Cerulean Mastercard® Credit Card 2024 Review: Double Your Credit Line in 6 Months

Cerulean Mastercard® Review

The Cerulean Mastercard® advertises itself as being available to borrowers with “less-than-perfect credit.” Unlike many credit cards for bad credit, it’s unsecured, which means you don’t have to pay a security deposit to open it.

The Cerulean Mastercard® comes with a couple of advantages and one major disadvantage:

• You can get a decent credit limit: The Cerulean Mastercard® has an initial credit limit of $300–$1,000. Your credit limit will automatically double if you make six on-time monthly payments, meaning you might be able to get a credit limit of up to $2,000 after 6 months of card ownership.
• It can help build credit: The Cerulean Mastercard® will report your credit activity to all three major credit bureaus, so it’s a decent option for building credit.
• It’s expensive: The Cerulean Mastercard® has a $99 annual fee, which is steep even for cards for bad-credit borrowers. Its APR is also relatively high at 25.90% (variable), and it doesn’t compensate for these expenses with any rewards.

Overall, there are better credit cards on the market, especially if you’re willing to pay a security deposit. The Cerulean Mastercard® is a relatively expensive option with limited benefits.

Pros & Cons

Who Is the Cerulean Mastercard® Best For?

While the high annual fee makes is a fairly recommendable option for most borrowers, the Cerulean Mastercard® could serve the following types of borrowers:

• Quick credit builders: The $99 annual fee means this card isn’t good to have long-term, as the cost can quickly add up. However, if you’re desperate for an option now that can help you build credit, the Cerulean Mastercard® could help with a decent credit limit and three-bureau reporting.
• Pre-qualified applicants on their last resort: If you’ve been struggling to qualify for a credit card but have received a Cerulean Mastercard® offer in the mail, it may be worth applying rather than risking more rejections from other credit card issuers.

For other options, check out these lists of top credit cards:

• Credit cards for bad credit
• Credit cards for no credit
• Secured credit cards

Note that secured cards require a security deposit, so in the short term, they can be more expensive than the Cerulean Mastercard®. However, the ones without annual fees will likely cost less in the long term, especially those with refundable deposits.

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Rates & Fees

Fees

• Annual fee: $99
• Cash advance transaction fee: $5 or 5% (whichever is greater)
• Foreign transaction fee: 3%
• Late fee: Up to $41
• Returned payment fee: Up to $41
• Additional card fee: $30 (one-time fee for adding an authorized user to your account)

The fees on this card are quite high, particularly the annual fee. Since the cost isn’t offset by any rewards, this card probably isn’t worth the money.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 25.90% (variable)
• Cash advance APR: 25.90% (variable)
• Minimum interest charge: None

If you don’t pay your credit card balance in full each month, you’ll be charged interest. The interest you’ll pay on your credit card each year depends on your APR (“annual percentage rate”).

The APR on the Cerulean Mastercard® isn’t terrible, especially considering it’s an unsecured card for bad credit. Still, interest charges could quickly stack up on this credit card if you don’t pay all (or most) of your balance each month.

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Rewards

It’s hard to find rewards cards that are available to people with poor credit or limited credit histories. However, it isn’t impossible. If rewards are important to you, do some more research to see if you can find any suitable cards. Note that rewards cards for this credit range tend to be secured.

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Credit Limit

Initially, the Cerulean Mastercard® will give you a credit limit of $300–$1,000 (depending on your creditworthiness). Having a higher credit limit can help your credit score, as one scoring metric is how much available credit you have versus how much you’re borrowing.

Credit Limit Increases

Provided you don’t miss any of your monthly payments on your Cerulean Mastercard®, your credit limit will automatically double every 6 months, up to a maximum of $3,000.

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Benefits

Free Credit Scores

You’ll also get access to a tool that lets you look up your credit score for free. Unfortunately, Continental Finance doesn’t specify whether it’ll be your FICO credit score, which is the score that most lenders use, or your VantageScore credit score (which would be slightly less useful).

Protections

The Cerulean Mastercard® offers a couple credit card protections:

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How to Get a Cerulean Mastercard®

Credit Score Required

The card issuer doesn’t state what the minimum credit score is to open a Cerulean Mastercard® credit card.

