SuperCash Secured Mastercard® review: Remarkable rewards, but complicated credit building

An accessible alternative to traditional secured credit cards, the SuperCash™ Mastercard could set you on the path to a higher credit score while helping you earn cash back at an impressive flat rate.

What’s more, the card’s hybrid prepaid card structure means that it poses next to no cost. It carries no minimum deposit requirement and no annual fee, APR, late payment fee or over-the-limit fees. If you have limited credit but don’t want to tie up money in a large deposit upfront, these features could make the Supercash card a solid pick.

That said, take a deep dive into this card’s terms and you may find that building credit with the SuperCash card comes with some big hurdles, including managing multiple accounts, fluctuating credit limits and transaction restrictions.

While the SuperCash card could be an incredible value for the right cardholder, a more straightforward secured card that earns rewards may be easier to manage if you’re just learning the ropes.

What are the pros and cons?

How does the SuperCash Mastercard work?

The SuperCash Mastercard is a bit more complicated than a run-of-the-mill secured card, and learning how it works can help you gauge whether the card is too high-maintenance for your taste.

The credit line

Traditional secured credit cards require an upfront deposit that’s held in an issuer account as collateral to secure your line of credit. This deposit doubles as your credit limit for purchases and is returned when you close your account or upgrade to an unsecured card with the same issuer.

Though similar at a glance, the SuperCash Mastercard works a bit differently. Instead of tying up money in a formal security deposit, you open two accounts: a deposit account with MRV Bank and a SuperCash account.

The deposit account’s balance acts as a fluctuating security deposit, while the SuperCash account is a credit account you use to make purchases. For example, if your deposit account has a $500 balance, your credit limit is $500. As you add or withdraw funds from your deposit account, your credit limit will shift accordingly.

Although the card carries no minimum deposit account balance, keep in mind that the higher your credit limit, the easier it is to keep a low credit utilization ratio and improve your credit score.

The payment process

The SuperCash card works a bit like a prepaid card, as you must use your MRV Bank deposit account funds to pay for purchases each billing cycle. However, purchases are technically added to your SuperCash credit account balance as “Spent Funds” until they’re paid off. This means Super can report your payments as credit activity to the three major credit bureaus.

You can choose to pay your SuperCash card balance manually from your deposit account or enroll in auto-payment to have funds automatically drawn from your deposit account. Whether you pay automatically or not, it’s important to consider the following about the payment process:

• It could take three to five days for funds to transfer from some linked funding accounts (like your regular bank account) to the MRV Bank deposit account. If you pay your SuperCash bill manually, make sure you move this money no less than five days before your payment due date.
• The Electronic Funds Transfer Agreement states that the autopay feature takes money out of your deposit account up to 14 days before each billing cycle’s payment due date. If you’re enrolled in autopay, be sure to have enough money in your deposit account to cover the bill by then.

The funding process

One of the SuperCash card’s major drawbacks is that there isn’t an auto-funding or automatic “top-up” option. You instead have to manually move funds from an external linked account to your deposit account through the Super app, which may take three to five business days or more, depending on the linked account.

You can also add funds with a debit card, PayPal, CashApp or Venmo virtual wallet. However, it may take longer for funds to transfer through some of those alternate options.

The rewards process

Any cash back you earn is added to the virtual cash back wallet in your account on the day the purchase posts. Cash back isn’t automatically added to your deposit account, and you must manually go into the Super app to move it from your cash back wallet.

You can use your rewards directly from your virtual cashback wallet to pay for purchases in your SuperCash credit account, or you can move the cash back to your deposit account for total balance payments. There’s no option to withdraw cash back from your virtual wallet and move it to your linked external account (your bank account or third-party virtual wallet, etc.).

The only way to get direct cash back out of the SuperCash Mastercard ecosystem is to move it to your deposit account, request a withdrawal, go to a participating Mastercard branch bank, and get your money via an Over-the-Counter (OTC) withdrawal (which is subject to Super’s transaction limits).

