Sable Credit Card Review: 5 Amazing Facts to Unleash Your Spending Power

Need a secured credit card to build your credit? Considering the Sable Credit Card? We’ve got you covered with a detailed review…

Updated March 2024
Z

Fact checked by Cody Beecham

Woman shopping with her sable credit card

If you’re looking for a card that will help you build and repair your credit score and history, you may have come across the Sable Credit Card. The Sable Credit Card is a relatively new offering from Sable One aimed at people who need to improve or create their credit score.

This comprehensive Sable Credit Card review will answer all your questions about the card and help you decide if it’s the right card for you.

What is the Sable Credit Card?

The Sable Credit Card is a secured credit card from the Coastal Community Bank. It’s one of the most accessible credit cards to get approved for if you have weak or no credit.

Many similar credit cards do not offer rewards or cashback, but the Sable Credit Card can help you build credit while collecting points and rewards. It’s a secured credit card, requiring a cash deposit to open and use. These types of credit builder cards can be a good option for people with bad or no credit, who cannot get more lucrative cards, like the M1 Owner’s card (which offers up to 10% cash back at select popular retailers).

Sable Credit Card Review

PFG's Rating:

Recommended. This is a good card if you’re just starting out and need to build credit, or if you’re looking to rebuild credit. It offers much lower fees and a lower APR than most other cards in the credit building category. It also offers higher rewards than cards in the same category, although we would like to see more clarity in what earns the higher 2% rate. Finally, they boast a very high approval rate, which could make this card easier to be approved for than others, however, we aren’t able to independently verify that claim.

Pros and Cons: Sable Credit Card

Pros

N

2% cash back on certain categories like Amazon, Netflix, Uber and more

N

1% cash back on all other purchases

N

Reasonable APR, especially for a card designed for people with weak or no credit scores

N

Reports monthly to credit bureaus

N

No initiation fee 

N

No monthly fee

Cons

s

Security deposit required

s

2% fee for foreign transactions

s

No sign-up bonus

  • 2% cash back on select brands.
    • While their advertisements indicate this applies to Amazon, Spotify, Netflix, Uber, Uber Eats, Hulu, and Whole Foods, they aren’t clear if these are the only brands the higher rate applies to or if these are permanent partnerships, or if they might change over time. So watch out for this. 
  • 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Prime + 6.99% APR.
  • So this card’s APR varies with the Prime rate, however, for a card targeted at people with low or no credit scores, this is a good rate. 
  • No annual fee
  • No monthly fee
  • Late payment fee: $41
  • Returned payment fee: $41
  • Applications are subject to credit approval.
  • While they will take into account your total application, we recommend a credit score of at least 600 to be likely for approval.
  • Be 18 years old (or the age of majority in your state or territory).
  • Be willing to provide a non-PO Box mailing address.
  • Must also open a Sable debit account. 
  • Cell-phone damage protection
  • Rental car insurance
  • Zero-liability policy
  • Price protection
  • Purchase insurance
woman with credit card

Thinking of getting a cash back credit card instead?

Check out our credit card comparison tool to quickly and easily compare cash back rates, rewards, fees, and more!

*** Update: as of March 2024 the Sable Credit Card has discontinued allowing new applications. We will update this section if we see that change. ***

How does the Sable Credit Card work?

Because the Sable Credit Card is a secured credit card, it works a little differently than standard or unsecured credit cards. To use the card, you need to put down a cash deposit to establish the credit limit.

This deposit is like any other security deposit, as you get the money back if you pay your bills and don’t rack up fees. So, it functions like a hybrid of an unsecured credit card and a debit card. Like debit cards, every transaction is backed by real money, which is the deposit you put down.

However, unlike debit cards, every transaction you make is reported to the credit bureaus, so it will affect your credit. Essentially, it gives people who can’t get approved for an unsecured card the opportunity to build or repair their credit score.

To start using the Sable Credit Card, you need to set up a Sable account, apply for the card, and deposit cash once you’re approved! In just 10 to 15 minutes, you can be the proud holder of a Sable Credit Card. It doesn’t get easier, so the card is excellent for people intimidated by branch banks and credit applications.

Sable Credit Card features

Below are the most important features of the Sable Credit Card to consider.

Rewards and perks

For an unsecured, no-credit-check card, the rewards and perks are decent. As mentioned, many unsecured cards have no rewards or perks for users, but Sable gives you cashback, which is very encouraging when building credit.

