Surge Credit Card Review (2021)

What's The Surge Mastercard®?

The Surge Mastercard is a hybrid credit card in the fact that depending on your current credit profile it could be secured or unsecured. 

The card is primarily for helping people with bad credit obtain new credit and re-build their credit profile.

The card is offered by Celtic Bank and also offers features like access to your VantageScore 3.0 for free. 

Who Is Celtic Bank?

Celtic Bank was founded in 2001 and is a leading nationwide small business lender.  

They are headquartered in Utah and are a privately owned industrial bank.   They are also an SBA Preferred lender and was named the largest SBA Lender in the nation.

What Makes Them Different?

The best thing about Celtic Bank is that they focus on credit cards for consumers with less-than-perfect credit.

The company specializes in providing access to credit products and services to consumers who are largely overlooked by traditional credit card issuers and local banks. 

Along with reporting to all 3 of your credit bureaus, you will get free access to your VantageScore 3.0 as well as an instant credit limit increase after making several on-time payments.

Surge Credit Card Basics

Below are some of the basic features of the Surge Mastercard®:

*With this card you may need to provide a refundable security deposit, which determines what your initial credit limit will be. The credit card company holds that deposit in case you don't pay your bill.

In my personal opinion, paying a small fee to establish a strong credit profile is absolutely worth it; just be sure to make your payments on-time.

Surge Mastercard® Features

The Surge Credit Card is packed with several features that make it one of the best secured credit cards for rebuilding credit.

The main features of this card include: 

Vantage Score Access With Surge

All you need to do is accept electronic statements and your score will be on your monthly statements. 

Surge Mastercard® May Have A Security Deposit

This card is more like an unsecured / secured hybrid card because there is a possibility that you might need a security deposit.

On the other hand, if you have "ok" credit you might not be subject to a security deposit. 

If you are required to pay a security deposit it will be returned if you close the card or if your card is graduated to unsecured.

Surge Mastercard® Pros & Cons

Catalog / Merchandise Account Through Fingerhut

Another great alternative are Catalog/ Merchandise Accounts.

While these types of accounts require a credit pull, it is very easy to get an approval and to start building your credit profile.

These accounts will report to all 3 credit reporting agencies; however, you can only use the credit at the Catalog or Merchandise company that gives you the credit.

One of the best catalog accounts comes from Fingerhut, we wrote a detailed review here. 

Steps To Take After You're Approved

You should try to find a service that allows you to monitor all 3 of your reports.

Make On Time Payments

Making on time payments sounds like a super simple thing to do; however, we all live in the real world where things almost never go as planned.

Be sure, no matter what, to make your payments on time because it is super important and is one of the largest factors in your credit score.

No matter what, avoid late payments.

Keep Credit Utilization Low

Another factor to consider is credit utilization, you really want to keep this under 3% of total credit if you can but try to never get it over 15%.

For example, if your Surge credit card has a $300 limit and you spend $60.

Spending $60 on a $300 card limit means you are utilizing is around 20% of your credit on that card and it is above the recommend credit utilization percentage, so be mindful of how much you spend.

Use The Candy Bar Method

You have probably seen talk about this method throughout our site because we find it to be the best strategy for establishing a good payment history.

Your goal with the Candy Bar Method is to take your card once per month and purchase a candy bar. 

This should cost no more than $1.00 or $1.50 and after 3 days you should be able to make your payment on the card.

This will show that the card is being actively used and that you are paying your bill.