Barclaycard Rewards Mastercard: Once a Fine Option for Fair Credit
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In its time, the Barclaycard Rewards MasterCard® was one of the better rewards credit cards available for people with fair or average credit. The card was pulled from the market around 2016, but people in its targeted credit score range — about 620 to 690 — have other options for earning credit card rewards.
What the Barclaycard Rewards MasterCard® offered when it was still available
2 points per dollar spent on gas, groceries and utilities.
1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
No annual fee.
Free access to your FICO credit score.
The opportunity to get a higher credit limit after five consecutive on-time payments.
Rewards points were worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed for statement credit, and the amount of bonus rewards you could earn was uncapped.
The Barclaycard Rewards MasterCard® didn't offer a sign-up bonus, and its ongoing APR was rather high. But the same can be said of most cards designed for people with credit scores in the "fair" range.
Alternatives to the Barclaycard Rewards MasterCard®
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
The fair-credit version of the popular (and much-advertised) Quicksilver cash-back card, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases. That's the same rate offered by the regular version. However, this card has a $39 annual fee, compared with $0 for the standard card. It also doesn't offer the sign-up bonus or intro APR period of the original.
Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®
The $0-annual-fee Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® is a unique card that advertises "the flexibility of a credit card with the low cost and predictability of a personal loan." You earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. You can pay your bill in full like with a regular credit card, but any balance carried over to the next month is automatically converted into an installment loan with a fixed monthly payment. You can also borrow against your credit limit, much like a personal loan, and you can see what terms you'd qualify for without a hard credit inquiry.
Petal® 1 Visa® Credit Card
The Petal® 1 Visa® Credit Card is an option for people who might not be able to qualify for other cards because they lack a credit history. Petal's algorithm for evaluating applications can look beyond credit scores, analyzing banking data that offers a full picture of how you manage your income, savings and spending. The card offers up to 10% cash back when you use the card to spend with select merchants, and the annual fee is $0. Petal's cards are issued by WebBank.
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