First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card Review

Overall Ranking

4.5/5

Overview

APR

4/5

Application/Approval Process

3/5

Features

4/5

The First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card is designed specifically for consumers who have no credit, limited credit, or even bad credit — and it might be the perfect way for you to improve your credit.

Kevin Mercadante

Editor's Note

You can trust the integrity of our balanced, independent financial advice. We may, however, receive compensation from the issuers of some products mentioned in this article. Opinions are the author's alone. This content has not been provided by, reviewed, approved or endorsed by any advertiser, unless otherwise noted below.

If you’ve been having difficulty getting a credit card, or getting any kind of credit at all to help you build or rebuild your credit, you may get help from the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card. It’s designed specifically for consumers who have no credit, limited credit, or even bad credit–they don’t even impose a minimum credit score requirement. And just as important, they charge a very low-interest rate, one that’s even lower than most of the major credit cards for people with good or excellent credit. If you’ve been looking for a first credit card, or want a credit card to help you improve your credit score, First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card may be the credit card for you.

What First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card Has to Offer

The First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card is designed for consumers with limited or poor credit. And while it offers a low-interest rate on purchases, it doesn’t provide the benefits typically found with credit cards for those with good credit, such as a 0% introductory APR, cash back rewards or a sign-up bonus.

Introductory 0% APR: Not offered.

Sign Up Bonus: Not Offered.

Maximum Credit Limit: $200 to $2,000 with a fully refundable deposit.

Cash Back Rewards: Not offered.

Credit required: Open! No minimum credit score is required. That makes it the perfect card for anyone with no credit, limited credit, or even poor credit.

Secured credit card: Your maximum card credit limit will be determined by the amount of the security deposit you put up. If your deposit is $1,000, your credit line will be the same. But the absolute maximum is $2,000.

No co-signer required: Because the card is secured, you won’t need to get an eligible cosigner for approval.

Mobile App: First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card does not offer a mobile app, so you’ll be required to manage your account online or by phone or by mail.

Features and Benefits

Once approved for the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card you’ll enjoy the following benefits:

The First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card can be used anywhere Mastercard® is accepted. That includes millions of vendors, merchants, and service providers around the globe, which is pretty close to everyone.

The Card does not say Secured on it. Many consumers understandably don’t want that word printed on their cards. It at least hints at an impaired credit status, and the fact that First Progress doesn’t include it on the card shows sensitivity to their customers.

Your security deposit is refundable. If you decide to close out your account, you’ll receive a credit balance refund check, net of any outstanding charges on the card. However, it will take approximately 10 weeks to receive your deposit back.

Your credit line can be increased. With bank approval, you can add funds to your deposit account and increase your credit limit. If you’re under 21 years old, you can add an eligible cosigner to have your credit limit increased. Though the maximum credit limit is $2,000, the bank may approve a line as high as $5,000 under very limited circumstances.

First Progress reports to all three credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Since the card is designed for those with either no credit or even poor credit, making your payments on time is an opportunity to either build or raise your credit score. First Progress will report your payment history to all three major credit bureaus, giving you a chance to add good credit to your report.

To qualify for the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card, you must be at least 18 years old (or 19 in Alabama and Nebraska), have a valid Social Security number, and be a resident of a U.S. state (other than Arkansas, Iowa, New York, or Wisconsin). In addition, the card can only be used for personal transactions and not for business purposes.

You can only apply for the card on the website. You cannot apply by phone or by paper application.

To apply for the Card, you’ll need to provide the following information:

Your full name
Your email address
A valid U.S. mailing address and residential address (if different)
Mobile and home phone
Your estimated monthly income
Estimated monthly obligations
The amount of your security deposit
Your Social Security number
Your date of birth

When the above information has been entered into the application, you’ll need to choose a security passphrase (password).

Once you submit your application, the decision will take about three weeks. If you don’t hear back within that time, you’ll need to contact the bank.

If approved, the final step will be to fund your security deposit. That will require mailing a check for the amount of the deposit. First Progress does not accept electronic transfers.

Rates and Fees

Annual Fee: $49.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR): 14.49% (V).

Cash advance APR: 23.49% (V).

Penalty APR: N/A.

Cash advance fee: Greater of 3% of the cash advance amount or $10.

0% Introductory APR: Not offered.

Balance transfer fee: Not offered.

Foreign transaction fees: 3%.

Late payment or return payment fee: Up to $41 for late payments, Up to $30 for returned payments.

