Opensky is the BEST secured card to start off with. I did and now I have a new car loan and prime cards 18 months later. Everything you stated is known before you even get the card. Do research before you apply for cards and people would not have this issue. I received my card about 8 days after I made my intial deposit.
Also yes they place a hold on the funds but only for a few months. Its to make sure everything clears. They give people a shot without a credit check, so they need to be safe also. I see no problem with this. After about 4 months, my payments and cash was available the same day that I paid.
The fee is added right away, yes. But I had more than ample time to pay it. You can set up your account before you get the card, and pay it then. The 6 weeks thing was probably an issue with your account because I have never seen anyone wait 6 weeks for this card.
In the end, I still have this card and they even gave me a CLI without making a deposit into my account. I cant stress enough how good of a good this is for rebuilding. They always report and customer service is always nice.
