Skip to content
★ BEST CARDS FOR BAD CREDIT / REBUILD185 UNITED KINGDOM CARDS TRACKEDNO BIAS · NO SIGNUP
Best For — Bad credit — rebuild

The best credit cards for bad credit / rebuild in United Kingdom

For people rebuilding after bad credit, the best cards are cards for someone rebuilding after missed payments or default — high approval odds, secured or subprime products that report positive history, and terms that recover a damaged score over time. We track 185 United Kingdom cards.

Get my personalized rankingBrowse all secured cards
The profile

Who this guide is for

  • Your score is low after missed payments, default, or collections
  • You've been declined by mainstream banks
  • You want a secured or subprime card with high approval odds
  • You need to build a run of positive payment history
The shortlist

Top cards for bad credit / rebuild in United Kingdom

8 ranked
№ 8
NewDayMastercard

Pulse Mastercard

Cash BackNo Annual Fee
  • Earns 0.25% back on groceries — one of your biggest spending categories
  • £0/yr annual fee
  • Earns 0.25% on Other
  • Cash Back card
Annual fee£0per year
Est. first-year value+£29Not yet checked with NewDay
No application link on file · apply through NewDayRead our review →
Method

How we picked

We start from every card we hold in United Kingdom, keep those that suit people rebuilding after bad credit, and rank them on estimated first-year value for a typical people rebuilding after bad credit profile: rewards from the card's earn rates, plus a welcome offer the page can print, minus the annual fee. A card whose annual fee we cannot state ranks after every card whose fee we can. Nothing here is pay-to-rank. Business cards appear only on business guides, student cards only on student guides, and prepaid cards on none. A figure we do not hold is shown as “Not confirmed”, never as a zero.

More guides

Best cards for other people

TravelersFrequent FlyersInternational JetsettersPoints OptimizersHotel LoyalistsBudget BackpackersDigital NomadsBusiness TravelersCruise LoversRoad TrippersBusinessSole ProprietorsStartup FoundersE-commerce SellersCorporate / EnterpriseContractors & TradesReal-Estate InvestorsBuilding CreditNo Credit / First CardFair CreditSecured CardsThin FilePost-BankruptcyYoung AdultsStudentsUndergraduatesGrad StudentsInternational StudentsStudent Cash BackStudent TravelCash BackFlat-Rate Cash BackGrocery MaximizerGas & CommutersDining & FoodiesOnline ShoppersStreaming & SubscriptionsRent PayersProfessionalsDoctorsNursesTeachersLawyersTech WorkersGovernment / Public SectorFirst RespondersAccountants & FinanceFamiliesNew ParentsLarge HouseholdsSingle ParentsCommuter FamiliesTeens (Authorized Users)ExecutivesLuxury TravelersAffluent High-IncomePrivate BankingMulti-Card StrategistsConcierge SeekersSeniorsFixed-Income RetireesSnowbirdsRetiree Cash BackNewcomersNew ImmigrantsWork-Visa HoldersReturning ExpatsFreelancersSelf-EmployedRideshare & DeliveryContent CreatorsSide HustlersLow Interest & DebtBalance TransferLow Ongoing APRDebt Consolidation0% Big Purchase
Questions

Frequently asked

What is the best credit card for people rebuilding after bad credit in United Kingdom?

The best card for people rebuilding after bad credit in United Kingdom depends on your exact spending and credit. The shortlist above holds 8 cards for this profile, each chosen because it fits people rebuilding after bad credit: cards for someone rebuilding after missed payments or default — high approval odds, secured or subprime products that report positive history, and terms that recover a damaged score over time.

How did you choose these cards for people rebuilding after bad credit?

We start from every card we hold in United Kingdom, keep those that suit people rebuilding after bad credit, and rank them on estimated first-year value for a typical people rebuilding after bad credit profile: rewards from the card's earn rates, plus a welcome offer the page can print, minus the annual fee. A card whose annual fee we cannot state ranks after every card whose fee we can. Nothing here is pay-to-rank.

Why do some cards show no annual fee figure?

Because we hold no confirmed figure for it. Our fee column used to default to zero, and many cards still carry a zero that no check has confirmed — so a zero on its own cannot be told apart from a field nobody filled in, and printing “£0” there would invent a price. A card shows a fee where a positive one is on record, or where a zero was confirmed against the issuer's terms; otherwise the slot reads “Not confirmed”, and the issuer's own page is the place to check before you apply.

How are these cards ranked?

By that estimated value, computed by the same rules for every card, with one adjustment: a card that matches this guide's goal gains 15% of its estimated value (at least 25) in the ordering, so it can rank above a card with a higher estimated value. The figure printed on each pick is the estimate itself, without that adjustment. Our methodology page sets the rules out in full. Each card's review page marks which of its figures a published document states.