At a Glance
Rating Breakdown
Performance Overview
Scores out of 5, based on our editorial analysis
About OpenSky Secured Visa
OpenSky exists for one purpose: to provide a credit-building tool for people who cannot get approved for anything else. The card performs no credit check at all during the application process -- not a hard inquiry, not a soft inquiry, nothing. This makes it the absolute last resort for consumers with active Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcies on their records, multiple charge-offs, no credit history whatsoever (recent immigrants, young adults with no prior accounts), or FICO scores below 500. The entire application is approved or denied based on identity verification and your ability to fund a $200-$3,000 security deposit. The trade-off for this universal accessibility is a $35 annual fee on a card with no rewards, no cash back, and a relatively high 22.64% variable APR. But criticizing OpenSky for these terms misses the point entirely. You are not paying $35/year for a credit card. You are paying $35/year for 12 monthly payment data points reported to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. After 12 months of on-time payments, most OpenSky users see a 30-60 point FICO improvement, at which point they should graduate to an unsecured card (Discover it Secured, Capital One Quicksilver, or a local credit union card) and close the OpenSky account to get their deposit back. Capital Bank (OpenSky's issuer) also offers the OpenSky Plus, which has no annual fee but DOES require a soft credit check. This creates a paradox: the consumers who benefit most from OpenSky's no-credit-check policy are the same consumers who cannot pass even a soft check. If you can pass the OpenSky Plus soft check, you can almost certainly qualify for a better product elsewhere. The original OpenSky (with the $35 fee and zero credit check) is the one that fills a genuine market gap.
Key Features
Zero Credit Check -- Not Even a Soft Pull
OpenSky is one of fewer than five credit cards in the U.S. market that performs absolutely no credit inquiry during the application process. Approval is based solely on identity verification (SSN, address, date of birth) and your ability to fund the security deposit. Active bankruptcies, charge-offs, judgments, and zero credit history are not disqualifying.
All-Three-Bureau Reporting as the Core Product
OpenSky reports your payment activity to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion every month. This is the actual product you are buying. Each on-time payment creates a positive data point that ages on your credit report. After 12 months, you have 12 positive tradeline entries -- the minimum most unsecured card issuers want to see.
Refundable Deposit = Your Credit Limit
Your security deposit of $200 to $3,000 is held by Capital Bank and returned in full when you close the account in good standing. The deposit is not a fee -- it is collateral. Set the deposit at whatever amount you can afford to have locked up for 12-18 months.
Graduation Path to Unsecured Credit
OpenSky does not have an automatic graduation program like Discover or Capital One secured cards. After 12 months of responsible use, apply for an unsecured card elsewhere, and once approved, close OpenSky to reclaim your deposit. The 12 months of payment history remain on your credit report for 10 years.
How It Works
Apply With No Credit Fear
Complete the online application. Because there is no credit check, applying cannot hurt your credit score. You need a valid SSN (or ITIN), a U.S. address, and a bank account or debit card to fund the deposit.
Fund Your Deposit Strategically
Choose a deposit amount between $200 and $3,000. The deposit becomes your credit limit. A $200 deposit gives you a $200 limit, which means a single $60 charge puts you at 30% utilization. If you can afford $500+, the lower utilization ratio will help your credit score more.
Use for One Small Recurring Charge
Set up a single small recurring charge (streaming subscription, phone bill, or gas station fill-up) and pay the full balance every month. This generates consistent on-time payment data without risking the 22.64% APR on a carried balance.
Graduate and Close After 12 Months
After 12 consecutive on-time payments, apply for a Discover it Secured (which earns cash back) or an unsecured card. Once approved, call OpenSky to close your account and receive your deposit back within 60 days. Do not keep paying the $35/year annual fee once you have a better card.
What They Do
- Secured Credit Card (no credit check)
- Credit Bureau Reporting (all 3 bureaus)
- Online Account Management
- Mobile Payment via Apple Pay/Google Pay
Debt Types They Take On
- OpenSky Secured Visa ($35/year, no credit check)
- OpenSky Plus Secured Visa ($0/year, soft credit check required)
Fee & Cost Structure
Regulatory & Trust
Review Summary
Notable Case Studies
Post-Bankruptcy Credit Rebuild to Mortgage Qualification
Consumer with a 480 FICO score after Chapter 7 bankruptcy opened an OpenSky card with a $500 deposit. Used it exclusively for a $15/month streaming subscription, paying the full balance on the same day each month. After 12 months, applied for and was approved for a Discover it Secured card. After 24 months total, the Discover card graduated to unsecured, and the consumer closed the OpenSky account.
Recent Immigrant Credit Establishment
H-1B visa holder with zero U.S. credit history (no FICO score at all) opened an OpenSky card with a $1,000 deposit. Used it for $200-$300/month in grocery purchases, maintaining utilization under 30%, and paid in full each statement period.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Absolute zero credit check -- not even a soft inquiry -- makes it accessible to anyone with a valid SSN/ITIN
- Reports to all three bureaus monthly, which is the entire point of the product
- Refundable deposit means you get your money back when you graduate to a better card
- $200 minimum deposit is the lowest entry point among no-credit-check secured cards
- 12 months of on-time payments typically produces a 30-60 point FICO improvement, sufficient to qualify for unsecured cards
Cons
- $35 annual fee on a card with no rewards -- you are paying purely for credit reporting access
- 22.64% APR punishes anyone who carries a balance, which defeats the credit-building purpose
- No automatic graduation pathway -- you must apply for a new card elsewhere and close OpenSky manually
- The OpenSky Plus (no annual fee) requires a soft credit check, which defeats the purpose for the truly credit-invisible consumers who need the original OpenSky
User Reviews (10)
max deposit is only $3,000 which limits utilization management
OpenSky's maximum deposit (and therefore maximum credit limit) is $3,000. If you have monthly expenses of $1,500, that's 50% utilization which HURTS your credit score even if you pay in full. You need to stay under 30% utilization (ideally under 10%) to maximize score growth. With a $3,000 limit, that means keeping your balance under $300 at statement close. It requires careful timing of payments to keep utilization low. Annoying but manageable.
