LA Times' Recommended Credit Cards for No Credit History

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Our rating:4.0

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Recommended credit

580-740 (Fair to Good) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

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Rewards rate

Card without rewards: This card doesn't offer cash back, miles, or points

Intro offer: No current offer

Annual fee: $0

Regular APR: 29.99% variable

Recommended credit: 580-740 (Fair to Good) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.; Your approval oddsClicking “See your approval odds” will authorize us to run a soft credit pull, which we’ll need to estimate your approval odds. Approval Odds serve as a guide to help you find the right credit card and will never affect your credit score.

Overall rating

Our rating:4.0

Rating methodology

Cost of Membership: 3.8
Ease of Building Credit: 4.0
APR: 1.0
Features: 2.5

Highlights

No annual or hidden fees. See if you're approved in seconds
Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
Help build your credit through responsible use of a card like this
Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
Get access to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with online banking from your desktop or smartphone, with Capital One's mobile app
Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
Pay by check, online or at a local branch, all with no fee - and pick the monthly due date that works best for you

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: $0
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 29.99% (Variable)
Intro Balance Transfers APR: N/A

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Our rating:3.9

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Recommended credit

580-740 (Fair to Good) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Apply now

Rewards rate

5%: Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
1.5%: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day

Intro offer: No current offer

Annual fee: $39

Regular APR: 29.99% variable

Recommended credit: 580-740 (Fair to Good) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Overall rating

Our rating:3.9

Rating methodology

Cost of Membership: 5.0
Ease of Building Credit: 3.0
APR: 2.0
Features: 5.0

Highlights

Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
No rotating categories or limits to how much you can earn, and cash back doesn't expire for the life of the account. It's that simple
Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use
Enjoy up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: $39
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 29.99% (Variable)
Intro Balance Transfers APR: N/A

OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card

Our rating:3.0

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Recommended credit

(No Credit History) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

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Rewards rate

Up to 10%: Up to 10% cash back rewards on purchases at over 40,000 retailers

Intro offer: No current offer

Annual fee: $35

Regular APR: 25.64% variable

Recommended credit: (No Credit History) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Overall rating

Our rating:3.0

Rating methodology

Cost of Membership: 2.5
Ease of Building Credit: 2.9
APR: 4.5
Features: 0.0

Highlights

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

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: $35
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 25.64% (variable)
Intro Balance Transfers APR: N/A

First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card

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Rewards rate

1% Cash Back: 1% Cash Back Rewards on payments

Intro offer: No current offer

Annual fee: $49

Regular APR: 15.24% variable

Recommended credit: (No Credit History) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Highlights

1% Cash Back Rewards on payments
Choose your own credit line - $200 to $2000 – based on your security deposit
Build your credit score. Reports to all 3 credit bureaus
No minimum credit score required for approval!
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.

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: $49
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 15.24% (Variable)
Intro Balance Transfers APR: N/A

Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Our rating:4.1

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Rewards rate

2%: Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically.
1%: Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro offer: Cashback Match™ Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.

Annual fee: $0

Regular APR: 28.24% variable

Recommended credit: (No Credit History) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Overall rating

Our rating:4.1

Rating methodology

Cost of Membership: 5.0
Ease of Building Credit: 3.3
APR: 1.3
Features: 2.5

Highlights

No credit score required to apply.
No Annual Fee, earn cash back, and build your credit history.
Your secured credit card requires a refundable security deposit, and your credit line will equal your deposit amount, starting at $200. Bank information must be provided when submitting your deposit.
Automatic reviews starting at 7 months to see if we can transition you to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit.
Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Plus earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It's free, activate with the mobile app.
Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites. Activate for free.
Terms and conditions apply.

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: $0
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 28.24% Variable APR
Intro Balance Transfers APR: 10.99% for 6 months

Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card

Our rating:4.2

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Rewards rate

Card without rewards: This card doesn't offer cash back, miles, or points

Intro offer: No current offer

Annual fee: None

Regular APR: N/A

Recommended credit: (No Credit History) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Overall rating

Our rating:4.2

Rating methodology

Cost of Membership: 5.0
Ease of Building Credit: 5.0
APR: 1.0
Features: 2.5

Highlights

To apply for a Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card, you must first open a Chime Checking Account and receive a qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more.
The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT).
The Chime Credit Builder Card is a secured credit card that can help consumers build credit history. It has no interest*, no annual fees, no credit check to apply, and no minimum security deposit required**
Help build your credit history with your own money. The money you move into the Credit Builder secured account is the amount you can spend on your card (no minimum deposit required**). Turn on Safer Credit Building** and have your monthly balance automatically paid on time. Chime will report your activities to Transunion®. Experian®. and Equifax®.
Use your secured Credit Builder card everywhere VISA is accepted, including on everyday purchases, such as gas and groceries.
*No Interest: Out of network ATM withdrawal fees and over the counter advance fees may apply. See here for details.
**No Minimum Security Deposit: Money added to Credit Builder will be held in a secured account as collateral for your Credit Builder Visa card, which means you can spend up to this amount on your card. This is money you can use to pay off your charges at the end of every month.
The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.
To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.
**Safer Credit Building - On-time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Chime will report your activities to Transunion®, Experian®, and Equifax®. Impact on your credit may vary, as Credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: None
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: N/A
Intro Balance Transfers APR: N/A

Self - Credit Builder Account with Secured Visa® Credit Card

Our rating:2.5

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Rewards rate

Card without rewards: This card doesn't offer cash back, miles, or points

Intro offer: No current offer

Annual fee: $25

Regular APR: 28.74% variable

Recommended credit: (No Credit History) CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Overall rating

Our rating:2.5

Rating methodology

Cost of Membership: 2.0
Ease of Building Credit: 3.0
APR: 2.0
Features: 3.8

Highlights

Start with a Credit Builder Account* that reports to all 3 credit bureaus. Each on-time monthly payment builds credit history and savings. Choose the plan that works for you.
Make at least 3 monthly payments on time, have $100 or more in savings progress in your Credit Builder Account, and be in good standing.** Then, you’ll be eligible for the Self Visa® Credit Card, without a hard credit check.
Your savings progress from your Credit Builder Account acts as your security deposit for your secured Credit Card.
Get the savings plan that helps build credit today.
No credit score is needed to get started.
Your money is secured and protected in a bank account.
*Credit Builder Account Sample Product: $48 monthly payment, 24 month term with a $9 admin fee at a 15.72% Annual Percentage Rate. Please refer to https://www.self.inc/pricing for the most recent pricing options.
**Secured Credit Card Disclaimers, Rates and Fees: https://www.self.inc/card-agreement
Self Visa® Credit Card issued by Lead Bank or SouthState Bank, N.A., each Member FDIC. See self.inc for details.
Active Credit Builder Account in good standing, 3 on time payments, $100 or more in saving progress. Requirements subject to change.

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee: $25
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 28.74% (Variable)
Intro Balance Transfers APR: N/A

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance

OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance

First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance

Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance

Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance

Self - Credit Builder Account with Secured Visa® Credit Card

Rewards rate

At A Glance