The OpenSky Secured Visa is the secured credit card that built much of the modern credit-builder market. It does not require a credit check, it reports to all three bureaus, and as of 2026 it is no longer a single card. OpenSky now offers three different secured Visa tiers and an unsecured graduation card, and the brand says more than 1.6 million people have used one of them to start or rebuild their credit.
This review covers the full lineup, who each card is best for, what to expect from the issuer behind it (Capital Bank, N.A., a federally chartered, FDIC-insured bank, not a fintech), how the cards stack up against Self Visa, Discover it Secured, and the Current Build Card, and how OpenSky's graduation path to the unsecured OpenSky Visa Gold actually works. We also fix a claim from our older review: OpenSky does have an upgrade path, and we explain how to qualify.
Quick Take on OpenSky in 2026
OpenSky's pitch has shifted from "the no-credit-check secured card" to a small family of secured cards that solve different problems. The original card is still here, but two newer options sit on either side of it: a lower-deposit entry tier (Launch) and a no-annual-fee tier (Plus). All three skip the hard pull, all three report to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and all three are issued by Capital Bank, N.A.
For first-time builders who can fund $300 up front, the OpenSky Plus Secured Visa is the best long-run value. For people who can only spare $100 and need to start somewhere, the Launch card opens the door. The original $35-fee card is now a middle option with the lowest APR in the family. If you'd like to see how OpenSky's $100 entry compares against other low-deposit options, our roundup of the best low-deposit secured credit cards ranks the cheapest starts side by side.
OpenSky reports that 66% of cardholders raised their score by an average of 47 points within six months of opening the card. The Q1 2025 average approval rate was 89.39%. Those numbers are self-reported, but they're consistent with what credit-builder cards typically deliver when used responsibly. If you've been turned down before, our guide on what to do after a secured credit card denial explains the most common reasons issuers say no and the cards that recover the path.
OpenSky's Three Secured Visa Cards Compared
OpenSky takes credit building seriously enough to offer three secured cards with different fee and deposit structures. That matters because no single card design works for every wallet. A reader with $100 to spare needs a different card than someone who can fund $300 and never wants to see an annual fee.
Here is how the three secured options stack up:
| Feature | Launch Secured Visa | Original Secured Visa | Plus Secured Visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $35 | $0 |
| Monthly fee | $2/mo year 1, $3/mo after | None | None |
| Minimum deposit | $100 | $200 | $300 |
| Maximum deposit | $1,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Variable APR | 28.24% | 23.89% | 28.24% |
| Bureau reporting | All 3 bureaus | All 3 bureaus | All 3 bureaus |
| Credit check at apply | None | None | None |
| Best for | Lowest entry deposit | Lower APR if carrying balance | No-fee long-term hold |
A few things worth noting from this table.
First, the Launch card has no annual fee but charges a monthly maintenance fee. That works out to $24 in year one and $36 per year afterward, paid in installments. So a "no annual fee" claim is technically true, but the monthly fee makes Launch the most expensive of the three over time.
Second, the original $35 card is the only one with a sub-25% APR. If you are nervous about carrying a balance, that lower APR is a real benefit. The Plus and Launch cards both sit at 28.24% variable, which is on the higher end of the secured-card market.
Third, the Plus card costs nothing to keep open, but you have to fund a $300 deposit to start. That is the highest minimum in the family.
How to Pick the Right OpenSky Secured Card
If you can comfortably set aside $300 and never want to see another fee, the OpenSky Plus Secured Visa is the long-run winner. No annual fee, no monthly fee, all three bureaus, and a clean path to graduation. The higher 28.24% APR only matters if you carry a balance, and you should not be carrying balances on any secured card. Pay the statement in full each month and the APR is a non-issue.
If $300 feels out of reach, the OpenSky Launch Secured Visa lets you start with as little as $100. The trade-off is the $2 to $3 monthly fee. Over two years, you will pay roughly $60 in maintenance fees on the Launch card vs. $0 on Plus. That is the price of starting smaller.
If you tend to carry small balances and want the lowest interest rate, the original OpenSky Secured Visa is still the lowest-APR option in the family. The $35 annual fee is the trade. If you are confident you will pay in full every month, the lower APR matters less and Plus or Launch becomes the better deal.
