Secured Cards To Rebuild Credit

Those with bad credit often got there through no fault of their own… job loss, medical bills, and other economic hardships we can’t always control. Whatever the case, instead of dwelling on the past, it’s best to focus on the future and rebuild your credit. But of course the catch-22 is you can’t apply for a credit card with bad credit and get approved! However with secured cards you can, no matter how horrible your credit history! Know these 3 tips when using a credit card for rebuilding credit:

Tip #1 – Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to carry a balance to improve your credit. What’s reported to the credit bureaus is the balance on your statement each month, regardless of whether you pay it in full or not.
Tip #2 – Having a high balance is not better. A small portion of your credit score is based on what percentage of your available credit limit you are using. It’s best to never use more than 30% of your credit limit at any given time.
Tip #3 – After your card is open, setting up automatic e-payments is recommended. That ensures payments will always be on-time.

The Best Secured Credit Cards To Rebuild Credit In 2013
This sponsored listing of the best offers is constantly updated.

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#1 Most Recommended: Capital One® Secured MasterCard®
Tons of consumers have shared positive reviews of using this card to successfully rebuild their credit. It has a low annual fee of only $29 and there are no application or processing fees. You can start with a minimum security deposit as low as $49, $99 or $200 (based on your credit). Best of all, if you manage your account and credit responsibly, you may earn credit limit increases, without having to increase the deposit.

• Build credit with responsible use with no processing or application fees
• Regular reporting to the 3 major credit bureaus
• Monitor credit with access to a credit score and other tools
• Your security deposit can get you a line up to $3,000
• You may qualify for a credit line increase based on your payment history and creditworthiness
• Use it like any MasterCard credit card, accepted at millions of locations worldwide

Go here for Capital One's official application to learn more

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First Progress Platinum Elite MasterCard®
Although you may not have heard the name before, this card is issued/managed by Synovus (a parent company for dozens of banks in the S.E. which operate under local names). They were founded in 1888 and have $26 billion in assets… so rest assured, this is not some fly-by-night bank. It has a reasonable $29 annual fee and the minimum security deposit is $300.

• Not available to NY, IA, AR, and WI residents.
• Credit limit is equal to your security deposit (deposit can be from $300 to $2,000)
• Account is reported to major credit bureaus
• APR of 19.99% (Variable)

Apply now and start rebuilding your credit

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USAA Secured Platinum Card
Don’t apply for this unless you’re in the military and even then it might not be the best choice. This is because the application process first requires you to qualify for USAA membership. Only military personnel qualify for full USAA benefits. Unfortunately they’ll put your deposit in a 2 year CD so it will be locked up during that time... a drawback because if you manage credit responsibly you can probably qualify for an unsecured card before then.

• Before starting the application, USAA will ask you questions to establish online access and eligibility with USAA.
• Security deposits are held in a 2-year CD account. A penalty will apply if you close the CD before before the 2 years is up.
• A minimum $250 initial deposit is required.
• The card's annual fee is $35.

Go here to apply online

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Think your credit might be good enough for an unsecured card? Then try out this tool!
See if you're eligible for pre-qualified credit card offers in 60 seconds:

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• Flexible Security Deposit – We all know higher credit limits are better, but maybe you can’t afford much for your security deposit right now. The best cards should give you some flexibility. For example, you can start with a $500 deposit for a $500 limit, but later on when you can afford to do so, you should be given the ability to raise that to a $3,000 limit by adding more to your security deposit.
• Reasonable Fees – Fees should be expected, but some banks will rip you off with outrageously high fees. The application fee and annual or monthly fee should be reasonable and when combined, over the course of the first year the fees should cost no more than $120 (and hopefully a lot less).
• Reports to Credit Bureaus – Of course it’s important that your account is reported to the bureaus. However, banks that offer secured credit cards (or any card for that matter) have to pay to report customer records… for that reason, some unscrupulous banks won’t report because they’re being cheap, make sure you watch out for them.

Remember... if you have really bad credit (such as charged-off accounts or a bankruptcy) then secured credit cards to rebuild credit are likely your only option at this point. Admittedly, they're not the best credit cards in the world (no rewards, few benefits) but keep your account in good standing and 9-12 months from now, try applying for a better unsecured card. However it would be foolish to do that now, because every time you apply for credit (whether it be a card or loan) there is a credit report inquiry. Having too many inquiries will hurt your credit score. So that means it's only worth applying for a credit card if you have a really good chance at being approved.