Avant Credit Card review: A decent choice with little added benefits
This would be a solid pick if it were open to people with bad credit or offered rewards.
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Snapshot
2.7
Bottom line
The Avant Credit Card doesn't have much to offer except building your credit, and there are other cards that do it better with clearer terms and rewards. The biggest advantage is access to an unsecured credit line — but a secured card with a refundable security deposit may be more cost-effective since this card could charge an annual fee.
Best for no penalty APR
Intro offer
N/A
Annual fee
$59
Regular APR
35.99%
4.1
Cardholder rating
Extra perks
Meets needs
Online tools
Customer service
2.7
Bankrate score
Cost of membership
Ease of building credit
APR
Features
Why you'll like this: This card is light on fees and other detriments that make it difficult to build credit with other cards.
Card Details
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*Disclosure: If you are charged interest, the charge will be no less than $1.00. The cash advance fee is 3 percent (minimum $10).
*Avant branded credit products are issued by WebBank, member FDIC.
Avant Credit Card overview
The Avant Credit Card is an unsecured credit card for people with a fair or average credit score or limited credit history. It doesn't earn rewards or have many useful benefits, aside from the opportunity to build your credit. There's a potentially steep annual fee of up to $99 — depending on your creditworthiness — and an incredibly high ongoing interest rate.
On the plus side, the Avant card’s initial credit limit can be a bit higher than a few other unsecured cards for people with less-than-perfect credit. And if you use the card responsibly, you may be able to increase your credit limit over time, which can help you manage your credit utilization ratio. You can also check if you’re preapproved for the card without a hard credit inquiry, allowing you to know your approval odds without negatively impacting your score.
There are cheaper alternatives if you’re willing to make a security deposit. A secured card could give you more control over your credit limit and help you fast-track your credit-building efforts. Some options even offer a rewards program and an upgrade path to an unsecured card.
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Rewards
- This card does not offer rewards.
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $59
- Monthly fee: $0 to $1.99
- No foreign transaction fees
- 35.99% ongoing APR
- Late fees up to $39
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis -
Credit-building features
- Chance to prequalify and see approval odds
- Reports to the three major credit bureaus
- Proactive credit limit increases
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Doesn’t require a security deposit
- Avant credit app
- Basic Mastercard benefits
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Avant Credit Card pros and cons
Pros
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You can build your credit history with responsible use since it reports to all three major credit bureaus.
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This card does not require a security deposit, saving you money upfront.
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It offers prequalification without risk to your credit score.
Cons
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This card charges an annual fee and monthly fee that can be higher than alternative cards.
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The potentially low starting credit limit of $300 can make it difficult to maintain a good credit utilization ratio.
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Unlike rival cards with lower costs, this card offers no rewards program.
How to build credit with the Avant Credit Card
For maximum results, you should make a charge or two on your card each month — and then pay if off, ideally before the end of your billing cycle. This accomplishes two things:
Keeps your card active.
Keeps your overall credit utilization ratio low.
Lenders like to see this type of behavior with credit cards, which could lead to higher limits and better offers down the road. Plus, following this method will help you avoid interest charges, which, in the case of this card, are very high.
If you end up paying a monthly or annual fee, look for a better card as soon as your score improves. There are many other cards without fees that'll do the same job without extra charges.
Why you might want the Avant Credit Card
If you don't qualify for one of the best credit cards for good credit, the Avant Credit Card could be a worthwhile alternative. Since it’s an unsecured credit card for people with fair credit scores, you could use it to continue your credit-building journey while saving on upfront costs.
Credit-building features: Checks the necessary boxes
When building your credit, it’s helpful to use a card that reports your progress every month. Avant reports to all three credit bureaus so you can review your progress with each. It also offers applicants the chance to prequalify with a soft credit pull.
A soft credit pull doesn’t affect your credit score, but you could better understand your approval odds. The issuer also conducts proactive credit limit increases, meaning it’ll grant you a higher credit line when you demonstrate consistent positive credit activity, making it easier to maintain a good credit utilization ratio.
Cardholder perks: Mastercard benefits save the day
The Avant Credit Card gives you access to basic Mastercard benefits like Mastercard ID Theft Protection. This includes $0 fraud liability protection, identity protection and monthly risk alerts. You can also easily manage your credit through Avant’s app. These perks are fairly basic and meet the bare minimum standards.
Why you might want a different credit-building card
While the Avant Credit Card is a good tool for building credit, so are many other cards. You can find similar cards without an annual fee, one of the chief downfalls of the Avant credit card, or ones that offer a rewards program or other incentives that might encourage you to use your credit card more responsibly.
Rewards: Not competitive
While not having a rewards program can curb overspending, earning rewards is often a top perk on an unsecured credit card. The Avant Credit Card lacks a rewards program, which isn’t great for credit builders hoping to earn on their spending.
Expecting the best rewards rates with a card for fair credit is unrealistic. Still, plenty of cards available for this credit range offer decent rewards. Often, these programs come with incentives that can help motivate responsible credit habits, making them more well-rounded options overall.
Rates and fees: Uncertain annual fee could add unwelcome cost
While you’ll manage to skip some charges with the Avant Credit Card, including a security deposit and overlimit fees, you may still have to pay an annual fee.
This, combined with the sky-high ongoing APR for carrying a balance, could quickly make the Avant card an expensive choice. Plenty of alternate cards for people with fair credit don’t charge annual fees, including many secured cards. Most secured card issuers will also refund your deposit after you use the card responsibly over time, making a secured card a potentially more cost-effective choice.
How the Avant Credit Card compares to other credit-building cards
Because the Avant card doesn’t offer rewards and charges potentially high fees, it may not be your first choice for a credit-building card. Even though many unsecured cards could be a better fit, you may also want to consider secured cards before applying for the Avant card.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards.
Rewards rate
Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
$200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*
Rewards rate
1.5% unlimited cash back on every purchase.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Is the Avant Credit Card right for me?
Unless you fall into a specific niche, there's likely a better card out there for you. That said, you might consider the Avant card if:
- You don't plan to carry a balance. The APR is very high and it's imperative to pay off your balance in full each billing cycle to avoid interest charges.
- You want an unsecured card. Just remember, a secured card looks the same on your credit report, and you could end up paying more in annual and/or monthly fees, depending on your credit.
- You don't want rewards. We get it. Sometimes rewards entice you to overspend. If you're worried about that, this card offers no return on your spending (except interest if you carry a balance).
Alternative picks
Consider these options and do your search before applying for this — or any — credit card.
Frequently asked questions
How we rated this card
Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring credit cards for students and people building credit, including each card’s cost, APR, credit-building tools and more.
We analyzed over 50 of the most popular cards designed for students and people with no credit history, bad credit or a fair credit score and scored each based on where its key features stood in relation to others in its category.
Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score:
What cardholders think
Avant Credit Card
In May 2024 and March 2025, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 8170 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder's product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate's own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
