OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card doesn’t require a credit check for approval and you don’t need a bank account to be approved. The APR and the annual fee are lower than most credit cards of this type. Unlike some other secured cards, you can’t upgrade the OpenSky® Secured Visa® credit card to an unsecured card.
Pros
No credit check
Reasonable APR
Credit building tool
Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus
No bank account needed
Cons
$35 Annual Fee
Requires $200 minimum security deposit
Can't be upgraded to an unsecured card
The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card is designed for those beginning their credit journey or looking to re-establish their credit. It is among the easiest secured cards to get. You don’t need a bank account, nor do you have to worry about a credit pull when you apply for this card. It does have an annual fee, though. If you qualify for a no-fee secured card that might be a better option. Let’s take a closer look at how the card works, its benefits, and its shortcomings.
What is The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card?
The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card was created by Capital Bank N.A. and was created for people who need to establish or rebuild credit.
They don’t check your credit when you apply and you can get approved with poor credit or no credit at all.
The card reports to all three major credit reporting agencies, which will help you build credit if you handle your card well.
Like most secured cards, it does require an initial security deposit once you get approved.
Who Is Capital Bank N.A.?
Capital Bank N.A. is FDIC insured and headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. They are a Maryland chartered commercial bank that offers commercial and consumer banking services.
Their OpenSky® credit card division offers and services credit cards across all states and they focus on merging digitally based products with personalized services.
Capital Bank N.A. has been around since 1999. Today they have more than $1 billion in assets and have experienced consistent double-digit year-over-year growth.
What Makes OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card Different?
The biggest selling point of the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card is that it’s available to almost anyone. You can apply with no credit check and no bank account.
To top it all off, you get to choose your credit limit based on your initial security deposit. The more you deposit, the higher your limit will be.
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card Rates & Fees
Below are some of the basic features of the OpenSky® Secured Visa® credit card:
- Interest rate: 25.64% Variable APR
- Annual fee: $35
- Rewards: None
- *Security deposit: $200 minimum, $3,000 maximum
- Foreign transaction fee: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
- Cash advance fee: Either $6 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Late payment fee: Up to $40.00
- Returned payment fee: Up to $25.00
Unlike some other secured cards, you can’t upgrade the OpenSky® Secured Visa® credit card to an unsecured card. Once your credit improves you can apply for an unsecured card or a no-fee secured card, close your account, and get your deposit back.
*With secured cards, you will need to provide a refundable security deposit, which determines what your initial credit limit will be. The credit card company holds that deposit in case you don’t pay your bill.
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card Features
The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card has several features that make it one of the best secured credit cards.
The main features of this card include the following:
- No credit check to apply. Zero credit risk to apply!
- Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2/3 of cardholders receive a 48+ point improvement after making 3 on-time payments
- Extend your $200 credit line by getting considered for an unsecured credit line increase after 6 months, no additional deposit required!
- Get free monthly access to your FICO score in our mobile application
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion
- Add to your mobile wallet and make purchases using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
- Fund your card with a low $200 refundable security deposit to get a $200 credit line
- Apply in less than 5 minutes with our mobile first application
- Choose the due date that fits your schedule with flexible payment dates
- Fund your security deposit over 60 days with the option to make partial payments
- Join over 1.2 million cardholders who’ve used OpenSky to build their credit
*View the cardholder agreement
Paying Your Security Deposit
Your security deposit is what will determine your initial credit limit. During Step 4 of the application process, you will choose how you want to make your security deposit.
If You Have A Bank Account
You need to provide your debit card details.
OpenSky® accepts either MasterCard® or Visa® and the application is designed to make it quick and easy no matter if you are on mobile or desktop.
When you submit your application, you are giving OpenSky® the authority to process the full security deposit, this will place an immediate hold on the funds selected as your credit line.
If your application is not approved, your money will be posted back to your account within five days.
They don’t store your debit card information on file.
If You Don’t Have A Bank Account
If you don’t have a bank account, in Step 4 on the application you will need to select the “I’ll need to pay my security deposit at a later date” option.
Once you have been approved, you will receive an email with instructions on how and where to send in your deposit via money order or Western Union.
When you’re ready to close your account, your security deposit will be refunded to you by check.
Keep in mind that as long as you don’t have an outstanding account balance the funds will come back to you. If you have a balance when you close the card they will keep whatever you owe and return the difference.
Requesting A Credit Limit Increase
You can request a credit limit increase at any time by contacting the Customer Service Department.
If you get approved, you’ll receive instructions on how to send the additional security deposit needed to fund the increase to your credit limit.
You may be charged a fee to get the increased credit limit and all credit lines are subject to underwriting approval.
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card Pros & Cons
PROS
- No credit check
- No bank account needed
- A chance to build a credit record
- Relatively low APR
CONS
- $35 annual fee
Steps To Take After You’re Approved
The real work starts once you have been approved for your OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card.
