Zable Credit Card: A No-Deposit, No-Frills Option for Beginners
The Bottom Line
You may not be able to get this card depending on where you live. And even then, you may be able to find better options, with or without a security deposit.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
N/A
Bonus offer
N/A
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 26.49%-33.49% Variable APR
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
More details from Zable
- No annual fee or hidden fees.
- No security deposit or program fee required.
- Use your card anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
- Enjoy $0 liability on unauthorized purchases.
- Access to a virtual card upon approval for instant spending.
- See if you’re pre-qualified without impacting your credit score. If you choose to complete your application, a hard credit pull will be conducted which may impact your credit score.
- Build your credit history: reports to all 3 credit bureaus.
- Mastercard ID Theft Protection: dark web monitoring and alerts on compromised information.
- Sleek mobile app: access your account from your mobile device 24/7.
- Terms and Conditions may apply. The Zable Card from Zendable Cards, LLC is issued by Continental Bank.
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee
No security deposit
Cons
Limited availability
No rewards
Detailed Review
Among credit cards for people who want to build credit, the Zable MasterCard® Credit Card — issued by Continental Bank — is hardly the worst. It doesn't require a security deposit, which could otherwise be a hurdle for those who lack the upfront cash (or the ability to tie up that cash for an extended period).
And because it has a $0 annual fee, it won't be expensive to keep around. In fact, in comparison with some other unsecured cards aimed at credit newbies, it's refreshingly low on fees overall.
However, the card has limited availability and perks, and it notably does charge a foreign transaction fee, which isn't ideal for, say, young people traveling abroad. For those reasons, it won't be an ideal starter card for everyone.
There is a version of the Zable MasterCard® Credit Card available to residents of the United Kingdom. U.S. citizens who want the Zable card should be sure that they’re applying from the U.S. website.
Zable MasterCard® Credit Card: Basics
Card type: Starter.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: N/A.
Rewards: None.
APR: The ongoing APR is 26.49%-33.49% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: 3%.
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
No security deposit requirement
Secured credit cards are ideal for beginners, but they require an upfront security deposit in order to open the account. The Zable MasterCard® Credit Card is an unsecured product, though, meaning a security deposit isn’t necessary. That’s good news for those for whom a several-hundred-dollar deposit is a barrier to credit access.
Obtainable with fair credit
While it's not for those with poor credit (FICO scores of 629 or lower), the Zable MasterCard® Credit Card is gettable for applicants with no credit, and the company will also consider those who have only fair/average credit (FICO scores of at least 630). That's a notoriously underserved market, so if your credit falls in that "in-between" space — not bad, but not stellar either — this card could be a decent pick for you.
Instant credit access
Once you’re approved for the Zable MasterCard® Credit Card, you’ll receive a virtual card number that you can use to make online purchases without having to wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail. The virtual card number can be found in the Zable app.
Note that cardholders can only charge up to 50% of their credit limit when using a virtual Zable card. Access to the full credit line won’t happen until the physical card is activated and then used to make an in-store purchase.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Limited availability
As of March 2025, the Zable MasterCard® Credit Card is available to residents in the District of Columbia and 39 states.
States where Zable card is available
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
If you don’t live in one of those places, consider a card from a major issuer with a national footprint such as Capital One or Discover.
High interest rate
The ongoing APR is 26.49%-33.49% Variable APR, which skews toward the high end of credit card interest rates. Of course, as with any credit card, the interest rate doesn’t matter as long as you pay your balance in full.
Still, for beginners, it's something to make note of: Avoid carrying a balance with this credit card if possible. And if you think you may have trouble with that, consider a credit card that charges no APR at all, like the Current Build Card or the Chime Secured Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card. Neither of those cards allows you to carry a balance month to month, so getting into debt is essentially impossible.
See more from Chime®
Chime says the following:
The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.
To apply for Credit Builder, you must have an active Chime® Checking Account.
Based on a representative study conducted by Experian® in January 2024, members who made their first purchase with Credit Builder between June 2022 and October 2022 observed an average FICO® Score 8 increase of 30 points after approximately 8 months. On-time payment history can have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score.
On-time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Chime will report your activities to Transunion®, Experian®, and Equifax®. Impact on your credit may vary, as Credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.
Money added to Credit Builder will be held in a secured deposit account as collateral for your Credit Builder Visa card, and you can spend up to this amount. You can use money deposited in your Secured Deposit Account to pay off your charges at the end of every month.
Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and over the counter advance fees may apply except at MoneyPass ATMs in a 7-Eleven, or any Allpoint or Visa Plus Alliance ATM.
Few perks
The Zable MasterCard® Credit Card offers little in the way of perks, with no rewards or sign-up bonus. But you don’t have to settle for a bare-bones card even if you have bad or limited credit. The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card and Discover it® Secured Credit Card are both secured cards, so they'll require deposits. But both cards earn rewards, and perhaps more importantly, they feature potential upgrade paths to better cards from their respective issuers.
No upgrade path
There’s no upgrade path from the Zable MasterCard® Credit Card to another card within Continental Bank’s portfolio, which means that once you've established credit and are ready to "move up" to a better credit card with richer perks, you’ll have to apply for a new card with a different issuer. Formal applications for credit can temporarily lower your credit scores, which you would have just spent a good deal of time working on with the Zable card.
Not ideal for international use
The Zable MasterCard® Credit Card will have broad acceptance globally, but it charges a foreign transaction fee of 3%. That will make it an expensive prospect for any credit newbies who happen to be traveling or studying overseas.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
The Zable MasterCard® Credit Card is a decent, if no-frills, starter card, but before you apply, first check to make sure the card is available where you live. Even if you do qualify based on residency, be aware that you may be eligible for other starter cards with more robust perks, although some of those products may require a security deposit.
The Chase Freedom Rise® is one of the best options for those new to credit. It doesn’t charge an annual fee or require a security deposit, and it earns 1.5% on all purchases. Once you’ve built up a healthy credit profile, you may be eligible for an upgrade to a Chase card with more robust benefits.
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Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
About the author
Jae Bratton
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
