There are many reasons why you might have a low credit score, and a number of them aren't your fault. Perhaps you've never had any form of credit before, or you've made some innocent mistakes along the way.
Whatever the reason, awareness is the first step — and building healthy credit is the next.
Effectively utilizing a credit card for fair credit can help you boost your credit score. Business Insider's personal finance experts reviewed dozens of options by evaluating annual fees, credit-building potential, benefits, and potential drawbacks to bring you this list of the best credit cards for fair credit in 2025.
Best Credit Cards for Fair Credit
| What It's For | Card | Annual Fee |
| Best for cash back | Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | $39 |
| Best for no annual fee | Capital One Platinum Credit Card | $0 |
| Best for students | Discover it® Student Cash Back | $0 |
| Best for learning about credit | Arro Credit Card | $36 |
| Best for building credit | Petal® 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa® Credit Card | $0 |
Best for Cash Back
$39
N/A
29.74% variable
N/A
Average, Fair and Limited
- Earn 5% back on Capital One Travel hotel and car rental bookings and 1.5% on everything else
- You're eligible to apply with limited or average credit
- You'll automatically be considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months
- No welcome bonus
- Annual fee
- High APR for purchases and balance transfers
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card could be the right choice for you if you're building your credit history. You could be able to qualify for the card even if you don't have an excellent credit score, and you'll earn at least 1.5% cash back on your purchases.
QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- No rotating categories or limits to how much you can earn, and cash back doesn't expire for the life of the account. It's that simple
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card allows you to earn 1.5% cash back on most purchases, even with fair to average credit. This is a generous rate of return, especially since you can even earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal.
This benefit alone makes the card's $39 annual fee well worth your while. You can recoup that expense after spending just $2,600 a year on non-bonus expenses — not hard for most households to do these days — or just $780 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Capital One rewards are easy to redeem in many ways, including as statement credits toward paying down your outstanding balance.
Better yet, the QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so you won't pay any additional costs when you use this card for international purchases.
On the credit-building front, Capital One will review your account periodically. If you consistently pay your full balance each month, you'll automatically be considered for a credit line increase once you've had this card for six months.
Best for No Annual Fee
$0
N/A
29.74% variable
N/A
Average, Fair and Limited
- Automatically be considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- No annual fee
- No extra benefits and no rewards
The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is worth considering if you're new to credit or trying to improve your credit score. While it doesn't earn rewards or offer many benefits, it could be a good stepping stone in your credit journey — and you won't pay an annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
Capital One Platinum Card- No annual or hidden fees. See if you're approved in seconds
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Help build your credit through responsible use of a card like this
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Get access to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with online banking from your desktop or smartphone, with Capital One's mobile app
- Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
- Pay by check, online or at a local branch, all with no fee - and pick the monthly due date that works best for you
The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is a basic credit card for building credit that offers a line of credit for people with fair or average credit.
It doesn't earn rewards, but it also doesn't charge an annual fee, making it a wise choice for people who are cautious about spending more than they need to.
As with the QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card, Capital One will increase your credit limit on this card after six consecutive months of on-time payments.
There aren't many perks beyond basic fraud protection and the potential credit line increase, so consider this a starter card for building healthy financial habits without paying an annual fee.
Best for Students
$0
0% intro APR for six months on purchases
17.24% - 26.24% Variable APR
Earn Unlimited Cashback Match®
Fair/New to Credit
- From April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, earn 5% cash back at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%
- Discover matches your cash back after the first year
- Not the most rewarding cash-back card for non-bonus purchases
The Discover it® Student Cash Back is a great choice if you're a student with limited credit history and want to earn a strong rate of cash back on your everyday spending without paying an annual fee.
Discover it® Student Cash Back- Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200.
- Earn 5% Cashback Bonus® at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs, April 1 through June 30, 2025, on up to $1,500 in purchases, when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
- No credit score required to apply.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. Activate by mobile app for free.
- No annual fee and build your credit with responsible use.
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 17.24% - 26.24% applies.
- Terms and conditions apply.
Discover has a reputation for being friendly toward people who are new to or building credit, and the Discover it® Student Cash Back is one of the best student credit cards available.
This card doesn't charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees, yet Discover it® Student Cash Back cardholders earn 5% back on up to $1,500 across Discover cash back bonus categories (from April 1 to June 30, 2025, earn 5% cash back at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%). You must activate this promotion each quarter to begin earning bonus cash back; otherwise, every dollar spent only earns 1% back.
And new cardholders actually earn twice as much in their first year: The Discover Cashback Match program looks at everything you've earned at the end of your first 12 months as a cardholder, then matches that amount in your rewards account.
Other major benefits include a free look at your FICO score. This card also comes with no late payment fee on your first late payment — a comforting prospect for first-time credit cardholders.
