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Cerulean Credit Card Review
December 11, 2024
If you’re trying to boost your credit score or establish a credit history for the first time, you’re going to run into quite a few credit cards designed exclusively to help individuals build their credit.
But credit-building cards often require you to pay a security deposit and are pretty limited in terms of how you’re able to use them for everyday spending. That’s why the Cerulean credit card really stands out from the competition.
The Cerulean Mastercard is an unsecured credit-building card that can be a smart choice for people with poor credit. But just like any other unsecured credit card, there are some important considerations you have to bear in mind before you apply.
This guide will explain who the Cerulean Mastercard is for, how the Cerulean credit card fee structure works, and outlines how you can apply for the Cerulean credit card.
Is the Cerulean credit card for me?
The Cerulean credit card (or the “Cerulean Mastercard”) is for people with poor credit who want to build their credit score — but there are a couple of extra features that are going to appeal to certain types of customers.
First and foremost, the Cerulean Mastercard is totally free of monthly fees and program fees. But more importantly, the Cerulean credit card doesn’t require a security deposit the way that most credit-building cards do.
Translation: if you’re looking for a credit-building card with no monthly fees and don’t have a lot of money sitting around for a security deposit, the Cerulean Mastercard might be a good option for you to check out.
That being said, the Cerulean credit card carries a fee of $99 per year. That won’t necessarily be enough to discourage most people from applying — but it’s worth considering because not all credit-building cards require you to pay an annual fee.
Finally, the Cerulean Mastercard has a fairly low credit limit. It ranges from $300 to $1,000 depending on your credit score and your credit behavior after setting up an account with Cerulean.
That means if you’re looking for a card without any annual fees or you want an unsecured credit card with a high limit, the Cerulean credit card probably isn’t right for you.
What makes this credit card different?
The thing that makes the Cerulean Mastercard different from other credit-building cards is that it’s an unsecured card.
An unsecured credit card gives you access to credit without demanding you pay a big security deposit upfront. With a secured credit card, your deposit normally doubles as your credit limit, too — so another benefit of an unsecured credit card is that your limit isn’t going to be limited to the amount of money you’re in a position to give your credit company upfront.
But like other credit-building cards, Cerulean is great for people with poor credit because it reports all of your positive credit behavior to the three major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax.
The Cerulean credit card is also different from some other credit-building cards because the company offers you opportunities to increase your credit limit over time.
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As we’ve already pointed out, you’ll be offered an initial credit line of between $300 and $1,000 when you set up a new Cerulean credit card. But after you’ve made six on-time payments, Cerulean will review your limit and may offer to double it.
That means you could have a credit limit of up to $2,000 in as little as six months after getting your Cerulean Mastercard.
What are my chances of getting approved?
Your chances of getting approved for the Cerulean credit card are pretty good.
The Cerulean Mastercard is designed primarily for people with bad credit or fair credit. As a point of reference, a “bad” or “poor” credit score is normally considered to be a FICO score of under 580.
That means you’re likely to qualify for a Cerulean credit card even if your FICO score is under 580.
All the details of the Cerulean credit card
Rates and fees
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Perks and rewards
Like most other credit-building cards, the Cerulean Mastercard isn’t able to offer a huge amount of rewards or benefits. That means if you’re looking for a card that offers cash back or air miles, you should keep looking. The Cerulean credit card isn’t the one for you.
That being said, Cerulean does give you standard $0 fraud liability protection and free access to credit score monitoring tools so that you’re able to see how your score is improving over time.
It’s also worth mentioning you can add optional extra protections onto your account for a surcharge.
Because the Cerulean Mastercard is backed by Continental Finance, a Cerulean credit card account can also gain access to the Continental Credit Protection program.
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With the Continental Credit Protection program, cardholders benefit from a debt cancellation program if they lose their job or become disabled. The program also pays off any outstanding balance leftover on your card if you die — which means your loved ones won’t get saddled with extra debts.
The Continental Credit Protection program is an annual program that covers 12 consecutive monthly payments, and it costs 99 cents for every $100 in outstanding balances you have on your credit card account.
How to apply
You can apply for a Cerulean credit card in a few different ways. You can either apply online through their website, by calling 1-866-513-4598, or by returning the acceptance certificate from the pre-selected offer that you may have received in the mail.
Regardless of whether you apply for the Cerulean Mastercard online, over the phone, or through the mail, you’ll need to give the company some basic information about yourself.
That information includes:
- Your full name
- Your Social Security Number (SSN)
- Date of birth
- Physical address
Cerulean will then use the personal data you’ve given them to perform a credit check. Cerulean will normally provide an instant decision, letting you know whether your application has been approved or not.
That being said, every once in a while, they’ll ask for additional information before they can make a decision on whether to approve your application. This process normally takes up to 30 days.
Once you've been approved, your new Cerulean credit card should be sent in the mail along with some welcome materials within three business days.
Contact info
Need to get in touch with Cerulean? The phone number for Cerulean Mastercard customer service is (866) 449-4514. You can also find answers to common questions on the card’s website.
Other methods of contacting the Cerulean credit card customer service department include by mail:
Continental Finance
P.O. Box 3220
Buffalo
NY 14240-3220
The Cerulean Mastercard is issued by The Bank of Missouri in partnership with Continental Finance.
Other stuff you should know
Before you rush off to the Cerulean website to apply, there are a couple of other important considerations you should bear in mind.
First, there’s cash advances.
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You’re allowed to get cash advances using your Cerulean Mastercard — but only after your Cerulean credit card account has been open and in good standing for 95 days.
There’s also a fee involved. Once cash advances have been activated on your account, you’ll have to pay $5 or 5% of the total amount of cash you want to get a hold of (whichever amount is greater).
Finally, there’s balance transfers. Balance transfers can be a really easy way for you to shift credit card balances to a different credit card with a lower interest rate or a 0% promotional rate. Unfortunately, the Cerulean Mastercard doesn’t offer balance transfers — so this isn’t an option for Cerulean credit card holders.
Alternative credit cards to the cerulean credit card
It’s important to shop around and do your research before applying for a credit card to make sure you’re getting a card that will suit your income and lifestyle.
To help you get started, here are five popular alternatives to the Cerulean credit card:
1. Destiny Mastercard
- Unsecured credit card
- Offers a $300 credit limit
2. Indigo Mastercard
- Unsecured credit card
- Offers a credit limit starting at $300 (with potential to increase)
- No security deposit needed
3. Surge Mastercard
- Unsecured credit card
- Credit limit starting from $1,000
- No monthly fees in the first year ($10/month after that)
4. Self Visa
- Unsecured credit card
- Granted a loan that’s placed into an interest-bearing Certificate of Deposit (CD).
5. Total Visa
- Unsecured credit card
- No security deposit required
- Credit limit from $300 (with potential to increase)
Final recommendation
At the end of the day, the Cerulean Mastercard could be a smart option for individuals looking to boost their credit scores or repair some damage that’s been done to their credit history.
Unlike most unsecured credit cards, you can qualify for the Cerulean credit card with bad credit — and unlike a lot of credit-building cards, you don’t need to pay a big security deposit when you’re setting up your new account.
But there are a couple of drawbacks, too. If you’re looking for a card with a low APR or a card with no fees, this might not be the card for you. So, think carefully about what’s important to you in terms of credit building before you apply.
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