Best for Young Adults
Our take: The Fizz card is an excellent pick for college students and young adults who can afford a monthly fee and need help building credit. The debit card’s daily autopay feature ensures you’re never stuck with a monthly bill, and the company creates spending limits based on your checking account balance. But the perks come at a cost, and it might be more than you want to spend. (For alternatives, check out our top 10 credit building apps.)
Credit Builder Card
- Daily autopay for card balance
- Generous rewards
- Low-effort credit building
- Easy-to-use app and website
- Monthly fee adds up
- Must pay to use most features
- Low spending limits
| Annual fee | $129.99 for non-students; $59.99 for students |
| Rates (APR) | None |
| Min. deposit | None |
| Cash withdrawals | Not available |
The Fizz card is a debit card that lets you easily build credit and earn rewards with everyday purchases. It’s a new alternative to other credit builder apps, but it’s not the right option for everyone.
Daily autopay ensures you never miss a payment, and your checking account balance determines your spend limit, so you won’t find yourself with an unaffordable bill at the end of the month. Here’s how to decide whether it’s the right pick for you.
Table of Contents
Fizz Card company profile
Co-founders Scott Smith and Carlo Kobe had different experiences with credit cards. Kobe, an international student from Germany at Harvard, wasn’t able to access credit, while Smith was a self-taught financial guru attending Cornell.
But despite the differences, they both concluded that it’s almost impossible to navigate the financial landscape as a young adult without the right products.
What is Fizz?
Fizz is a new take on long-standing products like secured cards and credit builder loans. Its biggest selling point is that it allows you to build credit while making it nearly impossible to overspend, rack up fees, and fall into debt.
The company still has to earn money, though, and it charges a monthly membership fee for the card. It could be a worthwhile expense if you have a history of credit card debt or can’t afford to tie up hundreds of dollars in secured deposits.
But you can find a cheaper option if you already have a credit history and trust that you can make payments on time.
Fizz membership
Membership costs $5 per month for students and $11 for non-students. You can create a free account, but the features are minimal. The fee adds up, but paying monthly makes it easier to afford.
Partner banks
Fizz partners with Patriot Bank and Lead Bank to issue financial products. The Fizz card is a Mastercard, which you can use at every major retailer.
Credit reporting policy
The Fizz card reports your transactions and payment history to the credit bureaus every 30 days. Features like daily autopay and up-to-date spend limits make it easier to form routines that improve your score.
Unique features
Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the Fizz debit card’s standout features.
Fizz Friday
Fizz offers special offers in the app every Friday. You’ll need to activate the offer in the Fizz app to claim it. A recent Fizz Friday included 100% off at Starbucks for up to $6 per cardholder. The perks are free and easy to use.
Daily autopay
Fizz allows you to set up daily autopay so you never carry a balance. It’s a low-effort way to make sure you’re increasing your score.
Available to spend
Your spending limit is based on the balance in your connected bank account. The amount you have available to spend is your spending limit minus pending purchases and payments due today.
Financial courses
Fizz offers financial courses for all members, even users with a free account. The AI detective tool recommends changes you can make with your budgeting, card usage, and credit score.
Rewards and cash back
You earn 3% cash back in the spending category you choose, plus extra flash deals for cash back at your favorite stores. Fizz also offers 100% cash back at a different store or restaurant every Friday.
Who qualifies for Fizz?
You must meet the following eligibility requirements to open a Fizz credit Card.
| Age | 18 years or older |
| Citizenship | No requirement |
| Banking | U.S. checking account |
| Min. account balance | $150 |
| Residency | U.S. address |
Is Fizz Card legit? Customer reviews and ratings
| Source | Rating | Number of reviews |
| Trustpilot | 4.2/5 | 196 |
| App Store | 4.7/5 | 3.9K |
Here’s the bottom line: Fizz is a new company that’s only been around for four years. It’s a legitimate business with big-name investors from Y Combinator, SV Angel, and Kleiner Perkins backing it. But it’s still a startup, and the company isn’t Better Business Bureau (BBB-accredited) yet.
- What it does well: Fizz effectively serves a specific population. College students and other young adults appreciate supportive customer representatives and a product that does exactly what it says.
- Where to be cautious: The Fizz card membership costs money, and some users report that the pricing information is hidden. Others find the flash deals confusing and impossible to use before they end.
Fizz card pros and cons
Pros
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Daily autopay for card balance
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Generous rewards
These include 3% cash back in the spending category of your choice, up to 100% cash back on select merchants every Friday, and flash deals for cash back.
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Low-effort credit building
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Easy-to-use app and website
Cons
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Monthly fee
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Must pay to use most features
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Low spending limits
Fizz Card alternatives
Here’s how Fizz stacks up against our top picks for the best credit builder loans. (Before you make a decision, view our picks for the 10 best credit building apps.)
Fizz Card vs. Chime
Chime offers a secured card that’s our top pick for credit-building products. It’s a different setup than Fizz because you deposit money into a separate account and then spend up to the limit. You can decide how much you deposit, and you won’t ever pay any annual fees or interest.
Fizz Card vs. Self
Self’s credit builder account is an alternative for people who can’t pay a lump sum deposit and don’t want upfront fees. You make a monthly payment between $25 and $150 for 24 months. Self reports the payments to the credit bureaus, which help you build credit. You get the money back at the end of the term, minus fees. The company also offers a secured credit card.
Fizz Card vs. CreditStrong
The CreditStrong Instal credit builder loan is similar to the Self credit builder account. The biggest difference is that CreditStrong’s terms are from 24 to 48 months for extra flexibility. Monthly payments range from $28 to $48, depending on the term.
Article sources
At LendEDU, our writers and editors rely on primary sources, such as government data and websites, industry reports and whitepapers, and interviews with experts and company representatives. We also reference reputable company websites and research from established publishers. This approach allows us to produce content that is accurate, unbiased, and supported by reliable evidence. Read more about our editorial standards.
- Fizz, Cash Back and Rewards
- Fizz, Fizz Membership
- Fizz, How the Fizz Card Works
- Fizz, Is the Fizz Card a Secured Credit Card?
- Fizz, FAQ
- Fizz, About
- Instagram, @joinfizz
- Fizz, Eligibility and Availability
- TechCrunch, Kleiner Perkins Leads $14.4M Seed Round Into Fizz, a Credit-Building Debit Card Aimed at Gen Z College Students
- Self, Credit Builder Loan
- CreditStrong, Instal and CS Max
About our contributors
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Written by Taylor Milam-SamuelTaylor Milam-Samuel is a personal finance writer and credentialed educator who is passionate about helping people take control of their finances and create a life they love. When she's not researching financial terms and conditions, she can be found in the classroom teaching.
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Edited by Kristen Barrett, MATKristen Barrett is a managing editor at LendEDU. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her wife and their three senior rescue dogs. She has edited and written personal finance content since 2015.