PNC Secured

The PNC Secured card is a credit-building tool and little else: no rewards, no signup bonus, no intro APR, just a card with no annual fee backed by a security deposit. The missing annual fee is the main point in its favor, because it means the cost of building history here comes down to interest you choose to pay. That interest is expensive at a flat 25.49% APR, so the only sensible way to use it is small charges paid in full each month. It also carries a foreign transaction fee, which rules it out as a travel card even for the occasional trip. Use it to establish a track record, then graduate to a card that actually earns something once your credit supports one.