Savings Secured Platinum Rewards Credit Card
- Best for: People who can join SDFCU, are rebuilding credit, and might carry a balance
- What Sets It Apart: Interest rate from 15.74% that can’t pass 18%; rewards on a secured card
- Cost: $0 annual fee; no foreign transaction or paper statement fees; late fee up to $25
- Features: Credit lines from $500, tied to your SDFCU savings; 1 Flexpoint per $1; 25-day grace period on purchases
- Pros: Low rate for a secured card; rewards; joining doesn’t depend on your credit score; option to graduate to an unsecured card
- Cons: Membership required; $500 minimum line; no published graduation timeline; no word on which credit bureaus it reports to
Get the Savings Secured Platinum Rewards Credit Card if you can join State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) and might carry a balance while you rebuild credit. Its interest rate can’t top 18%, the cap on federal credit unions’ loans, and there’s no annual fee. Credit lines start at $500, secured by your SDFCU savings.
It’s the credit union’s card for members who need to rebuild credit with a secured card, and money in their SDFCU savings account backs its credit line. State Department employees and on-site contractors can join, as can members’ relatives and the people in their households, and others may qualify through the American Consumer Council, an association you can join while you apply.
Key Features
- An APR, or yearly interest rate, from 15.74%, based on your credit
- No annual fee, and no fees for foreign transactions or paper statements
- Credit lines from $500, tied to the savings that secure the card
- Rewards of 1 Flexpoint per $1 spent, redeemable for cash back, gift cards, travel, or merchandise
- A new name and design from mid-November 2026, with the same features and fees
Pros
- An APR that can’t pass 18%, the ceiling on federal credit unions’ loan rates, compared with 29.24% on the Capital One Platinum Secured
- Rewards while you rebuild credit
- Joining SDFCU doesn’t depend on your credit score
- An option to graduate to a regular, unsecured card
Cons
- Open only to SDFCU members
- Credit lines start at $500, while the Capital One Platinum Secured opens a $200 line on a $49 to $200 deposit
- No published timeline or requirements for graduating to an unsecured card
- SDFCU’s card pages don’t say which credit bureaus it reports to
Members who can set aside $500 and might carry a balance while they rebuild get the most from it. Readers who can’t join, or can’t spare $500, do better with the Capital One Platinum Secured, which opens a $200 line for as little as $49 and reports to all three credit bureaus.
Learn more about the Savings Secured Platinum Rewards Credit Card or see how it compares to the best secured credit cards.
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