Over limit fee: None, but additional charges will be declined.

Why does First Progress Platinum Prestige MasterCard® Secured Credit Card charge such a low APR, even lower than most major credit cards

The card is fully secured and presents less risk to the bank. For that reason, they’re able to charge a much lower interest rate than you might get with either no credit score or a low score.

Is First Progress a reputable bank?

The Bank has a Better Business Bureau rating of “A+”, the highest rating on a scale ranging from A+ to F. That doesn’t guarantee you’ll have a positive experience with them, but it’s an excellent indicator of the experience of other customers.

What's the benefit of having a secured credit card? Isn't that something like spending my own money?

The major advantage with a secured credit card is that the bank will usually approve your application when an unsecured credit card lender will decline it. Put another way, it may be the only way for someone with no credit, limited credit, or seriously impaired credit to get a credit card. Even if you fit one of those descriptions, you still need to have a credit card. First, there are times when a credit card is absolutely necessary. That can include renting a car, making online purchases, or buying an airline ticket. But second, and more important, having a credit card that reports to all three credit bureaus will give you an opportunity to build or improve on your credit score. That will eventually enable you to get a traditional, unsecured credit card.

What's the difference between a prepaid debit card and a secured credit card?

The prepaid cards require you to periodically reload your account to provide funds to spend with the card. Meanwhile, some vendors and merchants put restrictions on the use of debit cards, compared to credit cards. But most important, prepaid debit cards don’t report to the credit bureaus. The cards won’t help you build or improve your credit score. A secured credit card functions like a credit card in every way, except that it requires a security deposit. But the security deposit will be the reason why your card is approved, and why the interest rate is so much lower than what it would be on unsecured cards. And since secured cards report to all three major credit bureaus, you will be able to build or improve your credit score.

Pros and Cons

All credit accepted, including no credit at all — Credit is not an obstacle since the card is designed primarily for those with no credit, limited credit, or impaired credit.
No minimum credit score — No minimum credit score is required to get this card.
"Soft" credit pull — A “soft” credit pull is performed when you first submit an application, which will not have a negative impact on your credit score.
Low annual fee of $49 — Low annual fee of $49 is less than that charged by most credit cards that charge this fee.
No cosigner needed — No cosigner is required to get the card, though it may boost your credit limit.

Requires a paper check to fund your security deposit — A paper check is required upon application to create your deposit account. Funds cannot be transferred by wire or other electronic means.
Credit limit tied to deposit — As a secured credit card, your credit limit will be limited to the amount of your deposit.
No 0% introductory APR — Does not offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers.
Three-week approval process — The approval process is quite long at an anticipated three weeks.

Alternatives to First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card

First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card is designed for consumers with no credit, limited credit, or impaired credit. But you may want to investigate other options for no credit, limited credit, or fair credit.

If you have impaired credit, and you either prefer not to use a secured card or you don’t have the security deposit available, consider the Milestone Mastercard®. Like the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card, there are no rewards, sign-up bonuses, or 0% introductory APR. But they’ll start you out with a credit limit of $200 without needing to put up a security deposit. But be aware the APR is much higher at nearly 25%, and the annual fee can be as high as $99.*

*Dependent on credit worthiness

If you have at least average credit, take a close look at the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. Even if you don’t have perfect credit, it comes with unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. The annual fee is comparable to the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card at $39. The interest rate is MUCH higher, though that will be at least partially offset by the cash back rewards you’ll earn. Your initial credit limit will be low, but they’ll review your account for a credit limit increase after you make the first five monthly payments on time.

If you have poor credit, and you’re okay with the idea of a secured credit card, check out the Capital One Secured Mastercard®. It works very similarly to the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card in that it will report your payment history to all three major credit bureaus, giving you an opportunity to increase your credit score. But the security deposit may be less than the amount of your credit limit. And, as is typical of Capital One, they may increase your credit limit after making the first five monthly payments on time. The card does have a much higher interest rate than the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card, but there is no annual fee.

If you have impaired credit, limited credit, or no credit, the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card is worth considering. While it may require you to have a security deposit, the interest rate on the card is much lower than traditional credit cards and specially designed for consumers with poor credit.

Even if you have only a few hundred dollars for a security deposit, it can be well worth the effort to get the card with even a small credit limit. The basic idea is to use the card to build or improve your credit score. It’s entirely possible your score may move up sufficiently after just a year or so to enable you to apply for an unsecured credit card elsewhere.