Blaze Mastercard® Credit Card Review: Rebuild Credit with 4-Bureau Reporting

Is the Blaze Mastercard® Worth It?

The Blaze Mastercard® is really only worth it if you need an unsecured credit line and you’re struggling to qualify for other cards. It may give you what you need to rebuild your credit, but that doesn’t mean it won’t cost you.

Here’s what you should take into account when deciding whether you should get the Blaze Mastercard®:

• High annual fee: To get the Blaze Mastercard®, you’ll need to pay $75 right off the bat and again each year that you want to keep using the card. This makes it less than ideal as a long-term option, and means you’ll probably want to close the account once your credit improves and you can qualify for a better card.
• Potential credit limit increases: The Blaze Mastercard® comes with an initial credit limit of $350–$1,500, which is decent, but nothing to write home about. However, the card issuer will offer you the chance to increase your credit limit after 6 months of responsible account management.
• Reporting to four credit bureaus: The issuer reports Blaze Mastercard® accounts to the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion), but they don’t just stop there. They also report to the lesser-known bureau Innovis. It’s quite unusual to get such comprehensive credit reporting, so this is a major plus.

If you already have a reasonable credit score, we definitely advise looking for credit cards with lower fees and better benefits. However, if you’re having trouble qualifying for cards and don’t want to pay a security deposit, the Blaze Mastercard® isn’t the worst deal out there.

Pros & Cons

Who Is the Blaze Mastercard® Best For?

Because of its relatively high annual fee and lack of rewards or other benefits, the Blaze Mastercard® certainly isn’t for everyone. Instead, it’ll be most valuable to a couple of specific groups of people:

• Credit rebuilders: The Blaze Mastercard® offers one of the most comprehensive credit reporting policies out there and the potential to get credit limit increases by using your card responsibly. These features make it a solid choice if you want to boost your credit fast.
• Cardholders who want quick cash: One benefit that makes the Blaze Mastercard® stand out from competitors is its low-cost cash advance capability. While you’ll be charged the same 29.90% (fixed) APR for cash advances as you would for purchases, you’ll only need to pay a 2% fee for the transaction, which is lower than the norm.

Because of its high annual fee, high APR, and underwhelming benefits, it isn’t among our top credit card choices. We recommend looking for alternatives with lower fees and better terms before you commit to the Blaze Mastercard®.

Alternative Cards

What the Crowd Says

Reviews of the Blaze Mastercard® are pretty mixed. The general consensus is that this card is a reliable unsecured credit card you can get if you’ve struggled to qualify for other cards in the past, but it may not be the best option for everybody.

What Major Publications Say

Many review websites focus on the potential perks of the Blaze Mastercard®. For example, you may be able to get a credit limit of up to $1,500, and you may be able to get the annual fee waived.

However, they also point out that there’s no guarantee that you’ll get either of these benefits since the card issuer isn’t totally transparent about what you’ll need to do to qualify. Ultimately, major credit card review publishers recognize the Blaze Mastercard® as a decent unsecured credit card for people with troubled or limited credit histories that offers perks that a select group of users will benefit the most from.

What Cardholders Say

Current cardholders have varied opinions on whether the Blaze Mastercard® is a worthwhile card. Ultimately, many positive and negative user reviews can be attributed to the card issuer’s lack of transparency about what requirements you need to meet to upgrade to better card terms.

Unclear Requirements for Credit Limit Increases

The card issuer doesn’t specify what requirements you need to meet in order to qualify for a credit limit increase on the Blaze Mastercard®. While some cardholders are pleasantly surprised when they’re quickly offered a larger credit line, others are left bitterly disappointed when their patience and hard work never pays off.

Some users even report getting offered lower APRs and annual fees than those advertised to the general public, whereas others express frustration with never being upgraded to a larger credit line even after years of consistent on-time payments.

---

Rates & Fees

Fees

• Annual fee: $75
• Cash advance fee: 2% of the transaction amount
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Authorized user fee: $20
• Late/returned payment fee: Up to $25

One of the major drawbacks of the Blaze credit card is its high annual fee, which isn’t offset by any cashback rewards or particularly notable benefits. Although the card issuer lists an offer for the Blaze Mastercard® that comes with an annual fee of only $49, it’s unclear how often they actually give this out.

With that said, the card’s other fees are very reasonable. The 2% fee on cash advances is lower than what you’d get with other cards, and you won’t have to pay any fees on foreign transactions.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 29.90% (fixed)
• Cash advance APR: 29.90% (fixed)
• Penalty APR: None
• Minimum interest charge: None

If you don’t pay your Blaze Mastercard® credit card balance in full each month, you’ll be charged interest at an APR of 29.90% (fixed). To avoid interest charges, never carry a balance over from one month to the next.

---

Rewards

Many rewards credit cards aren’t available to applicants with poor credit or limited credit histories. However, there are exceptions. If rewards are important to you, then you should keep exploring your other card options, particularly secured cards.

---

Credit Limit

While the credit card limits on the Blaze Mastercard® may seem pretty low, plenty of unsecured cards open to borrowers with poor credit offer even lower limits. The modest credit limits offered on the Blaze Mastercard® aren’t the best, but they aren’t the worst either.

