A New Way To Build Credit

*Scroll down for details on security deposit¹, credit score increase ^2,3, and how Credit Builder works

All you need is a Chime Checking Account and qualifying direct deposits of $200 or more.

Don’t have a Chime Checking Account? Apply for one in under two minutes!

You can join right in the Chime app under settings. You’ll get to see where you stand and, if you refer a friend, we’ll bump you up on the list. When it’s your turn, we’ll send you an email invitation. On average, it takes less than two minutes to apply!

All you need is a Chime Checking Account to start.

Don’t have a Chime Checking Account? Apply for one in under two minutes!

No way! We think everyone deserves a chance to build credit, so we don’t check your credit score when you apply.

Yes. We designed Credit Builder to work with the Chime Checking Account so that you can move money instantly—across your Chime accounts!

We don’t believe in annual fees or profiting from our members’ misfortune. We have no fees to apply, no annual fee or interest¹, and no fee to replace your card. Out-of-network ATM fees may be applied if you use your card at an ATM that is not a part of the fee-free network of 50,000+ ATMs⁶.

Credit Builder offers features that help you stay on top of key factors that impact your credit score. Consistent use of Credit Builder can help you build credit with on-time payments and increase the length of your credit history over time. We report monthly to the major credit bureaus – TransUnion^®, Experian^®, and Equifax^®.

Learn more about credit building with Credit Builder.

Unlike most traditional credit cards, Credit Builder helps you build credit with no annual fees or interest. There’s also no credit check to apply.

Credit Builder is a secured credit card. The money you move into Credit Builder’s secured account is the amount you can spend on the card. Unlike other secured credit cards, that money can be used to pay off your monthly balances. Since Credit Builder doesn’t have a pre-set limit, spending up to the amount you added won’t contribute to a high-utilization record on your credit history.

Learn more about how Credit Builder works.

Yes, Credit Builder is a secured credit card. The money you move to the Credit Builder secured account is how much you can spend with the card. This amount is often referred to by other secured credit cards as the security deposit. Like other secured credit cards, Credit Builder also reports to the major credit bureaus to help you build your credit history over time.

For most secured credit cards, security deposits are unavailable to you, the consumer, until you close the account. With Credit Builder, however, you can use your deposit to pay for monthly charges. Plus, Credit Builder charges no annual fees or interest¹, and no minimum security deposit is required²!

Yes, Credit Builder reports to the 3 major credit bureaus—TransUnion®, Experian® and Equifax®

Credit Builder doesn’t have a pre-set credit limit. Instead, the money you move into your Credit Builder secured account sets your spending limit on the card.

With traditional credit cards, using a high percentage of your available credit limit could negatively impact your credit score. You don’t have to worry about that with Credit Builder because Chime does not report credit utilization. On-time payment history can have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score.

How much you can spend with Credit Builder is shown as “Available to Spend” in the Chime app.

Nope. Credit Builder doesn’t report percent utilization to the major credit bureaus because it has no pre-set credit limit. That means spending up to the amount you added will not show a high-utilization card on your credit history. So you can use Credit Builder for your everyday purchases and let them count toward credit building when you make on-time payments!

After you enroll, it’ll take on average 5-7 business days for your Credit Builder card to arrive.

It’s easy! Just go to the Chime app > Settings > Credit Builder > Activate Card.

You can use the Credit Builder card anywhere Visa® credit cards are accepted.

It is an account that holds the money you’ve moved to Credit Builder. This money determines the amount you can spend with your Credit Builder card (a.k.a credit limit). You get to set your own limit by moving any amount to and from your Credit Builder secured account whenever you want.

When you make a purchase, a hold is placed on that money you just spent in your secured account. You can use this money later, to pay your monthly balance. Your Available to Spend will also go down. This way, you know how much more you can spend with your Credit Builder card.

Your Available to Spend is the money you’ve moved to your Credit Builder secured account minus the amount you’ve charged on your Credit Builder card. Move money from your Chime Checking Account into Credit Builder to increase Available to Spend any time!

No, you cannot move money from other banks to your Credit Builder secured account. You can only do that from your Chime Checking Account.

Moving money between Chime Checking Account and Credit Builder takes ~60 seconds! Once the transfer is complete, your transaction history will reflect the change and your Available to Spend will update.

Safer Credit Building⁴ is a feature that allows you to automatically pay your monthly balance with the money in your Credit Builder secured account. Turn it on, so your monthly balances are always paid on time! Learn more about how it works.

Chime allows you to automatically split your paycheck across multiple Chime accounts. This feature has changed as of February 25th, 2025. If you currently have a percentage of your pay automatically being moved to your Credit Builder account, no action is needed. To make any future changes, you can go to your direct deposit setup in the settings tab and select “Split your pay” in the Chime mobile app.

You can pay off your Credit Builder charges in 3 ways:

1. One option is to turn on Safer Credit Building. When you make a purchase, the money you spend is put on hold in your secured account. Safer Credit Building uses the money you transferred to your secured account to automatically pay your monthly balance. This will help you avoid late payments and outstanding balances.
2. If Safer Credit Building is not turned on, Manual Payments can still be made at any time by going to Settings → Safer Credit Building → Make a Payment.
3. ACH Payments can be made from any bank by using Credit Builder’s account number. To find them, go to Settings → Safer Credit Building → Make a Payment → Paying with another bank

Credit Builder statements are available by the 28th of each month and are due on the 23rd of the following month.

If you miss a payment, we’ll disable your Credit Builder card and ask you to pay your overdue balance. See “How and when do I pay off the card?” on how to make a payment.  

If your balance due isn’t paid in full after 30 days, we may report information about your account to the major credit bureaus. Late payments, missed payments, or other defaults on your account may be reflected on your credit report.

For the Credit Builder Visa Credit Card Agreement, please visit: https://www.chime.com/chime-credit-builder-visa-credit-card-agreement/

For the Credit Builder Application Disclosure and Secured Account Agreement, please visit: https://www.chime.com/chime-credit-builder-application-disclosure-and-secured-account-agreement