How Bad Credit Credit Cards Work
To boost a bad credit history, you must try to build your credit score. The trouble is finding the best bad credit credit card in order to increase credit score.
How Bad Is Your Credit Score?
If you don’t know your credit score already, you can purchase your credit score via myFICO.com or through any of the 3 major credit bureaus.
How Can a Secured Bad Credit Credit Card Help?
In order to obtain a secured credit card, you must pay a security deposit as collateral. This security deposit becomes the credit line for your account – you can make credit charges only as much as you pay as security. For instance, if you pay $500 as security deposit, you can only charge up to $500 on your credit card. Once you establish that you can stay within your credit limits, the bank might extend your credit limit without having to pay additional deposit.
What to Look for In a Secured Bad Credit Credit Card?
Just as all standard or unsecured credit cards have distinct features, not every secured credit card will work for you. When you start looking for a secured credit card, get in touch with a reputable credit union. Credit unions might offer secured credit cards to their members possibly at low interest rates.
You must look for secured credit cards that have no application fee or annual fee and offer low interest rates. Beware of secured cards that require you to purchase additional services such as insurances policies, or pay for unrelated charges meant to exploit your credit status.
Do Banks Issue Secured Credit Cards?
Many – but not all – banks offer secured credit cards for bad credit. The number of banks offering secured credit cards is decreasing due to the increasing tendency towards lower credit limits and higher interest rates and fees.
However, people still largely rely on the buy-now-pay-later policy – the world is increasingly dependent on credit cards and as long as this trend continues, banks will provide secured credit cards to individuals with a bad credit history.
Obtaining a secured credit card and using is responsibly can be very helpful in restoring your bad credit. By not crossing your credit limit and making timely payments every month, you can boost your credit score with time and then qualify to acquire an unsecured credit card that has better benefits.
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