The Ultimate Guide to Credit Cards
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Surge Credit Card: Review & 5 Alternatives (March 2024)

Surge Credit Card Review
Brittney Mayer

Written by: Brittney Mayer

Brittney Mayer
Brittney Mayer

Brittney is a Credit Strategist and Finance Expert who has spent years honing her knowledge of the credit industry both personally and professionally. Brittney applies her more than a decade of research experience to crafting in-depth consumer guides designed to help CardRates readers make better, more informed financial decisions.

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Edited by: Lillian Guevara-Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro
Lillian Guevara-Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to the CardRates team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct journalism instructor at the University of Florida. Today, Lillian edits all CardRates content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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Advertiser Disclosure

Our Surge credit card review will fill you in on who the card was made for, card details, how to apply for the card, and how to use it to build or rebuild credit. Additionally, we offer some fine alternatives to the Surge card.

Some things in life are absolute; that carton of milk is either good, or it’s really bad. Other things are less binary — like your credit. The FICO credit score can range anywhere from 300 to 850, and everyone seems to have a different definition of “bad credit.”

In general, though, if you have bad credit you tend to know it — particularly when applications for financing get rejected. Being turned down for credit can be a blow, but there are options for obtaining credit and rebuilding your score.

One such option is the Surge Mastercard® credit card. A subprime card with flexible credit requirements, the Surge credit card is an unsecured card available to consumers with bad credit, no matter how you define it.

Review | Application | Check Status | How to Use | More Options (5)

Our Surge Credit Card Review: 4.1/5.0

For most people, the best thing about the Surge card is that it will report to all three major credit bureaus. This means that you can use the Surge card to improve damaged credit, provided you maintain your card in good standing.

The Surge card is also unsecured, meaning you won’t need to put down a deposit or pre-load the card to use it. Those at the very low end of the FICO score spectrum who have trouble getting approved for other unsecured cards may have better luck with a Surge card.

Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Review

at Continental Finance'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★
4.1

OVERALL RATING

  • Up to $1,000 credit limit doubles up to $2,000! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
  • All credit types welcome to apply!
  • Monthly Credit Score – Sign up for electronic statements, and get your Vantage 3.0 Score Credit Score From Experian
  • Initial Credit Limit of $300 – $1,000 (subject to available credit)
  • Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
  • See if you’re Pre-Qualified without impacting your credit score
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
See website for Details
See website for Details
29.99% APR (Variable)
$75 - $125
See website for Details*

Additionally, the credit line should be manageable for most people; the maximum spending limit on the card is $500, and what portion of that maximum you are approved for will depend on your credit score.

You’ll want to be sure to completely pay off your Surge card every month. This is good advice for any credit card, but it’s especially important when you consider the super high APR that comes with the Surge card.

You can also expect to see a hefty annual fee show up shortly after you open the card. While the annual fee drops slightly after the first year, you’ll start to see an additional monthly maintenance fee after the first 12 months that more than makes up for the decreased annual fee.

How to Apply for the Surge Mastercard®

Applying for the Surge credit card is quick and easy, and can be completed entirely online through the link below.

If you can’t apply online for any reason, you can call the Surge Customer Service team at: 1-866-449-4514. Customer Care Specialists are available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

How to Check the Status of Your Application

When applying for a Surge credit card online, most users can expect a decision almost immediately right through the website, with a letter to follow within a few days. If you have an issue with your application, or need to check the status of it for some reason, you can call customer service at:

1-866-449-4514

To check the status of your account at any time, you can use the Continental Finance sign-in portal. The portal is also where you can make online payments on your account as well as choose to receive electronic statements.

How to Use the Surge Credit Card

To get the most out of your Surge card, you should use it to make a small purchase during the month, then pay your balance in full when your statement arrives. Over time, as you make on-time payments and never miss payments, your credit report should start to reflect your good financial behavior.

Never carry a balance on your Surge card. The sky-high APR on the card means carrying a balance will be very expensive, and should always be avoided. Use your Surge credit card solely to improve your poor credit, not as a way to make purchases you cannot pay off right away.

5 Additional Card Options for Bad Credit

If it turns out the Surge card is not for you, or you just want to see other options, check out our picks for the top five credit cards for bad credit. Comparison shopping is the best way to ensure you get the best rates — and the lowest fees — for which you can qualify.

Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card Review

at the issuer'ssecure website

BAD CREDIT RATING

★★★★★

4.8

OVERALL RATING

4.5/5.0
  • No credit check to apply
  • Adjustable credit limit based on what you transfer from your Chime Checking account to the secured account
  • No interest* or annual fees
  • Chime Checking Account and qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more required to apply. See official application, terms, and details link below.
  • The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Card is issued by Stride Bank, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted.
  • *Out-of-network ATM withdrawal fees may apply. See here for details.
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
N/A
$0
None
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard® Review

at Continental Finance'ssecure website

BAD CREDIT RATING

★★★★★

4.7

OVERALL RATING

  • $400 credit limit doubles to $800! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
  • All credit types welcome to apply
  • Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
  • Initial Credit Limit of $400.00 (Subject to available credit)
  • Fast and easy application process; results in seconds
  • Use your card at locations everywhere Mastercard® is accepted
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
29.99%
$99
Fair/Poor/Bad

BAD CREDIT RATING

★★★★★

4.7

OVERALL RATING

  • Earn 1% cash back rewards^^ on payments made to your Revvi Credit Card
  • Perfect credit not required
  • $300 credit limit (subject to available credit)
  • Checking account required
  • Opportunity to request credit limit increase after twelve months, fee applies
  • *See Rates, Fees, Costs & Limitations for complete offer details
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
See website for Details
N/A
35.99%
$75.00 1st year, $48.00 after
Fair
Brink’s Armored™ Account Review

at Netspend'ssecure website

BAD CREDIT RATING

★★★★★

4.6

OVERALL RATING

  • Brink’s knows Security! 24/7 access to a suite of security benefits to help keep your account armored.
  • Get access to over 100,000 Brink’s Money ATMs.
  • Get paid faster than a paper check with direct deposit.
  • Add funds to your Brink’s Armored Account and use Brinks Armored debit card anywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted.
  • Account opening is subject to registration and ID verification. Terms & fees Apply. Deposit Account is established by Pathward®, N.A., Member FDIC.
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
N/A
Variable Monthly Fees
Not applicable
Milestone® Mastercard® Review

at Milestone Mastercard®'ssecure website

BAD CREDIT RATING

★★★★★

4.6

OVERALL RATING

  • Greater access to credit than before - $700 credit limit
  • Get a Mastercard accepted online, in store and in app
  • Account history is reported to the three major credit bureaus in the U.S.
  • $0 liability* for unauthorized use
  • Access your account online or from your mobile device 24/7
  • *Fraud protection provided by Mastercard Zero Liability Protection. If approved, you'll receive the Mastercard Guide to Benefits that details the complete terms with your card.
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
See terms
See terms
Fair/Good

+See All Credit Card Reviews for Bad Credit

Improving Your Credit is a Journey

When your milk goes sour, your breakfast options often sour with it; few people really enjoy dry cereal. The same thing can be said of your credit; when your score sours, so too do your credit options. That said, there are options, including the Surge Mastercard®, which can be used to build your credit and improve your score.

Just remember that rebuilding your credit is a journey; it can’t be accomplished overnight. It takes months, or even years, of dedicated work to rebuild a bad credit score — but it is possible. Be diligent, and your score will grow.

Advertiser Disclosure

CardRates.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation for referrals for many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across CardRates.com (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CardRates.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.