Be confident your secured card reports to all three credit rating agencies.
Here’s a little-known fact: Not all secured credit cards are created equal.
If you’re looking for a secured credit card, chances are you’re eager to build your credit from scratch or rebuild it from a low score. But in order to build that credit you need two things:
- To be responsible and prove to the world you can pay your balance on time.
- To use a secured credit card that reports your credit activity to the three major credit bureaus.
The first part rests in your hands, but did you know that not all secured cards report to the three major credit bureaus? The only way you can start paving your path to a higher score is if the credit bureaus see you’ve been responsible with your credit. This secured card reports to all three credit bureaus and can help you rebuild your credit with an initial deposit of $200 to $1,000.
Our pick: Applied Bank Secured Visa Gold Preferred Credit Card
What are the three credit bureaus for secured credit cards?
There are probably hundreds of local and regional credit bureaus in the United States — in fact, each of the “big three” credit bureaus grew out of small local operations that grew until they became the large national rating agencies we’re familiar with today. The three main credit bureaus that you need to pay attention to for your secured credit card are:
Compare secured credit cards reporting to all three credit rating bureaus
Below are secured credit cards who report to the three big credit agencies. When you use these responsibly, these cards should help you on your road to better credit.
Are there secured cards with no annual fee that report to all three credit rating bureaus?
You’re in luck if you’re looking for a secured credit card with no annual fee that can help you build your credit. Check out one of these three cards to be sure that your spending and account activity will be relayed to the three major bureaus.
| Secured credit card | Annual fee | Minimum deposit | APR |
Discover it Secured Credit Card
| $0 | $200 | 24.49% variable |
Secured Mastercard from Capital One
| $0 | $49, $99 or $200 (depending on credit) | 24.99% variable |
State Department Federal Credit Union Savings Secured Visa
| $0 | $250 | as low as 7.99% |
Two other secured credit cards that get a nod from us and will report your credit activity are the Digital Federal Credit Union Visa Platinum Secured card and the Citi Secured Mastercard.