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By YourBest Editorial Team · Updated October 9, 2026 · How we rank

Refundable deposit · Easiest approval

Best Secured Credit Cards

All 12 secured cards in our database, ranked by score, with the annual fee, deposit, bureau reporting and upgrade path in one table.

12secured cards ranked

9with a $0 annual fee

85top score: Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card

A secured card is the closest thing to a guaranteed “yes” in credit. You put down a refundable deposit, the issuer gives you a credit line that’s usually the same size, and from then on the card works and reports like any other credit card. That makes it the standard first step if you have no credit history, or if a past default, collection or bankruptcy has made unsecured cards hard to get.

The differences between secured cards are mostly in what they cost you to hold: an annual fee eats into a small credit line, and a higher minimum deposit ties up more cash. That’s why our ranking leans heavily on fees. Below, every secured card we track is laid out with the facts you need to choose one, in the same order as the secured list on our best cards to build credit page.

Secured cards ranked

Ranked from our card database on October 9, 2026. Confirm the deposit and terms on the issuer’s site before you apply.

#	Card	Type	Annual fee	Security deposit	All 3 bureaus	Ongoing APR	Score	Link
#1	Secured Chime Visa® Credit CardThe Bancorp Bank / Stride Bank5% cash back on one spend category you pick each month with Chime Prime ($3,000+ direct deposits in 34 days)…	Secured	$0	No minimum	Yes	—	85	View card →
#2	Quicksilver Secured from Capital OneCapital One1.5% cash back on all purchases	Secured	$0	Refundable deposit	—	—	82	View card →
#3	opensky Plus Secured Visa®Capital Bank N.A.	Secured	$0	$300 minimum, refundable	—	—	81	View card →
#4	Platinum Secured Credit Card from Capital OneCapital One	Secured	$0	Refundable deposit	—	—	81	View card →
#5	cashRewards SecuredNavy FCU1% cash back on all purchases	Secured	$0	Refundable deposit	—	—	81	View card →
#6	U.S. Bank Secured Visa® CardU.S. Bank	Secured	$0	Refundable deposit	—	—	80	View card →
#7	Soar Secured CardTruliant Federal Credit Union	Secured	$0	$1000–$5000 refundable	—	—	80	View card →
#8	TD Cash Secured Credit CardTD BankChoose your top two spend categories to earn unlimited 3% and 2% Cash Back and 1% cash back on all other…	Secured	$29	Refundable deposit	—	—	79	View card →
#9	OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit CardCapital Bank N.A.	Secured	$35	$200 minimum, refundable	—	—	78	View card →
#10	Merrick Bank® Secured Credit CardMerrick Bank	Secured	$36	Refundable deposit	—	—	77	View card →
#11	Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit CardBank of AmericaEarn 6% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the choice category, and…	Secured	$0	Refundable deposit	—	—	51	View card →
#12	Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit CardBank of AmericaUnlimited 2% cash back first year then 1.5% cash back on all purchases	Secured	$0	Refundable deposit	—	—	34	View card →

How this list is ranked. Every card tagged secured in our card database, sorted by its card score (0–100). For a card whose main category is secured, fees count for 80% of the score, perks 13%, rewards 5% and the welcome offer 2%; a secured card whose main category is cash back is scored with the cash-back weights, which is why rewards-focused secured cards can rank lower. A dash means our data doesn’t state it, not that the card lacks it. Partner links never change the order. Full methodology →

How to choose a secured card

Start with the fee. On a $200–$300 line, a $35 annual fee is a big share of what you can use. Most top-ranked secured cards charge nothing.
Check the minimum deposit. Put down only what you can leave untouched for a year or more. The deposit is your credit line, not a payment.
Look for a way out. The best secured cards review your account for an upgrade to unsecured and return your deposit. Upgrading keeps the account’s history on your report.
Make sure it reports to all three bureaus. A card only builds credit with the bureaus it reports to.

Don’t want to tie up a deposit? Compare no-deposit starter and student cards in our credit builder cards comparison, or build history with a credit-builder loan instead.

Secured card FAQ

What is the best secured credit card right now?

By our score, the Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card ranks first (score 85, $0 annual fee, deposit: no minimum). The next two are the Quicksilver Secured from Capital One (82) and the opensky Plus Secured Visa® (81). The best one for you is the highest-ranked card you can get and comfortably fund the deposit for.

Which secured cards have no annual fee?

9 of the 12 secured cards we track have a $0 annual fee. 3 charge a fee: TD Cash Secured Credit Card ($29 a year), OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card ($35 a year), Merrick Bank® Secured Credit Card ($36 a year). A fee comes out of your credit line or your pocket every year, so it is the main thing our score penalizes.

How much is the security deposit on a secured card?

The deposit usually equals your credit line, and each issuer sets its own minimum. Where our data states it: Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card: no minimum; opensky Plus Secured Visa®: $300 minimum; Soar Secured Card: $1000–$5000 refundable; OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card: $200 minimum. For the other cards, check the minimum on the issuer’s page before you apply.

Do I get my secured card deposit back?

Yes, the deposit is refundable: you get it back when you close the account with the balance paid off, or when the issuer upgrades the card to an unsecured one. It is not a fee. If you stop paying, the issuer can use the deposit to cover what you owe, and the missed payments still hurt your credit.

Do secured cards report to all three credit bureaus?

A secured card builds credit only with the bureaus its issuer reports to (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), and issuers state this differently. In our card data, Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card states it explicitly. Where the table shows a dash, our data doesn’t say, so confirm on the issuer’s page.

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Card details come from our card database, the same one YourBestCards uses. Verify terms with each issuer before applying. · Advertiser disclosure