Plain-English learning materials about how secured credit cards work, how deposits relate to credit limits, how utilization behaves on low-limit cards, and what to ask before opening an account.
This repository teaches concepts — it does not rank cards, compare APRs, recommend specific issuers, or include paid partner links.
Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. No credit product guarantees a score increase.
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
docs/how-secured-cards-work.md |
Deposits, limits, and reporting basics |
docs/deposit-limit-utilization.md |
Why small limits make utilization matter |
docs/secured-card-vs-credit-builder-loan.md |
Revolving vs installment credit-builder paths (concept only) |
docs/questions-before-applying.md |
Questions to ask any issuer before you apply |
checklists/secured-card-readiness-checklist.md |
Readiness checklist |
data/secured-card-education-map.json |
Structured topic map |
data/link-map.json |
Credit Plainly and official source index |
- How do I get and keep a good credit score? — CFPB
- Credit reports and scores — CFPB
- Understanding your credit — FTC
- Credit builder hub
- How secured credit cards work
- How to build credit
- What affects your credit score
- Credit utilization calculator
- “Best secured card” lists or issuer picks
- APR tables or promotional rate comparisons
- Affiliate or referral links
- Guarantees about approval or score increases
This repository is maintained by Credit Plainly, an educational credit literacy project.