Credit card issuers analyze an applicant's credit score to determine creditworthiness. Having a poor credit score, like any score under 600, can bar you from being approved for most unsecured credit cards. However, even being new to credit card ownership can limit chances of approval. If you are a college student or young person starting a first job with no credit history, credit card issuers may view you as a credit risk.

Having an established credit history, and good credit, are vital things to have to get ahead in life. They're necessary. It can be impossible to get a loan, qualify for a mortgage or certain forms of high-paying employment with a bad credit history. Also, you need to be approved for your first credit card to apply for another one. This can't be done without a credit history.

Still, those new to credit, or trying to rehabilitate poor credit, are not without options. There are many credit card issuers who serve the always replenishing demographic of credit card applicants in need of credit. Students will always be in need of a credit history through no fault of their own. Also, there will always be people with bad credit histories who strive to rebuild their credit.

There are usually over 45 million people in the United States with no credit score at any given moment.

If you are in the market for a credit card and want to start a credit history, then we have got you covered. Applying for a credit card, especially when you have no credit, can be an overwhelming experience. If you don't know where to look first, we can help. We have compiled a list of the 10 best credit cards for no credit for you to check out.

The Best Credit Cards For No Credit FAQ

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Even without a credit history, there may be a few applicant preconditions that will have to meet prior to approval. It helps to be gainfully employed and/or have a currently active checking out. This proves the ability to pay down balances. If you have rented an apartment for over six months that also proves reliability in paying bills.

The best credit cards for no credit are usually unsecured credit cards. That means, unlike secured credit cards, they do not come with preset credit limits. Credit card limits are determined by credit score and credit history. Secured credit cards require a security deposit that acts as the credit limit. This could be anywhere from $200 to $3000. With responsible and sustained used, a secured credit card could be converted into a secured card by the card issuer. Also, the initial security deposit could be refunded.

The best credit cards for no credit usually feature such options for a few reasons. They allow the credit card issuer to analyze credit card activity. As an applicant, you can prove creditworthiness with responsible use. Also, with a security deposit, the credit card issuer assumes a little financial risk. Credit card issuers begin to assume risk once they convert a secured card into an unsecured card with a credit limit.

2. What is the Purpose of a Credit Card with No Credit History Prerequisite?

To establish a credit history. They can also be used to rehabilitate a poor credit history. Such credit cards can use used to prove reliability for any unsecured credit card use.

3. What Are Some Benefits of the Best Credit Cards For No Credit?

The best credit cards for no credit that are compiled on our list have various benefits. Some cards have no annual fee. Some have reward points benefits. Many can offer expedited application approval. The charge use of some of these cards is reported to all three major credit score ranking bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. This practice ensures the establishment of a credit history quicker.

How We Reviewed the 10 Best Credit Cards for No Credit

We analyzed over 200 credit cards to determine the 10 best credit cards for no credit. Numerous kinds of criteria were used to help create our list. These include:

• Ease of application
• Application expediency
• Prequalification expediency and prerequisites
• Credit score tracking
• Credit score establishment
• Credit score rehabilitation
• Reward points
• Annual fee
• Security deposit amount
• Fee amounts
• Grace period to pay in full before interest accrues
• Whether active bank account is required for approval

Overall Price Range Of The Best Credit Cards For No Credit

A security deposit between $200 and $5,000 is required to activate a credit line for many of the secured credit cards.

What We Reviewed

Discover it® Secured
Discover it® Student Chrome
Capital One® Platinum Credit Card
Capital One® Secured Mastercard®
Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
Discover it® Student Cash Back
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®
Surge Mastercard Credit Card
USAA® Secured Card American Express® Card

Discover it® Secured Credit Card

This credit card is ideal for people with no credit history, limited credit or bad credit. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is meant to be used for credit history establishing and/or rehabilitation. A security deposit of at least $200 at the minimum, or $2,500 at the maximum, is required for credit limit activation. With responsible charge usage, the security deposit will be refunded.

After 8 months to a year of responsible charge use and activity, this card can be converted into an unsecured credit card by the issuer. The credit usage of this card is automatically reported to all three major credit score issuing bureaus. This will allow potential lenders or credit issuers to see the responsibility of use and score rehabilitation over a period of time.

Discover it® Student Chrome

The Discover it® Student Chrome is a great first credit card for college students starting their initial steps into financial independence. This unsecured credit card was designed to help make the disorganized lifestyle of a student more efficient. The Discover it® Student Chrome can be a great card to use strictly as an emergency fund. It is also great for covering all the usual student expenses like eating out, gas station expenses and entertainment.

The card has a freezable option that allows its use to be frozen if the card is lost. The freezable option can also be used to maintain a budget. Cardholders are also given free, regular access to their credit scores for evaluation. This card also offers cash back rewards which can be doubled for redemption after one year. It features a $1000 initial credit limit based on an applicant's creditworthiness.