Pro tip: If you aren't a student but like what the Discover it® Student Cash Back has to offer, check out the Discover it® Cash Back. It's a solid option for folks with at least good credit looking to build up their credit history while earning cash back.
Best for Learning About Credit
The Arro Credit Card offers a unique opportunity to earn better credit terms through financial education. You'll get a physical Mastercard and a virtual version of the card to use for online purchases.
This unique product doesn't earn much by way of rewards. But it does report financial activity to all three major credit bureaus, and allows you to lower your APR or increase your credit line with qualifying activities, up to a maximum credit limit of $2,500.
The Arro Card has a standard annual fee of $36, although you may get an annual fee of $12 or $24 depending on your initial credit line. Cardholders start with a low initial credit limit between $50 to $200, but can earn their way to perks like higher credit and a lower APR by completing learning modules within Arro's personal finance education library.
Prospective Arro Credit Card holders must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older and must have a bank account of at least $150 from a U.S. financial institution to qualify.
Arro doesn't conduct a hard credit score inquiry for card approval, which protects your credit score from unnecessary impact.
Best for Building Credit
The Petal® 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa® Credit Card (card issued by WebBank) is made for people who want to avoid card fees while they build or fix their credit.
This card comes with no annual fee, no late fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no other fees (18.24% - 32.24% Variable APR). Cardholders have access to a handy mobile app that helps them manage payments and track credit progress while building positive money management habits.
Cardholders earn 1% cash back on eligible purchases when they first get this card. After six on-time monthly payments, cash back increases to 1.25% and after 12 on-time monthly payments, cash back grows to 1.5%.
Your credit limit is between $300 and $10,000, based on your credit profile, so this card can help you build credit while keeping your credit utilization ratio low.
What to Know About Credit Cards for Fair Credit
Having a low credit score or limited credit history isn't the end of the world. But it does mean there's room for growth.
If your credit score is between 580 to 669 on the 300 to 850 FICO score system, it falls in the "fair" or "average" range on the scale. FICO scores below the "fair" range are generally considered "poor," while scores above that range are categorized as "good," "very good," or "excellent."
Related: The best loans for fair credit
When you have fair or average credit, you likely won't qualify for many of the best credit cards and travel rewards credit cards available to consumers. However, the credit cards reviewed in this guide are designed to help you improve your credit score so you can upgrade to better credit products in the future.
Check Your Credit and Seek Pre-Approval Before Applying
Before choosing a credit card, we suggest getting a free credit report through the major credit bureaus. This will give you a good idea of where you stand score-wise and which credit cards you may be able to qualify for.
When you have fair or average credit, your score is very sensitive to credit inquiries. We also recommend using credit card pre-approval tools to see what cards you're eligible to get. That way, you can avoid incurring a hard pull on your credit history for a card you may not even be approved for.
You can also skim our list of the best pre-approved credit cards to compare your options at a glance.
Business Credit Cards for Fair Credit
This guide focuses on credit cards for consumers. If you own a business but have bad credit, learn more about other financing options in our guide to the best business credit cards for bad credit.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Credit Cards for Fair Credit
We evaluated credit cards for those with a fair or average credit score by looking at several factors:
- Annual fee — Some credit cards geared to folks with lower credit scores tack on an annual fee. We didn't include any of them here.
- Earning potential — Does the card earn rewards, and if so, are there bonus categories or a competitive rewards rate?
- Ease of use — Are there hoops to jump through or restrictions to be aware of, and is the card's rewards program easy to navigate?
- Options for various types of consumers — We selected a variety of cards that appeal to different types of users, from students and those new to credit to folks who want to earn cash back and access additional benefits.
Read more about how we rate credit cards at Business Insider.
FAQs
How do you build credit with a credit card?
To build credit with a credit card, use the card for regular purchases like gas and groceries, then pay your full bill early or on time each month. Your use will be reported to the three credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — which will use that information to increase your score over time.
How do you avoid credit card interest?
Credit card interest gets charged to your outstanding balance when you do not pay your credit card bill in full each month. To avoid incurring interest, only charge what you can afford to pay off each month, and pay your bill early or on time.
Does Amex have a credit card for fair credit?
Amex doesn't offer a credit card for fair or average credit. Most American Express cards require at least good to excellent credit for qualification. Plenty of other banks like Discover, Petal, and Capital One provide cards for people with limited credit history.
Does Chase have a credit card for fair credit?
Chase doesn't offer credit cards specifically for fair or average credit, but it does have the new Chase Freedom Rise℠ , which can be easier to get approved for if you're new to credit. This is a good choice if you want to start building a relationship with Chase and later want to open one of the best Chase cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, when your credit score improves.
***Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details. Travel Accident Insurance is not guaranteed, it depends on the level of benefits you get at application.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
