The Total Visa Card is an expensive unsecured credit card for people with bad credit. The Total Visa Credit Card does not require applicants to place a refundable security deposit, but it does charge high fees, starting with an
$95 “program fee” that’s assessed before account opening. There’s also a
$75 annual fee the first year, which is replaced by a total of $147 in monthly and annual fees each year after.
What do you get in return for those non-refundable fees? A fairly low limit and a very high APR. The Total Visa Card’s credit limit is $300+ to start, and its regular APR is
35.99% – almost twice as much as the average secured credit card charges. As a result, whether you’re in the market with a secured card or an unsecured card, you should be able to do better than the Total Visa.
Total Visa Review Highlights
Expensive fees everywhere you look
The costs begin with an
$95 program fee before you even get your Total Visa Card, and they just keep on coming. You’ll get hit with a
$75 annual fee upon account opening, which gets replaced by the combination of a
$48 annual fee and a $8.25 monthly fee in the second year.
Limited initial spending power
New Total Visa cardholders start with a $300 credit line, of which only $225 is immediately available given the
$75 first-year fee. So you have to ask yourself if that’s enough of an emergency loan to meet your needs. After all, the whole point of using an
unsecured credit card for bad credit, such as the Total Visa, is to satisfy financial obligations that you can’t afford in cash. If you don’t need extra spending power, a secured credit card will make credit building much cheaper.
Monthly credit-bureau reporting
The Total Visa Card reports account information to the three major credit bureaus each month. This will help you build positive credit history if you don’t miss due dates or max out your spending limit.
Interest packs a punch
The Total Visa Credit Card has an astronomic APR, which will quickly inflate the cost of any balance carried from month to month. For context, the average secured credit card charges only
22.83%, according to WalletHub’s latest
Credit Card Landscape Report.
Card design options
Total Visa allows you to choose a design for your card from their gallery. There are a handful of options, including dogs and cats, flowers, a beach scene, and an American flag design.
Bank account required
You need a checking account to get approved for the Total Visa Credit Card. It will be used to facilitate monthly payments. This is fairly standard, but not all credit cards require a bank account.
Better options for bad credit
Whether you need an emergency loan or just a low-cost means of building credit, you can do better than the Total Visa Credit Card. Just take a look through WalletHub’s picks for the
best credit cards for people with bad credit.
Learn more about the Total Visa Card
Total Visa Card phone number
The Total Visa Card customer service phone number is (844) 548-9721. People who do not yet have a Total Visa Card can call (844) 206-4371 for questions about the application or paying the Total Visa program fee.
Total Visa Card processing fee
The Total Visa Card’s application processing fee is
$95. This fee, which the Total Visa calls a program fee, is assessed prior to account opening and card activation.
Total Visa Card credit limit
The Total Visa Card’s credit limit is $300. A new cardholder’s initial available credit will only be $225, however, as the card’s
$75 first-year annual fee is assessed upon account opening.
Total Visa Card activation
To activate a Total Visa Card, pay the one-time program fee for the account,
find your approved application on the Total Visa website, and follow the instructions to activate your card.