Quick Review
The Oportun® Visa® is a starter credit card for borrowers with no credit score or a limited borrowing history. Here’s what else you should know before you apply for it:
- It’s unsecured and fairly inexpensive: Unlike many similar cards for no credit or limited credit, the Oportun® Visa® doesn’t require a security deposit. It offers annual fees from $0 to $49, which is relatively cheap among unsecured cards for bad credit.
- It’s good for new immigrants: The Oportun® Visa® doesn’t ask for a Social Security number (SSN), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), US ID, or even a bank account, which is a major advantage for non-citizen applicants. Similarly, the fee-less foreign transactions are good for anyone who is likely to use their card outside the US.
- It’s not available everywhere: Although for most borrowers, this is an easy card to get, you can’t apply if you live in Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Wisconsin, West Virginia, or Washington, DC.
- You’ll probably start with a low credit limit: Credit limits are $300–$1,000, initially, although there could be opportunities for increases later on.
Pros & Cons
Who Is the Oportun® Visa® Best For?
Borrowers who should consider the Oportun® Visa® include:
- Anyone with no Social Security number or US ID: These are usually required during the application process, and it’s rare for credit cards to waive this requirement. However, the Opportun® Visa is an unusually accessible card. To apply, the only documents you’ll need are a photo ID (including ID issued by non-U.S.governments), proof of income, and proof of your address. You’ll also have to give an email address and cellphone number. 1
- Recent immigrants: This card accepts applications not only from borrowers without an SSN, ITIN, or US ID, but also from no-credit borrowers. This means it’s great for recent immigrants to the US. There are even bilingual English–Spanish customer services in some states (Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah) and fee-less foreign transactions that will come in handy for trips abroad.
What the Crowd Says
Ratings for the Oportun® Visa® are generally middling—neither great nor terrible. Actual cardholders express a range of opinions about whether the card is worth getting. Most online reviewers, meanwhile, acknowledge that it has advantages for specific types of borrowers, but isn’t suitable for others.
Here’s how the various websites rate the Oportun® Visa®:
| Publication | Rating |
|---|---|
| WalletHub | 2.9/5 |
| WalletHub (user ratings) | 2.3/5 |
| Credit Karma | Mixed |
| Credit Karma (user ratings) | 4.1/5 |
| BestCards | Mixed |
| Fiscal Tiger | Mixed |
| LendingTree | Mixed |
| Ask Mr Credit Card | 3.9/5 |
| NerdWallet | Mixed |
| Aggregate rating: 3.3 |
What Major Publications Say
Reviews of the Oportun® Visa® card are largely ambivalent. Some highlight its accessibility for no-credit borrowers and new immigrants, and some note that the annual fees of $0–$49 could be a lot worse.
However, many reviews comment on how high the interest rates on the Oportun® Visa® are. Overall, it’s dubbed a very basic credit card with limited benefits to recommend it.
What Cardholders Say
The Oportun® Visa® also gets mixed reviews from the general public, but some cardholders are disappointed by the card’s stingy credit limits, while others have raised account management issues regarding payment. Here are some of the good and bad points borrowers have made:
Credit Limits
Some cardholders complain that their credit limit is too low, or that they weren’t even informed of their credit limit before they accepted their offers; some even claim they canceled their card once they realized how low their credit limit was.
Payment Problems
Many customers claim that they’ve had late payment fees even after they paid their bills on time. Others say their payments have been very slow to post. And there are also complaints about Oportun’s failure to provide an app for cardholders to use to pay their credit card bill.
If you’re trying to build credit, particularly, anything that makes it more difficult to pay your bills on time could be a major issue.
Customer Service
Complaints have been raised about difficulty reaching customer service at all to resolve issues, while many are exasperated by “spam” emails from Oportun.
Rates & Fees
Fees
- Annual fee: $0–$49
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Cash advance fee: $10 or 3% of transaction amount (whichever is greater)
- Over-limit fee: None
- Late/returned payment fee: $35
Interest Rates
- Purchase APR: 24.90% – 29.90% (variable)
- Cash advance APR: 24.90% – 29.90% (variable)
- Minimum interest charge: $1
The annual credit card interest you’ll pay on the Oportun® Visa® is called the APR (“annual percentage rate”). To get an idea of your monthly interest rate, divide your credit card APR by 12. Note that the Oportun® Visa® card’s exact APR is variable and dependent on your creditworthiness.
Rewards
If you’re a borrower with a short credit history and are hoping to get a rewards card, secured credit cards are a good place to look.
Credit Limit
With unsecured cards, the amount of credit you get isn’t contingent on the deposit you pay, but rather on your creditworthiness. This has obvious advantages, but it also gives you less control over your credit limit.
In general, it’s best to aim for a higher credit limit. This is because your credit score depends partly on something called the credit utilization rate, which is a metric that represents the proportion of your available credit you’re using. The lower your credit utilization is, the better it is for your credit score (and vice versa).
Credit Limit Increases
According to some sources, the Oportun Visa automatically considers you for credit limit increases. And when we spoke to the Oportun® Visa® customer service team, they told us that they evaluate your account every month (and potentially extend certain promotions and offers based on your use of the card and your payment record).
