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Step 1 · Build credit
Best Credit Cards to Build Credit
The best credit-building cards — secured and no-deposit credit-builder cards — that approve with little or no credit history. Ranked by math.
Live from our card database · updated October 2026
If you’re starting from scratch or rebuilding, these are the best credit cards to build credit. Secured cards take a refundable deposit and approve almost anyone; credit-builder cards need no deposit but can be stricter. Pick one, use it lightly, pay in full — then follow the 5-phase plan to graduate to an unsecured rewards card.
Best secured credit cards
A secured credit card takes a refundable deposit that becomes your limit. Easiest approval, the fastest way to start building credit, and most graduate to unsecured.
Want the deposit, fee and bureau reporting for every secured card in one table? See the best secured credit cards. Shopping by credit level? See cards for no credit, bad credit and fair credit. Students and fair-credit starters: compare secured, student and starter cards side by side.
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#1Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card
The Bancorp Bank / Stride Bank
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
5% cash back on one spend category you pick each month with Chime Prime ($3,000+ direct deposits in 34 days), or 2% with Chime Plus ($200+ direct deposit); up to $1,500 of purchases a month; no rewards outside the category or without direct deposit
View card →#2Quicksilver Secured from Capital One
Capital One
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
1.5% cash back on all purchases; 5% on Capital One Travel hotels/rentals
View card →#3opensky Plus Secured Visa®
Capital Bank N.A.
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
Fund same-day $500 get $30 welcome bonus; same-day $1000 get $70 welcome bonus
View card →#4Platinum Secured Credit Card from Capital One
Capital One
$0 annual feeRefundable depositMastercard
View card →#5cashRewards Secured
Navy FCU
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
1% cash back on all purchases
View card →#6U.S. Bank Secured Visa® Card
U.S. Bank
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
View card →#7Soar Secured Card
Truliant Federal Credit Union
$0 annual feeRefundable depositMastercard
View card →#8TD Cash Secured Credit Card
TD Bank
$29 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
Choose your top two spend categories to earn unlimited 3% and 2% Cash Back and 1% cash back on all other purchases
View card →#9OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Capital Bank N.A.
$35 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
Fund $300 same day get $20 bonus
View card →#10Merrick Bank® Secured Credit Card
Merrick Bank
$36 annual feeRefundable depositMastercard
View card →#11Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card
Bank of America
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
Earn 6% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the choice category, and at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, then earn unlimited 1% thereafter. After the 3% first-year bonus offer ends, you will earn 3% and 2% cash back on these purchases up to the quarterly maximum; 1% on all other purchases
View card →#12Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card
Bank of America
$0 annual feeRefundable depositVisa
Unlimited 2% cash back first year then 1.5% cash back on all purchases
View card →Best credit-builder cards — no deposit
No-deposit credit-builder cards report to the bureaus without tying up cash. Approval is a bit stricter than secured, but there’s nothing to put down.
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#1Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card
Chase
$0 annual feeNo depositVisa
1.5% cash back on all purchases
Earn $25 statement credit when you sign up for automatic payments within the first three months of opening your account and remain enrolled for at least 90 days
View card →#2Eagle Ascend™ Credit Card
USAA
$0 annual feeNo depositAmerican Express
2% cash back on your top eligible spend category each month, including gas stations, groceries, dining and more;1% cash back on other purchases
Get a one-time statement credit up to $98 (plus applicable taxes) for an annual Walmart+ membership.see note1
View card →#4Platinum Mastercard® from Capital One
Capital One
$0 annual feeNo depositMastercard
View card →#5Petal® 1 'No Annual Fee' Visa® Credit Card
WebBank
$0 annual feeNo depositVisa
1% – 10% cash back at select national merchants. Cash back merchants and offers vary throughout the year and are personalized.
28.24%-33.24% Variable APR
View card →#6Petal® 1 Rise Visa® Credit Card
WebBank
$59 annual feeNo depositVisa
1% – 10% cash back at select national merchants. Cash back merchants and offers vary throughout the year and are personalized.
28.24%-33.24% Variable APR
View card →#7BankAmericard® Credit Card for Students
Bank of America
$0 annual feeNo depositVisa
14.99%–25.99% APR
View card →#8Petal® 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa® Credit Card
WebBank
$0 annual feeNo depositVisa
1% cash back on all purchases, rising to 1.5% after qualifying on-time payments. Plus up to 10% cash back at select national merchants.
28.24%-30.24% Variable APR
View card →Once your score reaches the high 600s, you can graduate to mainstream cards: compare cash back cards and no-annual-fee travel cards on our sister site YourBestCards. Carrying a balance on a high-APR card while you rebuild? Rates on personal loans for debt consolidation on YourBestLoanRates show what a fixed-rate payoff would cost.
Credit-building cards, answered
What is the best credit card to build credit?
For most people starting out, a no-annual-fee secured card is the best credit card to build credit — the refundable deposit means approval is close to automatic. Right now the top-ranked secured card in our database is the Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card. If you’d rather not tie up cash, the top no-deposit credit-builder card is the Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card. Both lists above re-rank automatically as the data changes.
Are secured cards or credit-builder cards better?
Secured cards approve almost anyone because your deposit backs the limit, so they’re best if your credit is thin or damaged. Credit-builder cards need no deposit but can be harder to qualify for. The “better” one is whichever you can get approved for and pay in full every month.
How fast do credit-building cards raise your score?
With on-time payments and low utilization, most people see meaningful movement in 3–6 months. The card itself doesn’t raise your score — your behavior does. Keep utilization under 10%, never miss a payment, and let the account age.
Not sure which card is right for you?
Our free Credit Roadmap maps your exact path from a starter card to a rewards card at 670+ — from your own numbers, in under a minute. No account needed.
Build my free roadmap →
