Learn why Walmart Credit Card approvals may be tougher for low FICO scores and what alternatives can help you build credit.
Writer: Toby Sembower
Toby Sembower, Founder
Toby is the founder of CardRates.com and lends his 20 years of experience in the credit card industry to educate consumers. His commentary and reviews have been featured to millions on Yahoo! Finance, CreditCards.com, Entrepreneur.com, and others. Toby's industry connections enable him to keep audiences informed with timely advice and insight.
Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to the CardRates team. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Gwinnett Daily News, Gainesville Sun, and The New York Times, where she covered demographics, consumer issues, and the business and financial sectors. Lillian has a degree in journalism and communications from Georgia State University and brings her fact-checking expertise to ensure Digital Brands content is accurate and engaging.
Ashley Fricker has more than a decade of experience as a finance contributor and editor, and has specialized in the credit card industry since 2015. Her credit card commentary is featured on national media outlets that include CNBC, MarketWatch, Investopedia, and Reader's Digest, among many others. She has worked closely with the world’s largest banks and financial institutions, up-and-coming fintech companies, and press and news outlets to curate comprehensive content and media. Ashley holds a bachelor's degree in multimedia journalism from Florida Atlantic University.
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Walmart is famous for low prices on everything from bath soap to bicycles, which helps make it one of the country’s most popular shopping destinations for credit card users.
The discount retailer is also known for promoting its own Walmart-brand credit card to its shoppers, which leads many potential applicants to ask the question:
While there are a handful of reports from those with credit scores in the 600 range getting approved for the Walmart Credit Card, the general consensus is that Walmart largely declines applications from those with low FICO scores, past bankruptcies, repossessions, and high levels of debt.
5 Walmart Card Alternatives (Bad Credit OK)
Even if Walmart often rejects applicants with bad credit, the Walmart Credit Card isn’t your only option if your score is low. The cards below are designed for people who want to build or rebuild credit. Better yet, you can use them at Walmart, too:
Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.
No annual or hidden fees. See if you're approved in seconds
Building your credit? Using the Capital One Platinum Secured card responsibly could help
Put down a refundable security deposit starting at $49 to get at least a $200 initial credit line
You could earn back your security deposit as a statement credit when you use your card responsibly, like making payments on time
Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months with no additional deposit needed
Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
Get access to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with online banking to access your account from your desktop or smartphone, with Capital One's mobile app
Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.
Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.
Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.
Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.
Earn Cash Back Rewards* – 3% on Eligible Gas, Groceries, and Utilities, and 1% on All Other Eligible Purchases
Use Anywhere Mastercard is Accepted
No Security Deposit
$0 fraud liability**
Free access to your Credit Score†
*See Program Terms for important information about the cash back rewards program.
**Fraud liability subject to Mastercard rules.
† Your credit score will be available in your online account starting 60 days after your account is opened. (Registration required.) The free VantageScore 4.0 credit score provided by TransUnion® is for educational purposes only. This score may not be used by The Bank of Missouri (the issuer of this card) or other creditors to make credit decisions.
Intro (Purchases)N/A
Intro (Transfers)N/A
Regular APR36% Fixed
Annual Fee$85-$175 first year, $229 thereafter
Credit NeededPoor, Fair, or No Credit
Did Walmart Approve Your Poor Credit?
If Walmart begins approving applicants with negative credit histories, we’d love to hear about it first. Please reach out to us on Twitter (@CardRates) or Facebook and share your experience applying for a Walmart credit card. We understand how frustrating credit setbacks can feel. The good news is that you still have plenty of credit card options, so you don’t need to rely on a Walmart-issued card to shop there.
We’ll update this post if Walmart’s approval standards change. In the meantime, happy shopping!
