No credit check to apply · No annual fee, no interest · Reports to all 3 credit bureaus The secured card built for people starting completely from zero.
You’ll be redirected to Chime’s official website.
Most traditional credit cards start from the same place: a hard credit check, a minimum score requirement, and often a security deposit you don’t have lying around. Chime flipped that model. There’s no credit check to apply for the Credit Builder Visa® Card, no minimum security deposit, and no interest ever charged — because the card works differently from a traditional line of credit. You move money into your secured account, spend it, and Chime reports your responsible use to the credit bureaus, turning everyday purchases into real credit-building progress.
This design makes it a genuine option for people receiving Social Security, SSI, SSDI, or any other fixed income who may not clear the bar for a standard unsecured card. As long as you have a Chime Checking Account, your income source isn’t a barrier — the approval process looks at your account activity, not a FICO score. For someone starting completely fresh, or rebuilding after a rough patch, that’s a meaningfully lower door to walk through.
The credit-building mechanism itself is straightforward: Chime reports your payment history to all three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — every month. Members using the card responsibly have reported average score increases of up to 70 points over time, according to Chime’s own member data. That’s not a marketing number pulled from thin air — it’s the direct result of consistent, on-time reporting, which is one of the single biggest factors in most credit scoring models.
Do I need a credit score to get approved?
No. Chime doesn’t run a credit check to approve the Credit Builder Visa® Card. Approval is based on your Chime Checking Account, not your credit history or score.
Is Social Security or SSDI income accepted?
Yes. Since approval isn’t based on income verification in the traditional sense, receiving Social Security, SSI, or SSDI doesn’t disqualify you. You simply need an open Chime Checking Account to move money into the secured card.
Do I need a Chime Checking Account to get this card?
Yes, the Credit Builder Card works together with your Chime Checking Account. You’ll need to open one first if you don’t already have it, which itself has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.
How much can I spend on the card?
Your spending limit is based on how much money you move into your secured Credit Builder account — there’s no traditional credit line assigned by an underwriter, which is part of why there’s no credit check required.
Does Chime charge interest or an annual fee?
No. The Credit Builder Card has no annual fee and charges no interest, since you’re spending money you’ve already deposited rather than borrowing against a credit line.
Getting started takes just a few minutes on your phone. Download the Chime app from the App Store or Google Play, and if you don’t already have one, open a Chime Checking Account — this is required since the Credit Builder Card is directly tied to it. There’s no minimum deposit required to open an account, and setup is entirely digital, no paperwork or branch visit needed.
Once your Chime Checking Account is active, you can apply for the Credit Builder Card directly from the app. Since there’s no credit check, approval decisions typically come back almost instantly. From there, you move money from your Checking Account into your secured Credit Builder account — this becomes your available spending balance, similar to how a prepaid card works, except every on-time payment gets reported to the credit bureaus.
To get the most out of the card, turn on Safer Credit Building so your balance is automatically paid off using the money in your secured account — this protects you from ever missing a payment, which is the single most important factor for your credit score. Use the card regularly for groceries, gas, or other everyday expenses you’d normally pay for with debit or cash, and let the consistent, on-time activity do the work of building your credit history month after month.
You’ll be redirected to Chime’s official website.