PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card 2022 Review: A Last-Resort Unsecured Card for Bad Credit

Because it’s not a secured credit card, the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® doesn’t require a security deposit. However, its lack of security deposit is perhaps its biggest perk. Its fees are so excessive and so confusing that the card isn’t worthwhile unless you’re completely out of other options. We’d recommend it only in an emergency and only as a stepping stone to other, better cards.

Quick Review

The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® is an accessible card for people with low credit scores. Unlike many credit cards for bad credit, it’s unsecured, so you don’t have to pay a deposit. But other than that, it doesn’t have many points in its favor.

There are steep annual fees of $50–$125, monthly fees up to $10.40, program fees of $55–$95 just to open the account, and an extra $29 per year if you want an additional card so that someone else can use the account. That’s a lot of fees—and this card won’t give you any rewards in return.

In addition, some of your PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® fees will come out of your initial credit line, which is already fairly limited at $200–$700 (although you can increase your credit limit after a year if you pay your bills on time).

Finally, the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® has one of the highest APRs out there at 36%. A high APR is fairly normal for cards geared toward credit-building—as are no rewards and limited benefits—but we’d still advise steering clear of the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®. Although it has the essentials for credit building, there are much better offers on the market.

PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Important Details

Basic Card Details

• Credit card issuer: First Premier Bank
• Annual fee: $50–$125
• Regular APR: 36%
• Security deposit: N/A
• Grace period: 27 days
• Credit limit: $200–$700

Additional Information

• Additional monthly, program, credit limit increase, and extra card fees.
• Cash advances are available.
• Foreign transactions are available.
• Balance transfers are unavailable.
• Credit limit increases are available after 13 months of responsible card use.
• Free FICO credit scores appear on your monthly statements.
• You can authorize other cardholders to use your account for a fee of $29 per year per person.
• Credit reporting to bureaus.
• Mastercard® ID theft protection (e.g., ID theft and fraud protection and 24-hour assistance with lost or stolen cards).
• Option to join the PREMIER Credit Protection program (which cancels some or all of your debt if you lose your job, become disabled, or pass away, for example).

PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Feature Breakdown

In this section, we’ll look at some of the most important features of the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card.

Fees

• Annual fee: $50–$125 in the first year; $45–$49 after that (based on your creditworthiness)
• Monthly fee: $0–$10.40 (based on your creditworthiness)
• Program fee: $55–$95 (based on your creditworthiness)
• Cash advance transaction fee: $8 or 5% (whichever is greater)
• Foreign transaction fee: 3%
• Late payment fee: Up to $39
• Returned payment fee: Up to $39
• Additional card fee: $29 per year
• Credit limit increase fee: 25% of the credit increase amount

The program fee is a one-time fee that you pay when you open your account. You can pay the program fee in full or with partial payments using one of the following methods:

• Checking account
• Debit card
• Credit card

Aside from the program fee, the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® will charge your annual and monthly fees before you even begin using your credit card. The fees will be deducted from the amount of credit you initially receive. If you add another cardholder to your account, they’ll deduct yet another $29 from your credit line, so your initial available credit will go down even more.

Here’s the lowdown about what fees you’ll pay for the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® (assuming you have just one cardholder):

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 36%
• Cash advance APR: 36%
• Minimum interest charge: $1

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

Grace Period

The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® gives you a grace period of 27 days (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.

Rewards

The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® doesn’t offer any rewards.

Many rewards cards are unavailable to applicants with poor credit or limited credit histories. However, cards with cash back do exist for holders of lower credit scores. So if rewards are important to you, do some more research to look for cards with cashback deals.

Benefits

You get a few basic benefits with the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card:

• FICO credit scores: These come with your monthly statements and are updated quarterly.
• Fraud alerts: First Premier monitors your credit card account activity in case of fraudulent activity. If they see abnormal spending patterns or anything else unusual, they’ll alert you either by SMS or by telephone.
• Mastercard® ID Theft Protection: This includes fraud and ID theft protection, TransUnion credit report monitoring, and emergency assistance for lost or stolen cards.
• PREMIER Credit Protection program: You have the option to join this by paying $0.89 for every $100 you have in debt. The program allows you to cancel some of your debt if you lose your job, become disabled, have to take unpaid family leave, or need to go to the hospital (in which case the program will take care of up to 12 consecutive minimum monthly payments for you). If you pass away, it will also pay off any outstanding balance you have on your card in full.

