Fizz Card Review: A Debit Card that Builds Credit?
- Fee
- From $5 per month
- APY
- N/A
- Minimum deposit to open
- $150
Our verdict
A credit-building 'debit' card designed for students, but it's not free.
Fizz is a fintech company offering a unique, credit-building debit card designed by and for college students — but anyone 18 and older can sign up. Although Fizz calls it a debit card, it's a secured credit card with a line of credit. There are no interest charges, late fees or foreign transaction fees, and there are cashback rewards up for grabs. Getting the Fizz card does require linking an existing bank account with at least $150 but there’s no credit check. But if you need a large credit line, look elsewhere, because you can't borrow more than what's in your linked bank account. And there's no way to get around the membership fee.
Best for: College students who want to start building a credit history securely.
Pros
-
No interest charges
-
No late fees
-
No hard credit check
-
Cashback rewards
Cons
-
Paid membership fee required
-
No physical branches
-
Not suited for emergencies
-
Not FDIC insured
How does the Fizz card work?
The Fizz card works by connecting to an external bank account, which acts as your account balance and sets your spending limit, which adjusts daily. You can’t spend more than what you have in your linked account, helping you avoid overspending.
With autopay on, Fizz automatically debits the amount you spent with the card at the end of the day and reports the payments to Experian and TransUnion.
How much does Fizz cost?
Fizz has three different plans but to get the actual card, you need a paid plan. The Free Plan doesn’t come with the card; just the ability to check your credit reports and check out some financial literacy lessons. And if you’re a student, you can get the Fizz card for much cheaper.
| Plan | Cost |
|---|---|
| Free Plan | $0 |
| Student Plan | $5/month, billed $59.99/year |
| Standard Plan | $11/month, billed $129.99/year |
Who is Fizz best for?
Without a doubt, Fizz is best suited for college students. It’s designed to help young adults establish a credit history without the risk of taking on debt. When you sign up for the app, the app states that “.edu” emails are preferred and asks where you go to school. The app is also available on both Apple and Android devices.
Fizz card’s cashback rewards are also mostly merchants located around college campuses — advertising daily rates of 25% and flash rates of up to 100%. But the places you can earn cashback change often, so you’ll have to check the app for current offers.
If you already have a good credit history and prefer a large line of credit, this likely isn’t the card for you. You can only spend what’s in your linked bank account, so it isn’t made for covering purchases when you’re strapped for cash.
What we like about Fizz
There’s a lot to like about the Fizz card.
For starters, you won’t have to worry about interest charges. Most secured credit cards charge high APR and late fees — all things you won’t have to worry about with the Fizz card. There are also no ATM or foreign transaction fees.
The card is a Mastercard, so it’s accepted anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
Limits overspending with autopay
The Fizz card is funded by an external bank account, so your spend limit will change daily. This also means you can’t actually spend more than you can afford. If you have autopay enabled, all purchases you make throughout the day are automatically debited from your linked bank account at the end of the day. If you don’t use autopay, payment is due at the end of each month.
You also have the option to enable a safety feature called SafeFreeze, which automatically declines any transactions you make with your card if you miss a daily payment. While that can be slightly inconvenient if you forget one payment and want to use your Fizz card, this helps prevent you from overspending, and you can toggle the SafeFreeze feature on and off whenever.
Cashback rewards
The Fizz card advertises cashback rewards of up to 25% daily, which was, admittedly, hard to believe at first glance. Fizz’s site states that they occasionally offer flash cashback rates between 75% to 100%, which is unheard of among even the best reward credit cards. Also, rewards aren’t separated into categories, such as 1% on gas or 3% on travel expenses, like we usually see.
The cashback program is points-based: 1 point is equal to 1 cent. You can redeem points for cash and directly add it to your linked external bank account.
Fizz’s cashback reward offers change monthly, so you’ll have to refer to the app to see current offers, and most places you can earn cashback points are commonly found around college campuses. Some popular stores that often have cashback offers with Fizz include:
- Auntie Anne’s
- Chick-fil-A
- Einstein Bros. Bagels
- Gap
- Jamba Juice
- Outback Steakhouse
- Petsmart
- Starbucks
Where Fizz falls short
We have to call out the cost. Fizz didn’t used to require a paid membership at all, and has recently raised the cost from $4.17 per month to $5.99 for students, and from $10 to $11.99 for non-students. Students get the better deal, but you still have to pay $59.99 annually.
