Kelly-Ann Franklin has spent more than two decades in journalism which has helped her build a wide knowledge base of business and personal finance topics. Her goal with editing is to ensure tough topics are distilled down to understandable and relata.
Kelly-Ann Franklin Updates EditorKelly-Ann Franklin has spent more than two decades in journalism which has helped her build a wide knowledge base of business and personal finance topics. Her goal with editing is to ensure tough topics are distilled down to understandable and relata.
Written By Kelly-Ann Franklin Updates EditorKelly-Ann Franklin has spent more than two decades in journalism which has helped her build a wide knowledge base of business and personal finance topics. Her goal with editing is to ensure tough topics are distilled down to understandable and relata.
Kelly-Ann Franklin Updates EditorKelly-Ann Franklin has spent more than two decades in journalism which has helped her build a wide knowledge base of business and personal finance topics. Her goal with editing is to ensure tough topics are distilled down to understandable and relata.
Updates Editor Caroline Lupini Managing Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsCaroline Lupini has been traveling the world with the help of credit card rewards since 2011. She has visited over 110 countries and is able to utilize her knowledge of credit cards and to make travel both less expensive and more luxurious. Caroline.
Caroline Lupini Managing Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsCaroline Lupini has been traveling the world with the help of credit card rewards since 2011. She has visited over 110 countries and is able to utilize her knowledge of credit cards and to make travel both less expensive and more luxurious. Caroline.
Caroline Lupini Managing Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsCaroline Lupini has been traveling the world with the help of credit card rewards since 2011. She has visited over 110 countries and is able to utilize her knowledge of credit cards and to make travel both less expensive and more luxurious. Caroline.
Caroline Lupini Managing Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsCaroline Lupini has been traveling the world with the help of credit card rewards since 2011. She has visited over 110 countries and is able to utilize her knowledge of credit cards and to make travel both less expensive and more luxurious. Caroline.
| Managing Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards
Updated: May 8, 2024, 1:52pm
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The Total Visa® Card is in the running for the worst credit card we’ve ever reviewed. We do not recommend anyone apply for this card. Though you may feel you have few options if your credit is dismal, it’s unlikely that this is your only option. See Forbes Advisor’s list of best cards for bad credit to help you pick one that’s less punishing than this one.
Total Visa® Card *Our ratings take into account the card’s rewards, fees, rates along with the card’s category. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Welcome Bonus Annual Fee Regular APR Credit ScoreCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
With an incredibly high 35.99% variable APR on purchases, tiny rewards, no major benefits, a $300 credit limit and an annual fee, plus a $95 program fee to open an account, there are very few positives about this card.
The Total Visa® Card charges several unique fees in addition to its annual fee:
This card also cannot be used at automated fuel pumps, so be ready to forgo gas unless a cashier is present. With a $300 credit limit on all new accounts immediately reduced by the annual fee to $225, the card doesn’t set cardholders up for credit-building success. To build healthy credit, consumers should keep credit utilization below 30% of available credit across all cards. If this is the only card a consumer uses, this leaves $15 in credit before hitting this threshold—less if adding an authorized user.
A credit limit increase may occur, but not until at least after 12 months of account ownership. With a 25% fee on all credit limit increases, it doesn’t seem particularly helpful when fees are then levied every month in addition to the annual fee and any other fees charged.
Why you can trust Forbes Advisor
Our credit card editors are committed to bringing you unbiased ratings and information. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and companies, so all are measured equally. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and the credit card methodology for the ratings below.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
Discover it® Secured Credit Card On Discover's Website Welcome Bonus Cashback Match™ Annual Fee Credit Score New/Rebuilding Credit Regular APR 28.24% Variable APRCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match™ - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Citi Double Cash® Card On Citi's Website Welcome Bonus Earn $200 cash back Annual Fee Credit Score Excellent, Good, Fair Regular APR 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card ranks atop our list of the best secured cards and there’s no question as to why: Despite requiring a deposit to secure the line of credit, the card earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases and offers a welcome bonus: Unlimited Cashback Match™ - Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first year.
Though lighter on the extra benefits and features than unsecured cards typically are, many secured cards do not charge an annual fee nor several of the other fees the Total Visa does. Although secured cards require a refundable deposit to protect the line of credit, many issuers, including Discover, will return this deposit after responsible credit use is demonstrated. Because those with subprime credit should focus on building better credit and secured cards are designed for this purpose, a card like the Discover it® Secured Credit Card presents a much preferable option compared to the Total Visa.
Those with the label of student should also not bother with the Total Visa, as cards like the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students offer the ability to build credit with an unsecured benefit—often with lucrative perks. Though student cards typically offer fewer rewards and benefits than the best unsecured cards do, the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card earns 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases everywhere, every time with no expiration on points as long as your account remains open.
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students also offers $0 fraud liability and for those with Bank of America accounts, the card provides optional overdraft protection. There’s a good reason the card ranks on our list of the best student cards: For a no annual fee unsecured card designed for a population without substantive credit history, the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card makes cards like the Total Visa seem fairly useless in comparison.
For those who aren’t students and don’t have a deposit to help build credit with, the Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card * , issued by WebBank, uses what’s called a Cash Score by evaluating banking and other financial history instead of only using credit history to determine creditworthiness. The card offers limited rewards; it earns 2%-10% cash back at select merchants.
The Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card * , as the name implies, has no annual fee, but it also doesn’t allow balance transfers. The card also isn’t an option for anyone who has filed for bankruptcy in the last 48 months. For this reason, it may not be an option for some. For everyone else, it’s a better bet than the Total Visa.
Absolutely not. Many better options—including ones that do not charge annual fees—exist for building credit, securing revolving lines of credit or ensuring the convenience of paying with a card. The Total Visa is a bad option.
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card . The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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