Cash Advances

A cash advance is when you use your credit card to withdraw money from an ATM. Cash advances are allowed on the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®, but come at a cost.

There are cash advance fees of either $8 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance (whichever is greater).

The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card also has limitations on how much money you can take out with cash advances. Initially, when you open your account, you’ll have a cash advance limit equivalent to 10% of your credit limit.

After 90 days, your cash advance limit will increase to 50% if you fulfill the following conditions:

• Your credit account has two consecutive months of activity on your payment history.
• You’re up to date with your payments and haven’t had any return payments (payments where you didn’t have enough credit to cover the transaction) in the previous 60 days.

For example, if you start with a credit limit of $1,000, your cash advance limit will start at $100 (i.e., you can take out up to $100 in cash advances so long as you have $100 worth of unused credit). If you meet the required conditions, your cash advance limit may then increase to $500 after 90 days.

Balance Transfers

A balance transfer is when you move debt from one credit card to another (which is a common form of debt consolidation). The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card doesn’t offer balance transfers.

Foreign Transactions

Not all credit cards permit foreign transactions, but the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® does.

When you use your credit card abroad, you’ll be charged a 3% foreign transaction fee. These fees appear as a surcharge on your credit card bill.

Credit Limit

Initially, the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card will give you a credit limit of $200–$700.

First Premier will charge some of your fees before you begin using your PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® and will deduct these fees from the amount of available credit you can initially use.

Here’s how much credit you’ll have left to play with, depending on your initial credit limit, after First Premier deducts monthly fees and annual fees from your account:

As you can see, all the fees make a big dent in your initial available credit, so don’t be surprised when you can’t charge a lot of money onto your new card before paying your first credit card bill.

Credit Limit Increases

You can get a credit limit increase 13 months after opening your account if you’ve used your card responsibly and paid your bills on time. You won’t need to put down additional deposit money, but you will have to pay a fee. This fee will be equivalent to 25% of your credit limit increase.

For example, if you get a credit limit increase of $100, $25 of this will be taken as a fee, so you’ll be left with only $75 of extra credit before you pay your balance.

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.

Lenders aren’t legally required to report your credit history; many lenders report to only one or two of the major credit bureaus, if any. The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® website says that the card reports to the credit bureaus, but unfortunately, it doesn’t specify which ones.

Credit Building

Because the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® reports to the credit bureaus, it’s suitable for credit building. However, you must keep up with your monthly payments to benefit your credit score; your credit will suffer if your payments are late.

Credit Score Requirements

The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card website specifies that people with credit scores over 500 are eligible for the card. (It’s not clear whether this refers to FICO or VantageScore credit scores, but most lenders use FICO.)

Many issuers of secured credit cards claim that they do not check applicants’ credit or take credit scores into account. However, it seems likely that First Premier Bank does a credit check when you apply for the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®, given that they suggest credit score thresholds for applicants.

First Premier Bank also cautions that you’re not guaranteed an offer even if your credit score meets their criteria, so they likely take factors other than your credit into consideration when they’re deciding whether you qualify for their credit cards.

As the credit score requirements for the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card are minimal, and secured credit cards are low risk for lenders, your approval odds are good.

Application and Approval

You can apply for a PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card on the PREMIER Bankcard website. As mentioned, the process will probably include a credit check.

Once you’ve applied, you may have to wait 7–10 business days for a decision. If necessary, you can check the status of your application by calling (800) 947-1444 (and choosing option 1).

Managing Your Account

You can log in and manage your PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card online or download the PREMIER Bankcard Android app or the iOS app.

You can use the PREMIER Bankcard website to make payments from a personal checking account, or you can make online debit card payments.

Alternatively, First Premier Bank has a Bank-by-Phone service you can call at (800) 315-6350.

