Best credit cards for building credit in 2026

Some personal and small business cards issued by Discover and Bank of America are currently not available on CNBC Select, and links have been redirected to our credit card marketplace, where you can review offers from other issuers like American Express or Chase. You can also check out our list of the best credit cards for alternative options.

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. The secured Chime Credit Builder Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. Members FDIC.

If you want to build or rebuild credit, certain credit cards are available specifically for people with no credit history or poor credit.

Opening a credit card can help you build out your credit history and improve your credit score, as long as you practice responsible financial behavior. Some options are classified as secured credit cards, which require an initial deposit, generally ranging from as low as $50 to a few hundred dollars. There are also unsecured cards that you can qualify for without an upfront deposit.

CNBC Select outlines the best credit cards for building or rebuilding credit based on security deposit minimums, fees, rewards programs, APRs and more.

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Who's this for? If you have limited (or fair) credit and are looking to build up to a good or excellent credit score, you may be able to qualify for the unsecured Capital One Platinum Credit Card.

Standout benefits: The no-annual-fee Capital One Platinum doesn't earn rewards or feature standout perks, but you'll automatically be considered for a higher credit limit after at least six months of card membership.

Minimum deposit: N/A

Who's this for? If you're looking for a secured credit card but can't afford the typical $200 deposit, consider the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card.

Standout benefits: If you use the card responsibly, Capital One may upgrade you to the unsecured Capital One Platinum and refund your deposit. The issuer will also automatically consider you for a higher credit line in as little as six months. Plus, you can monitor your credit score for free via CreditWise from Capital One.

Minimum deposit: The Capital One Platinum Secured offers your choice of three minimum security deposits: $49, $99 or $200, based on your creditworthiness. If you qualify, you can access at least a $200 credit limit while only depositing $49 or $99.

Who's this for? The Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card is a good option for international students, as you can get approved without a Social Security number (SSN).

Standout benefit: What's unique about the Firstcard is that your money is kept in a high-yield checking account, so you'll earn interest on your deposit. (Users without an SSN on file currently aren't eligible to earn interest on their deposit.) There are three subscription options, with the top tier offering the highest APY, no foreign transaction fees and at least 1% cash back on purchases.

Minimum deposit: None; what you deposit is what you can spend.

Who's this for? The Chime® Credit Builder Secured Credit Card is a great option for people with little to no credit history, as it doesn't require a credit check to qualify.

Standout benefits: The Chime Credit Builder Secured has no annual fee, no minimum security deposit and charges no interest. If you're eligible for Chime MyPay, you can get up to $500 of your paycheck early, with no interest.

Minimum deposit: None

Who's this for? If you want to build credit while earning cash back, consider the U.S. Bank Cash+® Secured Visa® Card. The card earns 5% cash back on two categories you choose each quarter and 2% back on one everyday category (on up to the first $2,000 in combined net purchases across both categories each quarter, then 1%).

Standout benefits: If you spend within your credit limit and pay your bill when it's due, over time, U.S. Bank could upgrade you to the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card. Once you're upgraded, your security deposit will be returned.

Minimum deposit: You must put down a deposit of between $300 and $5,000 which acts as your credit line.

Who's this for? The Chase Freedom Rise® is geared toward Chase banking customers who're just starting to establish a credit history. If you have at least $250 in a Chase checking or savings account, you can increase your chances of card approval.

Standout benefits: The Chase Freedom Rise earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase, which is a flat cash-back rate on par with many of the top cash-back cards that require good to excellent credit.

Minimum deposit: None

Who's this for? The Petal 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa Credit Card is ideal if you're an applicant without credit history. There's no credit check, and it considers a range of other factors to determine eligibility, such as bank statements and earnings. However, if you have a credit history, it factors into the credit decision.

Standout benefits: The Petal 2 Visa charges zero fees*: no annual fee, no late payment fee and no foreign transaction fees. It also offers a rewards program with higher returns for those who pay their bills on time.

Minimum deposit: None

Who's this for? The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card is one of the few travel-focused secured credit cards on the market. If you want to earn travel rewards on your purchases while building your credit, this card may be a great fit.

Standout benefits: This card offers generous bonus spending categories, including dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, grocery stores, gas stations/EV charging stations and streaming services. You're also eligible for a $15 credit for annual streaming service purchases, and it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

Minimum deposit: You must put down a deposit of between $300 and $5,000, which acts as your credit line. If you spend within your credit limit and pay your bill when it's due, over time, U.S. Bank could upgrade you to the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card. Once you're upgraded, your security deposit will be returned.

Who's this for? The Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card caters to small business owners who need to strengthen their credit profile.

Standout benefits: This card keeps it simple with 1.5% cash back on every purchase. You don't have to navigate spending categories or worry about capped cash back.

Minimum deposit: To open an account, you need a minimum security deposit of $1,000, and your credit limit is equal to your security deposit.

Who's this for? The Discover it® Student Cash Back is our top pick for students looking to build good credit while attending college. You must be over 18 and a U.S. citizen to apply.

Standout benefits: This card provides a generous cash back program and an unlimited Cashback Match welcome bonus that doubles your cash back earnings at the end of your first year of card membership. Plus, the card has no foreign transaction fees, so you can study abroad without worrying about the 3% fee other cards charge.

Minimum deposit: None

Who's this for? The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is ideal for those looking for a secured card with many of the same perks as a standard card, such as a cash back program, no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Standout benefits: The Discover it Secured earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%) and the same Cashback Match welcome bonus as the Discover it Student. Plus, starting seven months after opening your account, Discover will automatically review your account to see if you can transition to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit.

