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Merrick Bank is a financial institution, lender and one of the top 20 Mastercard issuers in the United States. Despite not having the huge name recognition of other American banks, Merrick counts over 2.4 million customers as its cardholders.
Merrick may fly under the radar because they serve a very specific niche of consumer -- namely, someone who is trying to improve their bad credit or build credit for the first time. If that describes you, Merrick Bank may count you as a potential customer for their line of cards. But many competing banks offer credit cards that fulfill that same need. How does Merrick Bank stack up?
Who They Serve
Merrick Bank’s focus is consumers who have suboptimal or nonexistent credit. Their credit cards are designed to be basic solutions for consumers grappling with their credit.
Credit requirements, therefore, may be a bit on the lax side. The approval process is quick, and applicants can easily check online for prequalification without damaging their credit score. Some Merrick cards require you receive an invitation for you to access the card.
It is still possible for your application to be rejected, so don’t assume you’re a shoo-in.
Features for All Cardholders
Features vary between cards, but some apply to all Merrick Bank cardholders.
Cardholders can use Merrick Bank cards to make purchases and access cash at ATMs. The first year’s annual fees are applied to the balance of the card, so the fee can cut into your available credit limit. And Merrick Bank reports card activity to all three major credit bureaus, which is great if you’re trying to build or rebuild your credit -- as long as you make timely payments and don’t run up significant balances.
Cardholders get free online and mobile account access. They also have a $0 fraud liability for unauthorized charges.
Merrick Bank’s Card Options
Merrick Bank offers a few different card options to customers:
1. Merrick Bank® Credit Card
Secured credit cards require a security deposit, which sets a line of credit equal to your deposit. Just like any other credit card, you make monthly payments and your card activity is reported to the credit bureaus. In this way, secured credit cards reduce the risk to the card provider and can help you build or improve upon your credit.
For their secured card, Merrick Bank requires an initial security deposit of $200 - $3,000. The requirement for approval is pretty low for the secured card. As long as you can provide a security deposit, have no pending bankruptcies or outstanding tax obligations and meet a few other minimum qualifications, you can access this card.
The card has a purchase APR of
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. There’s an annual fee of
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.
The Verdict
Merrick Bank cards appear to be simple, no-frills cards designed for consumers with poor credit or nonexistent credit. Their biggest “wow” factor is the automatically doubled credit line on the Double Your Own Line card.
That said, the fact that they don’t publicly list APR or annual fees for many of their cards sets off alarm bells. These offers come by the mail only - so if you’ve received an offer, you’ll be better poised to judge the cost of the card. Just remember you’d do best to pay off any balance in full each month. Also, remember that your initial annual fee can eat into your credit limit.
With little public information and no big features, we can only determine that Merrick Bank cards can help you improve or build your credit. But you may be better off hunting down some options that are more upfront, include better features and are overall better deals.
Alternatives
If you need an unsecured or secured card to help you build credit, there are a few great options on the market. Here are two of our favorites.
Why We’re Mentioning It: First Progress requires no credit history and no minimum credit score for approval. You get a full featured credit card that that you can use anywhere Mastercard is accepted. And First Progress reports your timely payments to all three major credit bureaus each month, so you build better credit while you use this card. You can deposit anywhere from $200 to $2,000 for this secured card and the ongoing APR is a low
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Purchase APR:
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Annual Fee:
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At publishing time, the Merrick Bank®, Merrick Bank Secured, First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard Secured are offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com is compensated if our users apply and ultimately sign up for these cards. However, this relationship does not result in any preferential editorial treatment. This content is not provided by the card issuer(s). Any opinions expressed are those of Credit.com alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer(s).
Note: It’s important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.
