Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa with Cash Back Rewards Review [2024]: Low Rewards and Confusing Terms

Rewards credit cards are normally reserved for people with excellent credit, but the Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa with Cash Back Rewards flips that notion on its head. It may not have all the bells and whistles of other rewards cards, but it has a simple, easy-to-understand cashback program if you’re approved — though this isn’t super clear before applying.

Who should get this card?

The Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa with Cash Back Rewards card is likely best for people without established credit or who have faced credit setbacks. This card could be a good choice for young people just starting to build their credit or with past financial mistakes on their record. The minimum credit limit is $300, which can increase over time as your credit improves.

If security is important to you, this Credit One credit card offers Zero Fraud Liability if unauthorized charges show up on your card. You can also use the Credit One mobile app to easily manage your account from your phone or tablet.

It’s not the perfect card by any means, so after building your credit, you’ll probably want to move on to something else.

Card basics

Card Type	Cash Back
Card Issuer	Credit One Bank
Recommended Credit Score	Bad, Poor
Foreign Transaction Fee	$1 or 3%, whichever is greater

Top card benefits

• Simple rewards: Credit One’s cashback program is easy because there’s nothing to track. As you earn cash back, it’s automatically applied to your account in the form of a statement credit. There’s no minimum reward total to hit before using your rewards.
  
• Special Visa benefits: Because the Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa with Cash Back Rewards is a Visa card, it comes with some perks all Visa cardholders enjoy. This includes features like special shopping discounts and acceptance at millions of vendors worldwide.
• Easy access to your credit score: Cardholders can access their credit score every month through Experian. This helps users track progress as they work to build their credit.
  
• Can opt into the Credit Protection program: Credit One carries an optional program that protects cardholders who face hardships. For an extra fee, the program cancels monthly minimum payments for up to six payments.
• Automatic credit increases: As your credit improves, you may see automatic increases to your credit line. Credit One reviews accounts and rewards people who are building their credit through responsible card use.

Earning & redeeming

Best ways to earn

The Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa with Cash Back Rewards card rewards cardholders with up to 1.1% cash back. What type of spending are you earning rewards for, though? This is where Credit One’s program gets confusing. You won’t know until you prequalify for a card. According to its website, there are four possible options:

• 1.0% cash back on eligible gas, groceries, mobile phone service, internet service, and cable and satellite TV service
• 1.0% cash back on eligible gas, groceries, dining, mobile phone service, internet service, and cable and satellite TV services
• 1.1% cash back on eligible dining, plus 1.0% cash back on other eligible purchases
• 1.0% cash back on all eligible purchases

Cash back is rewarded to cardholders through automatic statement credits as it’s earned. Cardholders won't earn or receive any rewards if your account is delinquent. Because the Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa with Cash Back Rewards card is designed for people trying to build credit, so practicing responsible spending as you try to max out your rewards earning is important.

Maximizing your redemptions

With a low credit limit and only 1% cash back, don’t plan to earn a ton of rewards from this card. It’s rare to find a card in this category that even offers rewards at all, so they’re a bonus.

Credit One does offer the option to earn more cashback rewards through its More Rewards program. This is an online shopping portal where you can potentially earn up to 10% cash back from participating retailers.

Common questions

Other cards to consider

For a cashback card with more earning power, check out the Chase Freedom Flex℠. Cardholders get 5% total cash back on qualifying Lyft rides; 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Plus, it has a $0 annual fee. New cardholders can also earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Another high-earning cashback card is the Citi Double Cash^® Card. It’s called the Double Cash card because you earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the citi travel℠ portal through 12/31/24. There’s no cap on the rewards you can score with this card, and it comes with a $0 annual fee.

Check out our list of the best secured credit cards for even more options.