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Please Note: Information about the Citi® Secured Mastercard®, Discover it® Secured and Capital One® Secured Mastercard® have been collected independently by TheSimpleDollar.com. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.

A great choice for those with little-to-no credit looking to establish their history.

Citi® Secured Mastercard® lets you get in the credit game by offering you a line of credit equal to your security deposit. The card reports to all three of the major credit bureaus each month, so you are actively building credit when you make purchases and pay the card on time. Citi® Secured Mastercard® functions the same way as an unsecured card; no one will know the difference. You can use it worldwide wherever you see the Mastercard logo, and it comes with some standard Citi features, like 0% liability for unauthorized purchases.

If you travel frequently and often stay at Holiday Inns or other hotels under the IHG umbrella, the is an option you’ll want to consider. Not only does this card offer huge point bonuses on stays at the branded locations, but you’ll also qualify for member status upgrades just by gaining approval for the card. While much of the value in the incentive program comes from hotel bookings, some other common spending categories, such as gas and groceries, will earn 2x points also.

You’ll enjoy complimentary room upgrades, priority check-in and extended check out privileges at the affiliated hotels, and just by hanging on to the card for more than a year, you’ll scoop up additional bonus points. All these perks and benefits come with an annual fee, but if you use the card wisely, you’ll quickly recoup any cost of being a member.

Whether it’s back to school, off to work or out to play, Target has become one of the favorite destinations for folks seeking everyday items. Like most other big-box retailers, the store offers consumers a way to bag some extra savings through its credit card offering, the Target RedCard.

If you count among the masses that patronize Target frequently, the card’s perks and benefits should hold appeal as you shop either online or in the brick-and-mortar store. Approval for the Target Redcard isn’t restrictive, as applicants with fair credit profiles often qualify. Let’s take a closer look at many of the pros and cons of the Target RedCard.

Over the last few weeks, one of the major areas of focus of The Simple Dollar has been on getting through this current era of social distancing and its consequences. Here are a few of those articles:

Lost Your Job? Take These Four Steps First offers immediate advice if you’ve suddenly lost your job.

8 Things To Do To Prepare for a Recession highlights strategies you should follow if you anticipate an economic recession coming in the near future, which is being predicted by most economists.