How to get a credit card if you have bad credit

What is bad credit?

Bad credit is a term that describes a record of past failures to keep up with payments on your credit agreements. This could mean that you made late payments or missed them entirely.

These get included in your credit report where Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA) compile your history as a borrower. The kind of information your credit report is based on includes:

If your credit record puts off most lenders, then you have bad credit. It can also affect the interest rate and credit limit you get.

What can give you bad credit?

The following can harm your credit record:

You can find out more about how your credit record works, and how to check it, here.

Can you get a credit card with bad credit?

Yes, but it depends on your financial circumstances.

Some providers offer credit cards designed for those with bad credit. These are usually known as credit building cards. They work the same as other cards but are less likely to reject you based on your credit history.

If you keep applying for cards that reject you, this can further harm your credit record, so it is important to look for cards that are more likely to accept you.

You can check how likely a card is to accept you before you apply. This stops you wasting your time or damaging your credit record with rejected applications.

How are credit building cards different from other cards?

They may come with:

You can keep the cost down by paying off the full balance every month so you will not need to pay any interest. You can find out more about how credit card charges work.

Make sure you get accepted

Choose a card that is more likely to accept you by using our comparison of credit cards for bad credit.

Check each card before you apply because they will specify a minimum age (usually 18 but sometimes more) and income.

Here is how you can help make sure you get accepted for a credit card.

Use our eligibility checker to find the cards most likely to accept you.

Keep your costs down

Once you have worked out which cards you can apply for, choose the one with the lowest interest rate, because this will affect how much you have to repay each month.

Compare credit cards for bad credit here

How to rebuild your credit history

Using any type of credit card sensibly can help strengthen your credit history, which could give you a wider choice of credit cards to apply for in the future. To do this, make sure you:

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What if you get rejected?

Do not reapply straight away, because it could damage your credit record. If you need to borrow, you could try to get a loan with bad credit.

Before you make another application, check your credit record and see what you can do to improve it.

You should be able to get a credit building prepaid card instead because some providers do not run credit checks.