Unsecured Credit Cards

What are the pros & cons of unsecured credit cards? First of all, it’s important to note that when you consider the pros and cons of unsecured credit cards, you’re essentially comparing them to secured credit cards. With that being said, the pros of unsecured credit cards are: 1) No security deposit is needed, which allows you to stay more liquid; 2) They provide a line of credit; 3) Rewards are both more prevalent and more lucrative.

On the other hand, the cons of unsecured credit cards are: 1) They are harder to get approved for, since the lack of a security deposit exposes banks to potential losses and defaults; 2) They enable you to spend beyond your means.

Are there different types of unsecured credit cards? Given that no security deposit credit cards are what most people refer to when they use the generic term “credit cards,” there are, of course, many different kinds. Unsecured credit cards vary on a number of levels, including their target consumer market (e.g. business, student), their specific features (e.g. rewards, 0% APR) and the minimum credit standing required for approval (e.g. good credit, fair credit). One type of card that may lead to some confusion is what’s known as a partially unsecured credit card. These cards, which we list on the Secured Credit Cards page, may require a security deposit that is smaller than the credit line that you get (the Capital One Secured Credit Card is a good example).

So, with all of the different types of credit cards with no security deposit, you may be wondering which is best. The list of “best unsecured credit cards,” changes constantly and varies based on both your credit standing and needs. Therefore, checking out our Editor’s Best section could be a great starting point.

Who should & shouldn’t get an unsecured credit card? Whether or not you should apply for an unsecured credit card depends on your credit standing:

Damaged Credit: If you have damaged credit, your focus should really be on rebuilding your credit standing. Aside from the fact that unsecured credit cards for bad credit might not even be available, secured cards are much better suited to accomplishing this objective for three reasons: 1) They are much easier to get approved for, since they require a security deposit; 2) The security deposit makes high fees unnecessary and secured cards thereby cheaper alternatives; 3)The fact that the security deposit equals your credit line makes it impossible to spend beyond your means.

Limited Credit: From a credit card company’s perspective, people with limited or no credit history can be put into one of two groups: students and everyone else. The focus of anyone with limited or no credit should be building credit as inexpensively as possible. With this in mind, whether the card is secured or unsecured doesn’t really matter and college students should focus their search on no annual fee student cards, while everyone else should check out all of the no annual fee credit cards for limited credit.

Good or Excellent Credit: Pretty much anyone in this category should opt for an unsecured credit card, given that the rewards, interest rates and lines of credit simply cannot be matched by secured cards.