Building Credit

Capital One Platinum Secured

What this card costs, and how easily you get in.

The deposit starts at $49 instead of a flat few hundred, and Capital One says you could move to an unsecured card in as little as six months.

$0Yearly fee, all in
$49Deposit, refundable
YesHard credit check

Terms apply. See rates & fees on Capital One. Rankings are pure math, never sold.

The terms Capital One
Yearly fee$0
Security depositFrom $49 · refundable
Credit checkYes
Path to a real cardPay on time and you could earn your deposit back and move to an unsecured card in as little as 6 months
Worked example

What it costs to start

Someone starting out or rebuilding, with no spending assumed. Figures as of October 2, 2026, the day the terms were last verified.

Opening it takes a $49 refundable deposit, and holding it costs $0 a year. Capital One runs a credit check when you apply. The way out: Pay on time and you could earn your deposit back and move to an unsecured card in as little as 6 months. For anyone starting out, it places first of the 6 building credit cards we’ve confirmed.

Of the 6 building credit cards we’ve confirmed, its deposit is the third lowest, and 5 charge no annual fee. Of those 6, 4 run no hard credit check. Just below it is the Capital One Quicksilver Secured. It has the clearest way out: pay on time, get your deposit back, move to the unsecured Quicksilver.

From its terms

Who it fits

It fits if

  • You want a path to an unsecured card from the same bank.
  • You want it to cost nothing to hold.

Look elsewhere if

  • You cannot set aside $49 for the deposit.
  • A hard credit check would set you back right now.
Know before you apply

Plain facts

  • Who gets approvedFair credit / thin file. Built for thin or rebuilding credit. No minimum score required.
  • The issuer’s terms governRates, fees and bonus conditions are set by Capital One and change without notice. Confirm the current offer before you apply.
  • Where these numbers came fromCollected by hand from Capital One’s own published terms, last verified October 2, 2026. An automatic check re-reads that page every day. On October 19, 2026 the one figure it watches here was still printed there. How we check
Questions

What people ask about it

Do I get the deposit back?

Yes. The $49 minimum deposit is refundable.

How do I move on to an unsecured card?

Pay on time and you could earn your deposit back and move to an unsecured card in as little as 6 months.

What does it cost over the first two years?

Nothing. There is no annual or monthly fee.

Ranked and compared

Where it shows up

Every ranking and comparison with the Capital One Platinum Secured in it, each computed the same way.

Compare it against the rest

Find the one that pays.