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Tired of Secured Credit Cards? Take Your Credit To the Next Level

Secured credit cards are a great way to rebuild credit for those who want to avoid the higher fees and interest rates that often accompany unsecured credit cards for bad credit.  But what's the next step on the path to excellent credit after you've managed to pull your FICO scores out of the dump and into the average credit range? You really shouldn't use a secured credit card for one day longer than you absolutely must. Unfortunately, many people tend to hang onto them for way too long because they're worried about using unsecured credit again. This is a mistake and will only cost you more time and money as you work to get your credit scores back where you want them.

Credit Cards for Fair Credit

As soon as your credit scores finally begin to climb above 650 once again, conduct a search online and begin comparing what options you have for fair credit credit cards. You might also want to speak with the credit issuer of your secured card to find out if they would be willing to upgrade you to an unsecured credit card for average credit. This is the easiest route to take in many cases.  However, if they won't upgrade your card, don't worry— there are plenty of other good options out there to consider. While a lot of the credit cards for fair credit will still have annual fees, many will also offer rewards programs which you should be excited to finally use to your advantage.  

Barclaycard® Rewards MasterCard® - Average Credit

Apply for a credit card with fair credit that A.) Offers 6 months interest-free applied to new purchases and balance transfers and B.) Features an excellent cash back program, including 2,500 bonus points just for making your first purchase. It's the Barclaycard® Rewards MasterCard® - Average Credit - click "Apply" to the left for complete details!

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Joshua Heckathorn's picture

Joshua Heckathorn is a credit expert and has been featured on CNNMoney, FOX Business, Yahoo Finance, The Street, and many other national publications during the past twenty years.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Management (Finance) from Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business and earned his MBA from Seattle University.

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