Credit Limit Increases

According to the card issuer, you may be able to get a credit line increase in as little as 6 months if you keep your card account in good standing (meaning you make all your payments on time), meet their debt-to-income ratio requirements, and maintain your credit profile.

---

Benefits

The benefits you get with the Blaze Mastercard® credit card are fairly basic. Most are common advantages you’ll be able to find in similar cards.

---

How to Get the Blaze Mastercard®

Credit Score Required

The Blaze Mastercard® issuer doesn’t specify any minimum credit score requirements you’ll need to meet to get the card. However, the card is advertised as “the go-to card for people to start rebuilding their credit,” and it’s specifically marketed as a second-chance credit card, meaning you should be able to qualify even with very poor or limited credit.

When we spoke to a Blaze Mastercard® customer service representative, they told us that you can qualify for the card even if you have a bad credit score. FICO scores under 580 are considered bad, so you may be eligible even if your score is below that.

How to Apply

If you received a prescreened offer letter in the mail for the Blaze Mastercard®, you can respond online to your mail offer by entering your reservation number and access code (which you’ll find on the acceptance form you received).

Even if you haven’t received an offer in the mail, you can still apply online. You can apply for the card without a bank account, but you’ll need to provide personal information, including your Social Security number.

---

Building Credit

Credit Reporting

Credit reporting is an important part of credit building because your credit score is based on the information that your creditors send to the credit reporting agencies. This information is also what future lenders will see when they run a credit check on you.

Lenders aren’t legally required to report your credit history, and many only report to one or two of the major credit bureaus. Although you’ll find three-bureau reporting with many cards geared toward credit builders, it’s unusual to get four-bureau reporting. This is a major advantage of the Blaze Mastercard® credit card.

Tips for Building Credit

Because the Blaze Mastercard® credit card reports to four credit bureaus, it’s fantastic for credit building. However, you’ll still need to take the following steps to ensure that having the card is benefitting rather than hurting your credit:

• Pay all your credit card bills on time: Your payment history is the most important factor determining your credit score. The best thing you can do to ensure you get the most out of the credit-building potential offered by the Blaze Mastercard® is to consistently pay your credit card bill by the payment due date.
• Keep spending to a minimum: The high APR and lack of rewards on the Blaze Mastercard® offer little incentive to make frequent purchases. This card is more designed for credit building than for increasing your spending power, and you should treat it as such. Overspending can cause your credit to suffer by increasing your credit utilization rate and debt amount.
• Take advantage of credit limit increases: Do everything in your power to keep your Blaze Mastercard® account in good standing, your credit in good health, and your debt-to-income ratio low. This will ensure you’ll qualify for credit limit increases, which will boost your credit score by increasing your amount of available credit.

---

FAQs

What’s the grace period on the Blaze Mastercard®?

The Blaze Mastercard® credit card gives you a grace period of 25 days (beginning on the first day of the new billing cycle). A credit card grace period is the amount of time you’re given to pay your balance in full to avoid racking up any interest charges.

You should always pay your credit card bills in full by the due date and avoid carrying a balance from one billing cycle into the next to prevent your credit card debt from growing.

Can you get a cash advance on the Blaze Mastercard®?

The Blaze Mastercard® credit card allows cash advances for all cardholders. A credit card cash advance is a type of transaction that allows you to convert available credit into cash funds, usually by withdrawing money from an ATM.

You’ll need to pay a cash advance fee, but you won’t be charged as much as you would with similar credit cards. Instead of paying a fee equal to at least 3%–5% of the transaction amount, you’ll just have to pay 2%. The minimum amount you can withdraw from an ATM on the Blaze Mastercard® is $20, which corresponds to a minimum fee of $0.40.

The Blaze Mastercard® cash advance APR is the same as the purchase APR at 29.90% (fixed), but you won’t enjoy a grace period before interest starts accruing on your balance. For this reason, you should only use the Blaze Mastercard® to take out cash when necessary and make sure to pay your balance off as soon as possible.

Does the Blaze Mastercard® allow balance transfers?

You can’t use the Blaze Mastercard® credit card for balance transfers. This isn’t surprising considering that the card is primarily designed for credit repair and comes with a high APR.

A balance transfer involves moving debt from one credit card to another, and it’s a common form of credit card debt consolidation. If you need a card with this function, you can explore special balance transfer credit cards.

Can you use the Blaze Mastercard® for foreign transactions?

The Blaze Mastercard® allows foreign transactions, and it’s an excellent credit card to use when you go abroad because it has no foreign transaction fees.

Many credit cards charge 1%–3% of the transaction amount, so no-fee foreign transactions is a big plus for the Blaze Mastercard®. If you do plan to take the card outside the country, make sure to warn your credit card company beforehand so that they can authorize your card for international use.

How do you contact Blaze Mastercard® customer service?

If you need help applying for the Blaze Mastercard® or you have additional questions about the current offers available or how the credit card works, you can contact customer service using the contact information below.

Phone number: (605) 782-3472

Mailing address:

Blaze Mastercard

PO Box 5096

Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5096