First Premier Credit Card Review: The Verdict Up Front
First Premier Bank has spent two decades perfecting the fee-supported credit card, and the current disclosures show the craft: a program fee, an annual fee that shape-shifts after year one, a monthly fee that grows in year two, and a 25% charge every time your limit rises. At 36% APR.
It approves people almost nobody else will. That service is real, and this is what it costs.
Verdict: acceptable only when everything cheaper has said no, and only with a firm exit plan. As a long-term card it is a fee annuity you are funding.
The Complete First Premier Fee Schedule
From First Premier’s own account opening disclosures (offer W262, 2026). Find your assigned limit, read across:
| Credit limit | Program fee | Annual fee yr 1 | Annual fee after | Monthly fee yr 1 | Monthly fee after | You start with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $200 | $95 | $50 | $45 | $0 | $6.25/mo | $150 |
| $300 | $95 | $75 | $45 | $0 | $6.25/mo | $225 |
| $400 | $95 | $100 | $45 | $0 | $6.25/mo | $300 |
| $500 | $95 | $125 | $49 | $0 | $10.40/mo | $375 |
| $600 | $75 | $79 | $49 | $5.85/mo | $8.25/mo | $515.15 |
| $700 | $55 | $79 | $49 | $8.00/mo | $8.25/mo | varies |
A separate no-program-fee variant (offer W258) at $700 charges $79 annually plus $8 a month in year one, rising to $12 a month after, leaving $613 available at opening. A $1,000 variant has carried a 26.74% APR with a $49 annual fee and $8 monthly fee.
Everything else: cash advance $8 or 5% (greater), foreign 3%, late and returned payments up to $39, credit limit increase fee 25% of the increase from month 13. First-year fees are legally capped at 25% of your initial limit; year two has no such cap.
Why People Still Take It
Because it says yes. First Premier’s underwriting reaches files with fresh collections and past charge-offs, requires no deposit, and reports to the bureaus. The bank is real (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), the disclosures are public, and the card does what it claims.
Note the exclusions: no New York or Wisconsin residents, minimum $10,000 gross annual income, and no approvals if a prior Premier account charged off within 36 months.
The Two-Year Cost, Honestly
Take the $300 tier: year one costs $170 ($95 program plus $75 annual). Year two costs $120 ($45 annual plus $75 in monthly fees). That is $290 across two years, against a $300 limit, before a single dollar of interest.
The identical two years on a no-fee secured card: $0, plus a deposit you get back. Same bureau reporting. That gap is the entire review.
The Cheaper Path
The Capital One Platinum Secured opens from a $49 deposit with no annual fee. The OpenSky Secured Visa runs no credit check at all for $35 a year, which covers most people who think First Premier is their only option. Rankings: best secured cards.
And if your file is carrying errors, they are costing you more than any card. Credit Booster AI reads all three bureau reports, flags what looks wrong, and drafts the challenge letters, for $9.99 a month. A cleared error typically moves a score 30 to 60 points, which is regularly the difference between First Premier’s tier and a normal card.
Bottom Line
First Premier is the honest extreme of the fee-card model: every charge disclosed, every charge heavy. If you must use it, use it briefly: autopay in full, decline limit increases, and replace it at month twelve before the monthly fees begin. And download Credit Booster AI so month twelve finds your file a tier higher than it is today.
Sources
- First Premier account opening disclosures, offer W262: 36% APR, full per-tier program, annual, and monthly fee schedule, 25% credit limit increase fee: premiercardoffer.net CardDetails W262 (April 2026 capture via Internet Archive, verified 2026-07-25)
- First Premier disclosure, offer W258 ($700, no program fee, $79 annual, $8 then $12 monthly): premiercardoffer.net CardDetails W258 (March 2026 capture via Internet Archive, verified 2026-07-25)
- First Premier disclosure, offer W313 ($1,000 limit, 26.74% APR, $49 annual, $96/yr monthly fee): premiercardoffer.net CardDetails W313 (September 2025 capture via Internet Archive, verified 2026-07-25)
- Issuer identity and eligibility rules (First PREMIER Bank, Sioux Falls SD; NY and WI excluded; income floor): same disclosures as above
Related reading: The First Premier score requirements cover approval odds by credit band. Same fee architecture elsewhere: Total Visa review and Revvi review.
First Premier fees at two typical offer tiers
The same card can cost very differently by tier; both tiers stack program, annual, and monthly fees.
| Feature | First Premier, $300 limit offer | First Premier, $700 limit offer |
|---|---|---|
| One-time program fee | $95 | $55, or $0 on some offers |
| Annual fee, first year | $75 | $79 |
| Annual fee, year 2 on | $45 | $49 |
| Monthly fee, first year | $0 | $8.00/mo on the no-program-fee offer |
| Monthly fee, year 2 on | $6.25/mo ($75/yr) | Up to $12.00/mo ($144/yr) |
| Purchase APR | 36% | 36% |
| Credit limit increase fee | 25% of each increase | 25% of each increase |
| Initial available credit | $225 of $300 | $613 of $700 (no-program-fee offer) |
Source: First Premier account opening disclosures, premiercardoffer.net (Apr 2026 capture). Pulled July 25, 2026.
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Get the AppFrequently Asked Questions
Is the First Premier credit card good?
It is the most fee-layered mainstream card in America, and it still gets used because it approves deeply challenged credit. You can pay up to four fee types: a program fee up to $95 before opening, an annual fee of $50 to $125 in year one, a monthly fee that reaches $12 a month, and 25% of every credit limit increase, at 36% APR. It reports and it rebuilds, but almost any alternative is cheaper.
What fees does First Premier charge?
Per First Premier's own offer disclosures: a one-time program fee of $55 to $95 on most offers (some carry none), an annual fee of $50 to $125 the first year then $45 to $49, a monthly fee that is often $0 the first year then $6.25 to $12 a month, a 25% fee on each credit limit increase, cash advance fees of $8 or 5%, 3% foreign fees, and late or returned payment fees up to $39. The exact mix depends on your credit limit tier.
What is the APR on a First Premier card?
36% on purchases and cash advances on current standard offers, per First Premier's disclosures. Some higher-limit offers have carried 26.74%. Federal rules cap the fees charged in the first year at 25% of your initial limit, but the APR is not capped by that rule, so carrying a balance at 36% adds up brutally fast.
Does First Premier report to all three credit bureaus?
Yes, First Premier reports account activity to the major credit bureaus, which is why the card functions as a rebuilder. On-time payments help your file; the fee stack is the toll for that access.
What credit limit does First Premier start you with?
Assigned limits run from $200 up to $1,000 by offer tier. Fees post immediately: on the $300 tier the $75 first-year annual fee leaves $225 available, and on a $700 no-program-fee offer the $79 annual fee plus first monthly fee leaves about $613, per First Premier's own examples.
Does First Premier charge for credit limit increases?
Yes, 25% of each increase, assessed automatically when the increase is approved, possible from month 13 onward. A $100 increase costs $25. If you keep the card long term, this quietly becomes one of its biggest costs.
