Compare Credit Builder Credit Cards

Improve your credit rating with a credit builder card - also known as bad or poor credit credit cards.

If you're looking for a credit card to rebuild your credit rating, uSwitch can help.

We compare the best credit cards for bad credit on the market - cards that can help repair your credit rating or strengthen it if you have no credit history at all.

The cards below are ordered by interest rate (APR).

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Barclaycard Platinum 18 Month Balance Transfer Visa

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  • Designed for people with a limited credit history
  • 0% interest on balance transfers for 18 months from account opening(2.9% handling fee applies)
  • You are unlikely to be accepted if you have defaulted on a payment or received a CCJ in the last 2 years
24.9% APR

Representative Example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 24.90% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 24.9% APR (variable).

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Compare credit builder cards:

Sort by: 		Representative APR (variable)  
1
Original

aqua Classic Credit Card

  • Credit builder card which claims to offer people credit when others won't.
  • Initial credit limit of £250 to £1,600 with possible increase after 4 months.
  • Aqua accept people who have had CCJs or are on a low income.
  • Free Aqua credit checker worth up to £80.
  • A 60 second response.

29.7% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: none
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 29.73% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 29.7% APR (variable).

2
Original

Vanquis Bank Aquis Visa

  • The Vanquis Bank Aquis credit card comes with one of the lowest APRs in the credit builder market.
  • Your credit limit increases in stages up to a maximum of £3,000.

29.8% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: £4,000
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,000 at a rate of 29.84% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 29.8% APR (variable).

3
Original

Barclaycard Initial

  • 0% on purchases for 3 months from opening your account
  • Receive £10 cashback when you spend a minimum of £200 in the first 3 months of opening your account
  • Start with a low, manageable credit limit that Barclaycard may later review and increase
  • You are unlikely to be accepted if you have missed payments or had a CCJ in the past 12 months

29.9% APR

More information

Rewards

  • Travel Service
    Offers discount through Travel Service on tour operator price and booking fee waived for holidays paid for with card.

More details

  • 0% on purchases for 3 months
  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: £10,000
  • Min age is 18
  • Not available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 29.9% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 29.9% APR (variable).

4
Original Most popular!

Capital One Classic MasterCard

  • Great for people who want to build or rebuild their credit rating
  • Suitable for those with past CCJs or defaults
  • Credit limit from £200 to £1,500 with no annual fee
  • Unlikely to be accepted if you've never had credit in the UK

34.9% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: £10,000
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 34.94% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 34.9% APR (variable).

5
Original

aqua Advance Credit Card

  • Offers the chance to cut your APR by 5% a year over 3 years - you could end up with a much reduced APR of 19.9%.
  • Maximum credit limit of £1,600 applies.
  • Aqua accept people who have had CCJs or are on a low income.
  • Free Aqua credit checker worth up to £80.
  • No foreign exchange fees.
  • A 60 second response.

34.9% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: none
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 34.92% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 34.9% APR (variable).

6
Original

Capital One Classic Extra

  • 0.5% cashback on all your purchases with no annual fee to pay.
  • Geared towards building your credit rating, with a maximum credit limit of £1,500.

34.9% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: £10,000
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 34.94% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 34.9% APR (variable).

7
Original

Vanquis Bank Visa

  • Credit limit increases after the first 4 months and raises every 4 months thereafter.
  • Maximum credit limit of £3,000.

39.9% APR

More information

Rewards

  • Travel Service
    For Gold customers only - emergency medical assistance and legal referral.

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: £4,000
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,000 at a rate of 39.94% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 39.9% APR (variable).

8
Original

aqua Classic Credit Card

  • Initial credit limit of £250 to £1,600 and a possible increase after 4 months.
  • Aqua accept people who have had CCJs or are on a low income.
  • Free Aqua credit checker worth up to £80.
  • A 60 second response.

39.9% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: none
  • Min age is 18
  • Is available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a rate of 39.95% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 39.9% APR (variable).

9
Original

Black Diamond Credit Card

  • This credit building card comes with an initial credit limit of £150 to £1,000 and no monthly or annual fees.
  • High APR of 59.9%.

59.9% APR

More information

More details

  • No card fee

Can I get this card?

  • Not available to existing customers
  • Min income required: £4,000
  • Min age is 18
  • Not available for customers with a CCJ

Representative example: When you spend £250 at a rate of 59.94% (variable) per annum, your Representative APR is 59.9% APR (variable).

What are credit builder or credit cards for bad credit?

These types of credit card are designed for people struggling with either a poor or limited credit rating.

They can help to create a positive loan repayment history, as the fact that you are successfully paying off a manageable credit card debt every month is noted on your credit file.

Reasons for bad credit

A bad credit rating can often be the result of one or more of the following:

  • Not paying utility bills, credit card bills, loan repayments or rent on time
  • County Court Judgments (CCJs)
  • Not being on the electoral register

Improving your credit rating

A good start is to understand what you can and can’t afford to borrow.

You should make sure that your credit limit is something you’re able to manage consistently over a period of time until you repay the amount in full - you’ll then start to establish a better credit history and increase your chances of eligibility with future providers.

Your credit card billing address should also match the address you're registered to vote at, as any differences could affect your credit file.

The disadvantages of credit builder cards

By offering credit cards for bad credit, providers understand that many applicants will have a history of not meeting their repayments.

To help insure against this, they usually charge higher standard interest rates – often 30% and above - than most credit card providers.

Credit cards for bad credit - bills and rates

If you’re able to meet your monthly repayments, it’s likely that you’ll be offered a card with a better rate in the future. However, if you default at any time your credit rating is likely to worsen.

As with most credit cards, if you pay off your bills at the end of every month you won’t pay any interest - regardless of the rate. Despite this, it’s still worth looking for the lowest rate possible just in case.

Compare bad credit credit cards with uSwitch

Our credit card comparison table allows you to filter the best cards specifically designed to help strengthen your credit rating - compare credit cards for bad credit today.