What to do before you apply for a credit card with no credit score
Check your credit score
Reviewing your current credit score can help you establish credit score goals and see how credit actions impact your score. But if you don't have a credit score, rest assured, Discover has credit cards with no credit score required to apply.1
Find the right types of credit cards for beginners
If you are looking for your first credit card, a student credit card or a secured credit card may have different credit requirements than traditional credit cards. Among other criteria, student cards require active student status. Secured cards require a security deposit from your bank account, which secures your credit limit.
Apply for starter credit cards
Making multiple applications at once for many credit cards may impact your credit score negatively, because the applications will result in hard inquiries placed on your credit report. But applying for credit cards that are built for people with no credit scores may make more sense for someone starting their credit journey.
Create good credit habits
Responsibly using a new credit card, like paying every bill on time, can help you build credit.2 After you use a secured credit card responsibly for a while, you may be able to upgrade to an unsecured card. With the Discover it® Secured credit card, you can upgrade to an unsecured card after 6 consecutive on-time payments and maintaining good status on all your credit accounts.3
How to build credit history as a new credit user in the U.S.
To help make every credit card monthly payment on time, create a budget for your income to cover expenses including credit card bills. Responsible credit use means budgeting your credit card expenses to make sure you can always make at least your minimum amount due by your due date for each monthly payment.
Annualcreditreport.com requires some basic information like your name and Social Security number and then provides you with one free credit report from each major credit bureau (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) every year. Reviewing your credit report can help you confirm that the information reported is accurate, can build credit knowledge and see why lenders may think you have good credit, fair credit, poor credit, or limited credit.
While your payment history is the biggest factor in your FICO® Score, your amounts owed (including your balances as compared to your limits), the age of your credit accounts, the mix of your credit accounts, and the number of credit applications you have submitted all can impact your score.4
For people immigrating to the U.S. with a limited credit history, establishing personal credit can be challenging, but not impossible. After you have the required documents to apply, a secured credit card or student credit card may help you build a credit history.2
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Credit card questions for people with no credit
People who have no credit history, a limited credit history, or those who need to rebuild their credit may find credit cards for no credit most beneficial. If you’re a student and have no or a limited credit history, a student credit card may be best. If you’re not a student and have a limited credit history, or you need to rebuild your credit after some recent setbacks, a secured credit card may be best for you. To make the most of a credit card for no credit, you’ll want it to build your credit as quickly as possible. But keep in mind that building credit history takes time and won’t happen overnight. You have to show creditors you can responsibly manage credit from month to month. One of the biggest factors in calculating credit scores is on-time payments, so be sure to pay at least your minimum monthly credit card payment by the due date every month. Another important factor is how much of your available credit you’re using, called your credit utilization ratio. To help maintain a low credit utilization ratio, use your credit card to make only the purchases you can afford and pay off your credit card balance in full by your due date. By knowing how credit scores are calculated, you can take the steps to use your card responsibly to help improve your score and make the most of your new credit card. There’s no set time for credit card payments to help develop your credit score. As your credit history shows more and more activity reported to the different credit bureaus, your credit score will evolve. Keep in mind, credit bureaus maykeep records of missed payments for several years. There are different types of credit cards meant for people with no credit history. There's no credit history required to apply for a Discover it®️ Secured credit card1, but you’ll need to provide a refundable security deposit, which will equal your credit line, or at least $200.8 Student credit cardsare also popular with students who may not have sufficient credit history to apply for traditional credit cards. For many credit cards, having no credit history could disqualify you from getting approved. However, as many people need to start their credit journey somewhere, student credit cards and secured credit cards often have different eligibility standards than traditional unsecured cards.There’s no credit score required to apply for a Discover it® Secured credit card1 or a Discover student credit card1. If you’re new to the U.S., you may not have any credit history: but be sure to review your credit report, as student loans or other bills may supply some level of credit history. Look for a secured credit card if you can provide a security deposit for the card or see if you're pre-approved for an offer with low eligibility requirements. When you've established credit, you may qualify to get your deposit back.
Student Credit Cards:Intro purchase APR is x% for x months from date of account opening then the standard purchase APR applies. Intro Balance Transfer APR is x% for x months from date of first transfer, for transfers under this offer that post to your account by then the standard purchase APR applies. Standard purchase APR: x% - x% variable, based on your creditworthiness. Cash APR: x% variable. Variable APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Minimum interest charge: If you are charged interest, the charge will be no less than $.50. Cash advance fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. Balance transfer fee: x% Intro fee on balances transferred by and up to x% fee for future balance transfers will apply. Annual Fee: None. Rates as of . We will apply payments at our discretion, including in a manner most favorable or convenient for us. Each billing period, we will generally apply amounts you pay that exceed the Minimum Payment Due to balances with higher APRs before balances with lower APRs as of the date we credit your payment.
Secured Credit Card:x% standard variable purchase APR . Intro Balance Transfer APR is x% for x months from date of first transfer, for transfers under this offer that post to your account by then the standard purchase APR applies. Cash APR: x% variable. Variable APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Minimum interest charge: If you are charged interest, the charge will be no less than $.50 . Cash advance fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. Balance transfer fee: x% Intro fee on balances transferred by and up to x% fee for future balance transfers will apply. Annual Fee: None. Rates as of . We will apply payments at our discretion, including in a manner most favorable or convenient for us. Each billing period, we will generally apply amounts you pay that exceed the Minimum Payment Due to balances with higher APRs before balances with lower APRs as of the date we credit your payment.
