Credit Cards People Get With a Credit Score in the 500 Range

If you're looking for credit cards people get with a credit score in the 500 range, real-world reports show that people with scores such as 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580 and 590 can have very different results. Some people in this range have reported getting secured credit cards, while others have been approved for unsecured cards with starting limits ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Others with similar scores have been denied. The examples below show what credit cards people have actually reported getting with 500-range credit scores, along with the credit problems, existing accounts and other circumstances that were part of their applications.

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What Credit Cards Are People Getting With Scores in the 500 Range?

Instead of assuming that a particular credit score automatically qualifies someone for a particular credit card, we looked at actual reports from people who disclosed their scores and described what happened when they applied. These reports include both approvals and denials, along with information about the applicants' credit histories when it was available.

The individual reports are especially useful because a credit score by itself doesn't tell you whether someone has collections, charge-offs, a bankruptcy, high credit-card utilization, established accounts or a thin credit file. Those differences can help explain why people with similar scores sometimes have completely different results.

510 Credit Score — Capital One Secured Card: One myFICO member reported starting with a credit score of about 510 when they applied for a Capital One Platinum Secured card. They were approved for a $200 credit limit with a $99 security deposit. The person used the card regularly, sometimes putting several hundred dollars through the account each month and paying much of the balance before the statement. After about six months, their score had increased substantially, and they reported receiving a $300 unsecured credit-line increase, bringing the total credit limit to $500. This is a good example of someone starting with a secured card and using it as part of a rebuilding strategy rather than receiving a large unsecured credit line immediately.

510 Credit Score — Capital One Quicksilver: Another consumer reported having a credit score of approximately 510 and being approved for a Capital One Quicksilver with a $1,000 starting credit limit. This is a very different result from the secured-card example above. It shows that a person with a score around 510 is not necessarily limited to secured credit, although this is one person's reported experience and should not be interpreted as a guaranteed approval at that score.

518 Credit Score — Capital One Platinum: A consumer reported a 518 score along with multiple charge-offs and unpaid collections and said they were approved for a Capital One Platinum with a $300 credit limit. The person's report is particularly interesting because the score wasn't the only issue affecting their credit profile. They had significant negative information on their credit reports and still reported receiving an unsecured card. This illustrates why simply looking at a score and saying that someone cannot get an unsecured credit card at that level can be misleading.

520 Credit Score — Capital One Platinum and Discover Secured: One consumer described having a FICO score of 520 and deciding to begin rebuilding credit. They said they had previously jumped into credit without fully understanding how everything worked. They applied for two cards that they believed would give them an opportunity to rebuild: a Capital One Platinum with a $300 limit and a Discover secured card with a $200 limit. They used the accounts for ordinary expenses, including a phone bill and small subscriptions, kept their reported usage relatively low and paid their balances in full. The person reported that their score increased to around 580 the following month and eventually reached 680 after four months. Their experience shows how a person starting in the low 500s may use relatively small credit lines to begin rebuilding rather than immediately receiving a large unsecured account.

520 Credit Score — Capital One Secured: Another consumer described having a credit score of approximately 520 after a major financial setback that included defaulting on an American Express account. When they needed a credit card, they applied for a Capital One secured card and made a much larger security deposit than the minimum, putting down $3,000. They subsequently worked on resolving their outstanding credit problems and reported rebuilding their credit into the low 700s. This is a very different situation from someone with a thin credit file because the person's low score was connected to previous serious credit problems.

542 Credit Score — Capital One Quicksilver: A consumer reported being approved for a Capital One Quicksilver One with a FICO 8 score of 542. They said they had gone through bankruptcy in 2022 and received only a $300 starting credit limit. The person described the account as part of their effort to rebuild credit after the bankruptcy. Again, the starting limit was relatively small, but the important point is that the person reported obtaining an unsecured credit card with a score in the low 500s after a major negative credit event.

550 Credit Score — Capital One Quicksilver: One consumer reported having a credit score of 550 when they applied for Capital One Quicksilver and were approved for a $1,000 credit limit. They said they had been denied by every other company they had tried. Another person responding to the discussion described having a similar experience several years earlier, when Capital One approved them for a Platinum card with a $300 limit while Discover and Citi would not approve them. That person later reported much larger limits as their credit improved. The reports show why Capital One appears repeatedly in real-world rebuilding stories, while also showing that applicants can receive very different results from other issuers at similar scores.

