- Annual Fee = $35, $59 or $75 for the first year, then $99, $125
- APR = 24.9%, 29.9% or 35.9%
- Starting credit limit = $300, $500 or $700
- Accepts applicants with discharged bankruptcy on credit report
- Reports to three major credit bureaus
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Various Annual Fee | Credit limit does not increase |
No monthly fee versions available | Some offers come with monthly fee after second year |
No One-time application fee | No mobile app |
No-fee payment methods | Desktop website not mobile friendly |
At A glance
Requirements
- Credit Score: 550 - 650
- Not more than 2 hard inquiries during the last 6 months - this is a major reason why many folks get denied
- On-time payments for at least one year
- At least 2 existing trade lines - this can including student loans or auto loans
- Income of at least $30,000
- No tax liens
- Not more than $25,000 in credit card debt
- Not more than $50,000 in non-credit card or non-mortgage debt like student loans and auto loans
Destiny (like most subprime credit cards these days) is very picky about the amount of balance that you carry. You should not have more than $25,000 in credit card debt and not more than $50,000 debt in student loans or auto loans or any other personal loans. Number of hard inquiries during the last six months should also not exceed 2. These are more important than your credit scores.
Tip: If you do not meet these criteria, you migh want to consider a prepaid debit card like the Extra Debit Card, which actually reports to credit bureaus and has a 99% approval rate.
Various Offers and Terms and Conditions
Annual Fee | Monthly Fee | APR | Credit Limit |
---|---|---|---|
$35 | N.A. | 24.9% | $300 |
$59 | N.A. | 24.9% or 29.9% | $300 or $500 |
$75 for 1st Year Then $99 |
N.A. | 24.9% or 29.9% | $300 |
$125 | N.A. | 29.9% | $500 |
$125 1st Year Then $49 |
$0 1st Year Then $10.40/month |
35.9% | $500 |
$175 1st Year Then $49 |
$0 1st Year Then $12.50/month |
35.9% | $700 |
As you can see from the table above, there are 6 versions and terms and conditions that you could be potentially offered. Four of them just have an annual fee that does not charge any monthly fee from the second year onwards. There are three credit limits that you can be offered, $300, $500 or $700. The regular purchase APR are either 24.9%, 29.9% or 35.9%. There are a couple of other things that you should be aware of.
- Credit Limits do not increase - Destiny does not increase your credit limit. Once you are given your starting credit limit, the will be the limit for as long as you have the card.
- Foreign transaction is 1% - The foreign transaction fee is 1% for all cards. 1% is lower than the standard 3% though I expect that most cardholders will never use this card abroad.
- Late and Over-the-limit Fee - There is a $40 charge for late payments or going over the limit.
- No Mobile App - Destiny has no mobile app and their desktop online account website is not mobile friendly either (for now).
Manage Account Online


