Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® review: Turn credit card balances into installment loans
A solid choice for anyone who wants to learn some positive credit behaviors, but people who value flexibility should look elsewhere.
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Snapshot
4.2
Bottom line
This low-interest card is one of the more cost-effective choices among credit cards for fair credit. But people who want flexibility and a shot at even more competitive rewards rates should look elsewhere.
Purchase intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
14.99% - 29.99%
Intro offer
$200
Rewards rate
1.5%
4.1
Cardholder rating
Extra perks
Meets needs
Online tools
Information safe
4.2
Bankrate score
Why you'll like this: Its unlimited flat-rate cash back on all purchases provides straightforward and consistent rewards for your spending.
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Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® overview
The Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® is not your typical credit card. It combines the benefits of a credit card with a personal loan, making it a solid option if you want to finance a large purchase but might not qualify for a credit card with a zero percent intro APR. With this card, you'll have a set time period with equal installments and a fixed APR to pay off any unpaid balances.
Though the card doesn’t have zero percent intro APR offers, its lower-than-average interest rate could make it a more cost-conscious financing tool.
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Rewards
- Earn 1.5 percent unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking account and making three debit card transactions*
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: None
- Late payment fee: None
- Foreign transaction fee: 3 percent
- Ongoing variable APR: 14.99 percent to 29.99 percent
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Up to 10 percent extra cash back with Upgrade Shopping powered by Dosh® (activation required)
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis
Upgrade Visa pros and cons
Pros
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Cardholders with excellent credit get a chance to have a lower-than-average APR and high credit limit.
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No prepayment fees, so you can pay your balance off early without penalty.
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Cash back rewards automatically redeem for statement credits.
Cons
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Depending on your credit history, your APR may not be any better than the rate you’d get on a traditional credit card.
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This card has limited redemption options — you won't be able to stock up on rewards.
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No intro APR offers means you won’t have a save on interest if you have to carry a balance.
How the Upgrade Visa works
The Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa works differently than a traditional credit card. It functions as both a credit card and a personal loan. Here’s how:
- Upon approval, your issuer extends you a line of credit, an APR and installment terms of 12 to 60 months, based on your credit score.
- You can use the card either for purchases or to transfer funds directly into your bank account similar to a cash advance.
- Interest starts accruing immediately at the time of purchase or transfer.
- At the end of the month, the issuer creates an installment plan based on your current monthly balance.
- Similar to a personal loan, the installment plan means you will have fixed and equal monthly payments.
- As you pay down the balance each month, you earn cash back rewards of 1.5 percent, which goes directly toward your balance the next month — further reducing the amount you owe.
- You’ll make the same amount of payments each month until the balance is paid in full.
While you won’t be able to avoid all interest charges, you’ll have a clear payoff schedule to follow. This may be more cost-effective than paying only the minimum due on another credit card and racking up expensive interest charges.
Why you might want the Upgrade Visa
This card is terrific for people who want to practice positive habits and avoid increasing debt. It's low on fees with the potential for a low APR. And your cash rewards can help you pay down your balance.
Rewards: Encourages payment, not spending
You'll earn a decent 1.5 percent cash back on all eligible purchases with this card. However, unlike standard cash back cards, you only earn cash back rewards when you complete a payment. This type of rewards structure could incentivize you to make your payments on time. Also, the issuer applies your cash back rewards directly to your credit card balance, a helpful feature if you are trying to manage debt.
Rates and fees: Lower fees may mean peace of mind
When it comes to fees, the Upgrade card is a clear winner. You won't have an annual fee, prepayment fee or late payment fee. With no prepayment fee, you can pay your balance before the due date and save on interest.
Perhaps this card's most attractive feature is the potentially low APR. Depending on your creditworthiness, you could qualify for an APR that’s not only lower than the national average for credit card interest rates but also competes with some of the best low-interest cards. Keep in mind that you must enroll in autopay to be potentially eligible for the lowest rates. You’re not guaranteed a low APR with the Upgrade card, so if you have a limited credit history you may want to work on your credit score before applying in order to get better terms.
Why you might want a different fair credit cash back card
This no-annual-fee card is great for people with fair credit looking for a fixed structure and low fees, but you won't find any perks that add to the card's value. Plus, the welcome offer could be more competitive.
