Self Visa Secured Card
What this card costs, and how easily you get in.
$0 the first year, then $25, with no set upgrade path — the same job as the cards above it, at a higher price.
Terms apply. See rates & fees on Self. Rankings are pure math, never sold.
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 $100 refundable deposit, and holding it costs $0 fee the first year, then $25 a year. There is no hard credit check to apply. There is no set path from this card to an unsecured one; you move on by applying for another card. For anyone starting out, it places last of the 6 building credit cards we’ve confirmed.
Of the 6 building credit cards we’ve confirmed, its deposit is the fourth lowest, and 5 charge no annual fee. Of those 6, 4 run no hard credit check. Ranked just above it is the Chime Card. Easy to open with no credit check, but it does not report how much of your limit you use, which is a large part of a score. It starts credit rather than grows it.
Who it fits
It fits if
- You have been turned down before: it runs no hard credit check.
Look elsewhere if
- You cannot set aside $100 for the deposit.
- You want the bank to move you to an unsecured card: there is no set path.
- You want to pay nothing to hold it: it costs $0 fee the first year, then $25 a year.
Plain facts
- Who gets approvedNo credit check. No hard credit check. $100 refundable deposit; $0 fee the first year, then $25 a year.
- The issuer’s terms governRates, fees and bonus conditions are set by Self and change without notice. Confirm the current offer before you apply.
- Where these numbers came fromCollected by hand from Self’s own published terms, last verified October 2, 2026. An automatic check re-reads that page every day. On October 19, 2026 all 2 of the figures it watches here were still printed there. How we check
What people ask about it
Do I get the deposit back?
Yes. The $100 minimum deposit is refundable.
How do I move on to an unsecured card?
Self publishes no set path from this card. You move on by applying for another card once your history is built.
What does it cost over the first two years?
$0 fee the first year, then $25 a year.
Where the rankings stand
The Self Visa Secured Card is not in the top five of these.
- Best card for building creditCapital One Platinum Secured first, from a $49 deposit.
More cards like this
- Yearly fee $0OpenSky Plus Secured VisaOpenSky · for no credit history, no credit check and $300 refundable deposit
- Yearly fee $0Varo BelieveVaro · for no credit history, no credit check and no deposit
- Yearly fee $0Chime CardChime · for no credit history, no credit check and no deposit
The three building credit cards beside this one on our list of every card. See every card