The 7 best secured credit cards with low APRs

New or damaged credit? Secured credit cards can be ideal.

Consumers who apply for secured cards often have lower credit scores, so they’re viewed as riskier borrowers. Of course, greater risk usually means higher APRs. However, not every secured card charges high interest. In fact, you can find top-notch cards that also have low APRs.

Take a look and pick a secured card with low APR that’s best for you.

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Name	Product	Annual Fee	Credit Score Min.	Intro Balance Transfer APR	Reward Value per Dollar	Secured or Unsecured	APR (Annual Percentage Rate) for Purchases	Welcome Offer	Interest Free Period
SDFCU Savings Secured Visa Platinum Card					1	Secured	13.99% variable		Up to 21 days	Created to help you establish or rebuild credit.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
DCU Visa® Platinum Secured Credit Card			620			Secured	13.25% variable		Up to 25 days	A great way to establish or improve your credit history.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Green Dot primor® Visa® Gold Secured Credit Card		49	300			Secured	9.99% fixed		Up to 25 days	Fast, easy application process. No processing or application fees!	Go to siteView details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card		48					9.99% fixed			This secured card can help you rebuild your credit with an initial deposit of $200 to $1,000.	Go to siteView details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
nRewards® Secured Credit Card					1	Secured	10.74% to 18% variable		Up to 25 days	Earn rewards while building credit.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
USAA Secured Card Visa Platinum® Card		35	350			Secured	11.65% to 21.65% variable		Up to 25 days	Get a card that can help you build credit. Determine your own credit limit. When you apply, you'll open a two-year certificate of deposit (CD) with $250 to $5,000. The balance of your CD is your credit limit.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
First Progress Platinum Prestige MasterCard® Secured Credit Card		49	300	0%		Secured	10.24% variable		Up to 25 days	Go to siteView details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Our best picks

For a secured card, you can’t go wrong with the SDFCU Savings Secured Visa Platinum Card or the DCU Visa® Platinum Secured Credit Card.

Not only do they have low APRs, but they’re also excellent secured cards in general. Neither card has an annual fee, and it’s relatively easy to be approved for both cards.

SDFCU Savings Secured Visa Platinum Card

• OUR TOP PICK: Lowest APR, no annual fee

If you’re looking for a low-APR card, you could end your search with the SDFCU Savings Secured Visa Platinum Card. It offers a very low 13.99% variable APR for purchases, balance transfers and cash advances. It’s also less expensive than its competitors, charging no annual fee.

To get this card, you need to become a member of the State Department Federal Credit Union. To do that, you can join the American Consumer Council for $5. You also need to open an SDFCU savings account with a minimum of $1. Learn more about how to join SDFCU.

• Minimum deposit. $250 in an SDFCU savings account.
• No annual fee.
• Low interest rate. 13.99% variable APR for purchases, balance transfers and cash advances.
• Rewards. Earn 1 Flexpoint — SDFCU’s reward points — for every dollar you spend and 5 Flexpoints when you pay through bill pay.
• Fewer fees. No balance transfer or foreign transaction fees.

• Watch out for required membership with SDFCU.

DCU Visa® Platinum Secured Credit Card

• No annual fee, low upfront cost

The DCU Visa® Platinum Secured Credit Card doesn’t have the lowest interest rates but it does have one of the lowest minimum deposits — $5. It offers a respectable 13.25% variable APR across the board and has no annual fee.

You can get this card by joining the Digital Federal Credit Union. To do that, just join Reach Out for Schools for $10 when you open a DCU account. Then fund your DCU savings account with a minimum of $5. In total, it’ll cost as little as $15 to open your secured card. Learn more about joining the DCU.

• Minimum deposit. $5 in a DCU savings account.
• No annual fee.
• Low interest rate. 13.25% variable APR for purchases, balance transfers and cash advances.
• Light on fees. No balance transfer, cash advance or foreign transaction fees.

• Watch out for required membership with the Digital Federal Credit Union.

Other options

These secured cards have low APRs but are held back by significant weaknesses. Before considering these cards, look into the two cards we list above.