Why you might want the SuperCash Mastercard

The SuperCash Mastercard provides plenty of reasons to consider it for your credit-building journey, ranging from its best-in-class flat-rate rewards to its accessible prepaid card-style structure and virtually non-existent fees.

Strong flat rewards rate for a credit builders

Although several credit-building cards earn cash back, the few that earn flat-rate rewards usually cap out at 1.5% cash back. The SuperCash Mastercard blazes ahead of the competition with a rewards structure that’s top-notch even among credit cards for excellent credit: unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases, and more than double the rewards on select purchases through Super. You’ll be able to rake in 5% cash back on purchases ordered through the SuperShop portal and 10% back on hotels booked through the SuperTravel portal.

Flat-rate 2% cash back on is usually only obtainable with one of the best flat-rate cash back cards, which mostly require a good to excellent credit score. Even then, 2% cash back cards don’t typically carry additional categories.

SuperShop and SuperTravel cash back

Flat-rate rewards are the main rewards method since your mileage will vary tremendously with the SuperShop and SuperTravel categories. The SuperShop portal sells a seemingly random assortment of products, although some (mainly refurbished) popular electronics and name-brand items are peppered in. Many of the SuperShop discounts are similar to what major retailers provide, but this 5% cash back category could be occasionally useful when you’re shopping around for prices – especially on gift cards and discounted memberships.

Your 10% SuperTravel reward opportunities will likely be even less frequent. SuperTravel works solely by sending you “exclusive hotel deal” texts related to the destination and dates you submit. Unlike a traditional issuer travel portal or third-party travel service, you can’t research prices, room sizes, hotel brands or locations ahead of time – you have to be flexible, cross your fingers and hope for the best.

It’s also worth noting that you’ll only get these primarily bot-based hotel alerts through SMS, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. Email isn’t a notification option, so it’ll be harder to filter offers short of unsubscribing in the message chat altogether. Unless you’re a patient traveler, the “opportunity” of 10% cash back on random hotel deals of undisclosed value probably isn’t worth the complimentary spam pipeline to your phone compared to traditional booking sites.

What’s more, SuperTravel uses dynamic pricing, so the prices can quickly change up until you’ve submitted your payment details. The SuperTravel Help Centre also doesn’t explicitly guarantee your reservations (which has been a reported issue by customers), but they do promise to help arrange a solution in these cases (which may also incur a $30 request processing fee).

Easy application and fast processing

A cornerstone of the SuperCash Mastercard experience is its accessible approach to the application process and security deposits. Unlike some cards that don’t require credit history, there’s no minimum income requirement or credit history check whatsoever. All you need to provide is basic personal information (like your phone number and date of birth) and your Social Security number in order to verify your identity.

The SuperCash Mastercard is an instant approval card, so you may find out whether you qualify within a few minutes. Once your identity is verified and you add money to your deposit account, you can start using the SuperCash Mastercard right away as a virtual credit card in your digital wallet before your physical card arrives in the mail.

Accessible approach to a security deposit

The SuperCash Mastercard’s unique prepaid card approach can make it even more accessible than typical secured cards. If a hefty security deposit is a bit steep at the moment, the SuperCash card lets you load any amount into your deposit account for a matching credit limit (within Super’s funding limits).

One of the biggest challenges when you’re building credit with a starter card is obtaining a credit limit high enough to easily keep your credit utilization ratio low. Fortunately, Super’s secured deposit account could alleviate this pain point as well. Secured cards usually allow a $200 to $2,000 or $2,500 deposit, but the lower end of this potential credit line makes it hard to maintain a credit utilization ratio below the recommended 30%. For example, a $500 credit limit would mean you should keep your balance at $150 or below.

A high-limit card can make your credit-building journey much smoother considering your credit utilization accounts for 30% of your FICO score. The SuperCash Mastercard deposit account allows an up to $5,000 credit limit, which is leagues beyond what typical starter cards carry. The best secured cards require a six- or seven-month account review period for responsible activity before potentially increasing your credit limit, so the SuperCash card’s freedom to increase your credit limit at any time could further expedite the credit-building process.