Perks: Little to no added benefits
The Upgrade Visa is a bare-bones card for fair credit. It offers up to 10 percent cash back as a statement credit at participating merchants through Upgrade Shopping powered through Dosh (activation required). But more traditional cards for fair credit have practical advantages like free credit reports or automatic reviews for a credit line increase.
Welcome offer: More attractive bonuses available elsewhere
While this card offers a signup bonus worth $200, it is not tied to a spending requirement. To earn the signup bonus, you must open a Rewards Checking account through Upgrade and make three qualifying debit card transactions within 60 days.
Welcome offers on similar cards are worth potentially much more. For instance, the Discover it® Chrome card will match all your cash back rewards earned at the end of your first year.
Staff experience: Here’s what our experts say
Based on her experience with both flat-rate rewards cards and credit-building cards, Bankrate editor India Davis thinks the Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa stands out as a solid starter option thanks to its relatively high cash back rate, potentially low APR and payoff-based rewards program.
I’ve always appreciated the simplicity of a flat-rate rewards card, going as far back as my first card, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, which helped me pay off a plane ticket for a study abroad trip in college.
This card could have been an even better option if it was around back then. It carries both a higher-than-average cash back rate and an impressive low-end APR, which could have helped me save even more. I also like that you earn rewards as you pay off the card, which would have helped reinforce good spending habits as I was first starting out.
— India Davis, Editor, Credit Cards
How the Upgrade card compares to other fair credit cash back cards
While the Upgrade card could be a useful tool for someone who wants to pay off a large purchase over time, it might be wise to consider other cards with 0 percent APR offers as well. Doing so could give you the option to pay down your balance and avoid costly interest charges temporarily.
Annual fee
Intro offer
$200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*
Rewards rate
1.5% unlimited cash back on every purchase.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers–only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards.
Rewards rate
Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Upgrade Visa
Since the Upgrade card offers flat-rate rewards, it may be worthwhile to pair it with a credit card that earns a higher cash back rate on bonus categories. Most of these cards recommend good to excellent credit, so they’re worth considering once your credit has improved. But if you can pair your Upgrade Visa, you can chip away at a large expense while also earning rewards on everyday purchases.
Who is the Upgrade Visa right for?
This card is ideal for people with fair credit who need to budget for a large purchase or credit builders who prefer a structured repayment plan to help them on their credit journey.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Upgrade card worth it?
The Upgrade card could offer a solid financing alternative for cardholders who struggle with managing credit card balances. By putting your balance into an installment plan, the card could help you minimize interest charges and keep your debt repayment efforts on track while earning cash back on all purchases.
But how much you’ll save — and whether you’ll save at all — comes down to the card’s APR. If you can’t qualify for one of the card’s lower-end APRs, it won’t be nearly as compelling as a traditional credit card that comes with a zero percent intro APR on purchases and helps you avoid interest completely for 12 months or more. Luckily, you can see your credit line and APR before you move forward with your Upgrade card application.
*Earn a $200 bonus after you open & fund a Rewards Checking Plus account & make 3 debit card transactions within 60 days. If you previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not do so as part of this process, you are not eligible. Payout made within 60 days of meeting the conditions.
**Credit Lines opened through Upgrade feature Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) of 14.99% - 29.99% and line amounts ranging $500 - $25,000. Optional ACH transfers to your bank account, balance transfers, and foreign transactions are subject to fees that, if incurred, will increase your finance charge and APR. The lowest rates require Autopay and the majority of the line amounts will be $15,000 or under. For example, a $5,000 transaction with a 36 month term and a 19.99% APR has a required monthly payment of $187.90. The APR on your transaction may be higher or lower. Your rate, line amount, and default term depend on maintaining a qualifying credit score, your credit usage history, requested amount, and other factors. The Upgrade Card is unique in that it allows you to obtain a series of closed-end loans which you may access through transactions such as card purchases up to the approved line amount. As you repay your balance, additional credit may become available to you up to the approved line amount subject to meeting our credit requirements. The Upgrade Card will not replenish as it would in an open-end credit arrangement.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