In all three cases, your security deposit equals your starting credit limit. Deposit $200 and your limit is $200. Deposit $1,000 and your limit is $1,000. The deposit sits in a Capital Bank account and is fully refundable when you close in good standing or graduate to an unsecured card. Confused about whether a secured card and a prepaid card do the same thing? They don't — our explainer on secured credit card vs. prepaid card breaks down which one builds a credit history (only the secured card) and which one is just a spending tool.
Backed by Capital Bank, N.A.: Why That Matters
OpenSky is not a fintech. It is a card program of Capital Bank, N.A., a federally chartered commercial bank headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, with FDIC certificate number 35278. Capital Bank's parent company, Capital Bancorp, is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the ticker CBNK. The bank has been in business since 1999 and holds more than $2 billion in assets.
That distinction matters more than the marketing usually admits. Many credit-builder products from the past few years are issued by partner banks behind a fintech wrapper, which can disappear if the fintech runs into trouble. OpenSky cardholders are dealing directly with the issuing bank's own card program. Your deposit sits in a bank account, not in a third-party trust, and your account is protected by the same federal banking rules as any other consumer credit card.
If you have read about secured-card programs being shut down or pivoted overnight, the "real bank" angle is one reason OpenSky has held up. Capital Bank's card division has been issuing OpenSky cards since 2008, and the brand says it has served more than 1.6 million cardholders to date. That is meaningful continuity in a market where many issuers come and go.
How OpenSky Works
The mechanics are the same across the three secured cards. You apply online, fund a refundable security deposit through a bank account or debit card, and OpenSky sets your credit limit equal to that deposit. There is no hard credit pull. Approval depends on identity verification, your ability to fund the deposit, and a basic check that you do not appear on any banking blacklists.
The card arrives within roughly 10 business days. From there, it works like any other Visa credit card. You make purchases, you get a statement, you pay the balance. Each month, OpenSky reports your payment activity, balance, and credit limit to all three credit bureaus. On-time payments build a positive payment history, which is the single biggest factor in your FICO and VantageScore calculations.
Your deposit stays in a separate Capital Bank account. It is not used for purchases unless you default. When you close the account in good standing or graduate to an unsecured card, the deposit is returned by check.
Pros of OpenSky
No Credit Check at All
This is still OpenSky's biggest standout. Whether you have a 400 credit score, a recent bankruptcy on file, or no credit history at all, you can apply without a hard inquiry or even a soft pull. Combined with the company's reported 89% Q1 2025 approval rate, OpenSky is one of the most accessible cards on the market.
Three Tiers Means There Is a Card for Almost Any Wallet
Most secured-card issuers offer one product. OpenSky offers three with different deposit minimums, APRs, and fee structures. If you cannot fund a $200 or $300 deposit, the Launch card opens with $100. If you have more cash to set aside but hate fees, Plus stays free for life.
Real Bank, FDIC-Insured
Your relationship is with Capital Bank, N.A. directly. That means FDIC insurance on the deposit account that holds your security deposit, federal banking regulations, and the operational stability of a 25-plus-year-old commercial bank. That is harder to come by in the secured-card space than it should be.
Reports to All Three Bureaus
Every OpenSky card reports to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Some competing cards only report to one or two, which slows down your score-building. Three-bureau reporting means your positive history shows up on every report a future lender would pull.
A Real Graduation Path Exists
This was wrong in our older review and we are correcting it. OpenSky does have an upgrade path. Cardholders who make on-time payments for roughly six months can be invited to graduate to the OpenSky Visa Gold, an unsecured card. Graduation is by invitation, not direct application, but it is a real path. The unsecured Gold card returns your security deposit and adds rewards (more on this in the next section).
Visa Network Acceptance
All four cards in the lineup are on the Visa network, with zero-liability fraud protection, Visa Secure for online purchases, and acceptance at tens of millions of merchants worldwide.
Pre-Approval Without a Credit Hit
OpenSky's pre-approval check is a soft inquiry that does not affect your credit score, even if you are declined. That is useful if you want to gauge eligibility before committing to a deposit.
