6 best credit cards for credit scores of 580 or below of 2026

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Having a low credit score is a frustrating reality many Americans must deal with. If you have a lower credit score, it's harder to get approved for personal loans, credit cards and mortgages. And when you are approved, you'll likely be stuck with a higher interest rate.

A credit score below 580 is considered "poor" or "bad" credit, which limits your financing options even more. However, there are credit cards for anyone with less-than-perfect credit. These aren't the best rewards credit cards on the market, but they can have valuable benefits and provide an opportunity to build your credit.

By using these cards responsibly, you can increase your credit score over time, and you'll eventually be able to get more valuable travel rewards credit cards or cash back credit cards.

Below, CNBC Select rounds up the best credit cards that provide people with poor credit a better shot at qualification.

Who's this for? One way to get approved for a credit card if you have a low credit score is to sign up for a secured card, like the Discover it® Secured Credit Card, which tops our list of best secured credit cards. The card has no annual fee and doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, which makes it great for travel. Plus, it earns rewards.

Standout benefits: Cardholders earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%. Plus, you'll earn an unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. As a welcome bonus, Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. If you earned $100 cash back in the first year, Discover will match that $100, and you'll end up with a total of $200.

Who's this for? The Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit is a solid choice for consumers with lower credit scores. Although this is a credit-builder card, you can still earn rewards on specific purchases.

Standout benefits: As you spend on the card, you'll earn 1% cash back on eligible gas and grocery purchases, monthly mobile phone, internet, cable and satellite TV services. And according to Credit One Bank, your account will be regularly reviewed for potential credit line increases. However, this card has a $75 annual fee for the first year, and then $99 annually (billed at $8.25 per month).

Who's this for? The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card is worth considering if you can only put down a small amount for the security deposit. If you qualify for a minimum deposit as low as $49 or $99, you'll still receive at least a $200 credit limit. You can receive a maximum credit limit of $1,000, but you'll need to increase your deposit.

Standout benefits: The card is also good for travelers since there are no foreign transaction fees, so you won't pay additional fees when you use the card outside of the United States. There's no annual fee and features automatic reviews to increase your credit line which can start as soon as six months into your card membership.

Who's this for? The Petal® 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa® Credit Card is a great pick if you're trying to raise your credit score. You don't need an established credit history to get approved, and it reports to all three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — to help you build your credit history.

Standout benefits: Cardholders earn at least 1% cash back on all eligible purchases. The rewards rate jumps to 1.25% cash back after six on-time payments and increases again to 1.5% cash back after 12 on-time payments. This card also has no annual fee or foreign transaction fees.

Who's this for? If you're worried about poor credit affecting your chances of approval, the opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card doesn't require a credit check.

Standout benefits: For a $35 annual fee, the opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card (and a min. $200 deposit) gets you access to a line of credit. You can also earn up to 10% back on select purchases through the opensky Rewards program.

Who's this for? It's not common for a card to offer rewards and the opportunity to build your credit at the same time, but the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card does just that. This is a secured credit card and requires a security deposit of at least $300 to get started.

Standout benefits: Once you have the card, you'll be able to earn bonus rewards in common everyday spending categories like dining, grocery, gas stations and streaming services. You can redeem points for one cent each toward travel gift cards, cash back and other options. It also features an annual $15 streaming credit after 11 months of eligible streaming service charges, all for no annual fee.

The road to building (or re-building) a solid credit score may be long, but with responsible credit use, you'll be able to do this fairly quickly. And because your credit score is not as high as you'd like it to be, that means there's room for improvement. To help raise your credit score, consider using a credit monitoring service such as CreditWise or Chase Credit Journey to track details about why your credit score is what it is.

These services also provide tips for how you can improve it going forward — you might be shocked to find a mistake or two on your credit report, which may end up being what's hurting your score. Also, consider Experian Boost® which allows you to connect your utility and telecom accounts to your Experian credit report, which can potentially raise your credit score.* Plus the service is completely free to use.

Most importantly, before you sign up for a new credit card, be sure you have a detailed budget in place. Without taking this extra step, you could find yourself overspending with a credit card and landing even deeper into debt, which could lower your credit score even more.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit cards.

To determine which credit cards offered the best value for people with poor credit, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards offered by banks, financial companies and credit unions that we determined to have requirements for poor credit scores.

We compared each card's range of features, including the annual fee, rewards programs, introductory and standard APRs, balance transfer fees, welcome bonuses and foreign transaction fees, as well as other factors such as required credit scores and customer reviews, when available.

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

When analyzing these cards, we did not calculate the estimated rewards a cardholder could earn. When you're a student or building (or rebuilding) your credit history, your focus should be on developing good financial habits, such as paying your balance on time and in full, and not optimizing the points you can earn.

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*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.

Petal 2 Visa Credit Card issued by WebBank.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Secured Credit Card, click here.

Information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.