Best Card Guide

Got a Revel Mastercard offer in the mail? Here’s what the fees, credit limit tiers, and legitimacy actually look like before you respond.

The Total Visa Card’s fees consume 55% of a $300 credit limit before you make a single purchase. See the full cost breakdown here.

First Access charges a program fee that doesn’t count toward your credit limit, plus a 25% fee if you want a credit limit increase after year one.

The Cerulean Mastercard has a genuinely lower APR than most bad-credit cards, but its $99 fee still cuts into available credit from day one.

The Surge Mastercard’s cost depends entirely on which credit limit you’re approved for — the higher tiers skip the monthly fee most competitors charge.

The Fit Mastercard’s $400 credit limit sounds workable — until you subtract the $95 processing fee and $99 annual fee taken out on day one.

Perpay offers one of the lowest APRs in the bad-credit card category — but only if you’re willing to route part of your paycheck through them.

The Imagine Credit Card is one of the only bad-credit cards with real cash back rewards — but the fees can easily offset what you earn.

The Reflex Mastercard skips the security deposit but charges steep fees — though its automatic credit limit increase after 6 months is a real differentiator.