Best credit cards for building credit
Cards designed for people with limited or damaged credit, including secured cards that need a refundable deposit.
Based on $2,070/month spending: dining $300, groceries $500, hotels $80, flights $100, gas $150, streaming $40, everything else $900.
Rerun this ranking with your spending-
1
Chase Freedom RiseA first card with no credit history — 1.5% back on everything
- Fee
- $0
- Bonus
- —
- Year 1
- $373
- Yr 2+
- $373
-
2
Capital One QuicksilverOneFair credit — 1.5% back on everything
- Fee
- $39
- Bonus
- —
- Year 1
- $334
- Yr 2+
- $334
-
3
Discover it SecuredBuilding credit while still earning cash back
- Fee
- $0
- Bonus
- —
- Year 1
- $286
- Yr 2+
- $286
-
4
Capital One Platinum SecuredStarting or rebuilding credit with a deposit as low as $49
- Fee
- $0
- Bonus
- —
- Year 1
- $0
- Yr 2+
- $0
How we rank
Ledger adds up each card's sign-up bonus, the rewards it earns on the spending above (respecting caps), and a realistic share of its credits, then subtracts the annual fee. Points are valued at our estimates — in the calculator you can switch to cash-out (≈1¢) or transfer-partner (≈2¢) values, add the cards you already have, and see which new card adds the most.
Updated Oct 30, 2026.