Cons of OpenSky
Higher APRs on Two of the Three Cards
The Plus and Launch cards both run at 28.24% variable APR, which is higher than what no-credit-check competitors like the Current Build Card (no APR, no balances ever) or the Self Visa (around 24%) charge. The original $35 card has a friendlier 23.89% APR. As long as you pay in full each month, this is irrelevant. If you tend to carry balances, OpenSky is not the cheapest place to do it.
Annual Fee on the Lowest-APR Card
To get the best APR in the family, you have to take the $35 annual fee card. Other secured cards, like the Discover it Secured, charge no annual fee at all. OpenSky balances this with the no-fee Plus and Launch tiers, but the lowest-APR option is not the lowest-fee option.
No Rewards on Secured Tiers
None of the three secured cards earn cash back, points, or any rewards. Discover it Secured offers 2% cash back on restaurants and gas stations. The Current Build Card pays 1 point per dollar on dining and groceries. If you want rewards while you build, OpenSky's secured cards are not the answer. The OpenSky Visa Gold (the unsecured graduation card) does add rewards, but you have to qualify into it first.
Foreign Transaction Fee
A 3% foreign transaction fee applies to purchases made outside the United States. That is standard for entry-level cards, but if you travel internationally or shop on overseas sites, you will pay extra.
Mobile App Is Limited
OpenSky's mobile experience has improved compared to a few years ago, but it still feels lighter than what app-first issuers like Discover or Capital One offer. Most account management happens through the web portal. If you want a polished mobile-first interface, this card is not it.
Launch Card's Monthly Fee Adds Up
The Launch card markets itself as no-annual-fee, but the $2 to $3 monthly maintenance fee makes it the most expensive of the three cards over a multi-year hold. If you have $300 to fund a Plus deposit, Plus is the cheaper card to keep.
OpenSky vs Other Secured Cards
OpenSky is one option among several solid secured cards. Here is how it compares.
OpenSky vs Discover it Secured
Discover charges no annual fee, offers 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, and has a well-known unsecured-upgrade program. The catch: Discover does require a credit check. If you can pass even a basic credit pull, Discover often wins on raw value. If a hard inquiry is a problem, OpenSky is one of very few cards that can approve you without one. For the full breakdown of fees, rewards, and the unsecured-upgrade path, see our Discover it Secured Credit Card review.
OpenSky vs Current Build Card
The Current Build Card has no annual fee, no credit check, no minimum deposit, and no APR (because there is no balance carrying, since payments come from a Current account). It earns 1 point per dollar on dining and groceries and reports to all three bureaus. If you want a no-cost option with rewards and you do not need a traditional revolving credit line, the Current Build Card is hard to beat. OpenSky's edge is that it is a true revolving credit card with a network bank behind it, which some lenders weigh more heavily.
OpenSky vs Self Visa Credit Card
The Self Visa Credit Card takes a different path. You first open a Self credit-builder loan, and once you have built a small balance, you unlock the Self Visa. That means you build credit through both a loan and a card at the same time, which boosts your credit mix faster than a card-only approach. Self also has high approval rates and has been a consistent option for thin-file applicants. Read our full Self Credit Builder Card review for the step-by-step approval flow and current fees.
OpenSky wins on speed (no loan to fund first) and on no-credit-check approval. Self wins on credit-mix benefits and on the integrated loan-plus-card design.
OpenSky Visa Gold: The Unsecured Graduation Card
The OpenSky Visa Gold is the graduation card that addresses the older "no upgrade path" complaint. You cannot apply for it directly. Instead, OpenSky invites existing secured cardholders to upgrade after they demonstrate consistent on-time payments, typically for at least six months.
When you graduate, your security deposit is returned by check and your existing OpenSky account is converted (or in some cases a new account is opened). Key Gold features include:
- No security deposit, the card is fully unsecured.
- Starting credit limit around $500, with potential increases over time.
- Variable APR of 24.64%.
- Annual fee of $59.
- Up to 10% cash back at more than 40,000 select retailers through OpenSkyCC Rewards.
The annual fee is the trade-off for graduating to unsecured status. If you would rather not pay $59, you can keep using the secured card or transition to a no-fee unsecured card from another issuer once your score qualifies. Many readers will want to compare a graduated OpenSky Gold to a Discover, Capital One, or Chase entry-level unsecured card before accepting the upgrade. The Gold's strength is that it is offered without a fresh hard pull because you already have a relationship with Capital Bank.
