Firstcard® Credit Builder Card With Cashback Review 2025

• Firstcard® Credit Builder Card with Cashback Introduction
• Quick Facts
• What Is the Firstcard® Credit Builder Card with Cashback Best For?
• Firstcard® Credit Builder Card with Cashback Rewards
• Other Firstcard Benefits
• Fine Print
• How the Firstcard® Credit Builder Card with Cashback Stacks Up
• Is the Firstcard® Credit Builder Card with Cashback for You?
• Methodology

Firstcard launched its secured credit card in September 2023 with the goal of making it every college student’s first credit card, including international students without SSNs. This secured card works a little differently than other cards of its kind. Yes, your spending limit will be equal to the amount of money you deposit, but to use the Firstcard, customers have to open up two separate accounts:

• Deposit account. You’ll need to open a bank account where you deposit funds. Your spending limit on the card will be equal to your balance in this account. If you have an SSN or ITIN, your deposits will earn a variable APY, with no minimum balance requirement.
• Credit account. This is your Firstcard credit card account you use to make purchases. Pay your monthly credit card bill by transferring funds to this account from your deposit account.

In addition to helping you build credit from scratch, this card has features most people look for in a credit card, including a $48 - $120 annual fee and cash-back rewards. It also comes with 0% interest and no late fees, making it a convenient first credit card for anyone who might make beginner mistakes when managing their account.

• Available to U.S. residents who have a government-issued ID and an SSN or ITIN
• No interest charges or late payment fees
• Debt utilization ratio is not reported to the credit bureaus, but monthly payments are

Firstcard is best for students who don’t have an SSN or are first-time credit-card users. You don’t need a credit score to qualify. Plus, with 0% APR and no late fees, you can dip your toe in the credit card pool, without worrying about costly penalties for mismanagement. Just make sure you pay at least the minimum amount due each month to avoid building a negative credit history.

Earning Rewards

You can use Firstcard to earn cash back, but the rewards are complicated. The card advertises up to 15% cash back from certain merchants, but the cash-back amount is determined by the merchant. Additionally, some offers are limited-time and you may have to get an invitation to participate.

Per the website, you could also earn up to 10% in “Random Cashback” on some purchases. A few other reward terms and conditions to note:

• Maximum cash back earned is $250 per day.
• You can find cash-back offer details in the Firstcard app.

Redeeming Rewards

Unlike earning rewards, redeeming them is simple with the Firstcard. The cash you earn will be credited to your Firstcard account. You can spend the money or apply it to your bill.

Rewards Potential

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine spending averages across various categories. We estimate the average college student might spend around $18,663 a year on a credit card, including grocery purchases, cellphone bills, books and entertainment. If a student received 15% cash back on all their grocery, dining and shopping purchases, they could earn as much as $1,020.90 in cash back each year with the card.

Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card with Cashback Rewards Potential

Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Groceries, Dining, Shopping	Up to 15%	$6,806	$1,020.90
			Total: $1,020.90

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• Zero Liability Fraud Protection. Mastercard provides cardholders with protection against unauthorized charges.
• FDIC insurance. The funds in your Firstcard deposit account are FDIC-insured.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: N/A
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $48 - $120
• Balance transfer fee: N/A
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: See Terms

Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card with Cashback vs. Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

For another no annual fee secured card that you can qualify for with an ITIN, try the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card. Unlike Firstcard, you know exactly how much cash back you’ll earn when you use the Quicksilver card: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. This card could also be a better tool for building your credit since you can get automatic limit increases and a potential upgrade to an unsecured card.

The catch is you may need some pre-existing credit history in order to qualify, even if it’s not much. The Quicksilver secured card also has an ultra-high 29.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers, so it’s best to avoid this card unless you know you’ll pay off your full balance each month.

Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card with Cashback vs. opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card

Another option for applicants with ITINs and no credit history is the opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card, however, you do have to be a U.S. resident to qualify. With opensky, you don’t need to open a checking account to get the card, and you can eventually get a refund on your deposit. You’ll also be evaluated for credit line increase every six months.

Like Firstcard, the opensky card gives you occasional cash-back rewards, sometimes up to 10% cash back rewards on purchases at over 40,000 retailers. But the card comes with a 24.64% variable APR on purchases and a long list of fees, including a $35 annual fee and a late fee.

If you don’t have an SSN or strong credit, your credit card options are limited. But the Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card with Cashback is a worthy option since it’s available to applicants with ITINs and no credit history. Plus, it can help you start building credit month-by-month. Additionally, you can earn a small amount of cash back for your spending, with no annual fee or interest charges.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates credit cards