Bank of the West Secured Credit Card Reviews: Is It Worth It? (2024)Reviews, rates, fees, and customer service info for Bank of the West Secured Credit Card. Compare to other cards and apply online in secondsJohn KiernanWalletHubLow membership feesQualify with bad creditHigh regular APRForeign feeRequires security deposit
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Rebuild Damaged Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
We're sorry, but the Bank of the West Secured Credit Card may no longer be available to new applicants or we may no longer be able to obtain complete information related to this offer.
Bank of the West Secured Credit Card has a rating of 2.6/5 according to our proprietary credit card rating system. This rating reflects how appealing Bank of the West Secured Credit Card's terms are compared to a pool of more than 1,500 credit card offers tracked by WalletHub. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is 'Rebuild Damaged Credit by Paying in Full Each Month'. To break it down further, Bank of the West Secured Credit Card earned a score of 3.3/5 for Fees, 0.0/5 for Rewards, 2.2/5 for Cost, and 2.9/5 for User Reviews.
WalletHub Rating Breakdown
User Reviews
2.9/5
112 reviewsRead and write reviews
Market Comparison
Market Comparison
2.5
The Market Comparison is a key component of the WalletHub Rating, as it measures how appealing the terms of a card are compared to a pool of over 1,500 credit card offers monitored by WalletHub. To ensure cards are evaluated for their most relevant purpose, we score each card across various cardholder needs and select the rating for the need with the highest score, which is “Rebuild Damaged Credit by Paying in Full Each Month” for this card.
Fees
3.3
Rewards
0.0
Cost
2.2
Other Features
3.3
2.5/5
Compared against 1,500+ credit cards
KEY TERMS
Accepted Credit Scores
Accepted Credit Scores
Bad Credit
Minimum Security Deposit
$300
Fees
One-Time Fees→$0
Annual Fee→$25
Monthly Fee→$0
APR on Purchases
26.99% (V)
Bank of the West Secured Credit Card's Additional Info
No credit history or minimum credit score needed to qualify.
An opening deposit of $300 to $12,000 secures your card. Credit limit is set by your deposit into an interest bearing savings account.
Pay-off and close the account at any time and get your entire deposit back with interest.
Manage your account easily and quickly with 24/7 access to Online Banking.
View your credit card transactions and make convenient payments with Online Banking.
Enjoy peace of mind with Platinum benefits: Zero Liability Protection, Identity Theft Resolution Services.
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Rebuild Damaged Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
User Reviews
2.9
Market Comparison
2.5
fees: 3.3
rewards: 0.0
cost: 2.2
Other Features: 3.3
3.8WalletHub Rating
WalletHub Rating
3.8
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Rebuild Damaged Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
5.0
User Reviews
3.6
Market Comparison
3.6
fees: 5.0
rewards: 0.0
cost: 3.3
Other Features: 3.8
4.7WalletHub Rating
WalletHub Rating
4.7
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Improve Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Can't find what you are looking for? Submit your question about Bank of the West Secured Credit Card to our community. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by the issuer of this offer. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered. In addition, WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
Key Facts About the Bank of the West Secured Credit Card Deposit Refund
If you close the account with an unpaid balance, Bank of the West will deduct the amount owed from your deposit.
You cannot withdraw money from your deposit as long as the secured card account is open.
The card does not graduate to unsecured, so you can't get your deposit back that way either.
It should take 30 days to receive your deposit after the account is closed.
So don't worry about putting up a deposit when you get a Bank of the West Secured Credit Card. You're not parting with any of the money for good, as long as you pay off your balance. The deposit just gives Bank of the West a guaranteed way to recoup their money if you don't pay.
Unfortunately, you cannot qualify for a Bank of the West Secured Credit Card graduation, as the card does not graduate. If you want a Bank of the West unsecured card, you're going to have to apply for one.
However, there are several good secured credit cards that graduate available on the market. Feel free to check our selection for the best secured credit cards that graduate and see which one better suits your needs.
Share your insights and review for the Bank of the West Secured Credit Card
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2.9
112 reviews
112 reviews
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Kristina Raine @kristina_raine
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2 Star Rating
If you're just looking for a run of the mill credit card this is it. It doesn't have any sorts of rewards, or bonus points which is really the only thing actively working against it. Another thing that has been frustrating for me is that while all my other cards automatically reassess my limit based on my credit score, but this card doesn't do this. I am even a customer at the bank. This card has become my emergency only card and is mostly unused in favor of something that gives me rewards. However Bank of the west is a good bank to work with and the customer service is always friendly and works to solve my problems as soon as possible. When my credit card number was stolen after a trip to Europe, the bank immediately took action and reversed all the charges and pursued the criminals.
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Joe Weider @joe_weider
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2 Star Rating
Who wants a standard credit card? I mean in a time when most credit cards have words like “platinum” “gold” “preferred” and “accelerated” sprinkled in their official titles, “standard” just seems so unappealing. But perhaps that’s the genius of the Bank of the West Standard Credit Card; it seperates itself from the pack and gives you something to think about. I could also be reading into things way, way too much, but let’s see whether the Bank of the West Standard Card separates itself from the pack as far as its terms are concerned. Unfortunately, the card gets off to a bad start given that it doesn’t offer any rewards. Then again, you only want to use a credit card for one purpose (e.g. getting the best rewards or the lowest interest rates) so the lack of freebies could certainly be made up for by some good rates. Alas, it’s not meant to be. The only thing that the Bank of the West Standard MasterCard Credit Card has to offer in the rates department is a 0% intro APR on new purchases. It doesn’t offer a low introductory rate in balance transfers and has a 20.99% regular APR. For a card that requires excellent approval, this Standard MasterCard sure doesn’t give much back in return.
You obviously need some other options, so starting with rewards, three cards to check out are the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($500-625 initial bonus), the Capital One Venture Card (2% cash back across all purchases when you redeem miles for travel), and the Blue Cash Everyday Card from Amex (3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% at gas stations and department stores and 1% on everything else). When you’re talking about interest rates, my favorite card is currently the no balance transfer Slate Card from Chase, which gives you 0% on purchases and transfers for 15 months and does not charge a balance transfer fee (most cards charge 3%). All of these cards are much better than the Bank of the West Standard MasterCard and you can qualify for all of them with the same excellent credit needed to get the Standard Card.
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