By : 
Mr Credit Card
Mr Credit CardWhat is the Horizon Gold Card And Who Is It For?
In this review, we will reveal the secrets of how you can get your $24.95 monthly fee reduced to $6 and also how to get a credit limit increase (the max is $3,000). If you are in the rebuilding phase where you want to get an unsecured credit line with a high limit but yet want to avoid a hard inquiry, then the Horizon Outlet credit card may just be the card for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No Annual Fee | Can only be used at www.thehorizonoutlet.com |
| 0% APR | Have to pay shipping and processing fee in full before checkout |
| Reports to Equifax | Paying monthly fee via credit card is processed as cash advance |
| Maximum Credit Limit of $3,000 over time | |
| No Credit Checks | |
| Can reduce monthly fee by downgrading to starter membership level |
Where Can I Use My Horizon Outlet Card? Answer: The Horizon Outlet (TheHorizonOutlet.com)
How to Pay for Your Horizon Purchases?
The minimum payment you have to make is the greater of either 10% of the balance when you first made the purchase or $25. The minimum payment does not decrease over time. If your purchase is $25 or less, then you have to pay in full.
You can set up auto-payments with Horizon Gold.
Card Details
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Regular Membership Plan | $24.95/month |
| Starter Membership Plan | $6/month |
| Regular APR | 0% |
| Minimum Payment | $25 or 10% of Balance |
| late Fee | $20 |
| Outlet Store Delivery Signature Verification | $3.50 |
| Outlet Store Residential Delivery | $2.00 |
| Credit Bureau Reporting | Reports to Equifax |
APR: 0% - You do not pay an interest if you carry a balance after you buy a product.
Initial Credit Limits $500, maximum is $3,000
Credit Bureau Reporting: Reports to One Credit Bureau - At this moment, it is Equifax
Membership Fees: $24.95 a month. You will get benefits like My Road Assistance, My Legal Assistance, My Universal RX and Credit Hawk - a credit monitoring and ID theft service (more on these later).
NSF Check Fee: $25
Outlet Store Delivery Signature Verification: $3.50
Outlet Store Residential Delivery: $2.00
Regular Membership Plan and Benefits
My Roadside Assistance
Under this program, you are allowed up to 1 service per month. The tow distance has to be within 15 miles and the cost must not exceed $50 (you have to pay any amount above that). You are allowed up to 3 service calls within a 12 month period.My Universal RX
You can get unlimited local participating pharmacy access and receive up to 40% off of covered prescription medications.Credit Hawk Free Credit Report and ID Theft Protection
Card members of Horizon Gold Card get access to credit hawk which gives you access to your credit report and also offers ID Theft Protection.My Legal Assistance
You get Toll free and Internet access to Legal resources. Your plan entitles you to one free 30-minute consultation with a legal professional in your area specializing in your area of law interest. Criminal cases are not covered.Starter Membership Plan
In their terms and conditions, it states that there is a monthly fee of $6/month that is "waived" as long as you are "a member of the Horizon Card Services". What this means is that as long as you pay your $24.95 a month membership fee, the $6/month fee is waived.
What is actually interesting is that you can "downgrade" from the "membership level" to a "basic starter membership plan" and just pay $6/month monthly fee. You will get all the benefits of the regular Membership Plan except for the Roadside Assistance.
Their terms and conditions also states that if you fail to make three consecutive payments on your regular membership fees, you will be automatically downgraded to the "basic starter plan". I would suggest that if you are not concerned about having Roadside Assistance as a benefit, you should call Horizon to downgrade to the start plan as it cost much less. Rebuilders should definitely that this route. In fact, many folks who call CSR to cancel the Horizon Outlet credit card get offered a credit limit increase and/or a reduction of the membership to the "starter level" of $6/month. (see example below)
Customer Feedback and Example of Getting Membership Fee Reduced from $24.95/month to $6/month
I got the Horizon Gold Card through a mail offer. I got a $500 credit limit and paid $29.95 upfront fee. Then I was charged $24.95 a month. After a couple of months, I regretted my decision as I found nothing I wanted to buy at thehorizonout.com. So I called to cancel the card. But the CSR refused to let me cancel and offered me a $500 limit increase to $1,000 and set an automatic quarterly increase of $500 until I had reached a the maximum limit of $3,000. So I happily took it. But after another month with the card, I was still unhappy with having to pay $24.95 a month and so I called again to cancel. This time, I was offered a reduced membership fee of $6.95 but without the roadside assistance (which I do not use anyway). So I decided to keep the card. I was even told I did not have to buy anything from the store to keep the card. They do report to Equifax. I do anticipate that I will cancel the card eventually, but not until I get my $3,000 and I really want to see how that affects my credit score.