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Student - No credit score required to apply - Based on the preceding 12 months of Discover Student credit card application data, applicants without a credit score may qualify. You must meet other applicable underwriting criteria. When we evaluate your creditworthiness, we consider all the information you provide on your application, your credit report, and other information. If you have a credit score, we may use that in our evaluation.
Secured Card: No Credit Score Required - Based on 2023 Discover it Secured credit card application data, applicants without a credit score may qualify. You must meet other applicable underwriting criteria. When we evaluate your creditworthiness, we consider all the information you provide on your application, your credit report, and other information. If you have a credit score, we may use that in our evaluation.
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Build credit with responsible use: Discover reports your credit history to the three major credit bureaus so it can help build/rebuild your credit if used responsibly. Late payments, delinquencies or other derogatory activity with your credit card accounts and loans mayadversely impact your ability to build/rebuild credit.
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Getting your deposit back:Monthly reviews start your seventh month as a customer. We will refund your security deposit if you have made all payments on time for the last six consecutive billing cycles on all your Discover accounts including any loans, and you've remained in "good status" on all credit accounts you are responsible for whether they are Discover accounts or not. "Good status" means: (1) your credit report shows no delinquencies, charge-offs, repossessions, or bankruptcies for the six months prior to our review; and (2) your Discover secured card is not in a prohibited status at the time of our review, including, but not limited to: closed, revoked, suspended, subject to tax levy, garnishment, deceased, lost/stolen, or fraud. Monthly reviews may be delayed if you change your payment due date. We typically process your refund in 2-3 business days based on your delivery preference. If you close your account and pay in full, we'll return your deposit within two billing cycles plus ten days.
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FICO® Credit Score Terms: Your FICO® Credit Score, key factors and other credit information are based on data from TransUnion® and may be different from other credit scores and other credit information provided by different bureaus. This information is intended for and only provided to Primary account holders who have an available score. See Discover.com/FICO about the availability of your score. Your score, key factors and other credit information are available on Discover.com and cardmembers are also provided a score on statements. Customers will see up to a year of recent scores online. Discover and other lenders may use different inputs, such as FICO® Credit Scores, other credit scores and more information in credit decisions. This benefit may change or end in the future. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.
If you prefer not to receive your FICO® Credit Score just call us at 1-800-DISCOVER (1-800-347-2683). Please give us two billing cycles to process your request.
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About product reviews: We calculate the average product rating based on ratings that customers submit. We exclude some reviews from being displayed for reasons such as the customer included profanity, reviewed the wrong product, submitted inappropriate or irrelevant content, or revealed personally identifying information. Reviews are not filtered, edited, or deleted simply because they are negative or are lower rated. If a review is excluded, the associated rating is not calculated in the average product rating.
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2% Cash Back at gas and restaurants:You earn a full 2%Cashback Bonus® on your first $1000 in combined purchases at Gas Stations (stand-alone), and Restaurants each calendar quarter.Calendar quarters begin January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. Purchases at Gas Stations and Restaurants over the quarterly cap, and all other purchases, earn 1% cash back. Gas Station purchases include those made at merchants classified as places that sell automotive gasoline that can be bought at the pump or inside the station, and some public electric vehicle charging stations. Gas Stations affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible. Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. Purchases must be made with merchants in the U.S. To qualify for 2%, the purchase transaction date must be before or on the last day of the offer or promotion. For online purchases, the transaction date from the merchant may be the date when the item ships. Rewards are added to your account within two billing periods. Even if a purchase appears to fit in a 2% category, the merchant may not have a merchant category code (MCC) in that category. Merchants and payment processors are assigned an MCC based on their typical products and services. Discover Card does not assign MCCs to merchants. Certain third-party payment accounts and digital wallet transactions may not earn 2% if the technology does not provide sufficient transaction details or a qualifying MCC. Learn more atDiscover.com/digitalwallets.SeeCashback Bonus Program Terms and Conditionsformore information.
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Cashback Match:Only from Discover as of April 2024. We'll match all the cash back rewards you've earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 12 consecutive billing periods or 365 days, whichever is longer, and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods. You've earned cash back rewards only when they're processed, which may be after the transaction date. We will not match: rewards that are processed after your match period ends; statement credits; rewards transfers from Discover checking or other deposit accounts; or rewards for accounts that are closed. This promotional offer may not be available in the future and is exclusively for new cardmembers. No purchase minimums.
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Minimum Security Deposit:If approved, you must make a minimum security deposit of $200 (or more, in increments of $100 up to $2,500), which will equal your requested credit limit. Discover will determine your maximum credit limit by your income and ability to pay.
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There is no hard inquiry to your credit report to check if you’re pre-approved. If you’re pre-approved, and you move forward with submitting an application for the credit card, it will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit score. Receiving a pre-approval offer does not guarantee approval. Applicants applying without a social security number are not eligible to receive pre-approval offers. Card applicants cannot be pre-approved for the NHL Discover Card.
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