The Seen Mastercard, issued by Coastal Community Bank, is a lower-fee unsecured credit card for those who are invited to apply and are in the process of rebuilding credit. If you’ve received an invitation by mail or email, you can use the offer code on their website to access the application. As of November 2024, the card targets those who have around a 550 to 620 credit score range, according to Brad Mason, head of card risk and compliance at Seen.Compared to unsecured “fee-harvester” credit cards — which charge steep annual fees, monthly maintenance fees and account setup fees —…

Coastal Community Bank — founded in 1997 and headquartered in Everett, Washington — serves businesses and individuals in the Puget Sound area. Coastal Community Bank also issues a handful of personal and business credit cards. An eclectic group to be sure, Coastal Community Bank’s portfolio encompasses several credit-builder cards, a top-notch cash-back card and a credit card/HELOC hybrid. The bank issues the following credit cards:In general, these credit cards are niche products intended for a specific customer. For those who fall outside of the target demographic, the broader credit card market has more than enough serviceable options. Here’s a sampling…

Salt Lake City-based First Electronic Bank partners with several financial technology companies — including Cardless, Concora and Imprint — to issue a wide variety of credit cards. Among First Electronic Bank’s portfolio are a credit-building card, along with a collection of store cards and co-branded travel cards.Whether their cards are a good fit for you can depend on what you’re looking for. The credit-building card charges high fees, but the co-branded cards may benefit anyone who’s loyal to those brands. Here’s a closer look at First Electronic Bank’s credit cards.For credit-building The Destiny Mastercard®The Destiny Mastercard®, which is serviced by…

Rewards are tied to U.S. BankNot only must you bank with U.S. Bank to get the card’s elevated rates. But even to get the full value of the base 2% cash back rate, you’ll need to have a U.S. Bank account. That’s because even though the U.S. Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card is considered a cash back card, it earns cash back rewards as points. And to get the full value of those points, you must redeem them as a deposit into an eligible U.S. Bank account. In other words, when redeemed as a deposit this way, points are worth…

Meant to jump-start your experience with credit, the Kikoff Secured credit card has a lot of initial appeal for credit newbies. It has a $0 annual fee, earns modest rewards and doesn’t require a credit check, meaning you can get the card with bad credit (credit scores of 629 or lower), or even no credit. But there’s a sneaky hidden cost to the Kikoff card that effectively puts its yearly fee at almost $250. That’s a major asterisk.For the right consumer — namely, renters who generally pay their rent on time — the Kikoff card could be a tool for…

Sara Rathner is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report,” and has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Time, Reuters, NBC News, Business Insider and MarketWatch. Before joining NerdWallet, Sara worked at The Motley Fool for nearly 10 years. She also worked as a freelance personal finance writer and paraplanner and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Read the full article here

Existing Altitude Reserve cardholders will not be moved to another U.S. Bank credit card and will still be able to use their Reserve card. Nothing is changing in terms of the card’s perks or benefits, including its ongoing rewards: 5 points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.3 points per $1 spent on eligible travel and mobile wallet spending.1 point per $1 spent on everything else.The U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card debuted in 2017 and was the bank’s answer to luxury travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and…

When you’re having trouble paying a credit card bill due to circumstances beyond your control, some credit card issuers may be willing to work with you through a hardship plan. Once a well-kept secret, these programs became more prominently advertised during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may also be available for other reasons that hinder your ability to pay, such as unemployment, natural disasters, a family emergency or different qualifying circumstances. But if you can’t get favorable terms through a hardship plan or your issuer doesn’t offer this assistance, there’s still an option to consider. You can seek the help…

Credit card rewards can be a nice perk on your everyday spending, but some Americans may be losing them to credit card interest charges. According to a new NerdWallet survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted online by The Harris Poll, 21% of Americans have used a credit card to earn rewards in the past 12 months despite having credit card debt.But here’s the thing: Credit card debt is expensive, and you’re likely spending more on interest than you’re earning on rewards if you’re carrying a balance.Interest outweighs credit card rewards within monthsLet’s say you get a new rewards…

A new credit card from financial technology company Mesa is promising a long-sought-after feature: the ability to earn credit card rewards on your mortgage payments, without incurring processing fees. Image courtesy of MesaThe $0-annual-fee Mesa Homeowners Card, issued by Celtic Bank, will add another layer of incentives to Mesa’s homeownership platform, which currently rewards you for getting a mortgage or refinancing through a lender or broker in their marketplace. Typically, it’s not advisable — and often impossible — to use a credit card to pay a home loan installment. Many mortgage lenders, credit cards issuers and/or card payment networks don’t…