OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
By Carlos Acosta · How we rank cards
Approval Odds
Fair/Poor (580+)
Fee Risk
Annual fee charged immediately.
Best For
Best for renting and building payment history.
We evaluate based on fee transparency, bureau reporting, and approval odds. Rankings are editorial and not influenced by compensation.
Reviewed by Carlos Acosta
Carlos Acosta is a credit education writer and independent reviewer at BadCreditFirst. Reviews are written for educational purposes to help people rebuilding credit. BadCreditFirst is not a lender and does not guarantee approval for any product. View author bio.
Pros & Cons
- No credit check to apply
- Refundable deposit starts at $200
- Reports to all 3 credit bureaus
- Predictable approval for bad credit
- $35 annual fee charged upfront
- Not for people who need rewards
- Deposit ties up funds until graduation
Who is the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card Best For?
Best for renting and building payment history.
What to Watch Out For
People who can't deposit $200 or need rewards.
The Upgrade Path
Unsecured Platinum after 6 months.
What Rebuilding Credit Usually Looks Like
Credit improvement is not instant. Most people see progress in predictable stages.
- Month 0–1
- Account approved and opened
- Initial deposit or setup completed
- Credit line reports to bureaus
- Month 2–3
- First on-time payments reported
- Credit utilization stabilizes
- Early score movement possible
- Month 4–6
- Consistent payment history builds
- Approval odds for better cards improve
- Fewer rejections when applying
- Month 6–12
- Graduation or upgrade options appear
- Lower fees and higher limits possible
- Stronger overall credit profile
Results vary based on payment history, balances, and past credit issues.
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Compensation may influence how and where offers appear, but it does not affect our editorial opinions, reviews, or evaluations. All content is created independently to help consumers make informed decisions.
BadCreditFirst.com is not a lender and does not guarantee approval for any credit card or financial product. All applications are subject to the issuer's terms, conditions, and approval criteria.
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Editorial vs affiliate: Our reviews, ratings, and recommendations are independent. We do not rank products by compensation. See our methodology and advertiser disclosure.
Independent & advertising-supported.Approval not guaranteed.
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