You can also mail checks or money orders to the following address (allowing 5–7 days for delivery):

First PREMIER Bank

PO Box 5529

Sioux Falls SD 57117-5529

Additional Cardholders

You can ask to add extra cardholders to your PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card account. To do this, log into your online banking account, and click “Additional Card Request.”

Note that you may have to pay a fee of $29 for each additional cardholder.

Customer Service

If you need help with your PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card, you can call the customer service number: (800) 987-5521.

Lost or Stolen Cards

If your PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card is lost or stolen, contact their customer service immediately at (800) 987-5521 (and select option 6).

Should You Get the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card?

FinanceJar Verdict

With exorbitant fees, a very high APR, and no rewards, the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® doesn’t have much to offer. It’s worth applying for only as a last resort; otherwise, we recommend looking for other offers with lower fees or applying for a secured credit card.

Who is this card for?

• Holders of lower credit scores who want to build credit: The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® is suitable for people with low credit scores. If you’re a bad credit holder or you’ve had rejections for other credit cards, you may still be eligible for the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card.
• People who don’t want to pay a security deposit: The PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® is unsecured, so it doesn’t require a security deposit. However, you’ll still need to pay $105–$220 in fees to open the account, which would be enough to cover a deposit on some secured cards (and allow you to get your money back later). Even if you can’t find cards that will accept $200 or less as a security deposit, it’s still worth forking out a bit extra, if possible, to cover the deposit for a secured credit card with better borrowing terms.

Comparable Cards

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

PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card vs. PREMIER Bankcard® Secured Credit Card

If you’re in the market for a First Premier credit card, we recommend the secured option over the unsecured one. For one thing, it has a much lower APR of 19.90% (vs 36% for the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®).

If you open a PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® account, by the time you’ve paid $105–$220 in fees (annual fees, monthly fees, and program fees), you might as well just pay $250 for the PREMIER Bankcard® Secured credit card’s minimum deposit and annual fee. You’ll at least get the $200 deposit back later, and you won’t have to pay any program fees or monthly fees.

Both the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® and PREMIER Bankcard® Secured card allow you to access more unsecured credit after a year by increasing your credit limit (but note that this will incur more fees).

As such, we recommend passing over the PREMIER Bankcard Mastercard® credit card in favor of the PREMIER Bankcard® Secured credit card, and waiting to apply for a credit limit increase further down the line—or, better yet, seeking more advantageous unsecured credit card deals when you’re ready to upgrade.

PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card vs. Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Like the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®, the Discover it® Secured credit card is for people who want to improve their credit scores. The major difference between the two cards is that the latter requires a security deposit paid upfront—which can be from $200 to $2,500. However, you’ll get this deposit back, unlike the $105–$220 you have to pay in fees with the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®.

In addition, the Discover it® Secured credit card has several advantages over the PREMIER Bankcard offerings:

• It doesn’t charge annual fees or monthly fees.
• It allows balance transfers and gives you a reduced intro APR of 10.99% for balance transfers.
• It gives you cashback rewards.
• It waives the fee for your first late payment.
• It has a lower APR of 23.24%.
• It has a higher maximum credit limit of $2,500.

With cheaper fees, a better interest rate, and cashback rewards, the Discover it® Secured credit card beats the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® hands down.

PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card vs Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit

Like the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®, the Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit is an unsecured credit card and is, as the name suggests, intended for credit building.

The Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit has a couple of drawbacks:

• It has expensive annual fees of $75 in the first year and $99 in the second year (compared with $50–$125 in the first year and $45–$49 in the second year for the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®).
• It has a low initial credit limit of $300 (and this is the maximum credit line you can get initially).

However, the Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit also has several advantages over the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®:

• It has no program fee when you open your account.
• It has no monthly fees.
• It has no credit limit increase fees
• It has no foreign transaction fees.
• It gives you cashback rewards.
• It has a lower APR at 23.99%.
• It has a cheaper fee of $19 for authorized users.

With lower fees, a better APR, and cashback rewards, the Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit gives you a much better deal in both the short and long term than the PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® credit card does.