Best credit cards for fair credit of May 2024 (2024)

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Rates & fees / Terms apply

Rates & fees / Terms apply

Rates & fees / Terms apply

The information for the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Rates & fees / Terms apply

The information for the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The information for the Petal® 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Why it’s the best:

The possibility of scoring a sizeable cash-back bonus is enough to pique our interest in the card. But the ability to earn generous cash-back rewards in a spending category of your choice adds some appreciated practicality to the Citi Custom Cash Card. It also offers an intro APR offer on both purchases and balance transfers, a less-common perk on cards aimed at those with average credit. The kicker is that you won’t even have to pay an annual fee to keep this personalized card in your wallet.

Pros:

• High rewards. Many cards aimed at those with fair credit offer average rewards, if any at all. Not this one.
• Intro APR offer. It can be a challenge to get approved for a card with a debt-busting intro APR offer, but the Citi Custom cash offers this for both purchases and balance transfers.
• Easy-to-attain welcome offer. The card offers the ability to earn $200 cash back, in the form of 20,000 ThankYou® points, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.

Cons:

• A $500 cap per billing cycle on the highest rewards. After you spend $500 in your top eligible spend category, you’ll only earn the base rewards rate moving forward for the remainder of that billing cycle.
• Foreign transaction fees. The card carries a 3% foreign transaction fee, making it a poor choice for use abroad.
• High balance transfer fee. If you take advantage of the balance transfer offer, you’ll pay a fee of: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.. Other balance transfer cards offer lower fees.

Card details:

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent each month and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Plus, an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/25.
• Welcome bonus: $200 cash back, in the form of 20,000 ThankYou® points, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
• Foreign transaction fees: 3%.

Why it’s the best

Most credit cards require you to make a minimum monthly payment, which fluctuates over time. But sticking with the minimum payments can keep you in debt for a long time. The Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa offers a different solution, which involves making set monthly payments to pay down your balance on a regular schedule with a fixed rate.

The fixed payments make this option feel more like a personal loan and less like a credit card, which makes it a good choice for fair credit borrowers who need to finance a big purchase but don’t want to have to guess what their payment will be each month.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases when they’re paid back.
• Welcome bonus: $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking account and making 3 debit card transactions within 60 days.
• Foreign transaction fees: Up to 3%.

The information for the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Why it’s the best

Students who are just starting their financial journey likely need to give their credit scores some TLC. The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards card is a no-annual-fee credit card that can help build good financial habits without giving up the opportunity to earn rewards.

You can earn cash-back rewards in categories likely to appeal to students’ spending habits, like streaming services and entertainment, plus elevated earnings on Uber and Uber Eats.

Pros:

• Unlimited bonus rewards. High rewards across a wide variety of categories, which is less common on cards aimed at those new to credit.
• Travel perks. The card carries no foreign transaction fees, which can be good for anyone studying abroad, and also offers travel accident insurance and price drop protection on travel booked through the issuer.
• Keep it when you graduate. When you’re no longer a student, the card converts into the standard non-student version.

Cons:

• You have to be enrolled as a student to qualify. According to Capital One, you have to be enrolled, or admitted and planning to enroll in the next three months, at an accredited university, community college or other higher education institution.
• There’s no intro APR offer. Students tight on cash might prefer a card that offers them some extra time to pay the bill without incurring interest charges.
• The bonus categories may not align with how you spend. If you’re juggling school and a job or commute, you may fare better with a card that offers high rewards on gas or tolls.

Card details:

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 10% cash back on Uber & Uber Eats through 11/14/2024, 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• Welcome bonus: $50 cash bonus after spending $100 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• Foreign transaction fees: None.

Why it’s the best

It can be a challenge to find a balance transfer offer when your credit is just OK, but the Citi Double Cash Card’s lengthy intro APR offer could offer the lifeline you’ve been looking for. It’s got staying power after the intro offer too, earning generous and unlimited cash-back rewards.

Pros:

• Long balance transfer offer. The card offers well over a year of no interest on balance transfers, helping you knock out existing debt.
• No annual fee. There’s no ownership cost with this card, so you earn a certain amount of rewards back to justify the carrying cost.
• Multiple ways to redeem your earnings. You can take your earnings as a statement credit, direct deposit to an eligible account or request a paper check.

Cons:

• Intro APR doesn’t apply to purchases. If you’re looking for a card that offers extra time to pay off a bug buy, this card won’t help you.
• Base rewards rate is split. Other cards that offer the same rate give the full reward amount when paying the bill.
• Light on perks. With this card, the main events are the balance transfer offer and the rewards. You don’t get other meaningful benefits like purchase protections or cellphone protection.

Card details:

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, plus, for a limited time, 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
• Welcome bonus: $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
• Foreign transaction fees: 3%.

The information for the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Why it’s the best

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card automatically reviews your account every six months to consider a higher credit line, which can help your credit score improve. A higher credit line could give you the ability to lower your credit utilization ratio, which in turn has a positive impact on your credit score.

You can recoup the $39 annual fee by spending $2,600 per year on the card. After that, the rewards you earn on every purchase will be pure gravy.

Pros:

• There’s a preapproval tool. If you aren’t sure that your credit will cut the mustard to get approved for this card, you can test the waters by using the issuer’s preapproval tool.
• No foreign transaction fees. You can use the card abroad or on foreign purchases without incurring an additional fee.
• Rewards are simple. If you’re still working on building your credit, a card with uncomplicated rewards like this one is easy to use.

Cons:

• It has an annual fee. Although it’s relatively modest, the card’s annual fee eats away at the value of any rewards earned.
• Limited cardholder benefits. The card lacks meaningful ancillary benefits that you’ll often find on other cards, like extended warranty protection or travel protections.
• Rewards are lackluster. Although earning cash-back rewards on every purchase beats earning nothing, other cards for fair credit offer more robust rewards.

Card details:

• Annual fee: $39.
• Rewards: 1.5% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Foreign transaction fees: None.

The information for the Petal® 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Why it’s the best

The no-annual-fee Petal 2 card (issued by WebBank) can be a fit even for those without a strong credit history. That’s because Petal uses something they call a Cash Score as part of their application approval process. They base this score on a combination of your salary and ongoing bills you pay, so responsible money habits can help you get approved.

Pros:

• You can qualify with alternative credit. Petal’s Cash Score can help shore up your ability to get approved for a card.
• It offers rewards. Not all cards for fair credit offer rewards, so this is a nice perk.
• Visa benefits. The Petal 2 card offer perks through Visa including access to roadside dispatch, emergency cash disbursem*nt and ID theft protection with enrollment.

Cons:

• Roundabout application. When you apply for a Petal card, you don’t get to select which one you apply for, Petal will determine it for you.
• Eligibility restrictions. If you already have or have applied for and were approved for any of the Petal cards, you cannot apply for this one.
• Potentially high APR. The highest end of the APR range for the card is well above the average APR for a credit card.

Card details:

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 1% cash back right away and up to 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases after making 12 on-time monthly payments. Plus, earn 2% to 10% cash back at select merchants.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Foreign transaction fees: $0.