5 cash back credit cards for fair credit

Written by
Brooklyn Lowery
Terms apply; see the online credit card application for full terms and conditions of offers and rewards.

Your credit report may have a few bumps and bruises, and that’s ok. No one is perfect. Furthermore, just because your credit score is only average, doesn’t mean you can’t qualify for a cash back credit card. In fact, in addition to putting some money back into your pocket, the right credit card can actually help you to build your credit report or heal a credit file damaged in the past. Used properly, credit cards can positively impact your credit. That’s because the financial institutions issuing these cards report to the major credit bureaus each month; therefore, your responsible use, including proper budgeting and consistent on-time payment, could result in an improved score. A higher credit score will help you as you seek to purchase a vehicle or a home in the future or even qualify you for better credit card offers in the future.

Our editors have compiled a list of the best cash back credit cards for people with fair/average credit (FICO puts that in the 580-669). CardRatings considered multiple factors when evaluating these cards, including fees (annual, foreign transaction, late payment, cash advance), cash back rewards, bonus offers, APRs (interest rate), additional perks and benefits of membership and user friendliness.

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Rewards
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Annual Fee
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Regular APR
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Credit Needed
CreditScoreNeeded

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Welcome Offer
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Rewards
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(Note: To qualify for the welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Rewards Checking Plus account through Upgrade and make 3 qualifying debit card transactions from your Rewards Checking Plus account within 60 days of the date the Rewards Checking Plus account is opened. If you have previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not open a Rewards Checking Plus account as part of this application process, you are not eligible for this welcome bonus offer. Your Upgrade Card and Rewards Checking Plus account must be open and in good standing to receive a bonus. To qualify, debit card transactions must have settled and exclude ATM transactions. Please refer to the applicable Upgrade VISA® Debit Card Agreement and Disclosures for more information. Welcome bonus offers cannot be combined, substituted, or applied retroactively. The bonus will be applied to your Rewards Checking Plus account as a one-time payout credit within 60 days after meeting the conditions.)

CardName

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Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_miles_per_dollar
Annual Fee
AnnualFees
Credit Needed
CreditScoreNeeded

CardName

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Rewards
points_miles_per_dollar
Annual Fee
AnnualFees
Regular APR
RegAPR
Credit Needed
CreditScoreNeeded

Petal credit cards are issued by WebBank, Member FDIC

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Welcome Offer
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Rewards
points_miles_per_dollar
Annual Fee
AnnualFees
Credit Needed
CreditScoreNeeded
author
Brooklyn Lowery
Editor & Credit Card Expert

A journalist for nearly 20 years, Brooklyn has published work on a broad range of topics including personal finance and business as well as travel and human interest pieces. As a finance expert, she has provided commentary on credit cards, card rewards and personal finance...Read more

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Disclaimer:

The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.

This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.