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Good
- Regular APR
- See terms
- Annual Fee
- See terms
- Card Brand
- Mastercard
Net First Platinum
- No Employment or Credit Check
- Bad Credit, No Credit - OK
- Always 0.0% APR
- Fast Online Applications
- Credit Recommended
- Damaged credit to Fair credit
- Credit Line
- $750 Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Regular APR
- 0% APR
- Monthly Fee
- See website for Details*
The Net First Platinum card could be the perfect card for you.
Have you been denied credit in the past? Net First Platinum is available to help people meet their financial needs. Our fast and easy application could be just what you need. A $750 credit line (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com) could be available to you faster than you ever thought possible.
*See Card for Details
Surge® Platinum Mastercard®
- 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
- Initial Credit Limit of $300 – $1,000 (subject to available credit)
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- See if you’re Pre-Qualified without impacting your credit score
- Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
- Online account access 24/7
- Checking Account Required
- Regular APR
- 29.99% APR (Variable)
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Intro Rate
- See website for Details*
First Progress Platinum Elite Mastercard® Secured Credit Card
- Choose your own credit line - $200 to $2000 – based on your security deposit
- Build your credit score.¹ Reports to all 3 credit bureaus
- No minimum credit score required for approval!
- ¹ Cardholders who keep their balance low and pay their credit card bill on time every month typically do see an increase in their credit score.
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Limited/No Credit
- Regular APR
- 25.24% (V)
- Annual Fee
- $29
- Credit Line
- up to $2,000
- Cash Advance APR
- 30.24% (V)
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard®
- $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
- Initial Credit Limit of $400.00 (Subject to available credit)
- Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
- Use your card at locations everywhere Mastercard® is accepted
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 score from Experian (When you sign up for e-statements)
- Checking Account Required
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Poor/Bad
- Regular APR
- 29.99%
- Annual Fee
- $99
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card
- 1% Cash Back Rewards on payments
- Choose your own credit line - $200 to $2000 – based on your security deposit
- Build your credit score.¹ Reports to all 3 credit bureaus
- No minimum credit score required for approval!
- ¹ Cardholders who keep their balance low and pay their credit card bill on time every month typically do see an increase in their credit score.
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Limited/No Credit
- Regular APR
- 15.24% (V)
- Annual Fee
- $49
- Credit Line
- $2,000
- Cash Advance APR
- 24.24% (V)
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
- New feature! Earn up to 10% cash back* on everyday purchases
- No credit check to apply. Zero credit risk to apply!
- Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2 out of 3 OpenSky cardholders increase their credit score by an average of 41 points in just 3 months
- Get free monthly access to your FICO score in our mobile application
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- Add to your mobile wallet and make purchases using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
- Fund your card with a low $200 refundable security deposit to get a $200 credit line
- Apply in less than 5 minutes with our mobile first application
- Choose the due date that fits your schedule with flexible payment dates
- Fund your security deposit over 60 days with the option to make partial payments
- Over 1.4 Million Cardholders Have Used OpenSky Secured Credit Card To Improve Their Credit
- *See Rewards Terms and Conditions for more information
- Credit Recommended
- Poor
- Regular APR
- 25.64% (variable)
- Annual Fee
- $35
- Credit Line
- $200-$3000 at time of application
Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card
- Better than Prepaid...Go with a Secured Card! Load One Time - Keep On Using
- Absolutely No Credit Check or Minimum Credit Score Required
- Automatic Reporting to All Three National Credit Bureaus
- 9.99% Low Fixed APR - 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
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Fair/Limited/Damaged
- Regular APR
- 9.99% Fixed
- Annual Fee
- $48
- Credit Line
- $200 - $1,000
Freedom Gold Card
- $750 Unsecured Credit Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Instant Approval*
- No Credit Check
- No Employment Check
- Fast online application
- Bad Credit - OK
- Credit Line
- $750 Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Monthly Fee
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- 0% APR
You are pre-approved for a $750 unsecured credit line (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com) with the Freedom Gold Card! Sign up now, our application process is fast and easy.
