6 Best Credit Cards for a 600 Credit Score (With Approval Odds)

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Your FICO score can range from 300 on the low end to 850 at the top. A credit score between 600-649 FICO range can make getting a good credit card a challenge. But there’s still hope. Here is a list of the best credit cards for those with a 600 credit score or more.

The goal for everyone is to have excellent credit, but sometimes we don’t have enough credit history, or past credit mistakes are holding us back. As a result, we have fair or average credit. Unfortunately, some of the most highly-rated credit cards, especially those with exceptional rewards, are only available to those with excellent credit. The good news is that there are many credit cards for those with fair credit who want to work on improving their situation.

We’ll look at the best credit cards for fair credit while helping you figure out how to improve your credit score. Let’s get started.

Best Credit Cards for a 600 Credit Score (Fair Credit)

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Best For: Simple cash back rewards on all purchases

Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards for Good Credit

Best For: Earning cash back rewards

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Best For: Easy approval

Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card

Best For: Avoiding fees, no interest, and choosing your own credit limit

The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.

¹To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime® Checking Account. 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 deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.

²On-time payment history can have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Chime will report your activities to Transunion®, Experian®, and Equifax®. Impact on your credit may vary, as Credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.

Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card

Best For: Building credit and keeping an eye on your credit score

Research Methodology

Our ratings are based on comparing credit card offers designed for those with a credit score of 600 to 649.

To create this list, we first narrowed our database of credit cards to those designed for those with fair credit. We considered traditional credit cards and secured cards. We then focused on each card’s interest rates, rewards, and fees.

How to Choose a Credit Card for Fair Credit

Remember that every new credit card you apply for results in a hard inquiry, impacting your credit score. It’s wise to pick a good card or two to minimize the consequences and maximize your benefits. 

Also, consider these factors:

Your Credit Score: While the cards here are designed for fair credit, there’s a big difference between a score of say 600 and 640. The higher your credit score, the more likely you will qualify for a card. You want to ensure that you can apply to see if you pre-qualify without hurting your credit score because the last thing you need when you have a fair credit score is anything else bringing it down. Many cards on our list allow you to prequalify without hurting your FICO score.

Fees: If your credit score has taken a hit due to financial mistakes, you’ll want to take things back to basics. This will include saving money anywhere you can, starting with the annual fee. We prefer credit cards without an annual fee. Most of the cards on our list meet this standard. The few that do charge an annual fee offer something in return, such as cash back rewards.

Rewards: Until recently, it was rare to see cards for fair to average credit offering cash back rewards. Today they are more common, particularly with new card companies such as Petal.

Credit Score Tools: If you have fair credit, your goal should be to improve your credit score, and you’ll want to consider the tools some credit card issuers offer to build and monitor your score quickly. For example, Capital One offers free credit monitoring with CreditWise.

What Is Considered Fair Credit?

Since we’re on the topic of the best credit cards for fair credit, you may be wondering what even counts as a fair credit score, which is definitely a fair question (pun intended). According to Experian, a fair score is a FICO score of around 580 to 669. To fall into this category, you’ll need to have some credit history, at least some of which is good.

You might have a fair score if you make payments on time but have a high debt-to-credit ratio, for instance. Or you might go from a good to a fair score if you go more than 30 days late on a payment to a creditor. Some people are also in that category if they’ve managed their credit well but only have a short credit history.

Not sure what your credit score is? It’s a good idea to check before you apply for a credit card. Knowing your score can help you apply for cards you’re more likely to be approved for. And that keeps you from applying for too many credit cards, which can cause your score to dip more.

Plus, you might qualify for credit cards with better rewards systems if you have a good credit score in the high 600s or low 700s.

What You Need To Know About the Best Secured Credit Cards for Fair Credit

While we mostly list unsecured credit cards for fair credit, we have to address the importance of secured credit cards when building up your credit. Not everyone who applies for the best credit cards for fair credit will get approved.

A secured credit card is a good way to build your credit if you don’t have much of a credit history or if you’re looking to fix your credit after some previous mistakes. With secured credit, you make a financial deposit with the credit card company. The credit card company then holds this amount and uses the money if you miss a payment. If you make your payments on time, your deposited amount stays in your account.

The best secured credit cards will eventually convert to regular credit cards, which give you a higher limit, better credit card rewards, and more flexibility. You’ll want to look at a few different credit card options in this category.

Overall, applying for a credit card with fair credit means you should do your research. It’s best to only apply for a card if you are fairly sure you qualify. There’s always a chance that you’ll get turned down, and it’s important that you don’t get discouraged during the process.

Related: The Best Secured Credit Cards

How Do You Improve Your Fair Credit Score?

If you’re looking to improve your fair credit score, here are the tips that we recommend:

• Make your payments on time – The goal is to make your payments on time so that you can build up your credit history, which would prove to lenders that your creditworthiness has improved.
• Focus on the basics of personal finance – When it comes to money management, you must use this new credit card as a tool. Your goal is to build your credit history by making your payments on time. You want to ensure that you’re budgeting and improving your finances so that you don’t have to worry about having poor credit ever again by being in a situation where you accumulate debt that you can’t pay off promptly.
• Prepare yourself for the next step – Once you start using your new credit card to build up your fair credit, you’ll notice that your situation is improving. You want to ensure you’re ready for the next step and can handle a higher credit limit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Final Thoughts

Don’t let a few credit issues from the past keep you from a brighter credit future. You have what it takes to build excellent credit. We recommend holding onto these cards long enough to move to a higher credit score tier. Once you see that your score is at or just below 700, it’s time to move on to credit cards for good credit.