Best High-Limit Secured Credit Cards

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A secured credit card — which uses a deposit as collateral to secure your credit line — can help improve your credit score, whether you’re rebuilding your credit or starting your credit history from scratch. However, these cards tend to have lower credit limits, which means keeping your credit utilization ratio at a healthy level can prove challenging.

However, there are some higher-limit secured credit cards that can allow for more wiggle room with your purchasing power. Here are some of the better options.

Top cards for a high credit limit

Comparing the best cards for a high credit limit

How to choose a high-limit secured credit card

One of the main goals of carrying a secured credit card is to build your credit. Here are some useful features to look for when choosing a secured credit card.

• Opportunities for credit limit to increase or upgrade your card
  

  Some issuers will automatically review your credit account and increase your credit limit after enough time and positive use. It’s not something you have to initiate but is instead built into your credit issuers’ process for credit limit increases.

  Even if there’s no automatic review, you can inquire if there’s a way to get an increased credit limit. Some issuers may also offer an upgrade path to an unsecured version of the secured credit card you have.

• Low fees
  

  Some secured credit cards can come with a bevy of fees that include annual fees, foreign transaction fees, late fees or even higher interest rates. Ideally, you’ll choose a card with minimal fees to help you save money on this credit-building strategy

• Credit building
  

  Not all secured credit cards report your activity to the credit bureaus. Before getting a secured credit card, ensure that the issuer will report your activity to the credit reporting agencies.

• Rewards
  

  Though not common in the secured credit card space, there are some secured credit cards that offer cash back and other perks, such as a welcome bonus. They won’t be as appealing as the benefits that come with standard rewards credit cards, but they can provide an incentive to use your credit card even while you are repairing your credit score.

Is a high-limit secured credit card worth it?

If your credit score isn’t good enough for a traditional credit card, these secured cards could get you on the right track to a better credit score. We don’t recommend that you go this route if you can’t make your payments on time and as agreed, as making late payments or missing payments could damage your credit even more.

If you carry a balance on a secured credit card, not only will you pay interest, but you’ll increase your credit utilization ratio. Credit utilization is an important factor in maintaining a good credit score, so if you can’t maintain a low balance or pay it off every month, it could hinder your progress.

You should also consider whether you can deposit a larger amount to obtain a higher credit limit. If you’re fine with putting down $1,000 or more for a secured card, it could be beneficial to your credit-building journey. If you aren’t in a financial position to part with a large amount of money, then you should consider waiting until your financial situation improves.

What’s next?

The bottom line

Though secured credit cards can be a great credit-building tool, their notoriously-low credit limits can make it difficult to keep your credit utilization ratio low. This can slow down your credit-building journey.

A higher-limit secured credit card mitigates this problem and makes it easier to comfortably build your credit score. However, make sure that your secured credit card has other desirable features aside from just a higher credit limit, like lower fees, rewards and automatic account reviews.

It can also help to compare your choices to other cards on our list of the best secured credit cards, in case other features catch your eye and prove more valuable.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a high-limit secured credit card?
  

  A high-limit secured credit card is a secured credit card that requires a security deposit to be put down as collateral, but may offer a higher credit limit compared to typical secured credit cards, which usually offer between $200 to $500.

• Is a high-limit secured credit card a good option for someone with bad credit?
  

  Yes. The required collateral reduces the risk for the issuer and can lead to more favorable terms compared to unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit.

• How can I increase my credit limit on a high-limit secured credit card?
  

  To increase your credit limit on a high-limit secured credit card, you may need to either add to your security deposit or make timely payments and demonstrate responsible use of the card over a period of time. Some issuers may offer automatic credit limit increases after a certain period of responsible use.

*The information about the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.