Mastercard Benefits
- Mastercard ID Theft Protection - This services monitors your vital information like email address, credit card numbers, social security numbers in the dark web to detect any possibility of it being stolen. TransUnion is also monitored for potential ID theft. If an ID theft is suspected, Mastercard will provide Resolution Services.
- Zero Liability Protection - This is present in almost all credit cards. Essentially, you will not be held liable for any fraudulent charges to your credit card.
You can see the full Mastercard Benefits here.
Competition
Card Version | Annual Fee | Monthly Fee | APR | Credit Limit |
---|---|---|---|---|
Destiny #1 | $35 | N.A. | 24.9% | $300 |
Destiny #2 | $59 | N.A. | 24.9% or 29.9% | $300 or $500 |
Destiny #3 |
$75 for 1st Year Then $99 |
N.A. | 24.9% or 29.9% | $300 |
Destiny #4 | $125 | N.A. | 29.9% | $500 |
Destiny #5 |
$125 1st Year Then $49 |
$0 1st Year Then $10.40/month |
35.9% | $500 |
Destiny #6 |
$175 1st Year Then $49 |
$0 1st Year Then $12.50/month |
35.9% | $700 |
Reflex #1 | $99 | N.A. | 25.9% |
$1,000 $2,000 after 6 months |
Reflex #2 | $99 | N.A. | 25.9% |
$750 $1,500 after 6 months |
Reflex #3 | $99 |
Y1=$0 Then $10/m |
29.9% |
$500 $1,000 after 6 months |
Reflex #4 |
Y1=$75 Then $99 |
Y1=$0 Then $10/m |
29.9% |
$300 $600 after 6 months |
One of the distinguishing features of the Destiny credit card is that they offer a variey of cards with different terms and conditions. And we can classify them into two groups.
The first group only charges an annual fee and does not charge any monthly fee after the second year. The second group charges both an annual fee and a monthly fee from the second year onwards.
There are two firms that market such cards The first is Genesis Financial Services, which markets the Destiny, Milestone and Indigo credit cards. We will do some comparison among these cards. The second firm to market suchs cards is Continental Finance, which issues the Reflex and Surge Mastercard. We will also compare Destiny with these cards.
Compared to other Genesis Financial Services cards
The Destiny credit card is one of three cards marketed by Genesis Financial Services. The other two cards are the Indigo credit card and the Milestone credit card.The Destiny Mastercard has very similar offers as both the Milestone and Indigo cards. And they also share the same features. For example, they all have foreign transaction fees of 1%. They all have no mobile app. And all three cards require that you go through a pre-approval process. For detailed comparison, please read the following posts.
Further Research
Destiny vs Milestone credit card
Destiny vs Indigo credit card
Compared with cards from Continental Finance
Continental Finance has two cards, the Reflex credit card and the Surge credit card. In the table, I have only listed the various offers and versions of the Reflex credit card. But the Surge Mastercard has identical offers to Reflex so this comparison applies to them as well.As you can see from the table above, the Reflex credit card has got four versions. Two versions do not have monthly fee after the second year whereas two others do. While both the annual fee and monthly differs slightly from Destiny credit card, the key difference is in the starting credit limit.
Let's take a look at the cards with no monthly fee. Destiny has a $35, $59 and a ($75 for first year, then $99) annual fee version that all have a credit limit of $300 and they do not increase. Reflex has two cards with $99 annual fee and both come with a $750 and $1,000 starting credit limit. If you pay your bills on time for the first 6 months, Reflex will double your credit limit to $2,000 and $1,500. So while Destiny may have low annual fee for 2 of their offers, Reflex has much higher starting limits which will double after 6 months.
Even the the Reflex cards with monthly fee offer the opportunity to double you credit limit from $300 and $500 to $600 and $1,000 respectively. So from a credit limit perpective, Reflex is the far better card.
Like Destiny, Reflex offers a pre-approval process with no impact on your credit scores. However, unlike Destiny, Continental Finance has a mobile app. Furthermore, the offer a free Vantage 3.0 credit score from Experian. So as far we are concerned, the Reflex and Surge is a better card than Destiny from credit limit and feature perspective.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Pre-Approval Soft Pull - Before you can apply for this card, you actually will have to go through a pre-approval process. This is only a soft pull so if you are not pre-approved, there is no hard pull on your credit report.
- Manage Account Online 24/7 - You can manage your account online 24/7 from your online portal.
- Free Online Payment - While many customers expect this, there are some cards that still charge for making online payments.
- Prior Bankruptcy is OK - Those of you who have just emerged from BK might have a hard time getting approved for credit. Destiny will approve folks like you with prior BK on your credit report.
Cons
- Some offers have monthly fee - While the $35 and $59 annual fee version, and even the $75 annual fee for the first year and $99 thereafter version have no monthly fee from the second year onwards, there are a couple of versions with high monthly fee.
- Website is not mobile friendly - Many cardholders have noted that the website is not mobile friendly and they have to manage everything from their desktop computer.
- No Rewards - Most subprime credit cards do not have reward program. But increasingly, more ARE offering them. Cards from Credit One and even Discover's secured credit cards offer them.
- No Credit Limit Increase - Destiny will not increase your credit limit. It is set at $300 or $500.
- No Mobile App - Though you can manage your account online, there is no app for this card at the moment.
- No Free Credit Scores - More of Digital Mastercard peers are providing some form of free credit scores. At the moment, Destiny Mastercard does not provide any free credit scores.
Our Take: Some Offers Are Good, Some Are Not
No Monthly Fee Version is OK
If you are offered the versions that have $35 and $59 annual fee with a $300 credit limit, then I would say that those are decent terms and conditions for a rebuilder though you have to bear in mind that your credit limit will not increase. I would take these two offers especially if this was your first (or even second) unsecured credit card in the rebuilding process.Monthly Fee Version Not Really Worth It
If you are pre-approved for the other versions (especially the ones with the monthly fee after the second year), then I think you really have to think long and hard about it.The reason is that the fees you have to pay a year do not seem to justify the credit limits you will get. Let's take the version where you have to pay $75 annual fee for the first year and then $99 from the second year onwards. The credit limit for that offer is $300. From the second year onwards, you will be paying one-third ([$99/$300 = 1/3) of your limit in fees!
Or consider the version with the monthly fee with the $500 starting limit. During the first year, your annual fee is $125, which is 25% of your credit limit. From the second year onwards, you will be paying ($49 + $124.80)/$500 = 34% of your credit limit in fees. The amount of fees that you pay during that second year can be used as a refundable deposit for a secured credit card instead.
Because of the low limits and high fees (depending on which version you get), you should only go ahead and get these versions if this is your first unsecured credit card in your rebuilding process. If you already have a couple of secured credit cards, then the $75 to $99 annual versions or the one with monthly fee version is not worth getting.
Ratings
To sum up, based on our review and evaluations of the Destiny credit card, we give it a 3.7 star out of 5 for it's availability of low annual fee versions ($35 and $59), consistent credit bureau reporting and pre-approval process with no impact on credit scores. The $300 or $500 credit limit cap and lack of mobile app prevents us from giving this card a higher rating.This card will be suitable for most rebuilders either as a starter unsecured credit card and even if one has a bankruptcy record on your credit report (especially the $35 or $59 annual fee versions).
However, those who already have a few unsecured credit cards or are looking for a large with a large limit should consider other cards instead as Destiny as their $300 or $500 credit limit will not increase. A good alternative be the Reflex credit card or the Mission Lane Visa, both cards which increases your credit limit after 6 months. And both have mobile apps and better overall features.
How To Apply Online?
If you have gotten a pre-approved mail with an application code, then you can proceed straight to the application page.