This means that you may get a credit limit increase without needing to request one, as long as you make timely payments and use your credit responsibly.
Benefits
The Oportun® Visa® credit card offers some basic benefits:
| Benefit | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Roadside dispatch | Access Visa’s pay-per-use program offering emergency roadside assistance if your car breaks down (e.g., for towing or fuel delivery). |
| Help with lost or stolen cards | Get access to an emergency phone number you can use to report your card lost or stolen, and ask for an emergency card replacement or emergency cash advances. |
| Fraud and identity theft protection | Get monitoring of your account and alerts about abnormal spending patterns or other unusual activity, plus free scanning of the dark web to see if your personal information has been compromised (e.g., your Social Security number or internet passwords). |
| Zero fraud liability | Get reimbursed for any money you lose as a result of unauthorized use of your account. |
| Visa Offers + Perks | This gives you discounts and savings on food and wine, shopping, sports, entertainment, and more. |
These benefits come as standard with all Visa cards, so they’re not particularly remarkable.
How to Get an Oportun® Visa®
Credit Score Required
The Oportun® Visa® credit card website says that the card is available to people with limited credit or no credit. However, it doesn’t give the specific credit score you need to qualify.
We contacted customer service to find out more. They confirmed that people with no credit have been approved, and also said that there’s no minimum score requirement, because their decision depends not just on your credit check but also on your income and expenses.
To estimate your chances of qualifying for the Oportun® Visa®, you can apply for pre-approval online. This will help you decide whether it’s worth getting a hard inquiry on your credit report, which will happen when Oportun processes your official credit card application.
How to Apply
If you’ve already received an Oportun® Visa® offer in the mail, confirm that the offer hasn’t expired, go to creditcards.oportun.com and enter your offer code. Alternatively, to accept your offer by phone, call (855) 613-0070.
If you haven’t received an offer yet, you can still apply for the Oportun Visa® card online. To do this, first go through the pre-approval process, which only takes a few minutes and doesn’t affect your credit score.
You can also apply for an Oportun® Visa® over the phone. To do this, call 855-613-0070 (making sure you have your credit card offer letter on hand during the call, if you’ve received one).
To apply, you’ll need to provide:
- An email address
- A mobile phone number
- Photo ID (such as driver’s license or passport)
- Proof of income (such as pay stubs or bank statements)
- Proof of address (such as gas and electricity bills)
Building Credit
Credit Reporting
If you’re trying to build on a limited credit history, it’s important to choose lenders who report to as many of the major credit bureaus as possible (or ideally all of them), since your credit report comprises information that your lenders pass on to the bureaus.
Tips for Building Credit
A good credit score opens doors for even better credit cards and loans in the future. Follow these steps to improve your credit score with the Oportun® Visa®:
- Keep up with your monthly payments: Paying your bills on time will help your credit score, whereas your credit will suffer if your payments are late.
- Spend less: As mentioned, your credit score depends partly on a metric called the credit utilization rate (the proportion of your available credit you’re using). A smaller balance on your card lowers your credit utilization, and this can help your credit score.
- Ask for more credit: A higher credit limit is good for your credit score in the same way that low spending is. It makes it easier to maintain a low credit utilization rate, which is good news for your credit.
FAQs
Which bank issues the Oportun® Visa®?
The Oportun® Visa® is issued by WebBank.
Is the Oportun® Visa® an unsecured credit card?
Yes, the Oportun® Visa® is an unsecured credit card.
Does the Oportun® Visa® have a grace period?
Yes, the Oportun® Visa® credit card has a 25-day grace period (beginning on the first day of your new credit card billing cycle).
If you pay your bill in full by the due date, the Oportun® Visa® card won’t add interest to purchases you make during the grace period. However, if some of your balance from previous billing cycles remains unpaid, charges during the grace period will accumulate interest at the normal rate.
Can I withdraw money with my Oportun® Visa® credit card?
Yes, you can withdraw money with your Oportun® Visa®, as it allows credit card cash advances (when you use your card to take out money at an ATM or for other cash-like transactions). However, you can only do this once a day, and you can’t withdraw more than $150 or 30% of your credit limit (whichever is greater) on your Oportun® Visa®.
Note that there are also cash advance fees of $10 or 3% (whichever is greater), and the cash advance APR is high at 24.90% – 29.90% (variable). What’s more, interest kicks in immediately when you use your credit card for a cash advance, because there’s no grace period like you get with purchases.
All of this means you’ll probably pay a lot of interest charges if you use the cash advance feature, so it’s best avoided.
Does the Oportun® Visa® allow balance transfers?
No, the Oportun® Visa® credit card doesn’t offer balance transfers (when you move debt from one credit card to another).
Can I add authorized users to my Oportun® Visa® card?
No, the Oportun® Visa® doesn’t allow authorized users or joint accounts.
What’s the Oportun® Visa® customer service number?
You can email general inquiries to [email protected] or call (855) 613-0070.
Send mail correspondence to:
PO Box 4085
Menlo Park, CA 94026
Does the Oportun® Visa® credit card do a hard inquiry?
Yes. As the Oportun® Visa® website says, “If you choose to submit a formal application, a hard credit inquiry will be conducted.” 2