Analysis
As the monthly fee of the Horizon Gold Card is $24.95, the total fee you will pay a year is $24.95 X 12 = $299.40. If you downgrade your membership level to the starter level, the monthly fee is $6 which is equal to $72. The starting credit limit is $500 and can go all the way to $3,000.
The table below shows the Total Fee to Credit Limit (TFCL) ratio at various credit limit.
| Credit Limit | Total Fees (Annual) | TFCL |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $299.40 | $299.40/$500 = 59.88% |
| $1,000 | $299.40 | $299.40/$1,000 = 29.94% |
| $1,500 | $299.40 | $299.40/$1,500 = 19.96% |
| $3,000 | $299.40 | $299.40/$3,000 = 9.98% |
| $500 | $72 | $72/$500 = 14.4% |
| $1,000 | $72 | $72/$1,000 = 7.2% |
| $1,500 | $72 | $72/$1,500 = 4.8% |
| $3,000 | $72 | $72/$3,000 = 2.4% |
As you can see from the table above, when your starting credit limit is only $500, the Total Fee to Credit Limit is 59.88%. That means that you are paying an equivalent of close to 60% of your credit limit in fees. But when/and if your credit limit increases, the TFCL ratio declines pretty rapidly. For example, if you reach the maximum credit limit of $3,000, the TFCL ratio declines to 9.98%. That means that you are only paying about 10% of of your credit limit in fees.
If you downgrade to the starter membership level, your total fees you pay is even lower and hence the TFCL ratio is even better. For example, even if your credit limit remains at $500, the TFCL ratio is 14.4%, which is very good for an unsecured credit line when you have bad credit. And should your credit limit be increased to the maximum of $3,000 with the starter membership, the TFCL ratio is only 2.4%.
If one only looks at the Total Fee to Credit Limit (TFCL) ratio, then the Horizon Gold actually fares very well with other unsecured credit cards that specifically target people with bad credit.
Competition
|
Card Monthly Fee (MF) Credit Limit (CL) Fees/Credit Limit Ratio (TFCL) Credit Bureau Reporting |
|---|
|
Horizon Gold Card Monthly Fee = $24.95 Credit Limit = $500 TFCL = $(24.95 X 12)/$500 = 59.88% Credit Bureau Reporting = Equifax |
|
Merit Platinum Monthly Fee = $14.77 Credit Limit = $750 TFCL = $(14.77 X 12)/$750 = 23.63% Credit Bureau Reporting = N.A. |
|
Net First Platinum Monthly Fee = $14.77 Credit Limit = $750 TFCL = $(14.77 X 12)/$750 = 23.63% Credit Bureau Reporting = N.A. |
|
Freedom Gold Card Monthly Fee = $14.77 Credit Limit = $750 TFCL = $(14.77 X 12)/$750 = 23.63% Credit Bureau Reporting = N.A. |
|
Unique Platinum Monthly Fee = $19.95 Credit Limit = $1,000 TFCL = $(19.95 X 12)/$1,000 = 23.94% Credit Bureau Reporting = N.A. |
|
Arro Card Monthly Fee = $3 Credit Limit = $50 - $2,500 TFCL = $(3 X 12)/$1,000 = 3.6% Credit Bureau Reporting = TransUnion, Equifax and Experian |
|
Opensky Plus Monthly Fee = $0 Credit Limit = $300 - $2,000 TFCL = $0/$1,000 = 0% Credit Bureau Reporting = TransUnion, Equifax and Experian |
|
Sezzle Monthly Fee = $0 Credit Limit = Up to $2,500 TFCL = $0/$1,000 = 0% Credit Bureau Reporting = TransUnion, Equifax and Experian |
Horizon Gold Card vs New Terms of Horizon Card Services Cards
Horizon Gold is issued by Horizon Card Services and they also issue a few other cards that are very similar to Horizon Gold. Examples include the Merit Platinum, Freedom Gold Card and Net First Platinum. For a time, they had identical terms as the Horizon Gold Card. But after Horizon Gold Card was no longer offered, they improved their fees and starting credit limit. In terms of starting credit limit and monthly fees, they increased it from $500 to $750. They also reduced the monthly fee from $24.95 to $14.77. However, you no longer have the opportunity to downgrade to a starter membership and reduce your fee even further to $6/month.However, these differences do not really matter anymore because not only is the Horizon Gold Card no longer being offered and issued but the other cards from Horizon Card Services have stopped reporting to credit bureaus. So from a credit building perspective, these cards are not useless.
