The best credit cards for bad credit in Canada
Did you know there are credit cards specifically for people who have a low or no credit score? We’ve rounded up the best cards that can help build your credit.
Maybe you’re one of the many Canadians who missed a debt payment in the last year. Or maybe you’re a newcomer to Canada, or you’re a young person who hasn’t established a credit history yet. Whatever the reason for your low or non-existent credit score, you’ll need to show lenders that you can handle credit responsibly. The credit cards on this list can help you do that, and they are accessible to most applicants, regardless of their credit history.
| Category | Credit Card |
|---|---|
| Best overall secured credit card for people with bad credit | Home Trust Secured Visa |
| Best secured credit card for rewards | Secured Neo Mastercard |
| Best credit card for bad credit | Capital One Low Rate Guaranteed Mastercard |
| Best credit card for newcomers to Canada | Scotiabank Momentum No-Fee Visa |
Why trust us
MoneySense is an award-winning magazine, helping Canadians navigate money matters since 1999. Our editorial team of trained journalists works closely with leading personal finance experts in Canada. To help you find the best financial products, we compare the offerings from over 12 major institutions, including banks, credit unions and card issuers. Learn more about our advertising and trusted partners.
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Best overall secured credit card for people with bad credit
At a glance: The Home Trust Secured Visa offers more flexibility than most secured credit cards by offering you two options: an interest rate of 19.99% with no annual fee, or a lower interest rate of 14.90% with a $59 annual fee. You also have a say on your credit limit: Deposit $500 to $10,000 and your chosen amount becomes your limit. Home Trust reports payments to the credit bureaus, so responsible use of this card will boost your score. Home Trust is a member institution of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, so your deposit is protected.
Home Trust Secured Visa
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: None (designed for people looking to rebuild credit)
Welcome offer: None
Card details
| Interest rates | 19.99% on purchases and 19.99% on cash advances |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | 300 or higher |
Pros
- Cardholders can choose between an annual fee of $59 and a 14.90% interest rate or no annual fee and a 19.99% interest rate.
- If you choose the lower interest rate, you can pay the $59 annual fee in a lump sum or installments.
Cons
- There’s a $12 additional fee for accounts that are inactive for a year.
- This card doesn’t have any extras or perks.
- Not available to residents of Quebec.
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Best secured credit card for rewards
At a glance: You can start using the Secured Neo Mastercard with a deposit of as little as $50, and it has a cash back program that can get you an average of 5% cash back for purchases at partner businesses. You can also subscribe to optional “Bundles” that give you the ability to make your card more suited to your spending habits, with boosted rewards and various perks like insurance.
Secured Neo Mastercard
Annual fee: $60
Rewards: A minimum of 0.5% cash back and an average of 5% cash back on purchases at partners
Welcome offer: earn $25 cash back.
Card details
| Interest rates | 19.99% on purchases (19.99% to 24.99% for Quebec residents) and 22.99% on cash advances (22.99% to 25.99% for Quebec residents) |
| Income required | None |
| Credit score | 690 or higher |
Pros
- Tailor the card to your needs using customizable Bundles.
- Earn unlimited cash back on your purchases.
- This is a guaranteed approval credit card so as long as you’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of the age of majority in your home province or territory, and you can pay a small security deposit, you’ll be approved.
Cons
- You’ll have to shop with partners to get the most cash back. Rewards may be limited for those who support independent shops and those in rural areas.
- There are almost no extras with this card unless you subscribe to a Bundle.
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Best credit card for bad credit
At a glance: You are guaranteed to be approved for the Capital One Guaranteed Secured Mastercard, as long as you’re of the age of majority in your province, you don’t have an existing Capital One account (or have applied for one in the past 30 days), and you haven’t had a Capital One account in bad standing in the past year. This card offers an effective way to build your credit—even if you have a low credit score—and even offers a few extras.
Capital One Guaranteed Secured Mastercard
Annual fee: $59
Rewards: None (designed for people looking to rebuild credit)
Welcome offer: None
Card details
| Interest rates | 19.80% on purchases, 21.90% on cash advances, 19.80% on balance transfers |
| Income required | None |
| Credit score | None (designed for people with bad credit) |
Pros
- You’re guaranteed approval as long as you meet basic eligibility criteria.
- Comes with some travel benefits, including common carrier travel accident coverage and car rental collision/loss damage waiver.
Cons
- Comes with some travel insurance, but you’ll likely need to buy supplemental protection.
- There’s a $59 annual fee and the regular interest rate is 21.9%, so this card is not ideal if you’re carrying a balance.
- This card doesn’t offer the ability to earn rewards or cash back.
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Best credit card for newcomers to Canada
At a glance: Newcomers often have no Canadian credit record, which can hinder their ability to apply for a loan or mortgage, or initiate a relationship with their bank. The Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa remedies that with a no-fee card that earns cash back rewards and comes with a beefy welcome bonus to boot.
Scotia Momentum No-Fee Visa Card
Annual fee: $0
- 1% cash back at gas stations, grocery stores, drug stores and recurring bills
- 0.5% on everything else
Welcome offer: earn 5% cash back on all purchases for the first 3 months (up to $2,000 in total purchases). Offer ends October 31, 2024.
Card details
| Interest rates | 19.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances, 22.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | $12,000 per year |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
Pros
- Transfer balances from other cards and pay no interest for six months.
- Earn 1% cash back on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, drug stores and recurring payments, and 0.5% cash back on everything else.
- Supplementary cards are free, so you can have family members or trusted friends on your account.