served its purpose, closed after 12 months and got deposit back
Used OpenSky for exactly 12 months to build credit from nothing. Score went from nonexistent to 710. Applied for and got approved for Chase Freedom Unlimited and Discover It. Closed the OpenSky card and got my full $300 deposit back within 2 weeks. The $35 annual fee over 12 months was the cost of building credit. Worth it. OpenSky is a tool, not a long-term card. Use it, build your score, graduate to better cards, close it, move on.
$35 annual fee on a secured card feels wrong
I get that OpenSky takes on risk by not checking credit. But charging a $35 annual fee on a card that's SECURED by MY deposit feels exploitative. I'm literally lending them my money as collateral AND paying $35/year for the privilege. Discover's secured card has no annual fee AND does a soft pull (so most people with any credit at all qualify). OpenSky makes sense ONLY if Discover and Capital One secured cards deny you. It's the option of last resort, not first choice.
literally my first credit card ever at age 35
Embarrassing but true -- I'm 35 and this is my first credit card. Always used cash and debit. Decided I needed to build credit for a future mortgage. No credit history = denied everywhere. OpenSky approved me with a $500 deposit. 6 months in, score is 670 and climbing. Better late than never. If you've been cash-only your whole life and need to start building credit, OpenSky doesn't judge. They just need your deposit.
reports to Equifax, Experian, AND TransUnion which is key
The whole point of a secured card is building credit. OpenSky reports to all three bureaus which is essential. Some secured cards only report to one or two. Every on-time payment shows up on all three credit reports simultaneously. This is how you build a credit profile from scratch. After 8 months my scores across all three bureaus were within 10 points of each other (670-680). The consistency of triple-bureau reporting is OpenSky's most important feature.
approved with literally zero credit history
Just turned 18. No credit history at all. Not even an authorized user card. Every other card required at least SOME history. OpenSky approved me with no credit check because it's a secured card -- my $200 deposit IS my credit limit. After 6 months of use, I had a FICO score of 680. After 12 months, 720. OpenSky is the absolute starting line for credit building. It's not glamorous but it works.
new to the US, no SSN needed (ITIN accepted)
Moved to the US from Brazil. No SSN, no credit history, no US bank account history. OpenSky accepted my ITIN and approved me for a $500 secured card. 8 months later I have a 690 FICO and was approved for a Discover It card. For immigrants starting from zero in the US credit system, OpenSky is the first step. No other card I found accepts ITIN with zero US credit history. This card literally started my American financial life.
rebuilding after bankruptcy, OpenSky was the only option
Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharged in 2024. Every card, even secured ones, denied me. OpenSky doesn't check credit at ALL. Deposited $300, got a $300 limit. Used it for gas and groceries, paid the full balance every month. 10 months post-bankruptcy, my score went from nothing to 620. It's not fast and it's not exciting but OpenSky is the only path back to credit after bankruptcy when nobody else will touch you.
took 3 weeks to get the card after sending my deposit
Mailed my $300 deposit check. It took 3 weeks to get the card. THREE WEEKS. In 2024. Most credit cards arrive in 5-7 business days. OpenSky is slow because they process physical check deposits (they also accept debit card funding which is faster). If you're in a hurry to start building credit, fund the deposit with your debit card instead of a check. I learned this the hard way.
no upgrade path to an unsecured card
After 14 months of perfect payments, I asked about upgrading to an unsecured card and getting my deposit back. OpenSky doesn't offer upgrades. You have to close the card (get your deposit back) and apply for an unsecured card elsewhere. Discover and Capital One both automatically upgrade their secured cards to unsecured after 6-12 months of good behavior. OpenSky's lack of an upgrade path means you eventually have to leave. It's a stepping stone, not a destination.
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Important Secured Credit Card Disclaimers
- Secured credit cards require a refundable security deposit that serves as your credit limit. Your deposit is held by Capital Bank, N.A. and returned within 60 days when the account is closed in good standing with a zero balance. If you have an outstanding balance at closure, the deposit is applied to the balance first.
- OpenSky performs no credit check during the application process. However, the card's APR of 22.64% variable applies to any balance carried past the statement due date. Carrying a balance on a secured card while trying to build credit is counterproductive -- the interest cost offsets the credit-building benefit.
- Building credit takes time and consistency. A single missed payment can offset months of positive history and result in a 50-100 point FICO decrease. Set up autopay for at least the minimum payment to prevent accidental missed payments.
- OpenSky does not have an automatic unsecured upgrade pathway. After establishing 12+ months of positive payment history, apply for an unsecured card from a different issuer, then close the OpenSky account to reclaim your deposit. The closed tradeline with positive history will remain on your credit report for up to 10 years.
- Zogby does not issue credit cards or make lending decisions. We are an independent comparison service and may receive compensation from card issuers. The OpenSky Secured Visa is issued by Capital Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. Approval is based on identity verification and the ability to fund a security deposit.
This page is informational, not financial or legal advice. Talk to a qualified professional before making any big money decisions.
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