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$25
Annual fee
23.99%
Purchase APR (variable)
300
Recommended credit score
Review by
Marie Denis is senior publishing support at Finder, where she creates and curates articles that help users make sound financial decisions. In her off-time, she enjoys hiking, riding motorcycles, deadlifting and finding flight deals that make booking travel a no-brainer.
If you have poor or no credit, it may be difficult to qualify for a credit card. Secure cards can help by requiring a deposit that also becomes your credit limit. This is helpful if you’re looking to get your credit back on track.
The TCF Bank Secured Visa® Card lets you set your credit limit from $300 to $5,000, a deposit you’ll get back after you move to an unsecured card. It also gives you the chance to check your FICO score for free once a month.
If you need a card that comes with a lower minimum deposit, you might want to check what the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card has to offer.
TCF Bank processes its applications online, and you’ll typically learn your application’s conditional approval soon after submitting it.
The card doesn’t offer cash back or rewards so you won’t be able to offset its annual fee. Although, by making on time payments, you can improve your creditworthiness and qualify for an unsecured card within a year. In addition, you can also improve your credit utilization ratio by using only a small portion of the card’s available limit.
You’ll need to make a deposit of at least $300 when you apply in order to be considered a potential cardholder.
Always consider your options and your financial situation before you apply for a credit card.
In order to apply for the TCF Bank Secured Visa® Card, you’ll need to provide the following information:
Applying with a credit score of 300 or higher increases the possibility of your application’s approval.
Start rebuilding your credit, and get a secured card. However, TCF Bank claims this is a card to help “build and rebuild your credit.” But it’s not easy to find whether it reports your responsible use to any of the three major credit bureaus.
If you’re looking to increase your credit score, choose a different secure card that specifically advertises its reporting to help you get your credit score back on track.
Do I need to make monthly payments or does the bank deduct them from my initial deposit?
The bank won’t withdraw funds from your deposit to cover for regular payments, and you’ll be responsible for making timely payments toward your credit card account.
Can I apply for this card at a TCF Bank branch?
Yes, and you can use the bank’s online branch locator to locate the nearest one.
2 Comments
January 9, 2018
I have the TCF secured credit card and have made on time payments for a year, how do I convince them to convert it to an unsecured credit card?
January 9, 2018
Hi AJ,
Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with TCF or any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer you general advice.
For TCF Bank Secured Visa® Card, if you maintain a good payment history, you may qualify for a secured TCF Bank credit card in as little as 11 months. You’ll then get your security deposit back. By making on time payments, you can improve your creditworthiness and qualify for an unsecured card within a year.
Please contact TFC bank directly to further inquire how you can qualify to upgrade to an unsecured card.
Best regards,
Rench