If you’ve ever had to repair your credit, you know how much of a struggle removing inaccuracies from your reports can be. The bad news is that in many cases, after removing negative accounts from your credit history you may only see a slight increase or maybe even no change at all to your credit score.

Why? Because you need a healthy credit profile to have a healthy credit score. If all you have is negative items on your credit reports and you’ve removed them all, you might not have much of a report left to build a credit score with. 

One of the easiest ways to build a good credit score is to improve your credit utilization ratio. You can do this by expanding the total amount of credit available to you by applying for a new credit card. 

If you’re currently working with a low credit score right now, and are worried about being approved for a credit card, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our top 4 easy approval cards.

Best Overall Card: Chime®

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If you're ready to start building your credit history, we suggest Chime as a simple, easy way to start. Unlike most other secured cards, Chime does not require a minimum security deposit* to get started. 

So if you don't have a large chunk of cash to put down up front, you can put down however much you're able to afford. That amount becomes your credit limit, so you can start building up your limit over time. 

Even better - they also don't have a minimum credit score required to get started! In fact, they don't run a credit check at all, so you don't have to worry about a hard credit pull popping up on your report.

Note: To apply for Credit Builder, you must have an active Chime® Checking Account. Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank.. The secured Chime Credit Builder Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposits to which Chime deems to not be qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.

Other Recommended Secured Credit Cards

Most secured credit cards require the user to put down a cash deposit to secure their line of credit, which makes them a great option for people looking to build up their credit with on-time payments. Here are a few other secured cards we’d recommend.

Self - Credit Builder Account + The secured Self Visa® Credit Card

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We like the Self - Credit Builder Account + The secured Self Visa® Credit Card combo because it uses your progress in your Credit Builder Account to approve you for a credit card, allowing you to side-step a credit inquiry to qualify for your card. Credit Builder Accounts & Certificates of Deposit made/held by Lead Bank, Sunrise Banks, N.A., First Century Bank, N.A., each Member FDIC. Subject to credit approval.

OpenSky Secured Visa

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We like OpenSky Secured Visa because there is no credit check required to apply, and you can request an extension on your credit line after six months. Unlike most other secured cards, OpenSky also allows you to fund your security deposit in payments, making it even easier to get started.

Best Balance Transfer Card: UNITY® Visa Secured Credit Card - The Comeback Card™

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We like this card because not only does it report your on-time payments to all three credit bureaus (helping you build up those positive credit signals) but it also offers a promotional rate for balance transfers of 9.95% for six months. Considering how difficult it can be to find a good balance transfer card with an easier application process, we especially recommend this card if your goal is to rearrange your credit card debt.

Building (and Protecting) Your Credit

While your score may not be strong enough to allow you apply for credit cards that offer better cashback or rewards, there are many credit cards in our list above that offer at least some of those same benefits and provide more support for reporting your good credit behavior to the bureaus. 

Just as a reminder, payment history can be the heaviest factor when it comes to calculating your credit score. Although you may want to improve your score by applying for a new credit card, make sure that you can avoid any late payments that may hit your reports and jeopardize all your hard work.