Cons
- This card doesn’t offer any included insurance protections.
- After six months of benefitting from 0% interest on balance transfers, the interest reverts to 22.99%.
Do you need a balance transfer card instead?
More than 1.26 million Canadians missed at least one credit payment during the first three months of 2024—the highest level since 2020, according to credit reporting agency Equifax Canada. And fewer people paid down their credit card balances in full, leading to a rise in delinquencies. If you’re having trouble paying off credit card debt, consider moving your current balance to a balance transfer credit card offering an ultra-low interest rate for a limited time. It may just give you enough breathing room to pay off the balance and avoid any hits to your credit score.
—MoneySense editors
Frequently asked questions
Your credit score is a three-digit number, generally between 300 and 900, which shows how good you are at managing credit and loans. What is considered a “good” and “bad” score may differ from institution to institution, but generally, a “poor” credit score is below 560. If your credit score is below 660, it may be hard to find a creditor and, if you do, the terms may not be optimal. Scores between 660 and 759 are considered “good” or “very good.” A credit score of 760 or above is considered “excellent.”
As with any other type of credit card, it’s important to compare fees, interest rates and repayment terms. Remember that each application for a credit card you submit affects your score, so be strategic. Make a list, apply for your top card and wait for a response before trying the next one.
Canada has two credit bureaus that monitor credit history: Equifax and TransUnion. You can contact them to request your credit score. You can also seek your credit score and credit report from third parties that use Equifax or TransUnion data, such as Borrowell, ClearScore and Credit Karma. (Read their terms and conditions before you sign up.) Checking your credit score won’t hurt your score.
How are credit scores calculated?
These variables affect your credit score.
- Payment history: Whether you pay your bills in full and on time, any missed payments and how long you owed money.
- Credit history: The longer you’ve managed credit and the longer the accounts have remained in good standing, the better your score. This is why you should hang on to unused credit card accounts even if you don’t use them.
- Debt load: The total amount of money you owe to creditors, including credit cards, loans and mortgages.
- Credit utilization ratio: This refers to the amount of debt you carry compared to the amount of credit you have. Keeping the ratio below a certain threshold can help boost your score.
- Types of credit you carry: Your score improves when you can demonstrate that you can manage debt with a number of different types of credit—a mortgage, a car loan, and credit cards, for example.
- Loan applications: Each time you apply for credit, your score takes a small, temporary hit—so avoid applying for multiple sources of credit in a short period of time.
- Credit history: This shows lenders you can repay your debt, so apply for a card early and use it responsibly.
What is a secured credit card?
A poor credit history will limit the cards available to you, but you still have options. For starters, when using a credit card to rebuild your credit score, you’ll need to choose between a secured card and an unsecured card.
A secured credit card is offered on the condition that you “secure” it with collateral, usually in the form of a refundable cash deposit that can be claimed by the lender if you default on your payments. These cards are marketed directly to those with bad credit, so they have an easier approval process, and the cards themselves come with no frills. Lenders report your activity to Canada’s two main credit bureaus, TransUnion and Equifax. Over time, as you continue to repay your debts responsibly, you’ll build a credit history. With a prepaid card, the credit limit is directly based on the holder’s deposit.
Unsecured cards, on the other hand, aren’t generally available to people with bad credit scores but are occasionally offered to those with “fair” scores—usually in the range of 600 to 650. As the name suggests, an unsecured card doesn’t require a deposit. Plus, unlike secured cards, many unsecured cards offer rewards (such as points or cash back). That said, these cards often have tougher approval requirements than unsecured cards. And as with all kinds of contracts, it’s always a good idea to read the fine print when applying for a new credit card.
What is a guaranteed approval credit card?
A guaranteed credit card is a card that you’ll be approved for, as long as you meet certain minimal requirements. Whereas most credit cards require a good to excellent credit score or a high minimum annual income, guaranteed credit cards are designed for those with no credit or poor credit. The criteria for guaranteed credit cards are far simpler, and usually include:
- being a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- being of the age of majority in your home province or territory
- not being in bankruptcy
- being able to pay a small security deposit
Guaranteed credit cards don’t usually come with any perks or extras because they’re tailored for those working towards improving their credit score.
Establishing your credit score as a newcomer to Canada
Unfortunately, if you’re a newcomer to Canada, your credit score from your home country won’t follow you here. As a result, your credit card choices may be more limited, but this also means you can start building a new score from scratch—which, for some, can be a positive thing. One approach is to get started with a secured card, with the goal of graduating to a better, unsecured card once your credit score has improved.
Another way to build your Canadian credit score might be through a program for newcomers at a bank. For example, Scotiabank’s StartRight program is designed specifically for newcomers to Canada, providing access to credit, a savings account, no-fee international money transfers and help from the bank’s financial advisors. Similarly, BMO’s NewStart program can issue you a credit card, a bank account, a safety deposit box and even mortgage options.
How we determine the best cards
The MoneySense editorial team selects the best credit cards by assessing the value they provide to Canadians across various categories. Our best credit cards for people with bad credit ranking is based on an extensive list of card details and features, including approval likelihood, annual fees, interest rates, welcome offers and annual income requirements. We have also considered the pros and cons of each card to help you determine which ones best suit your financial needs. Our rankings are an unbiased source of information for Canadians. The addition of links from affiliate partners has no bearing on the results. Read more about how MoneySense makes money.
More of the best credit cards:
- Best credit cards in Canada
- Best low interest credit cards
- Best balance transfer credit cards
- Best student credit cards
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