Imagine Credit Card Review: The Verdict Up Front
The Imagine Visa is Atlanticus’s newest face, issued by WebBank, and it is unusually transparent for this tier: exact fees per credit limit, published in the agreement. Transparency does not make them small.
You pay $99 to $175 in year one depending on your limit, then $49 a year plus a $15 monthly maintenance fee from month 13, at a flat 36% APR. In exchange: no deposit, no program fee, 3% cash back on gas, groceries, and utility payments, 1% elsewhere, and monthly reporting to the major bureaus.
Verdict: among unsecured challenged-credit cards it is one of the more honest offers. Against a $0 secured card it still loses on price, every year.
The Full Imagine Fee Table
From the cardholder agreement and pricing on Imagine’s legal page:
- Annual fee, year one, by credit limit: $99 at $400, $125 at $500, $175 at $700 and $1,000
- Annual fee after year one: $49
- Account maintenance fee: $180 a year, billed $15 monthly, not charged during the first 12 months
- Purchase and cash advance APR: 36%
- Cash advance fee: $5 or 5% of the advance, whichever is greater
- Foreign transaction fee: 3%
- Late or returned payment: up to $41 each
- Additional card: $19 one time
- Deposit and program fee: none
The year-two total is the number that matters: $49 plus $180 is $229, at every limit tier. On a $400 limit that is more than half the line, annually.
The Cash Back Math
3% on gas, groceries, and utilities matches Aspire and beats most cards in this tier. To cover a $229 year-two fee load at 3%, you need about $7,600 a year of category spend, roughly $635 a month on gas, groceries, and utilities. Real for some households, fantasy for others. Run your own number before applying.
Year one is friendlier: a $99 fee against the same spend leaves you ahead. That is why the honest play with Imagine is a 12-month window.
Imagine vs Aspire vs Fortiva
One Atlanticus family. Aspire and Fortiva price in ranges set by offer through The Bank of Missouri; Imagine prices by limit tier through WebBank. Imagine’s schedule is easier to predict, Aspire’s bottom range ($49 first year) can be cheaper if your offer lands there.
If you receive offers from more than one, compare first-year totals and take the lowest. The reporting is identical.
The Cheaper Path
The Capital One Platinum Secured builds the same history for $0 a year with a refundable deposit from $49. The OpenSky Secured Visa approves with no credit check for $35. See the full field in our best secured cards guide.
And if your file holds an error, that error is the expensive part. 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, often the exact distance between a 36% APR tier and a normal one.
Bottom Line
Imagine tells you the price up front, which we respect: $99 to $175 now, $229 a year from month 13, 36% APR always. Use the first year, harvest the 3% categories, and exit before the maintenance fee makes the decision for you. While you do, download Credit Booster AI and push your file toward cards that skip fees like these.
Sources
- Imagine cardholder agreement and pricing: 36% APR, per-limit annual fees ($99/$125/$175 first year, then $49), $180/yr maintenance fee after 12 months, $5 or 5% cash advance fee, WebBank issuer: imaginecredit.com/legal (verified 2026-07-25)
- Imagine application site: no security deposit, no program fee, 3%/1% cash back, monthly bureau reporting, free VantageScore 4.0: apply.imaginecredit.com (verified 2026-07-25)
- Capital One Platinum Secured comparison figures: capitalone.com/credit-cards/platinum-secured (verified 2026-07-20)
Related reading: Family reviews: Aspire credit card and Fortiva credit card. Building from zero instead? Start with the best starter cards with no history.
Imagine card fee stack vs a no-fee secured card
Published per-limit fees and a 36% APR, next to the cheapest mainstream builder.
| Feature | Imagine Visa credit card | Capital One Platinum Secured |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee, first year | $99 to $175 by credit limit | $0 |
| Annual fee, year 2 on | $49 | $0 |
| Account maintenance fee | $180/yr ($15/mo) after first 12 months | None |
| Purchase and cash advance APR | 36% | 29.74% variable |
| Cash back | 3% gas, groceries, utilities; 1% other | None |
| Credit limits offered | $400 to $1,000 | $200+ |
| Security deposit / program fee | None | $49 to $200 deposit, refundable |
| Reports monthly to major bureaus | Yes | Yes |
Source: Imagine cardholder agreement and pricing, imaginecredit.com/legal (WebBank). Pulled July 25, 2026.
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Get the AppFrequently Asked Questions
Is the Imagine credit card good?
It has one of the clearest fee schedules in the challenged-credit tier, and one of the heaviest. First-year annual fees run $99 to $175 depending on your credit limit, dropping to $49 after, but a $180-a-year account maintenance fee starts after the first 12 months. The 3% cash back on gas, groceries, and utilities softens it. As a one-year bridge it is workable; long term the fees pile up.
What is the annual fee on the Imagine credit card?
Per the cardholder agreement on imaginecredit.com: $99 the first year on a $400 limit, $125 on a $500 limit, and $175 on the $700 and $1,000 limits. After the first year the annual fee drops to $49, but an account maintenance fee of $180 a year, billed $15 monthly, begins. So year two costs $229 regardless of tier.
What APR does the Imagine card charge?
A flat 36% on both purchases and cash advances, per WebBank's pricing. That is the top of the market. The cash advance fee is $5 or 5% of the advance, whichever is greater. Pay the balance in full every month or the interest will dwarf the 3% cash back.
Does the Imagine credit card have a security deposit or program fee?
No. Imagine's application site states there is no security deposit and no program fee. The cost structure is entirely in the annual fee, the monthly maintenance fee from month 13, and the 36% APR.
Who issues the Imagine credit card?
WebBank, a Utah state-chartered bank in Salt Lake City, issues the Imagine Visa, and Atlanticus services it. It is the same family as the Aspire and Fortiva cards, with a very similar fee design and the same 3% category cash back as Aspire.
Does Imagine report to the credit bureaus?
Yes. Imagine states your payments are reported monthly to the major credit bureaus, and the card includes a free VantageScore 4.0 from TransUnion starting 60 days after opening. On-time payments are what actually move your file.
