Fair Credit Credit Cards

Just because you have fair credit doesn’t mean you can’t get a good credit card. There are cards available with reasonable interest rates, you just need to know where to look. These fair credit credit cards can help you build your credit as long as you make on-time monthly payments. As you build your history many of these cards will increase the credit limits of the cards. With so many credit cards for fair credit to choose from, we decided to do some research and rank the best cards available online. Based on our research we created the Top Fair credit cards list.

There are several banks that offer cards specifically designed for people with fair credit, but only a few do it well. The banks that have done a good job report to the 3 major credit bureaus monthly and have low annual fees for their cards. Some of the top cards offer attractive introductory interest rates. Please review our Top 5 Fair Credit Credit Cards list and select the card that is right for you.

Barclaycard® Rewards MasterCard® – Average Credit

Earn 2,500 Bonus Points after your first purchase
0% Introductory APR for 6 months on purchases and balance transfers
No annual fee
Earn 2 points per $1 on gas, grocery, and utility purchases
Earn 1 points per $1 everywhere else
Use the points you earn like cash to pay for almost any purchases you’ve made
No blackout date, no redemption fees, no limit on the points you can earn and no complicated set up
Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus monthly providing you the opportunity to rebuild your credit score

Intro Purchase APR
0% APR for 6 months*

Intro Balance Trans. APR
0% APR for 6 months*

APR
24.99% (Variable)*

Annual Fee
$0*

Capital One® Platinum Credit Card

$0 intro annual fee for the first year; $19 after that
Image Card—personalize your card with an image of your choice
$0 Fraud Liability if your card is lost or stolen
Monitor your spending with free text message alerts

Intro Purchase APR
N/A*

Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A*

APR
24.9% (Variable)*

Annual Fee
$0 intro for first year;
$19 after that

Capital One® Cash Rewards for Newcomers

A card designed to help those new to the U.S. establish credit and earn cash back
Build credit with responsible use — plus automatic reporting to the three major credit bureaus
Get 2% cash back on travel purchases
Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
No foreign transaction fees
No annual fee

Intro Purchase APR
N/A*

Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A*

APR
24.9% (V)*

Annual Fee
None*

Rating: 4.0/5 (3 votes cast)

Fair Credit Credit Cards, 4.0 out of 5 based on 3 ratings

Credit Cards for Fair Credit

You might not have a perfect credit history, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a decent credit card. There are more credit cards for people with fair credit now than there has ever been. The banks are thinking long term when they create these products. They want to create a relationship with a cardholder so that when that cardholder’s credit score and history does improve, they will consider staying with their bank but with a much better credit card offer. With a fair credit credit card there generally will be an annual fee. Anything above $39 per year isn’t really reasonable. There are several cards at or below that level. The credit lines of these cards will be more than if you had bad credit, but less than if you would have had good or excellent credit. The main purpose of these cards are to help you build your credit history. Most of these credit cards for fair credit do report to all three major credit bureaus.

Deciding on a Fair Credit Credit Card

Choosing which card to apply for doesn’t have to be a monumental task, but you do want to choose wisely. You don’t want to end up paying higher annual fees or higher interest rates than you should. When we did our research, we compared the different credit cards for fair credit that were available online. We analyzed their annual fees, interest rates, and account management features. The cards needed to be above what their peers were providing. There aren't too many credit card issuers focusing on fair credit, but there is enough to have some choice. Based on that research, we published our Top 5 Fair Credit Cards list.

Improving Your Fair Credit Score

Everyone is capable of achieving the goal of having excellent credit. Excellent credit provides you with access to the best financing terms on big purchase items such as a car or a house, but also the best credit card offers. Like with most things in life it just takes work. Those few blemishes on your credit will go away with time. The key is to set a budget, live within your means, and pay your credit card bills on time. As you make those payments, that positive activity will get reported to the three major credit bureaus. As they see that you are managing your credit well, your credit score will continue to increase. Once you achieve your goal, you will have access to many great credit opportunities.