Remarkably few fees

Issuers may try to minimize fees by waiving the annual fee, foreign transaction fee or the first late payment fee, but you probably won’t be able to dodge rates and fees altogether. However, the SuperCash Mastercard is the rare exception thanks to its deposit balance-based credit limit and payments.

There is no APR or over-the-limit-fee because you normally can’t carry a balance or spend beyond your credit limit. Super then goes a step further by eliminating any annual fees, late payment fees and returned payment fees. The only fees that you currently may run into are an optional $25 expedited card shipment fee (in case you need a replacement card) and a foreign currency conversion fee from Mastercard (if you choose to pay in a currency other than USD – MRV Banks doesn’t charge a separate foreign transaction fee).

However, there are exceptions. The card agreement states Super may consider your balances and allow you to spend over your limit at their discretion on a case-by-case basis. However, Super’s terms claim they generally decline and transactions that would push you over your credit limit. You can also miss a payment due date if you’re not enrolled in autopay. In those cases, Super will pull money from your deposit account and linked funding account (if there’s not enough in your deposit account) to pay what you owe.

Why you might want a different card

The SuperCash Mastercard’s cash back and deposit account flexibility are certainly eye-catching. Unfortunately, the complicated terms and involved deposit account maintenance could make for steeper learning curve than many cardholders may want – whether you’re new to credit or a seasoned cardholder.

The fluctuating credit limit could hinder credit building

Although being able to control your credit limit with your deposit account is a unique advantage, this double-edged feature also opens the door to a credit-hampering utilization ratio.

Because there isn’t an option to automatically add funds to your account, your monthly payments will deplete your deposit account and reduce your credit limit. If you have an unexpected expense pop up before you can reload your account, it could be much easier to carry a high credit utilization ratio or max out your card altogether than it would be with other cards. This can be a serious drawback if you don’t keep much money in your deposit account, or if your income isn’t always consistent.

Either way, you’ll have to be much more proactive around your payment due dates with this card than with a traditional credit card. You’ll need to account for the multiple business days it may take for money to move from your linked funding account to your deposit account (up to three to five days with a typical ACH bank account transfer or select digital wallet transfer). You’d also have to plan around the autopay feature since your payment could be taken from your deposit account anytime in the 14 days before your payment due date.

These extra responsibilities could make the SuperCash Mastercard higher maintenance and less reliable than a traditional credit-building card.

Transaction restrictions and confusing terms

Despite the SuperCash Mastercard’s focus on a seemingly simple flat-rate cash back rewards and reloadable deposit account structure, the web of red tape and confusing terms behind the card are anything but accessible. In fact, it’s difficult to find the terms and conditions before you apply.

Hard-to-find terms and conditions

Credit card issuers usually provide a webpage with the card’s specific rewards, features, and rates, plus at least one page with a detailed terms and conditions breakdown (including a comprehensive rate table known as a Schumer Box). Instead, you have to hunt for key details scattered through the exhaustive legalese on Super’s Legal Center page and shuffle through a jungle of FAQs in the SuperCash Help Centre.

Sifting through these terms is made even more confusing since the Legal page mentions features and functions that the Help Centre FAQs note aren’t available yet, although there’s no indication of this in the card agreement and other Legal page subsections. For example, the card agreement on the Legal page discusses ATM withdrawal and cash advance features (plus associated fees) while the Help Centre claims that ATM withdrawals are not currently possible – with no mention of cash advances anywhere in the Help Centre.

Spending, withdrawal and deposit limits

The constantly changing credit limit, high-maintenance funding process, obtuse cash back redemptions and varying SuperShop and SuperTravel value might have been confusing enough to deter some people already.