550 Credit Score — Credit One Visa Signature: Another forum discussion involved a consumer who reported a credit score of approximately 550 and an approval for a Credit One Visa Signature card. The person said Credit One had consistently approved them in the past. Their reported scores from different sources were not identical, which is common in consumer discussions because people may be looking at different scoring models. Still, the report provides another example of an applicant in the mid-500s obtaining an unsecured credit card.

560 Credit Score — Capital One Platinum: One consumer reported starting around a 560 credit score while dealing with a difficult credit history that included a charged-off Capital One account, defaulted student loans and several charge-offs and collections. They also had authorized-user accounts that had been established for years. Despite the negative information, they reported being approved for a Capital One Platinum Mastercard with a $1,000 starting limit. They later received another Capital One account, eventually obtained a much larger credit line and ultimately changed products. This is one of the more useful examples because it demonstrates that a person can have substantial negative information and still receive an unsecured card when the issuer's underwriting model approves the application.

560 Credit Score — American Express: Another particularly unusual report involved a consumer who had previously defaulted on an American Express account for several thousand dollars. The person entered a repayment arrangement and eventually regained access to American Express. They reported being approved for an American Express card when their credit score was around 560. This is an important example to put in context because the person's previous relationship with the issuer and subsequent repayment history were unusual circumstances. It should not be interpreted as evidence that American Express generally approves applicants with 560 scores.

570 Credit Score — Menards Credit Card: A myFICO member reported being pre-approved and ultimately approved for a Menards credit card with a $750 starting credit limit. The person listed a starting credit score of approximately 570. Their current score was higher by the time they discussed the account, but the report specifically identified 570 as the score when they began the process. This demonstrates that some retail credit cards have been obtained by people in the 500 range, even when their scores were well below 600.

570 Credit Score — Williams Sonoma Rewards Visa: Another myFICO approval report involved a consumer who reported starting with a score of about 570 and receiving approval for a Williams Sonoma Rewards Visa with a $500 starting credit limit. The person later reported a substantially higher score. As with the other examples, the approval does not mean that everyone with a 570 score will receive the same card or credit limit, but it is a documented example of someone obtaining a credit card in that score range.

570–590 Credit Score — Capital One Platinum: Another consumer reported being approved for a Capital One Platinum with a $500 starting limit while their scores were between approximately 570 and 590. The person's credit profile included significant student-loan debt, and their open revolving credit was limited. They also had an older JCPenney account as an authorized user. The approval is another example of how the overall credit file can matter alongside the score itself.

578 Credit Score — Navy Federal: We also found an interesting contrast involving Navy Federal. One person reported that their spouse had a 578 Equifax score and was approved for a Navy Federal goRewards card with a $4,000 limit. The poster said their own score was around 550 and that they were declined. A few months later, after their score had increased to around 580, they reported being approved for a Navy Federal Cash Rewards card with a $3,000 limit. Both people reportedly had collections, yet their results were different. The example is useful because it shows how an applicant can move from a denial to an approval without making a dramatic change in their score.

580 Credit Score — Capital One Platinum: A Reddit user reported being approved for a Capital One Platinum Mastercard with a $300 limit at a credit score of 580. The person was in the process of paying off two charged-off Capital One credit cards as well as a charged-off automobile loan. Another person in the discussion reported being approved for the same type of Capital One card with a 564 score. These reports show that even applicants with substantial previous credit problems have reported receiving unsecured cards in the mid-to-upper 500s.

580 Credit Score — Navy Federal $6,500 Limit: One of the largest reported limits we found in this score range involved a consumer who said they were approved for a Navy Federal credit card with a $6,500 limit at a 580 credit score. The discussion also pointed out that Navy Federal approvals can vary substantially between applicants. This is a good example of why a single credit-score threshold cannot accurately predict what credit limit an individual applicant will receive.

