Citi® Secured Mastercard®
A no-annual-fee credit-building card from Citi.
Rates, fees, and full terms are set by Citi and can change. See current rates & fees on the issuer’s site, and always confirm the latest terms before applying.
Our review
The Citi Secured Mastercard is a plain, honest secured card from a major bank. It earns no rewards, but it has no annual fee and does the fundamental job of building credit fairly, which already puts it miles ahead of the fee-harvester cards aimed at the same shoppers.
You put down a refundable deposit that becomes your limit, use the card responsibly, and build a track record with a big issuer. It is not exciting, but it is fair, and fair is exactly what you want when you are establishing credit.
Think twice if: you want rewards or a clear graduation path, since the Discover and Capital One secured cards offer more.
Our 6.7 out of 10 rating
Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.
Earning rates at a glance
Rewards: how it earns
There are no rewards. This is strictly a credit-building card, so judge it on cost and fairness rather than earning. On that score it does fine: no annual fee, a refundable deposit, and reporting to all three bureaus.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dining and restaurants | 0x | Base rate |
| Groceries | 0x | Base rate |
| Gas | 0x | Base rate |
| Travel | 0x | Base rate |
| Streaming | 0x | Base rate |
| Everything else | 0x | Everything else |
The fine print on rates: A simple no-frills secured card from a major bank. A refundable deposit from $200 sets your limit. No rewards, but no annual fee, and it helps establish credit with Citi.
Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.
Best ways to earn & redeem
Use it as a flat-rate everyday card, since it earns the same on every purchase, and pair it with bonus-category cards for groceries, dining, and travel.
When you cash in, take the rewards as cash back or a statement credit, worth a flat 1 cent each. We value every point at a flat 1 cent, so treat any transfer upside as a bonus rather than the baseline — see what your points are really worth.
Pros and cons
- No annual fee
- Refundable deposit and reporting to all three bureaus
- Build credit with a major, widely accepted issuer
- No rewards
- No welcome bonus and no standout graduation offer
- Discover and Capital One secured cards generally offer more
The welcome bonus
There is no welcome bonus. The card is about establishing credit, not earning, so there is no sign-up incentive to weigh.
First-year value vs ongoing value
| Welcome bonus | None |
| To earn it | No minimum spend |
| Est. first-year value* | $0 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $0 |
There is no lump-sum welcome bonus, so first-year and ongoing value are about the same, roughly $0 a year on typical spending after the fee. What you see is what you get from day one.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.
Benefits and protections
Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:
- Refundable security deposit from $200 sets your credit limit
- Access to a free FICO score and Citi tools
- Reports to all three credit bureaus
- A path to building credit with a major issuer
Statement credits
This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.
Who should get it, and who should skip it
If you want to build credit with a major bank and keep things simple, the Citi Secured does the job with no annual fee and no gimmicks. It is a perfectly fair, no-nonsense option.
That said, for the same $0 fee, the Discover it Secured earns rewards and matches them in year one, and the Capital One secured cards offer rewards or a lower deposit and clearer graduation. Citi is a solid fallback, but those tend to be the stronger picks.
Alternatives to the Citi® Secured Mastercard®
Pairs well with
The Citi® Secured Mastercard® earns a flat rate on everything, so pair it with a category card or two to earn more where you spend the most.
Frequently asked questions
Best-card guides featuring this card
How does it rank for your spending?
Every card is ranked by what it actually returns on the way you spend. Run your numbers and see where the Citi® Secured Mastercard® lands.
Calculate My CardOffer details verified against issuer sources as of October 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
