U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card Review: A Simple Solution for Building Credit

If you’re looking for a basic credit card to help you build credit, the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card is an affordable option. While you’ll need to put down at least a $300 deposit to open the card, you won’t have to pay annual fees or maintenance fees to keep your account open. The card reports to all three credit bureaus, and there’s potential to upgrade to an unsecured card and have your deposit refunded if you keep your account in good standing.

The downside is this card doesn’t come with rewards or many benefits. There are better cards out there for people with poor or limited credit that offer rewards on every purchase. This includes two other secured cards offered by U.S. Bank — the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card and the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Secured Card.

• Deposit amount: $300 to $5,000 (which will match your line of credit)
• Annual fee: $0
• Sign-up bonus: N/A
• Rewards: N/A
• APR: 28.24% variable
• Foreign transaction fee: 3% of each foreign purchase transaction or foreign ATM advance transaction in U.S. dollars; 3% of each foreign purchase transaction or foreign ATM advance transaction in a foreign currency

• Chance to graduate to a secured card

  After 12 months of account history, U.S. Bank will start reviewing your account to see if you’re eligible to upgrade to an unsecured credit card. If you qualify, your account will be automatically upgraded and your security deposit will be returned to you within one to two billing cycles. You’ll also receive a letter within seven to 10 days that will outline the terms of your new card. To determine eligibility, U.S. Bank may look at the following:

  • Payment history
  • Credit reporting with the three major credit bureaus
  • If you’ve had a recent bankruptcy
  • If you have a social security number associated with your account
  Tip: A secured credit card with a clear path to upgrade can save you from having to apply for an unsecured card later on, which would result in a hard inquiry on your credit history.

• Reports to all three credit bureaus

  With the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card, U.S. Bank will monitor your credit activity and regularly report your card status to the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These reports are used to generate your credit score. With responsible credit use and on-time payments, you’ll see positive results in your credit score.

  Tip: You can also check your credit score anytime with U.S. Bank’s mobile app or online banking. This feature is completely free to use with the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card.

  You can also check your credit score for free without negatively impacting your credit by using LendingTree Spring.

• Flexible billing due date

  The U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card allows you to choose when your payment is due. This can be helpful if you want to plan your credit card payments around paychecks or other payment due dates. When you’re approved for the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card, you can contact U.S. bank to set up your payment due date. Not all payment due dates may be available.

  Tip: Paying on time is the most important factor in your credit score, making up 35% of your total credit score, so you should try to make every payment on time.

• No annual fee

  Many credit cards for people with low credit scores come with expensive fees, like a monthly maintenance fee or annual fee. The U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card comes with a $0 annual fee, making it an affordable option to start building credit.

• Requires a security deposit

  The U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card is a secured credit card, meaning you’ll be required to put down a security deposit upfront to own the card. You’ll need to deposit at least $300, with a maximum of $5,000. Your security deposit will become your credit limit. The security deposit is refundable and you’ll get it back when you close the card or upgrade to an unsecured card.

  The upper end of the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card’s credit limit is high compared to other secured cards. For example, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card has a maximum security deposit of only $2,500. But there are many cards that offer a lower minimum deposit. For example, with the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, you can put down a refundable security deposit starting at just $49 to get a $200 initial credit line.

  Tip: Secured credit cards are generally a better choice than unsecured credit cards for bad credit. Unsecured cards for people with low credit scores often come with expensive (and nonrefundable) fees that can amount to more than $100 each year. Secured cards tend to be much more affordable over the long-term, and may be easier to get approved for.

• No rewards or sign-up bonus

  The U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card doesn’t come with a sign-up bonus or rewards program, which is pretty common for secured cards. If you’re focused on credit building, rewards shouldn’t be your top priority, but they are a nice-to-have that can add significantly to the value of a card.

  There are a few secured cards with good rewards programs. For example, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card offers bonus rewards on purchases at gas stations and restaurants plus additional rewards on everyday purchases.

  U.S. Bank also offers two other secured credit cards that earn rewards:

  • The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card earns 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, 2X at grocery stores, grocery delivery, streaming services, gas stations and EV charging stations, 1X on all other purchases.
  • The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Secured Card earns 5% cash back on up to $2,000 in purchases per quarter in the two categories of your choosing, 2% cash back on purchases in one everyday category of your choice, 1% back on other purchases.

• High interest rate

  The U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card has a high 28.24% variable APR. This APR is slightly higher compared to the average APR for secured credit cards, which is around 26.71% for secured credit cards as of January 2025. But, it’s comparable to some of the top secured credit cards.

  For example, the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card has a 29.74% (Variable) APR (see rates & fees) and the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card has a 29.74% (Variable) APR (see rates & fees). It’s best to pay your balance in full each month to avoid paying interest.

U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card vs. Discover it^® Secured Credit Card

The Discover it^® Secured Credit Card is one of the best secured cards for building credit. It offers much more value than you’ll get with the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card. You can earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically.

You can also qualify to upgrade to an unsecured card quicker than with the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card. Discover will conduct monthly reviews starting at seven months to see if you’re eligible to upgrade. There’s also a lower minimum security deposit of $200 and a $0 annual fee.

U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card vs. U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card

If you’re already a U.S. Bank customer, you might want to check out the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card, another secured credit card option from U.S. Bank. It has the same security deposit requirement starting at $300 and a $0 annual fee, but it offers more value than the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card thanks to its rewards program.

The card offers generous rewards across a variety of categories, particularly for dining, takeout and food delivery purchases. Earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, 2X at grocery stores, grocery delivery, streaming services, gas stations and EV charging stations, 1X on all other purchases. This card also gives you a $15 credit for streaming services after 11 months of streaming purchases.

Starting at 12 months, U.S. Bank will review your account to possibly upgrade you to the U.S. Bank Altitude^® Go Visa Signature^® Card — the unsecured version of this card. It’s a top-notch rewards card that you may want to keep in your wallet for the long-term.

U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card vs. Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card is another secured credit card option that offers cash back. You’ll earn 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). This card also offers a $0 annual fee (see rates & fees). Its rewards make it a better choice than the U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card.

The U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card is a decent option if you’re looking for an easy-to-use credit card to build credit. It’s worth it if you plan to use it responsibly for a potential upgrade to an unsecured U.S. Bank card.

But if you’re looking for a secured credit card to help you build credit, there are better secured credit cards that let you earn rewards while you work toward a higher credit score. That includes the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured Card or U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Secured Card.

We devote a large part of the score for credit-building cards to features that help build credit — we want to help you locate cards that don’t cost a lot to own and get help you upgrade to better card offers.

• Annual savings (50% of rating): We calculate how much the average cardholder can save with the card on a yearly basis. If it is a rewards card, we use U.S. Bureau of Labor data and $300 in monthly spend (the typical starting credit limit for an introductory card) to calculate how much the average cardholder can earn in rewards. We then subtract fees — including annual fees and maintenance fees — from this amount.
• Credit building features (50% of rating): We give points for features that help build credit, including reports to all three credit bureaus, regular account reviews for card upgrades and free credit score access. We detract points for features that can be costly to cardholders trying to build credit, such as security deposits, penalty APRs and late payment fees.

Note, that our ratings are a starting point for comparing and choosing the best credit card for building credit. However, your needs may be different from the average cardholder. You should consider the amount you’re likely to spend in a card’s bonus categories and which benefits you value to choose the best card for you.