580 Credit Score — Chase Freedom Unlimited^®: We also found an older myFICO report from a consumer who said they were approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited at a 580 credit score. This is an especially interesting example because Chase is generally associated with applicants who have stronger credit profiles. However, the report is older and represents one individual's experience, so it should not be treated as evidence that Chase has a standard approval threshold of 580.

There were also people in this range who reported being denied. For example, one person with a 580 score and a $2,200 collection said they had applied for cards from multiple companies without receiving an approval. Another person with a 560 score was looking for a card that would definitely approve them after being rejected by other lower-tier card issuers. These reports are just as important as the approval stories because they demonstrate that there is no guaranteed credit card approval simply because a person's score falls within the 500 range.

We did not try to force an example for every individual score from 500 through 599. There were plenty of discussions involving scores such as 530, but in some cases the person was discussing their credit problems without reporting a clear credit-card approval. Rather than turn those reports into misleading examples, we included the cases where the score and card outcome were reasonably clear.

Why Can Someone With a 500-Range Score Get Approved While Someone Else Is Denied?

Looking at these reports together makes one thing clear: there is no single credit profile behind a 500-range credit score.

A person with a 510 score could have a relatively thin credit file and very little established credit. Another person with a 510 score could have multiple recent late payments, collections and charge-offs. The numerical score may be similar, but the two applicants can look very different when a credit card company evaluates their applications.

The same is true at 550, 570 or 580. One person with a 550 score reported being approved for a $1,000 Capital One card, while another person with a similar score reported being denied by Navy Federal. Someone with a score around 570 reported receiving a $750 retail card, while another applicant with a score in the same general range may have received a much smaller starting limit or no approval at all.

Your credit score is therefore not an approval guarantee or a rejection guarantee. It is one part of the information used to evaluate your application.

Your credit reports can contain other information that helps explain the difference. That can include payment history, collections, charge-offs, bankruptcy, the age of your accounts, current balances, credit utilization, recent applications and the number and type of accounts you already have.

The reason for the low score can matter too. Someone who has a 570 score because they have very little established credit can present a different risk than someone with a 570 score because of several recent defaults. Likewise, someone who has already demonstrated a long history of paying an issuer may have a different relationship with that issuer than someone applying for the first time.

The reports also show that the starting credit limit can vary enormously. Some people reported $200 or $300 starting limits. Others reported $500, $750 or $1,000. There were also unusual reports of substantially larger limits, including one Navy Federal example involving a $6,500 starting limit.

That is why it is better to look at these stories as examples of what has happened to real applicants rather than as a list of guaranteed score requirements.

In other words, having a score somewhere in the 500 range does not automatically mean that you need a secured card, and it does not automatically mean that you can qualify for a particular unsecured card. Both outcomes are possible, depending on the applicant and the card issuer.

What If You Have a Credit Score in the 500 Range?

If your credit score is in the 500 range, you don't necessarily have to wait until your score reaches 600 before looking for a credit card. The real-world reports above show people receiving approvals at scores from the low 500s through the upper 500s.

At the same time, you should not assume that someone else's approval means you will receive the same card. The person with a 518 score who was approved for a Capital One Platinum had a different credit history from the person with a 580 score who was denied elsewhere. Even two people with nearly identical scores can have different collections, account histories, utilization and recent credit activity.

Depending on your situation, you may encounter secured cards, unsecured cards designed for people rebuilding credit, retail cards or other credit products. The starting limits can also be very different. Some of the real-world reports in this article involved only a few hundred dollars, while others involved limits of $1,000 or more.

If you're considering applying, one useful approach is to see whether you can check your available options before submitting a full application. That can help you determine whether there are cards currently available for your credit profile without assuming that a particular score automatically qualifies you.

You can use our credit card tool below to see what other credit card options may be available based on your current credit situation. It's completely free to use, and checking your options does not hurt your credit score.

The people featured in this article had very different experiences despite all having credit scores in the 500 range. Some were approved for secured cards, some received unsecured cards, some received starting limits of only a few hundred dollars, and others reported much larger limits. There were also people who were denied.

That's the main reason we don't consider a particular score in the 500 range to be an automatic yes or no for credit-card approval. Your individual credit history matters. The experiences documented here simply show that getting a credit card with a 500-range score is possible, but the card, credit limit and approval decision can vary significantly from one person to another.