However, the Cerulean card is designed for building credit, and Continental Finance says that they accept people with “less than perfect credit.” 1

This suggests that bad-credit borrowers may be able to get approved. You might even be able to qualify with a FICO score below 580 (which is considered “poor”), although that’s not guaranteed. 2

How to Apply

You can apply for a Cerulean Mastercard® credit card by:

• Calling (866) 513-4598
• Applying online (note that you must have received a pre-approval offer)
• Returning the acceptance certificate you got with a preselection offer in the mail

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Building Credit With a Cerulean Mastercard®

Credit Reporting

Credit reporting is an important part of building credit, as your credit report is based on the information your lenders send to the credit bureaus.

Fortunately, the Cerulean Mastercard® reports to all three major credit bureaus. This is great for credit building, since it means you’ll be able to improve your credit score with all three (many credit cards only affect one or two of your scores).

However, you need to keep up with your monthly payments. If you miss any or pay late, you’re hurting your credit instead of helping it. This includes paying your $99 annual fee on time every year.

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Tips for Building Credit

Because Cerulean Mastercard® accounts are reported to all three credit bureaus, you’ve got an excellent foundation to begin building or rebuilding your credit. Here are some tips for using your card to improve your credit score:

• Limit how much you spend: One of the major factors determining your credit score is your credit utilization rate, which is how much of your available credit line you’re using. Only using your card for small purchases will help you keep your credit in good health.
• Make every payment on time: Late payments on your Cerulean Mastercard® account can stain your credit report, damage your score, and cost you up to $41 for each delinquency. Setting up autopay or payment reminders is a reliable way to ensure you always pay your credit card bills on time.
• Keep your card active: While it’s good to minimize the amount of credit you use, make sure you make at least one small purchase on your Cerulean Mastercard® once every few months to keep your account active. If your account becomes inactive, you could lose all its credit-building benefits.

The most important thing you can do is keep your payment history spotless. Whether the Cerulean Mastercard® helps or hurts your credit largely comes down to how well you keep on top of your credit card bills.

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Comparable Cards

To decide whether the Cerulean Mastercard® credit card is right for you, take a look at how it measures up against other similar credit cards on the market.

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Cerulean Mastercard® FAQs

Can I use the Cerulean Mastercard® for cash advances?

A cash advance is when you use your credit card to withdraw money from an ATM. The Cerulean Mastercard® credit card allows cash advances, but only after the account has been open for 95 days.

When you take out a cash advance, you’ll have to pay a cash advance fee, which will be either $5 or 5% of the amount you borrowed—whichever is greater. Interest will start accruing on your cash advance immediately (in contrast to other purchases, which have an interest-free grace period).

On the plus side, many credit cards come with a special cash advance APR, which is higher than their typical APR. The Cerulean Mastercard® doesn’t do this; cash advances are subject to its regular interest rate of 25.90% (variable).

Does the Cerulean Mastercard® charge a foreign transaction fee?

Yes, the Cerulean Mastercard® has a foreign transaction fee of 3%. This is on the higher end of the spectrum, but it’s still a fairly typical fee.

These fees can add up if you use your card abroad or shop on non-US websites a lot. It’s better to look for a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card if you do this frequently.

Does the Cerulean Mastercard® have a grace period?

Yes, the Cerulean Mastercard® credit card gives you a 25-day grace period (beginning on the first day of the new billing cycle). The grace period allows you time to pay your bills in full without racking up any interest charges.

If you pay off your balance in full by the due date, your purchases during the grace period won’t accumulate interest. However, if you carry a balance from previous billing cycles, you’ll have to pay interest on any charges you make to your card during the grace period.

Which bank issues the Cerulean Mastercard®?

The Cerulean Mastercard® is issued by the Bank of Missouri. However, the credit card servicer is Continental Finance.

What is the Cerulean Mastercard® customer service number?

If you have questions about the Cerulean Mastercard® credit card, the customer service phone number is (866) 449-4514.

You can also write to:

Continental Finance,

P.O. Box 3220

Buffalo, NY 14240-3220