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Petal 1 Credit Card Review: Build Credit, Earn Rewards, and Avoid Fees

Review Updated
Lyle Daly
Author: Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
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Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. His work with Motley Fool Money and The Motley Fool has appeared syndicated in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.

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Eric McWhinnie
Fact Checked: Eric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie

Eric McWhinnie has been writing and editing digital content since 2010. He specializes in personal finance and investing. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

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Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

The Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card is made for building and rebuilding credit. There's no annual fee, and unlike many credit-builder cards, there's no security deposit required, either. It even offers cash back rewards with some merchants. Read our full Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card review to find out more.

Ratings Methodology

Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card

Great for: Building credit

Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Fair (300-669)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Fair (300-669)

Intro APR

Purchases: n/a

Balance Transfers: n/a

Regular APR

25.24 - 34.74% Variable

  • The combination of cutting fees competitors charge, along with the opportunity to earn rewards, makes this a worthwhile card to consider when working on your credit.

    • Easy approval process
    • No annual fee
    • Rewards from select merchants
    • No foreign transaction fee
    • Limited rewards opportunities
    • High APR
    • Petal has added fees before
    • No annual fee, and no security deposit required
    • 2-10% cash back at select local and national merchants
    • See if you’re pre-approved in minutes without impacting your credit score
    • No Credit Score? No problem. Credit history isn’t required for approval
    • Get an automatic credit limit increase after 6 qualifying on time monthly payments. Terms apply
    • Build credit alongside hundreds of thousands of Petal card members
    • Petal reports to all 3 major credit bureaus
    • Pay with ease with a contactless card or on your phone using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay
    • Zero liability fraud coverage
    • Card issued by WebBank

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

Full Petal 1 Credit Card review

This credit card is a good fit for: Consumers who haven't established a credit history yet or have a bad credit score due to some previous problems.

Top perks

The Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card has several valuable features worth knowing about.

Easy approval process

Petal makes the application process as simple and stress-free as possible. It gives you the option of linking your bank accounts when you apply. Using that information, it can create a Cash Score for you based on your banking transactions.

This Cash Score feature allows Petal to potentially approve you for a credit card, even if you have no credit history or a low credit score. And with Petal's pre-approval tool, you can check if you're pre-approved for one of its cards without any impact to your credit score.

No annual fee

The best credit cards for building and rebuilding credit are no annual fee cards, and there's no annual fee for this Petal card. You can use it to improve your credit without it costing you.

Rewards with select merchants

When you use the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card at participating merchants, you earn between 2% and 10% cash back on eligible purchases, depending on the merchant's specific offer. Petal's lineup of participating merchants includes both national and local offers. The cash back rate for this card at participating merchants is excellent.

MORE OPTIONS: Best Rewards Credit Cards

No foreign transaction fee

You won't need to pay extra if you use your Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card while you're traveling internationally. The lack of foreign transaction fees is a helpful perk we don't see very often from credit cards for bad credit.

High credit limits

Petal offers credit limits of $300 to $5,000 for the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card. The benefit of a high credit limit is that it can help you keep your credit utilization ratio down, a key factor when building credit.

RELATED: How to Build Credit Fast

What could be improved

This Petal credit card has a few downsides worth knowing about.

Rewards on everyday spending

The Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card doesn’t earn cash back anywhere except participating merchants. That limits the value you'll get from it, especially compared to other cash back credit cards.

It's also disappointing when you consider that the Petal® 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa® Credit Card offers cash back on purchases and up to 2% to 10% back with its merchant offers. The Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card likely doesn't have those same perks because it's an option for consumers who are rebuilding credit, whereas Petal's original card isn't.

High APR

Like most credit cards, this Petal card charges a variable APR that depends in part on your creditworthiness. However, its APR range is higher than most other cards, including credit cards for consumers with bad credit. It's recommended to always pay your credit card bill in full to avoid interest, and if you do that, then the APR doesn't matter. But if you carry a balance at any point, this card's high APR will cost you more.

LEARN MORE: What Is APR and What Does It Mean for Your Credit Cards?

Petal has added fees before

While the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card has no annual fee, the Petal site also mentions that card fees and terms may vary for those who got the card before May 16, 2023.

Some cardholders who had the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card before that date received notice that they would be charged an $8 monthly fee going forward. The only way to opt out was to close the card. This doesn't affect new applicants, but it makes you wonder if Petal may do the same thing to more cardholders in the future.

Suggested credit score

There's no minimum suggested credit score for the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card. It's possible to qualify for it with poor credit, fair credit, or no credit at all.

Find the best credit card for your needs
Image of reviewer

Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.

Compare Cards

The Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card is right for you if:

You're looking for your first credit card so you can start building credit, or you need to rebuild credit after missteps.

Petal and its Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card have their issues. It'd be nice if the card earned cash back on all types of purchases, not just those at select merchants. And the fact that Petal once added an annual fee for some cardholders is problematic. Still, for improving your credit score, this Petal credit card does the trick and doesn't require you to pay a deposit.

SEE MORE: Best Starter Credit Cards for No Credit

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • The credit limit for the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card ranges from $300 to $5,000 depending on your creditworthiness.

  • Yes, you can get prequalified for the Petal® 1 "No Annual Fee" Visa® Credit Card. To check if you prequalify for that and other Petal credit cards, go to the Petal website to see offers and fill out their form. After you submit it, Petal will let you know if you prequalify for any of its cards.

  • This card's customer service gets mixed reviews. Some consumers like Petal's customer service, but others have found it unhelpful. Petal hasn't been evaluated by any big customer service studies yet, so it's difficult to say how it ranks compared to other card issuers.