Either way, the existence of the Gold matters. Older reviews said OpenSky has no upgrade path. That was incomplete. The path exists, it works through invitation rather than open application, and roughly six months of clean payment history is the trigger.
Who Should Get an OpenSky Card
OpenSky's three secured Visa cards work well for several specific situations.
- You cannot pass a soft credit check because of recent bankruptcy, charge-offs, or a complete lack of credit history. OpenSky's no-credit-check approval is the most reliable starting point in the market.
- You want the credibility of a real bank. Capital Bank, N.A. is FDIC-insured and federally chartered, with a 25-plus-year track record. You are not relying on a fintech middle layer.
- You want a true revolving credit line on the Visa network, not a debit-style credit-builder product. OpenSky behaves like a normal credit card, which carries weight with some future lenders.
- You can fund a deposit and pay statements in full. With three deposit tiers ($100, $200, or $300 minimum), almost anyone can find a starting point.
- You want a stable issuer that has been around long enough to have an upgrade program. OpenSky has more than 1.6 million cardholders and a graduation pathway to the Gold card.
OpenSky is less ideal if you want rewards on your secured card from day one (look at Discover it Secured or the Current Build Card), if you want the lowest possible APR (consider Self Visa or a credit union secured card), or if you want a polished mobile-app experience above all else.
Tips to Get the Most Out of an OpenSky Card
The card alone will not fix your credit. How you use it matters more than which tier you pick. A few habits make the difference.
Keep utilization below 30%. With a $200 limit, that means keeping reported balances under $60. Under 10% is even better for FICO scoring.
Pay the full statement balance each month. That avoids interest on any of OpenSky's three secured cards, which range from 23.89% to 28.24%. Carrying a balance erases any progress.
Set up autopay for at least the minimum. A single missed payment can stay on your credit report for seven years and overshadows months of clean activity.
Use the card every month. A dormant card does not generate the monthly statement that gets reported. Put one small recurring charge on it and pay it off.
Aim for the upgrade. After roughly six months of on-time activity, watch for an OpenSky Gold invitation. If it arrives and the $59 fee plus the rewards work for your spending, it is a quick way to move into unsecured status without a new hard pull.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OpenSky really not check credit?
Correct. OpenSky does not run a hard inquiry or a soft pull on the secured cards. Approval is based on identity verification and your ability to fund the security deposit. OpenSky's pre-approval check is also a soft inquiry that does not affect your credit score, even if you are declined.
Can I get my OpenSky deposit back?
Yes. The deposit is fully refundable when you close the account in good standing (zero balance, no past-due amounts) or when you graduate to the OpenSky Visa Gold. Capital Bank returns the deposit by check.
How long does it take to build credit with OpenSky?
OpenSky reports that 66% of cardholders raised their score by an average of 47 points within six months. Most users see a credit score established within three to six months of on-time payments. Rebuilding from a low score typically takes 6 to 12 months of clean activity.
Does OpenSky have an upgrade to an unsecured card?
Yes. This is where many older reviews are wrong. OpenSky does offer an upgrade path. After roughly six months of on-time payments, eligible cardholders are invited to upgrade to the unsecured OpenSky Visa Gold. Upgrades are by invitation rather than open application, but the path is real, your deposit is returned when you graduate, and it does not require a fresh hard credit pull.
Which OpenSky secured card should I pick?
If you can fund a $300 deposit, the Plus Secured Visa is the best long-run value because it has no annual or monthly fee. If you can only fund $100, the Launch Secured Visa is the lowest-cost entry. If you tend to carry a balance and want the lowest APR, the original $35-fee Secured Visa has a 23.89% APR, which is the cheapest of the three.
Is OpenSky available for international students?
You need a valid U.S. address and either a Social Security Number or an ITIN to apply. International students with an ITIN may qualify. International applicants without an SSN or ITIN should look at no-SSN options like the Current Build Card instead.
Disclaimer: Card features, fees, and terms may change. Visit OpenSky's official website for the most current information. APRs vary by creditworthiness. This review is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.
