Posted by: John S Kiernan

Rating: 3 / 5

The Verdict: The Credit One Platinum Visa Card is one of the most popular credit cards for people with bad credit, thanks largely to its position as one of the few unsecured cards that will even approve applicants who are working their way back from damaged standing. In addition to a $300 minimum credit line, Credit One’s Platinum Visa offers rewards and regular credit-limit increases, or at least the potential for both. You’ll earn 1% cash back on gas and groceries as long as your account is not delinquent, and though you will be regularly considered for a higher credit limit, you are by no means guaranteed of actually receiving one. It all depends on how responsibly you use the card and how generous Credit One Bank is feeling.

Unfortunately, for all that the Credit One Platinum Visa gives you, it also takes an awful lot in return. It charges an annual fee that can be anywhere from $0 to $75 the first year (up to $99 thereafter), depending on creditworthiness, thus reducing your initial credit line to as little as $225. It also has an APR of 15.90% to 24.40%, based on your credit standing.

With all of that being said, your decision of whether to apply for this card should ultimately rest on your need, or lack thereof, of an emergency loan. If obtaining one is a necessity – to cover the cost of car repairs or medical treatment, for example – Credit One’s Platinum Visa will be one of your top options. But if you don’t need extra spending power, perhaps because credit-building is your top priority, then you’d be better off placing a refundable deposit on a no-annual-fee secured card.

The Highlights

• 1% Cash Back On Gas & Groceries: You will earn 1% cash back on every $1 that you spend on gas and groceries using the Credit One Platinum Visa, which will be dispersed to you in the form of a monthly statement credit. Although this is the market-average earning rate for a cash-back credit card, that’s actually great as far as a credit card for bad credit is concerned, as most such cards don’t offer rewards at all.

  The only factor that stands to limit how much you earn is your spending limit. Assuming you’re approved for a $300 credit line and you pay your bill in full on a monthly basis, you’d only be able to earn a maximum of $36 in cash back over the course of a year.

• Automatic Credit Line-Increase Reviews: Credit One Bank promises to regularly consider you for a higher credit limit if you get approved for the Platinum Visa as well as to automatically apply the higher limit if you’re deemed worthy of it. That is an obvious incentive when spending power is in high demand, as tends to be the case with unsecured credit cards for bad credit. However, it’s neither something unique to this Credit One Visa nor a guarantee.

  Most credit-card companies make it a practice to consider customers for higher credit limits; they just don’t always advertise it. What’s more, Credit One does not disclose either the frequency with which cardholders will be evaluated for an increase or the criteria used to make the final determination. This shouldn’t stop you from using your card as responsibly as possible (i.e. always paying your bill on time and maintaining reasonable credit utilization) in hopes of earning an addition to your credit line, but you shouldn’t count on it, either.

The Lowlights

• Annual Fee Of Up To $99: Not only does this card’s pricey annual fee promise to consume a healthy portion of your starting credit line, but you’ll also be kept in the dark about how much it will end up costing you until well after you’ve submitted an application. It could be anywhere from $0 to $99, depending on the state of your credit history as well as what credit limit you’re assigned. That’s a wide range, representing 0% to 33% of a $300 spending limit.

• High Interest Rate: It figures that you will carry a balance with this card at some point, considering that its unsecured credit line is among its main draws. Unfortunately, financing with this type of plastic also stands to be quite expensive. Balances will accrue interest at a rate as “low” as 15.90% or as high as 24.40%, based on your credit standing. For context, the average APR among new credit card offers is 18.16%, according to WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report, while the average secured credit card charges 18.65%. Oh, and the Credit One Card’s terms and conditions note that although its rate is variable, it cannot exceed 29.90%. It’s not clear whether that should be reassuring or not. 

• Egregious Express Payment Fee: When you’re catering to a bad-credit crowd and thus charging high annual fees and interest rates to offset risk, it’s nonsensical to make it both more difficult and more costly for your customers to pay their bills. And that is exactly what the Credit One Platinum Visa does with its $9.95 “express payment” fee. This only increases the odds that cardholders will be unable to pay their bills at all, thus bringing delinquency and default into the equation. So, needless to say, you should skip the express payment option. The CARD Act requires credit card issuers to process payments either the same day they are received or the next, depending on the time. That means you shouldn’t get penalized for making a standard payment. 

• Fee For Requesting A Credit-Limit Increase: While good things may come to those who wait for a credit-limit increase, those who take matters into their own hands and proactively ask for more spending power actually stand to be punished for their brazen approach. More specifically, you may be charged a fee of up to $49 each time you request a higher limit, depending on your credit history and how long you’ve been a cardholder. That certainly isn’t something you come across every day, and thank goodness for that. 

Other Things To Consider

• $300 Minimum Credit Line: Credit One doesn’t disclose what the highest possible spending limit is for its Platinum Visa, but you’re assured of getting an initial credit line of at least $300 (and as much as $500) should you get approved. That should give you a sense of whether this card is capable of covering the emergency expenses that perhaps serve as your impetus for contemplating an application. 

• Free Monthly Credit Score: Credit-score access is extremely beneficial to people with damaged credit, providing a barometer with which to measure improvement. It should not, however, be the reason that you apply for this Credit One card. Many other credit-card companies offer free credit scores, after all, and the one you’ll get from Credit One updates only once per month. In contrast, WalletHub offers free credit scores that are updated on a daily basis. So you could always just use that and make your credit-card choice based on account terms only.

Compared To The Competition

 

	Credit One Platinum Visa	First Premier Bank Gold MasterCard	Capital One® Secured MasterCard®	Harley-Davidson Secured Visa	Milestone MasterCard
Annual Fee	$0 - $99 1st yr, $0 - $75 after	$75 - $125 1st yr, $120 - $173.8 after	$0	$0	$35 - $99
Minimum Deposit	N/A	$300	$49, $99 or $200	$300	N/A
Initial Bonus	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ongoing Rewards	1% Cash Back on Gas, Groceries, Mobile Phone Service, Internet Service, and Cable & Satellite TV Service	N/A	N/A	1 point per dollar spent on all purchases	N/A
2-Year Rewards	$72	N/A	N/A	$570	N/A
Intro Financing	Not offered	Not offered	Not offered	Not offered	Not offered
Regular APR	15.9% to 24.4%	36%	24.99%	23.49%	23.90%
Editors’ Rating	3 Stars	N/A	5 Stars	N/A	3 Stars
Winner	Harley-Davidson Secured Visa		Capital One® Secured MasterCard®

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