However, wading through these terms reveals that Super imposes daily, weekly and monthly limits on your card spending (including individual transactions) and deposit account withdrawals and fund deposits:

• Spending limit: $1,000 per day, $2,000 per week and $5,000 per month
• Individual transaction limit: $500 per point point-of-sale (POS) transaction
• Withdrawal limit: $1,000 per day, $5,000 per month
• Individual withdrawal limit: $1,000 limit per OTC withdrawal
• Fund deposit limit: $300 per ACH transaction, $5,000 per month

The deposit limit isn’t too problematic unless you’re trying to fund a high credit limit or replenish your account for a large expense after a card payment. The spending and transaction limits are the biggest issue. These limits are noticeably low considering that many household expenses have increased in cost since the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest average monthly expenditure estimate of over $5,500 per month ($66,928 per year). A $1,000 daily spending limit and $500 POS transaction limit could be a big issue if you have an emergency expense or if you simply plan to use your card to earn rewards on rent and other bills.

Even if these transaction limits were to limit potential fraudulent transactions, the limits effectively make it harder to control your money once you put it into Super’s ecosystem. For example, the only way to put the cash back into your personal bank account is to move it to your deposit account, request an OTC withdrawal and travel to a Mastercard member bank. If you’re changing cards and want the balance of your deposit account bank, it would take five trips to the bank over five days to get a max $5,000 balance back.

These limits may not be a deal-breaker if they’re beyond your typical transactions and planned deposits, but they’re inconvenient restrictions that other cards usually don’t pose. For example, the majority of cash back cards allow you to receive rewards as a direct deposit or other options outside your card account. Many prepaid cards let you freely transfer money between your card and linked funding account as well. Regardless, you should be sure about how much money you’ll precisely need before depositing it.

How does the SuperCash Mastercard compare to other credit-building cards?

The SuperCash Mastercard carves out its own niche in the card market for rewards-savvy credit builders. However, a few best-in-class starter cards can pack cash back, low rates and accessible entry into a more consistent package if the SuperCash is too complex.

Discover it® Secured Credit Card	Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card	Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
Rewards rate  2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter, then 1%) 1% cash back on all other purchases	Rewards rate  5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal 1.5% cash back on all purchases	Rewards rate  N/A
Welcome bonus Total cash back earned at the end of your first 12 months is matched	Welcome bonus N/A	Welcome bonus N/A
Annual fee $0	Annual fee $0	Annual fee $0
Other things to know $200 minimum security deposit, up to a $2.500 deposit You may be able to upgrade to an unsecured, increased credit line after just seven months of responsible use No foreign transaction fees, no penalty APR and no fee on your first late payment (then up to $41)	Other things to know $200 minimum security deposit, up to $3,000 credit limit based on creditworthiness You may be able to upgrade to an unsecured, increased credit line after just six months of responsible use No foreign transaction fees	Other things to know $49 minimum security deposit ($200 starting credit limit), up to a $1,000 credit limit based on creditworthiness You may be able to upgrade to an unsecured, increased credit line after just six months of responsible use No foreign transaction fees

SuperCash Mastercard vs. Discover it® Secured Credit Card

The Discover it® Secured Credit Card has the opportunity to be more rewarding than flat-rate secured cards since it reaps 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter, then 1% back). It also earns 1% back on all other purchases, but these rewards still won’t be able to keep pace with the SuperCash Mastercard’s 2% flat-rate cash back. However, Discover’s cash rewards are much easier to redeem. Its cash back can be deposited directly to your bank account or be redeemed toward external rewards like gift cards and Amazon or PayPal purchases.

If you value a more consistent way to improve your credit, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card offers a steady $200 minimum security deposit with a $2,500 max deposit. Discover may even upgrade you to a higher, unsecured credit line starting at your seventh month (following regular account reviews for positive activity). You also won’t have to deal with complex terms either, since Discover streamlines its cards to focus on rewards value, its acclaimed customer service and low rates and fees. In fact, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card card doesn’t pose an annual fee, foreign transaction fees, a penalty APR or a fee on your first late payment (then up to $41).

Tip: If you don’t mind keeping track of bonus categories, the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card* could potentially deliver more cash back than the SuperCash Mastercard and many traditional secured cards.