Capital One® Platinum Credit Card

This is the card to apply for if you have no credit or bad credit and are looking to establish a good credit history. Applicants with credit scores in the mid-500s have been known to be approved for this card. The Capital One® Platinum Credit Card is great for students, but it is also great for applicants who need another chance to prove they are responsible enough to maintain credit.

You can check your prequalification for this card online. You could be pre-approved in as little as a minute. The card features a credit use tracker and credit alerts to inspire reasonable charge use. You will also be given access to your credit score for free.

The initial credit limit for most applicants is anywhere between $300 to $500. While that does not sound like a lot, it is a lot better than having no credit at all. You could be upgraded to a higher credit limit after 6 months of responsible use. Initial credit limits are also prone to unannounced, incremental increases with sustained and responsible charge use.

Capital One® Secured Mastercard®

This secured credit card is optimal for people looking to rebuild their credit. It is also useful for those just starting out with credit and who have no credit history. To maximize cardholder benefits, it's important to pay down all outstanding balances on-time and in full when due.

This card features flexible security deposit payment options. You can just partially pay down for a minimum security deposit. Based on applicant creditworthiness, the initial security deposit payment can be as little as $49 or $99. However, this can be enough to initiate a minimum $200 credit limit. Applicants can pay anywhere between $200 to $3,000 to activate their credit line.

The charge use of this credit card is reported to all three major credit card scoring bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Applicants with bankruptcy declarations and payment delinquencies on their credit report histories are highly unlikely to be approved.

Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card

This credit card usually starts out with an initial $300 credit limit. However, your initial credit limit will be determined by creditworthiness upon application. After a period review of charge use over several months, the initial credit line can be increased. Good for students but perhaps more ideal for people looking to start over with their credit histories.

The Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card is ideal for applicants with no credit or limited credit histories. It is helpful for people looking to rebuild their credit scores. It also has the benefits of offering significant reward points and cash back against every single purchase. Rewards points can be redeemed at any time for cash, credit or gifts.

The Discover it® Student Cash Back credit card is great for college students needing to budget efficiently for expenses. While this card is great for establishing credit for those with no credit, it also has an incredible reward points program.

Cardholders will earn an incredible 5% reward points for groceries, gas station, restaurants, and even Amazon.com expenses. The Discover it® Student Cash Back credit card automatically matches all rewards points dollar-for-dollar automatically at the end of introductory year card use. Reward points are 1% cash back on all other purchases and are unlimited.

This card features a freezable option that allows the account to frozen at will by the cardholder. The freezable feature can be used in case of fraud detection or a lost or stolen card. It can even be initiated to help maintain budgetary constraints. Depending on applicant creditworthiness, the initial line of credit can be anywhere from $300 to $1,000.

Cardholders are given free access to their FICO credit score.

The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card prides itself on being the card that offers people a chance to establish or rebuild credit. There are absolutely no credit checks during the application process. About 99% of all people who apply for the card gain a credit score within half a year or more.

This card is more ideal for those with bad credit looking to rehab their credit history. Especially people who have difficulty being approved for credit anywhere else. This is a secure card that cannot be upgraded to an unsecured card. The activation of a credit limit requires a security deposit of $200 at the minimum and $3,000 at the maximum.

Use of this credit card is reported to all three major credit score bureaus.

Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®

This credit card was operationally designed to reward cardholders who develop responsible spending and charge habits. It's perfect for students and those looking to establish their credit line for the first time. The Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One® credit card offers a $300 initial credit limit pending applicant creditworthiness.

Your credit limit can be increased, with sustained and responsible charge use, in as little as five months. Paying your outstanding balance on time, and in full, offers extra benefits as well. Along with offering 1% reward points against each purchase, this card will match each reward point by 0.25% every month you pay your balance in full. This bonus system is designed to reward sustained and responsible use.

This is an unsecured credit card designed for people with no credit, or bad credit, who want to prove their financial reliability. The Surge Mastercard Credit Card is meant to be used as a tool to improve credit scores. Especially for people with no other credit options.

This card can be converted into a secured credit card depending on creditworthiness. In such situations, applicants can pay a $50, $150 or $500 security deposit to activate a credit line. The security deposit can be refunded, and the card upgraded to an unsecured card, with sustained and responsible use.

The initial credit limit for this credit card is $500.

USAA® Secured Card American Express® Card is a credit card that meant for use solely by members of the American military. This is a secured credit card designed to help members of the military rebuild their credit and improve credit scores. Especially for applicants with few options. Eligible applicants for this credit card include currently active or inactive military members, honorably discharged military members and pre-approved family members of eligible military members.

Eligible applicants must pay for a security deposit in the form of a two-year certificate of deposit to activate the credit limit on the card. The credit limit on this card can be any amount between $250 to $5,000.

The Verdict

On our list of the 10 best credit cards for no credit, we believe the Discover it® Student Cash Back credit card is best. It is the best for those with no credit or trying to rehab their credit. Of all the credit cards on this list, it has the least amount of drawbacks.