Cards you should absolutely avoid

[Anonymous]

I would say:

Any card that charges you $25 every time they give you a CLI is a card to avoid.

Any card with no grace period is a card to avoid.

Any card that charges you a third of the SL in fees before the card shows up is a card to avoid.

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Even people with really bad credit can avoid these with a secured card from a reputable company. It just requires a little upfront collateral, but if you're looking at an unsecured card with $150 in upfront fees, you may as well save up the extra $50 and go to Cap One or somewhere instead.

[AverageJoesCredit]

Well said @ michikade

[joltdude]

I get there are people who are desprate for any type of card approval.... but do the math....

Saving up 200-300$ for a secured card with very upfront to no fees... vs something that will cost you that within the first few months of use... AND keep charging those fees..

It really makes sense to wait to squirrel away to get a secured card...... 

The other thing that drives me nuts... is holding on to dead weight.... once you get above these cards... close em... they did their job... 

Making on time payments.. and not missing things... PLUS not having a card thats eating your wallet or only havint it as short term as possible to move up... is the main goal.. theres paying your dues and then theres what comes close to extortion....

-J

[Anonymous]

First Progress. DH has to wait 10 weeks before they refund him his security deposit.

[Anonymous]

I never understood people that had 2-3 $450AF cards that are often costing the user money and sometimes are Sock Drawered..

[wasCB14]

When some secured cards come with rewards and no annual fees...sometimes even with no credit check...I'm surprised that the old garbage is still so popular.

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@Anonymous wrote:
I never understood people that had 2-3 $450AF cards that are often costing the user money and sometimes are Sock Drawered..

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I'm not sure about those particular cases, but keep in mind that some cards offer perks that exist totally independently of how much a person spends, or whether the card is used for a particular transaction.

[RaiseMyScoreASAP]

I read that Santander was only available to Puerto Rico residents.

[fltireguy]

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@RaiseMyScoreASAP wrote:

I read that Santander was only available to Puerto Rico residents.

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The Santander JetBlue card is only available to residents of Puerto Rico... the rest of the USA and territories gets the Barclays version

I have a Santander Sphere card.. I have no issues with the bank at all

[Anonymous]

First Premier avoid if you can although sometimes it's your only option, use it until you can get better. Credit One, it depends on what they offer. Some here think they only offer no grace period cards, that's changed. If you look at their NASCAR cards you will see they offer a low end card that's not bad if you're a NASCAR fan. I've read where their regular product can offer grace period. You must READ CAREFULLY the terms and conditions. If you can afford a secured card, that is best. Find one that offers the chance to graduate to unsecured with low fees, there are several good ones from the major banks and credit unions along with local ones. Make sure you READ AND UNDERSTAND the terms, it's your responsibility and that way you can get a better deal. 

[Anonymous]

Chase Amazon card. Can't product change. Takes a hard pull to get a CLI and there are 5% amazon cards out there.