US Prepaid & Secured MasterCard & Visa Credit Cards Although our site is primarily aimed at the UK market we do get some visitors from the US. As a result we have decided to create a page for those US visitors who have some form of adverse credit and who require either a prepaid debit card, secured credit card (or even an unsecured credit card). Prepaid debit cards allow you to add funds when you require them (if they are reloadable) and secured cards require you to submit a security deposit to the lender before they will issue you with a card to protect themselves against any repayment default. Credit limits for secured credit cards are usually set at a percentage of the deposit, sometimes up to 100%. Unsecured credit cards require no security deposit and to some extent the lender is taking a risk particularly with someone who has a history of bad credit. This is why starting credit limits are low, interest rates are high and, with the US cards in particular, fees are also generally high. Some prepaid cards are not reloadable and these are generally referred to as gift cards. You can even buy some of these prepaid gift cards in retail outlets. All of these card types are available to those with adverse credit as they present a lower risk to the lender unlike the standard low interest rate unsecured credit card. The only problem with these cards is that they can be prohibitively expensive to obtain and use. If you live in the US there is a large selection of either prepaid or secured cards to choose from, more so than in the UK where, although there are now plenty of prepaid credit cards, there are no secured credit cards. The only place a UK citizen can really get a secured credit card is through an offshore bank account. A few prepaid debit cards of various types including MasterCard, Maestro and virtual are also available to those outside the US or the UK. To obtain one of these US secured, prepaid (or unsecured) cards you will need a verifiable US address and a US social security number. As a result of the Patriot Act 2001, US credit cards of any shape or form (unsecured, secured or prepaid) are not available to those with an International billing address and/or those without a US SS (social security) number. Listed below are a few of the prepaid (stored value) debit, secured credit and unsecured credit cards that are available to those in the US irrespective of whether or not you have any bad credit. Fees for these cards are generally high but a price some people are prepared to pay to get them back into the credit world where they are able to rebuild their credit history. We present this unsecured, secured and prepaid credit and debit card list (in no particular order) for your information only. We make no claims about any of the unsecured, prepaid or secured credit and debit card accounts presented. It is up to you to make all necessary enquiries about these accounts. The US Specific (US Residents ONLY) Prepaid, Secured & Unsecured MasterCard & Visa Credit And Debit Card List: (US prepaid, secured and unsecured credit card information last checked & updated 27th January 2012) Centennial MasterCard Secured Credit Card This secured MasterCard from First Premier Bank may be suitable if you have less than perfect credit. The annual and set up fee is US$50 with a minimum initial credit limit of US$200. The current APR is 19.9%. | 
| First Premier Bank MasterCard Secured Credit Card This MasterCard from First Premier Bank may be suitable if you have poor credit. It is effectively the same secured card as the one above. The set up and annual fee is US$50. The minimum initial credit limit is US$200. The APR is 19.9%. | 
| Centennial MasterCard Credit Card This is the unsecured version of the credit card from First Premier Bank. There is a processing fee of US$95 and an annual fee of US$75 for the first year then US$45 thereafter. The APR is 36%. Credit limits start at US$300. | 
| First Premier Bank MasterCard Credit Card Again, this is effectively the same unsecured card as the credit card above from the same bank and has the same application fee, annual fees, credit limit and interest rate. | 
| First Premier Bank Gold MasterCard Credit Card This Gold MasterCard from First Premier Bank may be suitable if you have less than perfect credit. A refundable deposit of US$95 is required and the annual fee is US$75 for the first year then US$45 thereafter. The APR is 49.9%. The initial credit limit is US$300. | 
| Capital One Secured MasterCard This card has an APR of 22.9%, an annual fee of US$29 and a minimum credit limit of US$200 with a security deposit of either US$49, 99 or 200 required depending on your credit. | 
| Applied Bank Secured Gold Visa Credit Card This card has an annual account fee of US$50 but no setup fees. It also reports your credit repayment history. The APR is only 9.99% and you can choose your credit limit from US$200 to US$5000 which must be matched by your security deposit. | 
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More US prepaid, secured and unsecured credit cards to come. If you live in the UK then see our main prepaid card page for details of UK prepaid credit cards. Sitemap | 
