Guaranteed approval cards usually come in two varieties: secured and unsecured. Secured cards require a deposit that acts as collateral, and sets your credit card limit. Guaranteed approval unsecured credit cards require no deposit, and your credit line is generally based on your credit score. Most guaranteed approval unsecured credit cards are designed for people with bad credit or no credit, and have low credit limits.

If you have bad credit, you’ll want to improve it as quickly as possible. Choose a guaranteed approval unsecured credit card that reports to the 3 major credit bureaus, and your responsible management of this card can help rebuild your score.

Using Guaranteed Approval Unsecured Credit Cards 

When using a rebuilding credit card or a credit card for bad credit, it may take up to 12 months for your credit score to improve enough to start receiving better unsecured credit card offers. After your score is sufficiently raised, you can switch to a card with higher limits, or that offer rewards points.