Navy Federal cashRewards Secured

This is a credit-builder card with a clear exit plan, which is the main reason to pick it: after three months you can be considered for a credit limit increase without adding to your deposit, and starting at six months the account is reviewed monthly for an upgrade to the unsecured cashRewards card, with your security deposit ($200 minimum) returned when that happens. It earns 1% cash back on everything with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, which is modest but better than most secured cards, and the APR is a flat 18% rather than the 25% and up that's common in this category. There's no signup bonus and no bonus categories, so nobody should carry this for the rewards. Rental car collision damage waiver is the only extra. Use it to establish a payment history, pay in full every month, and treat the upgrade to the unsecured card as the actual finish line.