Pay Your Balance In Full Every Month
Like most unsecured cards for bad credit, the Surge Mastercard carries a relatively high interest rate. If you pay your balance in full by the end of each statement period, that won’t matter, because you won’t pay interest, unless you use cash advances.
If you carry a balance over to the next statement period the balance will accumulate interest, and it will stack up very quickly. Paying your balance in full every month is one of the keys to keeping a credit card affordable.
Never make just the minimum payment, tempting though it may seem. That is the fastest way to get caught in the credit card debt trap.
Make On Time Payments
Paying on time sounds like a simple thing to do, but we all live in the real world where things almost never go as planned. It’s not always easy.
Even though it’s not easy, it’s extremely important. Late payments trigger late fees, which can be substantial and can add to your financial problems. They may also trigger penalty interest rates.
Late payments will also do serious damage to your credit score. Payment history is the single most important component of your credit score, and even one late payment can knock your score back substantially.
No matter what, avoid late payments.
Keep Credit Utilization Low
Another factor to consider is credit utilization. This is the percentage of your balance that you actually use. Your balance should never be more than 30% of your credit limit, and under 10% is better.
This can be complicated if your credit limit is low. If your credit limit is $1000, you will want to keep your balance under $300, and under $100 would be better. If your limit is $500, you’ll want to keep your balance under $150, or better yet under $75.
This can be hard to do, but if building credit is a priority keeping a low balance is essential. This is one place where the relatively easy limit increases of the Surge card can help you. A higher limit means lower credit utilization, as long as you keep your spending under control.
👉 Here’s a proven way to build credit with a credit card. Put a small recurring expense on your card, like a Netflix subscription or you internet bill. Set up a pull from your checking account to cover the payment, and put the card away. The balance will stay low, the card will stay active, and all payments will be made on time.
This works best with a no-fee card. Using a card with high fees can be a very expensive way to build credit!
Monitor Your Credit
One of the most overlooked areas of building credit is monitoring your credit. This is truly your first line of defense when trying to build or rebuild your credit.
You should try to find a service that allows you to monitor all 3 of your reports.
With Surge Mastercard you can get your VantageScore 3.0 on your monthly statements. But if you would like to have access to your score more often than once per month it might be worth looking elsewhere.
Monitor Your Credit for FREE!
Credit Sesame’s 100% free credit monitoring service is hassle-free with no strings attached.
How Do I Close My OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card?
You can close your account at any time by contacting the Customer Service Department at the phone number listed on your billing statement or on the back of your credit card. You can also mail a request to:
OpenSky® Card Services
PO Box 9224
Old Bethpage, NY 11804-9224
Is There A Fee For Closing My Account?
Outside of the fees associated with your remaining balance, there is no fee for closing your account.
You will also receive your security deposit back that you used to open your account.
I would recommend keeping the card active as long as you can, there really isn’t a reason to cancel the card any time soon.
Alternatives To The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
A secured credit card through Capital Bank N.A. is a great way to start building credit.
There are other options available for building or rebuilding your credit, and many of them can be used alongside the OpenSky® Card.
Experian BOOST™ can help you build your credit record with phone and utility payments… and it’s absolutely free!.
Self online credit builder loans are straightforward to apply for and the application process is easy.
Taking Action On Your Credit
If you have no credit, a thin credit file, of damaged credit, a credit card can help you build a better credit record. The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card is a great starter choice for people who are having a hard time getting approved for other cards.
There are risks involved in using any credit card, and you’ll need to use discipline and handle your card well to see your credit grow. If you use it badly it could even hurt your credit.
If you have decided on a secured credit card, the only real drawback to this one is the annual fee. There are other secured cards with no fee, and we’d suggest at least checking those to see if you qualify before settling on a card with an annual fee.
If you don’t qualify – and most no-fee secured cards are harder to get than this one – the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card will be one of your top choices.
All Credit Builder Accounts made by Lead Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender, Sunrise Banks, N.A. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender or Atlantic Capital Bank, N.A. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender. Subject to ID Verification. Individual borrowers must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident and at least 18 years old. Valid bank account and Social Security Number are required. All loans are subject to ID verification and consumer report review and approval. Results are not guaranteed. Improvement in your credit score is dependent on your specific situation and financial behavior. Failure to make monthly minimum payments by the payment due date each month may result in delinquent payment reporting to credit bureaus which may negatively impact your credit score. This product will not remove negative credit history from your credit report. All loans subject to approval. All Certificates of Deposit (CD) are deposited in Lead Banks, Member FDIC, Sunrise Banks, N.A., Member FDIC or Atlantic Capital Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.
The Self Visa® Credit Card is issued by Lead Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.
