16 Best Low Credit Line Credit Cards (Well Under $500)

Credit cards

Low credit line credit cards — with minimum credit lines starting at $200 or $300 — are offered as either traditional unsecured cards or secured cards that require you to provide a deposit prior to use.

Low-line unsecured credit cards often have expensive fees and high APRs. Secured credit cards often have fewer fees and lower interest charges — but, keep in mind, issuers can keep your deposit if you don’t pay your card balance.

For more details on low credit limit credit cards, plus the list of cards, see below.

Low Credit Limit Credit Cards: Unsecured vs. Secured

Low credit limit credit cards come in two main categories: unsecured and secured.

In order to receive an unsecured credit card, an issuer will examine your credit history and determine credit terms based on your creditworthiness.

Getting a secured credit card follows the same process, but you’ll also need to provide a deposit that safeguards the issuer against loss if you fail to pay off your balance.

Most unsecured low-line credit cards are designed for people with poor credit or no credit history. Not only do they come with low limits, but they also often have high annual percentage rates (APRs) and steep annual fees.

In fact, some low credit line cards have provisions in the terms that sharply increase your APR if you miss even a single payment. They also often have specific fees that you won’t find with more traditional credit cards, such as monthly maintenance fees and one-time program fees, in addition to annual fees.

While secured credit cards don’t typically have maintenance or program fees and usually have substantially lower APRs, applicants must supply a deposit — which helps determine your credit limit. You can usually get your deposit back if you consistently make on-time payments.

With either option, it’s best to pay off your balance each month. This will boost your credit score and help you qualify for better cards with more favorable rates and benefits in the future.

The List

We’ve compiled the list of low credit line credit cards with limits starting at $200, broken into categories for unsecured and secured cards.

Unsecured Credit Cards

We’ve ordered the list below starting with the best overall options.

Capital One Secured Mastercard and Platinum Credit Card Logo

1. Capital One Platinum Card

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300
  • Annual fee: None
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Cash advance fee: $10 or 3% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: Not disclosed
  • Apply

Milestone Gold Mastercard Credit Card Logo

2. Milestone Gold Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300; some fees will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $250
  • Annual fee: $50 for the first year; $99 thereafter
    • There is also a one-time opening fee of $25
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Cash advance fees: None during the first year; then $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater, but not to exceed $100
  • Foreign transaction fees: 1% of the transaction
  • Apply

Indigo Platinum Mastercard Credit Card Logo

3. Indigo Platinum Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300
  • Annual fee: $75 the first year; $99 thereafter
  • Cash advance fees: $0 during the first year; then $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater but not to exceed $100
  • Foreign transaction fees: 1% of the transaction
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

Credit One Bank Platinum Visa for Rebuilding Credit and Bank Visa Credit Card Logo

4. Credit One Bank Platinum Visa for Rebuilding Credit

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300
  • Annual fee: $0 to $95 for the first year; $0 to $99 thereafter. For some accounts, the annual fee after the first year will be divided into 12 equal payments billed monthly. For other accounts, the annual fee will be billed annually.
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Cash advance fees: Range from $5 to $10 or 3% to 8% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: $1 or 3% of the purchase in U.S. dollars, whichever is greater
  • Apply

First Digital NextGen Mastercard Credit Card Logo

5. First Digital NextGen Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300; your annual fee will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $225
  • Annual fee: $75 for the first year; $48 thereafter
    • There is also a one-time program fee of $95 and a monthly service fee after the first year of $6.25
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Cash advance fees: $10 or 3% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: Card cannot be used outside the U.S.
  • Apply

Reflex Mastercard Credit Card Logo

6. Reflex Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $500; some fees will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $375
  • Annual fee: $125 for the first year; $96 thereafter
    • There is also a monthly maintenance fee after the first year of $10
  • Cash advance fees: $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 3% of the transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

Surge Mastercard Credit Card Logo

7. Surge Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $500; some fees will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $375
  • Annual fee: $125 for the first year; $96 thereafter
    • There is also a monthly service fee after the first year of $10
  • Cash advance fees: $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 3% of the transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

First Access Classic Visa Credit Card Logo

8. First Access Classic Visa

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300; your annual fee will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $225
  • Annual fee: $75 for the first year; $48 thereafter
    • There is also a one-time program fee of $89 and a monthly fee after the first year of $6.25
  • Cash advance fees: None for the first year; then $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: Card cannot be used outside the U.S.
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

Total Visa Credit Card Logo

9. Total Visa

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $300; your annual fee will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $225
  • Annual fee: $75
    • There is also a one-time program fee of $89 and a monthly service fee after the first year of $6.25
  • Cash advance fees: None for the first year; then $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: Card cannot be used outside the U.S.
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

FIT Mastercard Credit Card Logo

10. FIT Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured
  • Minimum credit line: $400; various fees will be automatically assessed, lowering your initial available credit to $301
  • Annual fee: $99
    • There is also a monthly service fee after the first year of $6.25
  • Cash advance fees: $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 3% of the transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

Secured Credit Cards

As above, we’ve ordered the list of low-line secured cards starting with the best overall options.

Capital One Secured Mastercard and Platinum Credit Card Logo

1. Capital One Secured Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Secured; there is a minimum security deposit of $49, $99, or $200
  • Minimum credit line: $200
  • Annual fee: None
  • Cash advance fees: $10 or 3% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: Not disclosed
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

Citi Secured Mastercard Credit Card Logo

2. Citi Secured Mastercard

  • Secured or unsecured? Secured; there is a minimum security deposit of $200
  • Minimum credit line: $200
  • Annual fee: None
  • Cash advance fees: $10 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

Discover It Secured Credit Card Logo

3. Discover it Secured

  • Secured or unsecured? Secured; there is a minimum security deposit of $200
  • Minimum credit line: $200
  • Annual fee: None
  • Cash advance fees: $10 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: Not disclosed
  • Late payment fee: None the first time you pay late; after that, up to $39
  • Apply

Wells Fargo Secured Visa Credit Card Logo

4. Wells Fargo Secured Visa

  • Secured or unsecured? Secured; there is a minimum security deposit of $300
  • Minimum credit line: $300; your security deposit is equal to your credit line
  • Annual fee: $25
  • Cash advance fees: $10 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $37
  • Apply

U.S. Bank Secured Visa Credit Card Logo

5. U.S. Bank Secured Visa

  • Secured or unsecured? Secured; there is a minimum security deposit of $200
  • Minimum credit line: $300, but your credit line will be equal to your deposit amount up to $5,000
  • Annual fee: $29
  • Cash advance fees: $10 or 4% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 2% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $39
  • Apply

OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card Logo

6. OpenSky Secured Visa

  • Secured or unsecured? Secured; there is a minimum security deposit of $200
  • Minimum credit line: $200; your credit limit is determined by your refundable deposit up to $3,000
  • Annual fee: $35
  • Cash advance fees: $6 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater
  • Foreign transaction fees: 3% of the transaction in U.S. dollars
  • Late payment fee: Up to $38
  • Apply

More Information

For more credit card options, see our lists of soft-pull credit cards and credit cards that preapprove.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *