When does a secured card graduate?
Secured card graduation, issuer by issuer: when the first review happens, whether it’s automatic, how you get your deposit back and which card you move to. We only state what each issuer publishes, and link the page it says it on.
“Graduating” means the issuer turns your secured card into a regular unsecured card (or moves you to one) and gives back your security deposit, usually without a new application or hard credit check. It’s the cleanest way off a secured card: you keep the account’s age and history, and the deposit comes back to you.
Most articles say graduation takes “6 to 12 months.” Issuers’ own pages are less tidy. A few publish a month, several only say they review “periodically,” and some secured cards have no upgrade path at all. The table below covers the issuers of all 13 secured cards on our secured card list.
Secured card graduation by issuer
Listed by how soon each issuer says it first reviews your account, not ranked. Every policy was checked on the issuer’s own site (latest check Oct 17, 2026). Confirm with the issuer, since policies change.
| Issuer and its secured cards | First review | How it works | Deposit back | Upgrades to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Federal Credit UnioncashRewards Secured ($0 annual fee) | After 6 months, then monthly | Automatic monthly reviewA credit limit increase is possible after 3 months, without adding to the deposit. | Hold removed within 3 to 5 business days of the upgrade | cashRewards (unsecured) | navyfederal.orgChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| OpenSky (Capital Bank)opensky Plus Secured Visa® ($0 annual fee) OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card ($35 annual fee) | After 6 months | Automatic review; you're invited if selected | Not stated for upgrades | opensky Gold Unsecured Visa (no new application or deposit) | openskycc.comChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| U.S. BankU.S. Bank Secured Visa® Card ($0 annual fee) | After 12 months | Automatic review | Returned within one to two billing cycles | A traditional U.S. Bank card (may come with a new card number) | usbank.comChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| Bank of AmericaBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card ($0 annual fee) Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card ($0 annual fee) | Not published (periodic) | Automatic periodic reviewThe review looks at your account, your relationship with the bank and your other cards and loans. | Returned if you qualify (how is not stated) | An unsecured card (product not named) | bankofamerica.com · MoreChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| Capital OneQuicksilver Secured from Capital One ($0 annual fee) Platinum Secured Credit Card from Capital One ($0 annual fee) | Not published (periodic) | Automatic; can't be requested (you're notified by mail) | Statement credit when you're upgraded | A traditional Capital One card (product not named) | capitalone.comChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| DiscoverDiscover it® Secured Cash Back ($0 annual fee) | Not published | Not stated | Statement credit once you have a positive track record (or refunded when you close the account and pay in full) | Discover it Cash Back (other terms stay the same) | discover.comChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| TD BankTD Cash Secured Credit Card ($29 annual fee) | Not published | Not statedThe decision looks at all your cards and loans, at TD and elsewhere. | Held in a locked TD Simple Savings account until you graduate; then you choose what to do with it | TD Cash Credit Card (unsecured) | td.comChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| Chime (The Bancorp Bank / Stride Bank)Secured Chime Visa® Credit Card ($0 annual fee) | None (stays secured) | No upgrade path | The money you move in is your spending limit and can pay your balance | None | chime.comChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| Merrick BankMerrick Bank® Secured Credit Card ($36 annual fee) | None published | No upgrade path publishedCredit line increases are possible, and you can raise your line by adding to the deposit. | Only after the account is closed and paid in full | None published | merrickbank.com · MoreChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
| Truliant Federal Credit UnionSoar Secured Card ($0 annual fee) | None published | No upgrade path published | Not stated on the card page | None published | truliantfcu.orgChecked Oct 17, 2026 |
“Not published” means the issuer’s pages don’t give a month or say how the review works, not that it never happens. Card annual fees are from our card database. See every card’s fee, deposit and score on the best secured credit cards page.
Cards that don’t graduate
Chime (The Bancorp Bank / Stride Bank), Merrick Bank and Truliant Federal Credit Union publish no path from the secured card to an unsecured one. These cards still build credit, since payments are reported like any other card. But the only way to get the deposit back is to close the account, which shortens your credit history if it’s your oldest card. If you’re starting from scratch and want the deposit back without closing anything, pick a card whose issuer reviews for an upgrade.
How to graduate sooner
- Pay on time, every month. Every issuer that explains its review starts with payment history. One late payment can push the upgrade back months.
- Keep the reported balance low. Staying well under the limit when the statement closes helps both the review and your score. See the credit utilization guide and calculator.
- Mind your other accounts. U.S. Bank, Bank of America and TD say they look at your credit elsewhere, not just their card.
- Don’t close the card after graduating. The upgraded card keeps the account’s age, which helps your score over time.
- No upgrade after a year? With a year of on-time history you may qualify for a new unsecured card from another issuer. Use the free credit roadmap to see which cards fit your score, then close the secured card only once the new one is open (if it’s not your oldest account).
Questions
How long does it take a secured card to graduate?
It depends on the issuer, and most don’t publish a month. The earliest published first review is 6 months (Navy Federal Credit Union and OpenSky (Capital Bank)); U.S. Bank reviews after 12 months. 7 of the 10 issuers here don’t publish a month at all, so graduation is never guaranteed on a schedule.
Which secured cards are reviewed for an upgrade automatically?
Navy Federal Credit Union, OpenSky (Capital Bank), U.S. Bank, Bank of America and Capital One say they review secured accounts for an upgrade themselves. Discover and TD Bank describe an upgrade but don’t say how the review happens.
Can I ask for my secured card to be upgraded?
Capital One says the upgrade can’t be requested; you’re notified if you qualify. The other issuers here don’t publish a request process, so calling to ask costs nothing, but there’s no guarantee.
How do I get my security deposit back?
Either by graduating to an unsecured card or by closing the account and paying the balance in full. How it comes back differs: Navy Federal Credit Union: hold removed within 3 to 5 business days of the upgrade, U.S. Bank: returned within one to two billing cycles and Capital One: statement credit when you're upgraded.
Do all secured cards graduate?
No. Chime (The Bancorp Bank / Stride Bank), Merrick Bank and Truliant Federal Credit Union publish no path from the secured card to an unsecured one. A card like that still builds credit, but to get your deposit back you close the account, so open a card that graduates first if you can.
What do issuers look at before upgrading a secured card?
The issuers that explain it point to the same things: on-time payments, staying under your credit limit, and how you handle your other cards and loans. U.S. Bank, Bank of America and TD say they look at your credit beyond their own card, so a late payment elsewhere can delay the upgrade.
How we built this
For each issuer in the table (every issuer of a secured card in our card database, plus a few major issuers whose card isn’t on our list right now), we read the issuer’s own card page, help center or terms and recorded only what it states: the first review month, whether the review is automatic, how the deposit comes back and the card you move to. Each row links to the pages used and shows the date we checked them; we re-check every issuer at least once a year. Third-party timelines (forums, review sites) aren’t used. This page doesn’t rank cards and has no paid links. By the YourBest Editorial Team; see our methodology and editorial policy.