WalletHub experts track 1,500+ offers to help you get the right credit card for 18 year olds.
By John Kiernan, Credit Card Editor on May 17, 2024
Fact Checked: Alina Comoreanu, Sr. Researcher May 17, 2024
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The best credit cards for 18-year-olds have low fees and high approval odds, and many even offer rewards or low introductory interest rates. The best credit cards for 18-year-olds also report account information to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis, giving you the chance to build a good credit score (some offers are from WalletHub partners). ... show more
There are three main types of credit cards for 18-year-olds: secured credit cards, student credit cards and “normal” credit cards for people with limited or no credit. Secured credit cards are the easiest to get because they require you to put down a refundable security deposit that doubles as your spending limit. Student credit cards tend to offer the best rates and rewards while charging the lowest fees. But you have to be enrolled in a college or university to get one. If you’re not in school and don’t want to place a deposit, you’ll need to compare unsecured credit cards for limited credit, which are designed for people with less than three years of credit experience.
To help you find the best card for your needs, WalletHub’s editors compared all the credit cards for 18-year-olds in our database of 1,500+ credit card offers. We then selected the best deals for different types of 18-year-olds, which you can check out below
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WalletHub’s credit card experts are committed to helping users find the best credit cards for their needs, above all else. That’s why we use a data-driven approach to compare more than 1,500 credit card offers across the website, removing subjectivity from the equation, and it’s why we have developed the most robust credit card rating system and abide by a strong editorial policy.
1,500+ credit cards tracked site-wide
100-point proprietary rating system
75,000+ data points tracked site-wide
100% editorial independence
15 years of experience
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Best Credit Cards for 18-Year-Olds in 2024
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Best Overall:Capital One Platinum Credit Card
Capital One Platinum Credit Card
Learn MoreLearn Moreon issuer's website - Best for Cash Back:
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Learn MoreLearn Moreon issuer's website - Best for High Approval Odds:
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Learn MoreLearn Moreon issuer's website - Best for Rewards:
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Learn MoreLearn Moreon issuer's website - Best for College Students:
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Learn MoreLearn Moreon issuer's website - Best for Study Abroad:
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students
Learn MoreLearn More
- Best Overall:
Capital One Platinum Credit Card
- Best for Cash Back:
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for High Approval Odds:
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
- Best for Rewards:
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
- Best for College Students:
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for Study Abroad:
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students
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Capital One Platinum Credit Card
5,532 User Reviews
3.7 WalletHub Rating
Purchase Intro APR
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Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR
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Not Offered
Regular APR
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29.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
None
Minimum Credit
Limited History
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is a good credit card for people with average credit or who are new to credit. It is worth applying for the Capital One Platinum Card because of its $0 annual fee and the fact that it reports account information to the 3 major credit bureaus each month. That’s all you need to build credit inexpensively. Just make sure to pay the monthly bills on time and keep your balance well below Capital One Platinum’s credit limit.
Read our editor's full Capital One Platinum review.
Pros
- No annual fee
- Available to people with limited credit
- Free credit-score access
- No foreign transaction fee
Cons
- No rewards
- High regular APR
- No reduced introductory rates
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
6,092 User Reviews
3.9 WalletHub Rating
Purchase Intro APR
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Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR
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Not Offered
Regular APR
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29.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$39
Rewards Rate
1.5 - 5% Cash Back
Bonus Offer
None
Bonus Offer
None
Minimum Credit
Limited History
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a very good credit card for people with limited or fair credit who want to earn rewards. Capital One QuicksilverOne is worth the $39 annual fee if you spend at least $780 to $2,600 per year (according to our calculations) and pay the bill in full each month, thanks to rewards of 1.5 - 5% cash back and a high APR.
Read our editor's full Capital One QuicksilverOne review.
Pros
- 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Available to people with limited or fair credit
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- $39 annual fee
- Above-average regular APR
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
2,943 User Reviews
4.7 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $200
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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28.24% Variable
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
1 - 2% Cash Back
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is 2024's best secured card because it has a $0 annual fee and gives good rewards on purchases. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is also worth it because it doubles the rewards new cardholders earn the first year as an anniversary present. The minimum deposit for Discover it Secured Credit Card is $200, on the low end of minimum deposits for a secured credit card.
Read our editor's full Discover it Secured Credit Card review.