You can earn 2% cashback on specific purchases from major retailers, such as Amazon, Hulu, Uber, Whole Foods, and Netflix. You can get 2% cashback on many purchases, but no matter what, you get unlimited 1% cashback on all purchases.

The rewards will go directly into your Sable account and you can use them to pay off fees or add them to your credit limit.

Sable also offers a few perks, such as:

Cell-phone damage protection

  • Rental car insurance
  • Zero-liability policy
  • Price protection
  • Purchase insurance

While these perks sound wonderful, they’re not as beneficial as the rewards system, and very few Sable Credit Card users report ever taking advantage of these perks. But the perks showcase Sable’s willingness to help its customers.

Fees

A major benefit of the Sable Credit Card is the lack of annual fees. Some credit cards have annual fees of as much as $250, but you don’t have to worry about this extra cost with the Sable card. However, the APR starts at 7% and goes up from there.

The average credit card APR is around 17%, so Sable’s APR is very reasonable. But it means the card does have some fees to consider before signing up.

Credit limits

Sable does not have a minimum cash deposit required for the credit limit. The maximum deposit is $10,000, so the card gives you the flexibility to spend a little on the card or a lot.

This credit limit setup makes it easy for people to slowly and responsibly build their credit, adding a little more to the limit as their habits improve and their credit grows.

Credit-building tools

The Sable Credit Card is all about building your credit, and they give you the best resources and tools to do so.

While there are many credit-building cards, Sable helps you do it quickly. Sable reports more data points to credit bureaus than most credit-building cards. So every purchase you make is a step toward better credit.

Quote about credit cards

Credit checks and approval rate

As mentioned, you can get a Sable Credit Card without a credit check. Sable claims the card has a 98% approval rate, so the odds of you being rejected are extremely low. The time from when you apply to the time you can access the card can be as short as five minutes.

Who is the Sable Credit Card ideal for?

The Sable Credit Card is perfect for people trying to build credit or improve their credit score. It’s an excellent card for people new to the US or young adults who have no credit history yet.

New citizens, recent college graduates, or people with bad credit are the best candidates for the Sable card. But if you have decent credit already, there are much better credit card options out there.

If you’ve been applying for card after card and keep getting denied, the Sable Credit Card can be a convenient solution, as the requirements for approval are loose.

Pros and Cons of the Sable Credit Card

Below are the top pros and cons of the Sable Credit Card.

Pros:

  • No credit checks
  • No annual fees
  • 98% approval rate
  • Cashback rewards
  • Protection and insurance perks
  • Excellent for building credit quickly
  • Cashback match after the first year
  • Digital Accessibility

Cons:

  • Security deposit required
  • Low cashback
  • 2% foreign transaction fee

What you see as a pro or con will depend on your credit goals and needs. For example, while PRIME + 7%+ APR is reasonable, some people may want a card with an introductory 12-15 month 0% APR. And the cashback match after one year can encourage good credit-building habits, but others may want that match earlier.

A

The Sable Card [was] a good option for people looking to build or repair their credit, who often lack access to credit cards with higher rewards

The Sable Credit Card is a great option if you want to build credit.

It’s helpful for recent graduates, new citizens, or even teenagers! It is a fantastic starter credit card for people dipping their toe into the world of credit building and scores. But for everyone else, there are more robust and beneficial credit cards to consider.

Hopefully, this Sable Credit Card review has helped you decide if the Sable card is right for you!

Editor's Note:

At Personal Finance Guru, we want to help you maximize your lifestyle through personal finance. You can trust the integrity of our independent financial advice. Our opinions are our own and have not been provided, reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any advertiser or financial product provider. To support and grow the site, however, we may receive compensation from the issuers of some products.

Cathy Gresham

Cathy Gresham

Editor & Author

Cathy Gresham is a finance whiz. 

After earning her MBA from The Wharton School, she has worked in strategy at some of the world’s largest and most influential financial companies for 20+ years. Notably, she has worked for the biggest credit card issuers and networks and brings an insider’s perspective to how credit card products work behind the scenes.  

Cathy is passionate about personal finance and investing, and loves helping people learn about these complex topics. Her wit and humor make learning about money fun, and she’s always happy to share her knowledge with others.

Cathy enjoys spending time with her family and friends when she’s not crunching numbers or developing investment strategies. She’s also an avid runner, and can often be found pounding the pavement on her morning jog.