*See site for details
Fair Credit Cards
- Time for a new Credit Card
- Improve your credit with responsible use
- Credit Cards for Fair Credit
- Credit Recommended
- Average/Fair/Good/Poor/Bad/Limited/
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
Reflex® Platinum Mastercard®
- Up to $1,000 credit limit doubles up to $2,000! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
- See if you’re Pre-Qualified with no impact to your credit score
- All credit types welcome to apply
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 score from Experian (When you sign up for e-statements)
- Initial Credit Limit of $300 – $1,000 (subject to available credit)
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
- Use your card at locations everywhere Mastercard® is accepted
- Checking Account Required
- Regular APR
- 29.99% APR (Variable)
- Credit Limit
- up to $1,000
- Annual Fee
- $75 - $125
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card
- 1% Cash Back Rewards on payments
- Choose your own credit line - $200 to $2000 – based on your security deposit
- Build your credit score.¹ Reports to all 3 credit bureaus
- No minimum credit score required for approval!
- ¹ Cardholders who keep their balance low and pay their credit card bill on time every month typically do see an increase in their credit score.
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Limited/No Credit
- Regular APR
- 19.24% (V)
- Annual Fee
- $39
- Credit Line
- $2,000
- Cash Advance APR
- 25.24% (V)
Merrick Bank Secured Credit Card
- Choose your own credit line based on how much money you want to put down as a security deposit.
- Initial deposits can be from $200 to $3,000. You can increase your credit line at any time by adding additional money to your security deposit, up to $3,000.
- After 9 months, we review your account for a credit line increase. No additional deposit required!
- Secured Credit Cards are great for people looking to build or rebuild credit and are available to people with all kinds of credit backgrounds.
- Unlike a debit card or a pre-paid card, it helps build your credit history. We report your payment history to all three major credit-reporting agencies.
- 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.
- Credit Recommended
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- 22.70% Variable
- Annual Fee
- $36 for first year. Billed $3 per month thereafter
- Credit Line
- $200-$3,000, depending on deposit amount
- Cash Advance APR
- 27.70% Variable
Surge® Platinum Mastercard®
- 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
- Initial Credit Limit of $300 – $1,000 (subject to available credit)
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- See if you’re Pre-Qualified without impacting your credit score
- Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
- Online account access 24/7
- Checking Account Required
- Regular APR
- 29.99% APR (Variable)
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Intro Rate
- See website for Details*
Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®
- $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*
- Earn 1.5% unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment
- Combine the flexibility of a credit card with the predictability of a personal loan
- No annual fee
- No touch payments with contactless technology built in
- See if you qualify in minutes without hurting your credit score
- Great for large purchases with predictable payments you can budget for
- Mobile app to access your account anytime, anywhere
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud liability
- Credit Line
- $500 - $25,000
- Regular APR
- 14.99% - 29.99% APR
- Regular Transfer APR
- 14.99% - 29.99% APR
- Annual Fee
- $0
*To qualify for the welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Rewards Checking Plus account through Upgrade and make 3 qualifying debit card transactions from your Rewards Checking Plus account within 60 days of the date the Rewards Checking Plus account is opened. If you have previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not open a Rewards Checking Plus account as part of this application process, you are not eligible for this welcome bonus offer. Your Upgrade Card and Rewards Checking Plus account must be open and in good standing to receive a bonus. To qualify, debit card transactions must have settled and exclude ATM transactions. Please refer to the applicable Upgrade VISA® Debit Card Agreement and Disclosures for more information. Welcome bonus offers cannot be combined, substituted, or applied retroactively. The bonus will be applied to your Rewards Checking Plus account as a one-time payout credit within 60 days after meeting the conditions.
OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card
- New feature! Earn up to 10% cash back* on everyday purchases
- No annual fee
- No credit check to apply. Find out instantly if you are approved- Zero credit risk to apply!
- Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2 out of 3 OpenSky cardholders increase their credit score by an average of 41 points in just 3 months
- Monitor your credit progress with free access to your FICO Credit Score.
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- Add to your mobile wallet and make purchases using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
- Secure your credit line with a refundable security deposit - as low as $300.
- Easy application, apply in less than 5 minutes right from your mobile device
- Offers flexible payment due dates which allow you to choose any available due date that fits your payment schedule
- Now you can make smaller partial payments towards funding your security deposit over 60 days
- Over 1.4 Million Cardholders Have Used OpenSky Secured Credit Card To Improve Their Credit
- *See Rewards Terms and Conditions for more information
- Credit Recommended
- No credit, Poor, Fair
- Regular APR
- 29.99% (variable)
- Annual Fee
- $0
- Credit Line
- $300-$3000 at time of application
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard®
- $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
- Initial Credit Limit of $400.00 (Subject to available credit)
- Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
- Use your card at locations everywhere Mastercard® is accepted
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 score from Experian (When you sign up for e-statements)
- Checking Account Required
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Poor/Bad
- Regular APR
- 29.99%
- Annual Fee
- $99
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
Reflex® Platinum Mastercard®
- Up to $1,000 credit limit doubles up to $2,000! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
- See if you’re Pre-Qualified with no impact to your credit score
- All credit types welcome to apply
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 score from Experian (When you sign up for e-statements)
- Initial Credit Limit of $300 – $1,000 (subject to available credit)
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
- Use your card at locations everywhere Mastercard® is accepted
- Checking Account Required
- Regular APR
- 29.99% APR (Variable)
- Credit Limit
- up to $1,000
- Annual Fee
- $75 - $125
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
Bad Credit Cards
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Bad/Poor/Damaged/Limited/No Credit/
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
Applied Bank® Unsecured Classic Visa® Card
- Get Pre-Qualified in Less Than a Minute
- A $300 Unsecured Credit Line which can be used at Grocery Stores, Gas Stations, Discount Stores, ATM's and Online!
- A REAL Visa® Credit Card with Automatic Reporting to all Three National Credit Bureaus
- No Penalty Rate. Your Rate Won't Go Up Even If You are Late
- Access Additional Credit With On-Time Payments and Responsible Usage
- A True Unsecured EMV enabled (chip) Visa Credit card
- Does not require perfect credit for approval
- Fixed APR and Manageable Monthly Payments
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Damaged Credit
- Regular APR
- 29.99%
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $38
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $38
- Card Brand
- Visa®
Poor Credit Cards
- A better way to get a Card Offer!
- For those with less that perfect credit.
- Response in as fast as 60 seconds
- Search, Compare, Apply!
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Poor/Bad/Damaged/Limited/No Credit
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
Search, Compare and Apply! Creditsoup.com offers you a better way to get a card offer.
*See Card for Terms and Conditions
Good Credit Cards
- Take advantage of your good credit to get competitive APRs and rewards
- Enjoy low rates and rewards for everyday spending
- Earn cash back, points or miles to redeem for travel, gift cards or cash rewards
- Bonus offers – up to 50,000 points or miles
- Good credit can lead to excellent credit – some cards provide free credit score monitoring
- Terms vary by partner. Please see individual application for product terms and conditions.
- Clicking Apply Now will take you to CreditSoup.com to compare Credit Cards for Good Credit from participating partners
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Good/Limited/No Credit/Excellent
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
*See Card for Terms and Conditions
Excellent Credit Cards
- Take advantage of your excellent credit to get the best rates and rewards
- Enjoy low rates and rewards for everyday spending
- Excellent credit can lead to higher credit lines
- Earn cash back, points or miles to redeem for travel, gift cards or cash rewards
- Bonus offers – up to 50,000 points or miles
- Terms vary by partner. Please see individual application for product terms and conditions.
- Clicking Apply Now will take you to CreditSoup.com to compare Credit Cards for Excellent Credit from participating partners
- Credit Recommended
- Good/Excellent
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
