Reflex Mastercard vs Upgrade Select Visa

Different Cards, Different Cost

Both the Reflex Platinum Mastercard and Upgrade Select Visa are unsecured credit cards that target people with poor credit. Both credit cards require you to go through a pre-approval process with no impact on your credit score. With Reflex, you may get up to 1 of 4 offers with different credit limits ($300, $500, $750 and $1,000). Upgrade Select offers you a range of credit limit from $500 to $2,000 and requires that you pay your installments for each charge either in full the next billing statement or in equal installments over a fixed term maturity.

In this comparison, we will compare both cards and see which is the better choice for you.

What is Reflex Mastercard?

The Reflex Mastercard require you to go through a pre-approval process which has no impact on your credit score. If you are approved, you will receive an offer with a credit limit of either $300, $500, $750 or $1,000. The credit limit will double to $600, $1,000, $1,500 and $2,000 respectively. Below are the fees of the 4 different versions.

Fees and Credit Limit

Card	Annual Fee	Monthly Fee	Credit Limit
Reflex $1,000	$125	$0*	$1,000 $2,000 after 6 on-time payments
Reflex $750	$125	$0*	$$750 $1,500 after 6 on-time payments
Reflex $500	$125	Year 1 = 0 Then $12.50/month	$500 $1,000 after 6 on-time payments
Reflex $300	$75 Y1, then $99	Year 1 = $0 Then $12.50/month	$300 $600 after 6 on-time payments

What is Upgrade Select?

The Upgrade Select Visa is one of 4 Upgrade Cards. It is targeted at those with lower credit scores.

The Upgrade Select Visa has a $39 annual fee. The credit limit ranges from $500 to $2,000. The APR ranges from 21.96% to 29.9% and you will be given a term maturity of either 24 or 36 months should you decide to pay your balance in equal installments over time.
,br /> Upgrade works differently from a regular credit card in that when you make a charge to your Upgrade Select Card, they consider it a draw. You can either pay in full the next billing cycle (and avoid any interest charges), or you can pay over time in equal installments and pay off with the term maturity that you are given. In a sense, Upgrade Select is like a line of credit which allows you to take out a series of loans.

Similarities

Both have pre-approval process

Both the Reflex Mastercard and Upgrade Select Visa allow you to go through a pre-approval process which results in a soft pull with no impact on your credit score. If you are pre-approved for Reflex, you will be offered one of the 4 versions of the card. If you are pre-approved for the Upgrade Select Card, you will be offered a credit limit that ranges from $500 - $2,000, an interest rate and a term maturity of either 24 or 36 months.

Major Differences

Upgrade Select and Reflex are different in the following ways:

Reflex is a regular unsecured card while Upgrade Select works like a loan in a credit card

Reflex is a regular unsecured credit while Upgrade Select is actually a loan in a credit card. Upgrade Select considers each use of your credit card a "draw" (like you drawing on a line of credit). You can either pay all "draws" in full the next billing statement, or you can pay over time in equal installments at a fixed term (either 2 or 3 years). With Reflex, you can either pay your bills in full or pay the minimum payment and take as long as you want to pay off your balance (not recommended off course).

Upgrade Select has lower annual fee

Upgrade has a lower annual fee than any of the 4 Reflex versions. Upgrade's $39 annual fee is $86 lower than the $125 annual fee than Reflex charges for their $500, $750 and $1,000 version. Furthermore, both the $300 and $500 limit Reflex version charges a monthly fee from the second year onwards.

Reflex Mastercard has potential higher maximum credit limits

The maximum credit limit that you can get with Reflex is $4,000. For the Upgrade Select Card, the maximum credit limit you can get is $2,000.

Upgrade Select has 10% Cash Back program

Upgrade has a cash back program where you can earn up to 10% cash back with their merchant partners when you shop at their online shopping portal. The Reflex Mastercard has no cash back program.

Which is Better? Reflex or Upgrade Select?

In terms of credit limits, the Reflex $750 and $1,000 credit limit versions has the slight edge over the Upgrade Select Card because you get a decent credit limit increase very quickly. However, from a fee perspective, the Upgrade Select Visa wins out because they have significantly lower fees than any of the 4 Reflex versions.

Since both Upgrade and Reflex allow you to go through a pre-approval process without any impact on your credit score, I would go through the process for both and see what offers I get. If you get either the $750 or $1,000 limit version for the Reflex Mastercard and do not get a comparable limit for the Upgrade Select, then I may be tempted to go with the Reflex despite the higher annual fee.

But if you get offered the $300 or $500 limit version of the Reflex card, then I would definitely get the Upgrade Select Card regardless of what credit limit I am given because Upgrade's fees would be significantly lower.