No credit history? No problem. The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® may be able to get you approved in about 60 seconds. Could it help you build your credit? Find out in our review.

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Look, we’ve all made financial mistakes in our lives. Those mistakes impact your credit score and your odds of getting approved for a credit card becomes more difficult. If you have a FICO score below 600, the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® may be the go-to option that can help in picking up your score, if used correctly. Keep on reading for a detailed review of Indigo® Platinum Mastercard®.

What Is the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard®?

Issued by the Celtic Bank, the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® is for consumers looking for a traditional credit card but have trouble getting approved for one due to bad credit or no credit history.

Related: Experian Boost Review – Improve Your Credit Score for Free

Those with a FICO score from 300 to 579 are the targeted market for this card. Since the card is designed for consumers with poor credit or people building credit, it doesn’t come with the usual perks taken for granted in other cards, such as cash back and other rewards.

Related: Credit Pros Review: Get Expert Help Building Your Credit

Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® Features

The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® is a great starting card for building credit that comes with easy approval and credit-building leverage. Whether you’re a millennial getting your first credit card or a business owner struggling with bad credit due to a bankruptcy filing, this is the review you should be reading.

Related: Why are Millennials Using Prepaid Credit Cards?

The maximum limit on the card is $300 and doesn’t go beyond that amount, even with timely payments and reasonable utilization rates.

Quick, Easy, Application Process

One of the great features of this card is that the application process is fast and easy.

The pre-qualification criteria are fundamental; you need to be 18 or older and have not submitted a pre-qualification request with the same company in the last 60 days. After applying, the typical response time is a minute.

Pre-Qualification

Before you’re formally approved for the card, you can submit a pre-qualification application, so your eligibility for the card can be assessed.

Keep on reading to discover why this is an excellent feature for consumers with low scores.

Credit Check

When you apply for a line of credit, the card issuer or lender will run a credit check. This process is known as credit pull (sometimes called a hard inquiry) and will hurt your scores for some time.

It might not matter for most consumers but those with poor scores, even a slight fall, can have a significant impact.

The advantage of pre-qualification is that it will tell you whether you’re eligible to be approved for the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® without pulling your credit.

No Deposit Required

A significant feature of the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® is that you get one without having to put down a security deposit. For people already in a financial crunch, this is quite a useful feature.

Build Credit Through Reporting

By reporting to the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian), the card becomes a building block on the road to establishing good credit.

By making timely payments on your credit card, your credit score will eventually improve as Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® reports this to the bureaus.

Lively Colors

The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® livens up your wallet by coming in six color designs. Colorful waves or lion cubs, the card’s exciting colors add a splash of excitement every time you whip it out. Other credit cards usually charge for customization features.

Fees

Many credit cards out there have a no-fee policy in place, but that’s reserved for people with good credit. However, by using Indigo® Platinum Mastercard®, you can eventually build excellent credit and be eligible to apply for a card with no fees. In the meanwhile, the fee system for this card is defined below.

Annual Fees

The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® charges an annual fee anywhere between $0 and $99. The potential for a $0 annual fee makes this card different from other weak-credit score cards. Though for the $0 fee, you need to have an eligible credit profile. Many users are eligible to receive a first-year annual fee waiver. This implies that you won’t have to pay the annual fee for using this card in the first year. If you want to build credit, then check after the first year of having the card if you’ve accumulated enough credit to apply for another card. This way you can avoid the annual fees for the second year.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

The card charges a flat rate of 23%. This is the average standard for such credit cards though it’s higher than other ordinary cards. The good thing is that the cardholder receives a 25-day grace period, i.e., the time frame after the payment is due before which you will be charged zero interest. By paying off the balance in full each month, you can virtually avoid the 23.90% interest rate. If you miss a payment after its due date, the penalty APR stands at 29.90%.

Foreign Transaction Fees

Most credit cards charge between 3% and 5% for any purchases in a foreign country, but the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® charges a 1% fee, which is quite generous.

Signup Process

The online process has a few simple and short questions. If you have all your information on hand, such as employment records, social security number, bank account details, etc., you can be done in under a minute.

Security

The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® offers a range of security features such as identity theft resolution and zero-liability insurance. If your identity has been stolen, the identity theft resolution service helps you shut down your accounts and even fight fraudulent charges. Even when the card is lost or stolen, the zero-liability insurance implies that you won’t be liable for any charges.

Customer Support

I came across some bad reviews in my research regarding the customer service of the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard®, but the company has been working on it. Potential questions and concerns can be voiced over phone, email, or fax. If you already have an account, you can utilize the online portal any time of the day.

Pros and Cons

Alternatives

Best for Building Credit: Capital One® Secured Mastercard®

No annual fee and access to higher credit on timely payments within the first five months make Capital One® Secured Mastercard® the go-to card for credit-building consumers. A point to be noted is that the card offers no cash back or other rewards and requires you to pay a low-security deposit ranging from $49 to $200 depending on credit.

Best for Cash Back: Discover it® Secured

The Discover it® Secured card is also another great alternative for consumers looking to build credit. It doesn’t charge an annual fee, and with the card’s cash back program, you can even earn some profit. The card also allows you a larger credit limit of up to $2,500, but it comes with an equally large deposit as collateral.

Who is the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® Best For?

• Students with no credit history
• Anyone with a credit score of 600 or lower
• Consumers who haven’t built up enough credit to be eligible for other credit cards
• Anyone who’s finding it hard to get approved for a line of credit

Bottom Line

The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® has some great features and benefits for a credit card meant for subprime borrowers. While there are other cards for people with low or bad scores, they are often secured cards. For consumers looking for a way around the stigma of using a secured card, the Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® is an excellent choice for anyone with no credit history or a low credit score.

Topics: Credit • Credit Cards • Reviews

The post Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® Review – No Credit History, No Problem appeared first on The Dough Roller.

via Finance Xpress