Fizz also lacks where most fintechs lack compared to traditional banks — there are no physical branches for in-person support. However, it offers in-app, phone and email support, and the chat support is a real person.
Doesn’t report everywhere
As of September 2025, Fizz no longer reports to all three major credit bureaus. It reports to Experian and TransUnion, but it doesn’t report to Equifax anymore.
This isn’t ideal for a credit-building card, since you’ll want something that reports everywhere.
Why? Because if you apply for a loan, and the lender uses Equifax to pull your credit reports and score, then your Fizz history won’t be there.
Not suited for emergency situations
Many people use credit cards for unexpected things that crop up, such as unplanned medical expenses, car problems and so on. But with the Fizz card, you won’t have access to a credit line that’s higher than what you have available in your linked bank account. So if you couldn’t already afford a purchase or bill with your own cash, Fizz won’t help you cover it. You also can’t request higher credit limits, since the money is technically yours.
To be fair, this is exactly how the Fizz card is designed — it’s made to help you avoid overspending and excessive debt that often comes with credit cards. But for those in need of a traditional credit line for the sheer convenience of covering emergencies, a traditional credit card may be a better route.
Fizz’s fees and access
| Type of fee | Fee details |
|---|---|
| Monthly service | $5/month for students, $11.99/month for non-students (billed annually) |
| APR | 0% |
| Late fee | $0 |
| Opening deposit | $150 |
| ATMs |
|
| Debit card fees |
|
| Overdraft or nonsufficient funds | $0 | Other fees |
|
Compare Fizz to other credit-building options
Narrow down top credit-building options by fees, requirements and more. To compare products side by side, select the Compare box.
Compare other products
We currently don't have that product, but here are others to consider:
How we picked these
What is the Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches over 30 credit-building cards and products from dozens of financial institutions and fintech companies. It takes into account the product's monthly fees, reporting practices, eligibility requirements, rewards programs, APR and features — this gives you a simple score out of 10. To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts only consider credit-building cards that report to the major credit bureaus as “credit-building cards.” If a card that claims it can build credit does not have any reporting practices, it is not considered a credit-building card and isn’t scored.
How to open the Fizz card
You must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the US to apply. To get started, download the Fizz app on an Apple device with iOS 13.0 or later, and Fizz is also now available on Android devices.
There’s no hard credit pull, but Fizz asks for your name, address, social security number and contact information.
Once you sign up, connect an external bank account to the Fizz card. The account you link to Fizz must be in your name and have a balance of at least $150.
Customer reviews and ratings
| BBB accredited | No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | A |
| Trustpilot score | 4.6 out of 5 stars, based on 186 customer reviews |
| App Store Score | 4.7 out of 5 stars, based on 1,300 customer reviews |
| Google Play Score | 4.5 out of 5 stars, based on 438 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 25 March 2025 |
Fizz does well in the realm of customer feedback. There are no reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and only one customer compliant. When it comes to BBB reviews and complaints, no news is good news, since most people head to that platform if something goes wrong.
Fizz earned a great rating on Trustpilot with nearly 200 reviews. Customers are happy with the product, with many praising Fizz’s customer service and the autopay feature that helps them stay on top of payments and avoid negative marks. Many also specifically call out that it’s a great card for college students.
We checked app store reviews as well, most of which are great ratings. Written reviews are similar to Trustpilot, with many college students loving the cashback rewards, how their credit has improved and frequently pointing out the lack of fees and interest charges.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fizz a bank?
Fizz isn’t a bank. It’s a fintech company that offers a credit-building debit card through its bank partners Patriot Bank and Lead Bank. The Fizz card isn’t FDIC-insured since it’s not a true deposit account but rather a line of credit.
Do I have to be a student to get Fizz?
No, you don’t have to be a college student to get the Fizz card. The card is heavily geared toward college students, but as long as you’re at least 18 years old and meet the eligibility requirements, you can qualify for the card. But it helps to be a student, since Fizz’s annual fee is lower for students.
Credit building card ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Read the full methodology of how we rate credit building cards.
Your reviews
Bethany Finder
Banking editor
Hi there, looking for more information? Ask us a question.
You are about to post a question on finder.com:
- Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank details) as your question will be made public
- finder.com is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or product provider
- We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations
- Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions below to see if yours has already been asked
Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our finder.com Terms of Use and Privacy and Cookies Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.