Balance Transfer Options for Secured Credit Cards

Secured cards require an upfront security deposit that becomes your credit limit. While not common, some secured cards allow balance transfers from other credit cards. Evaluating balance transfer options can provide potential benefits for those rebuilding credit with secured cards.

How Balance Transfers Work

A credit card balance transfer allows you to transfer outstanding debt from existing cards over to a new card. The process involves:

• Completing a balance transfer after opening a new credit card
• Selecting which accounts and amounts to transfer
• Paying off transferred balances on the new card
• Avoiding further usage of old cards with transferred balances

Transfers allow you to consolidate multiple debts onto one card for simplified management.

Benefits of Balance Transfers

The main benefits of transferring balances from other cards include:

• Consolidating debts into one place
• Paying down debts faster by focusing payments
• Simplifying bills and due dates into one payment
• Taking advantage of lower promotional interest rates on transferred balances
• Allowing old accounts to close and drop off credit reports

When used properly, balance transfers provide an opportunity to streamline debt repayment.

Risks and Drawbacks

Potential downsides to balance transfers involve:

• Paying balance transfer fees, usually 3-5% of the amount transferred
• Ongoing high interest charges if not paid quickly
• Old accounts closing may lower total available credit
• Missing payments can incur penalties on promotional APR offers
• Continued usage on old accounts with transferred balances

Have a plan for paying down consolidated debts faster to avoid accruing more interest charges.

Do Secured Cards Offer Balance Transfers?

Unfortunately, most secured cards do not allow balance transfers from other credit cards. Secured cards are designed to establish positive history responsibly.

However, there are some exceptions where secured cards permit balance transfers:

• NerdWallet Secured Visa® Credit Card
• Surge Secured Visa® Credit Card
• DCU Visa® Platinum Secured Credit Card
• USAA Secured Card® Platinum Visa®

These specifically mention balance transfer capabilities for secured accounts on improved credit.

Eligibility for Secured Card Balance Transfers

To qualify for balance transfers to a secured account, issuers typically require:

• Open secured card account for at least 3-6+ months
• Minimum credit score thresholds around 640+
• Demonstrated responsible usage and payments
• Relatively low utilization on secured account
• Documentation showing regular income sources

Issuers want to see pristine behavior on the secured account itself before allowing transfers from other cards.

Transfer Limits and Fees

Expect balance transfer options for secured cards to offer:

• Maximum transfer limits of $1,000 – $2,000
• Balance transfer fees between 3% – 5%
• Low promotional APR periods on transferred balances

Evaluate if the transfer fee cost exceeds potential savings from reduced interest charges before requesting a balance transfer.

Impact on Credit Scores

Balance transfers can influence your credit scores in a few ways:

• Hard inquiry for new account opening may cause small dip
• More available credit can lower overall utilization
• Closing old accounts decreases average age of credit history

Monitor your scores regularly when opening new secured accounts and transferring balances over. Aim to offset potential dips by lowering utilization.

Tips for Successful Balance Transfers

Follow these tips to maximize the benefits when transferring balances to a secured card:

• Make payments on time to avoid promotional APR expiration
• Stop using old cards to avoid accruing new interest
• Pay down balances aggressively within the promotional period
• Maintain low utilization on all cards
• Leave old accounts open until balances transfer
• Check for transfer fees on both the new and old card

With a strategic approach, balance transfers allow simplification and accelerated debt repayment.

Graduation Options After Transfers

Issuers granting balance transfers may view your account more favorably for graduation to unsecured credit.

To improve graduation chances after transfers:

• Maintain perfect payment history
• Follow credit limit increase requests procedures
• Keep utilization very low across all cards
• Discuss graduation pathway opportunities with issuer

Meeting strict requirements demonstrates you can handle larger credit access responsibly.

Key Takeaways on Balance Transfers

• Most secured cards do not allow balance transfers due to risk considerations
• Transferring debt can streamline repayment if used strategically
• Requirements involve good credit scores and responsible account management
• Monitor scores for potential temporary impacts from transfers
• Focus on paying down transferred balances quickly within promotional windows
• Graduation may become easier after demonstrating success with balance transfers

While uncommon, balance transfers present opportunities for some disciplined secured card holders. Weigh costs against savings potential before transferring debt to your secured account.