Green Dot primor® Visa® Gold Secured Credit Card

• Low fixed APR, easy approval

The Green Dot primor® Visa® Gold Secured Credit Card offers a low fixed APR of 9.99%, which means your interest rate won’t change for as long as you have the card. The card is also relatively easy to obtain since it doesn’t have a minimum credit score requirement.

The downside to the card is its $49 annual fee — not exactly cheap when you also have to put down a $200 security deposit.

• Minimum deposit. $200.
• Fixed interest rate.
• No minimum credit score requirement.
• No penalty APR.

• Watch out for the $49 annual fee.

Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card

• Low fixed APR

Like the Green Dot primor® Visa® Gold Secured Credit Card, the Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card comes with a low fixed APR of 9.99%. However, it has a $48 annual fee. The card also doesn’t offer a grace period on interest — which is an enormous disadvantage —which means you’ll accrue interest as soon as you swipe your card.

• Minimum deposit. $200.
• Fixed interest rate.
• No penalty APR.

• Watch out for the $48 annual fee and no grace period on interest.

nRewards® Secured Credit Card

• Potentially low APR

With the nRewards® Secured Credit Card, you may receive a purchase and balance transfer APR as low as 10.74% variable. But if you’re considered a weaker applicant, you may be given an APR as high as 18% variable.

You need to deposit at least $500 to open the card. On the plus side, however, you won’t have to pay an annual fee.

You can apply for this card if you’re a member of the Navy Federal Credit Union. To join, you must be affiliated with the military.

• Minimum deposit. $500 into a Navy Federal savings account.
• No annual fee.
• Rewards. Earn 1 nRewards point for every dollar you spend.
• No cash advance fees at Navy Federal branches or ATMs.
• No foreign transaction fees.

• Watch out for the military affiliation requirement to join the Navy Federal Credit Union.

USAA Secured Card Visa Platinum® Card

• Potentially low APR

The USAA Secured Card Visa Platinum® Card is similar to the nRewards® Secured Credit Card: You may be given an APR as low as 11.65% or as high as 21.65% variable, depending on your creditworthiness. To open the card, you must pay a $35 annual fee.

Additionally, you need to open a two-year certificate of deposit (CD) with at least $250. You’ll earn a variable 0.54% APY — or annual percentage yield — on your CD balance.

You can apply for this card if you’re a USAA member. To join, you must be a member of the military, a veteran who was honorably discharged or an eligible family member of military personnel. Learn about joining the USAA.

• Minimum deposit. Open a two-year COD with at least $250.
• No penalty APR.
• No foreign transaction or overlimit fees.

• Watch out for a $35 annual fee and a military affiliation requirement to join the USAA.

First Progress Platinum Prestige MasterCard® Secured Credit Card

• Potentially low APR, easy application

The First Progress Platinum Prestige MasterCard® Secured Credit Card comes with an APR that can be as low as 10.24% variable depending on your credit history. The card has an annual fee of $49 and offers a 25-day grace period at the end of each billing cycle.

You can apply for the First Progress Platinum Prestige MasterCard® Secured Credit Card either over the phone or online. Most online reviews harp on the poor customer service.

• Minimum deposit. Maintain a minimum deposit of $200 with Synovus Bank.
• Backed by Mastercard.
• $5,000 maximum limit.

• Watch out for the $38 late payment fee and the upfront security deposit. You’ll pay a fee of $29.95 if you wish to forego the upfront security deposit

Top picks for a low interest secured card

Common questions about secured cards

• When I make a security deposit, will it earn interest?

  Most of the time, your provider won’t pay interest on your security deposit. Some providers will — like USAA with its Secured Card Platinum Visa.

• Is a secured credit card a “normal” credit card?

  While you can use this card just like any other credit card, there a still a few differences between a secured and unsecured card. The main difference is that you’ll need to put down a security deposit in order to use a secured card.

• Will card providers check my credit?

  Many secured-card providers will check your credit. For that reason, you may be declined if your credit score is too low. If you’re declined for a secured card, consider applying with a provider that doesn’t check your credit history.