SuperCash Mastercard vs. Capital One Quicksilver Secured

The closest alternative to the SuperCash Mastercard rewards-wise would be the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 5% cash back on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel plus 1.5% back on all other purchases. In fact, the Quicksilver Secured offers an even easier rewards experience – you can set your cash back to redeem for a statement credit or mailed check automatically at a certain time period or rewards balance.

Granted, the Quicksilver Secured card’s flat-rate rewards aren’t as lucrative as the SuperCash card’s 2% rate. However, you’ll probably get more mileage out of the 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars through Capital One. Capital One Travel is one of the best issuer travel portals available, complete with excellent price protection and flexible travel cancellation policies, plus competitive rates with popular brands.

The Quicksilver Secured is also relatively low cost as well, and doesn’t charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees. Capital One’s automatic account review process also gives it a credit-building edge over the SuperCash card. In fact, you could have your credit line increased and your deposit refunded starting at just six months of responsible use. If you can work with the Quicksilver Secured card’s $200 to potentially $3,000 credit limit range, this rival card can offer plenty of rewards and a more reliable credit building experience than the SuperCash Mastercard

Tip: If the Capital One Quicksilver Secured credit limit and fees aren’t to your liking, the Petal® 2 “Cash Back, No Fees: Visa® Credit Card could offer a similar flat cash back rate, lower rates and fees and an up to $10,000 credit limit with no deposit.

SuperCash Mastercard vs. Capital One Platinum Secured

The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card doesn’t earn rewards like the Discover it® Secured Credit Card or the Capital One Quicksilver Secured, but its major strength lies in its exceptionally low minimum security deposit.

If you’re considering the SuperCash Mastercard because it doesn’t require a minimum deposit account balance, the Platinum Secured card offers a $49 minimum security deposit with a $200 starting credit limit. Capital One’s automatic account review process could refund your security deposit and potentially to increase your credit line starting after just six months of positive activity. Together, these features could give you a more consistent credit limit and path to an unsecured card than the SuperCash Mastercard.

However, the Platinum Secured only offers a $1,000 maximum credit limit, so the SuperCash card could be a more appealing option if its cash back rates and higher credit limit are worth the extra elbow grease.

How to use the SuperCash Mastercard

• Use it for your general spending to earn 2% cash back.
• Aim to utilize the deposit account’s $5,000 maximum balance for a higher credit limit.
• Track your payment due dates and regularly add funds to your deposit account beforehand to keep a low credit utilization ratio and predictable credit limit.
• Keep your credit limit up by redeeming your cash back to cover purchases or shore up your deposit account balance.
• Before making an online purchase, check the SuperShop portal to see if you can earn a deeper discount, 5% cash back and free shipping.
• Plan your expenses and account top-ups around the daily and monthly spending, transaction, deposit and withdrawal limits.
• Make your account easier to maintain by enrolling in autopay and adding funds for your expected purchases before the last 14 days of your billing cycle.
• When you’re moving up to a new card, shift your cash back to your deposit account, request an OTC withdrawal for most of your deposit account funds, and use this card to pay for occasional purchases so your card doesn’t close from inactivity.

Is the SuperCash Mastercard right for you?

The SuperCash Mastercard is an innovative approach to building credit. You can side-step typical secured cards’ hefty deposits and high rates and fees with the SuperCash card’s prepaid card-style deposit account – all while earning a flat-rate rewards rate other credit-building cards can’t match.

It’s a great fit if you can’t tie up a large deposit upfront for a secured card, or if you want to work up to an above-average credit limit. You’ll have best-in-class rewards and a remarkably low credit utilization ratio at your fingertips, but the SuperCash Mastercard requires a lot more elbow grease in return than it seems. Maintaining the card requires micromanaging your deposit and rewards accounts, working around transaction restrictions and staying ahead of your fluctuating credit limit.

There are plenty of unique advantages you can receive with the SuperCash Mastercard. However, unnecessarily complicated terms and processes hold it back if you’re new to cards or rebuilding your credit. Traditional secured cards are ultimately easier to recommend for their reliable credit limits and more consistent credit-building experience.

*The information about the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.