Secured Credit Cards

With a secured card, you secure the card by depositing cash up front in a savings account or CD. The amount of funds you place on deposit will generally match your credit line. Your card issuer maintains a lien on the deposit account, which you stand to lose if you fail to make timely credit card payments.

While many people have heard of secured credit cards, unsecured or regular credit cards are more common. With an "unsecured" card, the issuing bank has no right to take specific assets of yours if you don't pay your bill. Instead, the bank would have to sue you or force you into bankruptcy to collect.

A secured MasterCard or Visa looks just like a regular one, and the law ensures that it has all the same consumer protections. However, a secured card typically carries a higher interest rate. But a secured card can be a good deal because it offers you the convenience of having a credit card while you work on establishing or rebuilding your credit. Apply for your new secured credit card right now, click here.