Pros
- No annual or monthly fees & No fees for account opening
- Up to 2% cash back
- First-year rewards doubled
- Relatively low minimum deposit
Cons
- High regular APR
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
242 User Reviews
4.7 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $200
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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29.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
1.5 - 5% Cash Back
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good credit card for people who want to earn rewards and avoid fees while building upon limited credit history or a bad credit score. Capital One Quicksilver Secured has a $0 annual fee and rewards cardholders with 1.5 - 5% cash back on purchases. You will have to put down a $200+ security deposit to open an account, and the amount of the deposit will become your spending limit. But the deposit is fully refundable, and it actually makes the card easier to get.
Read our editor's full Capital One Quicksilver Secured review.
Pros
- Great rewards
- No annual fee
- Relatively low minimum deposit
- Qualify with limited credit history
Cons
- High interest rate
First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card
3,830 User Reviews
3.6 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $200
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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19.24% (V)
Annual Fee
$39
Monthly Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
1% Cash Back
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card is a fairly inexpensive option for people with limited credit who want a starter credit card with high approval odds or people looking to rebuild damaged credit. For the price of the First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard’s $39 annual fee, plus a refundable security deposit of at least $200, cardholders get to add information to their three major credit reports each month and up to 1% cash back on purchases. If the card’s monthly reporting to the big three credit bureaus details on-time payments and reasonable credit utilization, it will contribute to credit score improvement.
Read our editor's full First Progress Platinum Select review.
Pros
- Qualify with limited or no credit history
- Relatively low security deposit
- 1% cash back on payments
Cons
- Membership fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
8,632 User Reviews
3.8 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $49, $99 or $200
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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29.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card is a very good credit card for building credit at a low cost. The card is easily worth it because it offers a $0 annual fee and a $200 starting credit limit in return for a refundable security deposit that could be as low as just $49. Or, the deposit requirement could be $99 or $200, depending on the specifics of your credit history and the current state of your finances.
Read our editor's full Capital One Platinum Secured review.
Pros
- No annual or monthly fees
- Starting credit line $200
- Great for credit-building
Cons
- No rewards
- Higher-than-average interest rate
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
6,745 User Reviews
3.3 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $200
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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25.64% (V)
Annual Fee
$35
Monthly Fee
$0
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The OpenSky Credit Card is a good credit card for people with bad credit who want high approval odds because there is no credit check when you apply. The downside of the OpenSky Card is its $35 annual fee, but that can be worth it for the chance to rebuild your credit.
Read our editor's full OpenSky review.
Pros
- Reasonable $35 annual fee
- As low as $200 minimum deposit
Cons
- 3% foreign transaction fee
OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card
171 User Reviews
3.9 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $300
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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29.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card is a very good credit card for people with bad credit or no credit history who want to begin building credit as soon as possible without a credit inquiry slowing them down. The OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card won’t check your credit when you apply, so you can have high approval odds even with severely damaged credit. Plus, there’s no annual fee, so credit improvement doesn't have to cost you a thing.
Read our editor's full OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card review.
Pros
- No membership fees
- Qualify with limited or no credit history
Cons
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
- Requires security deposit
Reflex® Platinum Mastercard®
613 User Reviews
1.8 WalletHub Rating
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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35.90% (Fixed)
Annual Fee
$75 - $125
Monthly Fee
$0 1st year, up to $12.50 after
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The Reflex Card is an expensive starter credit card for people with limited or no credit history, as well as those with bad credit looking to start over. It belongs to the Mastercard credit card network but is issued by Celtic Bank and managed by Continental Finance Company.
Read our editor's full Reflex review.
Pros
- Qualify with limited or no credit history
- Does not require security deposit
Cons
- High membership fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
OpenSky Launch Secured Visa® Credit Card
7 User Reviews
3.1 WalletHub Rating
Secured Credit Card
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Min Deposit of $100
One-Time Fees
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$0
Regular APR
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29.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
$2 intro 1st yr, $3 after
Minimum Credit
Bad
Apply Now
WalletHub's Take: The OpenSky Launch Secured Visa® Credit Card is a good credit card to consider if you have a bad credit score and only $100 to spare for the refundable deposit on a secured card. Most other secured credit cards require a minimum of $200 to $300 for a deposit.
Read our editor's full OpenSky Launch Secured Card review.
Pros
- Qualify with limited or no credit history
Cons
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
- Requires security deposit
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WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