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who issues the Destiny Mastercard?

Who issues the Destiny Mastercard?

Can I apply over the phone?

Can I apply over the phone?

Can you explain why I have to get pre-approved or pre-qualify?

Can you explain why I have to get pre-approved or pre-qualify?

Milestone requires that you pre-qualify first. Pre-qualification does not result in a hard credit pull. Rather there is just a soft pull. If you do not pre-qualify or get pre-approved, you will save yourself a hard pull.
When will I receive my card?

When will I receive my card?

What is the starting limit of Destiny?

What is the starting limit of Destiny?

Does Destiny increase credit limit?

Does Destiny increase credit limit?

Can I transfer a balance to Destiny credit card?

Can I transfer a balance to Destiny credit card?

Can I use the Destiny Mastercard to get a cash advance?

Can I use the Destiny Mastercard to get a cash advance?

Can I use the Destiny credit card abroad?

Can I use the Destiny credit card abroad?

What are the ways to pay Destiny Mastercard?

What are the ways to pay Destiny Mastercard?

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Pay online
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Pay over the phone
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Pay through Moneygram
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Check or Money Order through the mail
Where should I send my Destiny Mastercard payments?

Where should I send my Destiny Mastercard payments?

What information do I need to use Moneygram to pay my bills?

What information do I need to use Moneygram to pay my bills?

When will my online payment post to my account?

When will my online payment post to my account?

Will there be a hold after I make my payment?

Will there be a hold after I make my payment?

Contact Information
Toll-free customer service number: 1-844-222-5695
FAX number: (888) 325-4717