If your credit score is between 580 and 669, you’re in the “fair credit” range. You won’t qualify for the lowest advertised APRs, which require good or excellent credit. But you have more options than the mainstream comparison sites suggest, and choosing the right card now puts you in a better tier within 12 to 18 months.
Your three options
Option
Secured credit cards
A refundable deposit becomes your credit limit. Reports to all three bureaus, builds positive history, often graduates to unsecured.
- Typical deposit: $200 to $500.
- Most well-known issuers offer one (Discover, Capital One, Citi).
- Many graduate to an unsecured card after 12 to 18 months of on-time use.
- APRs are still in the 22% to 27% range; goal is score-building, not low rate.
Option
Credit union cards
Federal credit unions are capped at 18% APR by NCUA rules and often start far lower. Membership rules are more flexible than people assume.
- Find one you can join via mycreditunion.gov.
- Many have geographic, employer, or association eligibility paths.
- Often easier approval for fair credit than major-bank cards.
- APRs typically 12% to 18%, which is genuinely competitive.
Option
Unsecured fair-credit cards
Available but with caveats. Higher APRs and modest credit limits. Useful as a stepping stone if you can't or won't put a deposit down.
- APRs typically 26% to 30%; carrying a balance is expensive.
- Modest annual fees common ($35 to $59 is acceptable; over $95 is not).
- Avoid products with monthly maintenance fees or processing fees.
- Treat purely as a payment history builder; don't carry a balance.
What to avoid
Predatory subprime products are still common in the fair-credit space. The structure to watch for is high upfront fees against a low initial credit limit. A card that charges a $75 annual fee, a $25 setup fee, and a $5 monthly maintenance fee against a $300 credit limit is consuming a third of your available credit before you’ve made a single purchase. The CFPB has documented these structures repeatedly. Stick to well-known issuers and credit unions.
- Annual fees above $95 on a card with a low limit and no rewards
- Monthly maintenance fees of any kind
- Processing or setup fees charged to apply
- APRs above 30% (most products cap at 29.99% and the very high ones are red flags)
- “Guaranteed approval” marketing on cards that don’t disclose fees clearly
The path to a better rate
- Open a secured or credit union card. Use it for predictable spending you’d do anyway (groceries, gas, a streaming subscription).
- Pay in full every month. No interest, no risk, perfect payment history. Set up autopay for the statement balance.
- Keep utilisation under 30%, ideally under 10%. If your card has a $500 limit, stay under $50 reported. Pay before the statement closes, not just by the due date.
- At 6 months, request a credit limit increase. Often a soft pull. Higher limit at the same usage drops your reported utilisation, lifting your score.
- At 12 to 18 months, check your score. Most users in this plan are in the good (670+) range by this point. Apply for a standard low-APR card with soft-pull pre-qualification first.
- Don’t close the old card. Length of credit history is 15% of FICO. The fair-credit card stays open as part of your foundation.
Cross-portfolio
Want a deeper guide to fair-credit cards specifically?
Our sister site CreditCardForFairCredit.com covers fair-credit products in much more depth, including secured options, credit-builder loans, and the full path to good credit. Or read our credit score and APR guide for the underlying mechanics.
Reader questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a low APR credit card with fair credit?v
You can get a card. You probably can't get the lowest advertised APRs, which usually require a FICO of 740 or higher. Realistic options for fair credit (580 to 669) are secured cards (you put a refundable deposit down as your credit limit), credit union cards (federal credit unions are capped at 18% APR by NCUA rules and often start lower), and unsecured fair-credit cards. Avoid predatory products with $95+ annual fees, $25 monthly fees, or APRs above 30%.
What's a secured card, and how is it different?v
A secured card requires a refundable cash deposit (typically $200 to $500) which becomes your credit limit. Apart from that, it works exactly like an unsecured card: it reports to all three credit bureaus, builds payment history, and demonstrates you can manage credit responsibly. After 12 to 18 months of clean usage, many issuers either upgrade you to an unsecured card and refund the deposit, or you can apply for a better card elsewhere.
Which credit unions can I actually join?v
More than people assume. Federal credit unions allow membership through geographic eligibility (you live or work in a specific county), employer eligibility (you work for a member employer or a related family member does), or association eligibility (you join a small affiliated organisation, often by donating $5 to $25 to a charity). The NCUA's locator tool at mycreditunion.gov is the best way to find ones you can join.
Will a fair-credit card actually help me get a low APR card later?v
Yes, if you use it correctly. Twelve to eighteen months of on-time payments and low utilisation on a fair-credit card will typically lift your FICO into the good or very good range, opening access to standard low-APR cards. The path is well-trodden: a secured card or credit union card now, on-time payments, low utilisation, request a limit increase at 6 to 12 months, then apply for the better card at 18 months.
What should I avoid?v
Subprime cards with high upfront fees ($75+ annual fee, $25+ monthly maintenance fees, or processing fees), APRs above 30%, low credit limits paired with high fees, and any product that charges to apply. The CFPB has long warned about these structures: they consume the available credit limit in fees and trap users in a cycle without building meaningful score. Stick to well-known issuers and credit unions.