Minimum deposit: You must put down a minimum deposit of $200 to open the card, or as much as $2,500. Your credit limit is equal to your deposit.

Your credit score is based on the information in your credit report. To build your credit, you need activity such as credit card and loan payments reported to credit bureaus.

Your credit score is based on five different factors, each weighted slightly differently. For FICO Scores, it's: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%) and credit mix (10%). When you open a credit card and pay the balance on time consistently, this improves your credit score and signals to creditors that you're a reliable borrower.

However, having a credit card can negatively affect your credit score if you misuse it. If you miss payments, pay late or accumulate debt, that can hurt your credit score. Overall, the best way to build credit is to have a long history of positive activity (i.e., paying on time) with creditors such as banks and credit unions.

There are different types of credit scoring models, such as FICO Score and VantageScore, but the most popular scores use the information on your credit report. Credit scoring models typically use the information from the three major credit reporting bureaus: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

Pay your monthly bill on time

It's important to pay your credit card bill on time and consistently. These payments are documented in your credit report, and paying on time is likely to improve your credit score over time.

Keep your balance low

Your total debt also plays a significant role in how your credit score is calculated. Having less debt and using a smaller percentage of your available credit (keeping a low credit utilization ratio) will positively impact your credit score.

This makes having a budget in place an important part of building credit. It can be easy to overspend with a credit card, and if you find yourself in this situation, it could hurt your credit instead of helping it.

Deciding which credit-building card is best depends heavily on your situation and how you plan to use the card.

Know what cards you're eligible for

Your credit score goes a long way in determining what cards you can qualify for. If you're looking to boost your credit score from average to excellent to increase your approval odds for a home loan, an unsecured credit card could work for you.

Credit cards for average credit may also have rewards and other benefits you can take advantage of. If you're new to credit or recovering from bankruptcy, you may need to start with a secured credit card.

Some credit cards offer preapproval or prequalification, which doesn't guarantee you'll be approved for a card, but it can save you from applying for a card you're likely to be rejected for. In some situations, it may make sense to apply for a card issued by the bank where you have checking or savings accounts, as that could boost your approval odds.

Understand what matters when building credit

By making on-time payments, credit cards allow you to slowly rebuild your credit score or fill out your credit report. Keeping your credit card balance low, or ideally, paying it off fully each month, also helps boost your credit score. Building good financial habits is more important than finding the most rewarding credit card.

Rewards and travel benefits shouldn't be the priority when building credit, you should use a credit-building card to establish responsible credit habits. Once you can consistently pay off your credit cards in full and on time, you're ready to consider credit cards with larger welcome bonuses and useful benefits.

Secured credit cards

Secured credit cards require an upfront deposit, and your credit limit is based on that deposit. Secured credit cards like the Discover it® Secured Credit Card are less risky for card issuers, and you can possibly qualify for secured cards with no credit history or if you have a weak credit score.

Unsecured credit cards do not require a security deposit and have a credit limit based on your income, credit history and other factors. There are unsecured credit cards available to those with average or fair credit. However, if you have no credit or bad credit, an unsecured credit card is generally your best option for moving your credit score forward.

Student credit cards

If you're interested in opening your first credit card, are over 18 years old and are enrolled in an eligible college, consider a student credit card like the Discover it® Student Cash Back. These cards are designed with students in mind and are often available even if you don't have a credit history. Many of these cards also don't require a security deposit, and some even offer rewards.

There's no set formula for building credit. Instead, over time, your habits will move your credit score in one direction or another. However, there are a few tips that can help you get things headed in the right direction.

Understand how credit scores work

Knowing what goes into your credit score is key to building a healthy credit profile. While there are multiple types of credit scores, the most popular credit scoring models are largely based on factors such as:

• Payment history
• Debt
• Types of credit
• Age of accounts

Each factor is weighted differently, and your payment history and debt are typically given greater weight. It's important to develop the habit of paying bills on time and creating a plan to stay out of debt or pay down your existing debt if you want to improve your credit score.

Get added as an authorized user

When you're added as an authorized user, the credit history of that account could be added to your credit report. This can be a double-edged sword, so it only makes sense to go this route with someone who has a history of paying their credit cards on time and in full.

Monitor your credit

A credit monitoring service can help you maintain an error-free credit report by alerting you when anything changes on your report. There are free credit monitoring services that are useful, but if you want to cover all the credit bureaus, you may want to opt for a more robust paid service.

PrivacyGuard, named one of CNBC Select's best credit monitoring services, lets you monitor all three major credit bureaus and offers identity protection.

Use credit-building tools

Some services can help your credit score by allowing you to include additional information on your credit report. Tools like *Experian Boost® and eCredable Lift® allow you to add payment history for accounts such as utilities, phone, internet and TV services. Experian Boost works with your Experian credit report, and eCredable Lift works with TransUnion.

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 article 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 for building credit.

To determine which cards offer the best value for rebuilding credit CNBC Select analyzed over 250 major credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions that are widely available in the U.S.  

We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back). 
 
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.  

When choosing the best credit cards for rebuilding credit, we focused on cards that are available to consumers with lower credit scores or those with no credit history. While rewards and other benefits were also factored into our decisions, these were secondary considerations.

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Petal 2 Visa Credit Card issued by WebBank.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Student Cash Back, click here.

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

*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card, the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card and the U.S. Bank Cash+® 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.

*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.