Horizon Gold Card vs Unique Card Services Cards
Horizon Gold's main competitor is Unique Card Services, who have their own online store (www.myuniqueoutlet.com) and issues cards that are similar to Horizon Card Services. An example is Unique Platinum. Cards from Unique Card Services have a monthly membership fee of $19.95. Like Horizon Gold Card, cards from Unique Card Services also have the equivalent of My Roadside Assist, My Universal RX, My Legal Assistance and Credit Hawk Credit Report Service.Credit cards from Unique Card Services have a starting credit limit of $1,000. They used to report to TransUnion, but like all the credit cards from Horizon Card Services, they have also stopped reporting to credit bureaus. From from a rebuilder perspective, credit cards from Horizon Card Services and Unique Card Services are now useless because they do not report to any credit bureaus anymore.
Horizon Gold vs Other No Credit Check Cards
Opensky Plus Secured Credit Card - A much cheaper alternative to the Horizon Gold Card is to get a secured credit and preferably one with no annual fee. The Opensky Plus Credit Card is a great no credit check alternative. It has no annual fee and you will definitely be approved as long as you fund your security deposit (minimum of $300). Opensky is a Visa and unlike the Horizon Gold, is accepted almost everywhere and they also report to all three major credit bureaus (whereas Horizon Gold no longer reports).Arro Mastercard - The Arro Mastercard is similar to the Horizon Gold Card in that it is an unsecured credit card. Like Horizon Gold, Arro Card does not rely on FICO scores to approve you. Instead, you need a minimum monthly income of $1,000, a positive bank balance of at least $50 and also to link your bank account to Arro (via PLAID) to verify these 2 criterias. The monthly fee of $36 is significantly lower than Horizon's fee and you can get a credit limit of up to $2,500. Unlike Horizon Gold, Arro is a Mastercard that is accepted anywhere that Mastercard is accepted and they report to all three major bureaus.
Sezzle - Sezzle is a Buy Now Pay Later app that allows you to shop at merchants who accept Sezzle and pay for your purchase over time with a Pay-in-4 payment plan at 0% APR. It is similar to Horizon Gold is that there is no credit checks and you also get to pay for your purchases at 0% APR. However, Sezzle can be used at popular stores like Target, Amazon.com, Nike etc whereas you can only use the Horizon Gold Card at www.thehorizonoutlet.com where the stocks of goods are mainly unbranded and limited. Sezzle also reports to the three major credit bureaus whereas Horizon Gold no longer reports to any credit bureau.
What We Like - No Credit Checks, 0% APR
- 0% APR On Purchases - You will not be charged any interest rate on your purchases. However, as mentioned earlier, you will have to pay a minimum payment that is the greater of either 10% of the purchase price or $25. But you will not accrue interest over time so that is a good thing compared to making a purchase on a credit card and carrying a balance.
- Unsecured Credit Limit of up to $3,000 - When you are approved for the card, you will be given at least $500 credit line that is unsecured. However, from consumer feedback, it appears you can get up to $1,500 in starting credit lines. Your credit line can be increased over time to up to $3,000.
- No Credit Checks - Guaranteed Approval - Horizon Gold does not check your credit report or your income so you will not experience a hard pull. You do need a debit card or a checking account to pay your membership fees. As long as you have a debit card, you will be approved.
- Reports to Equifax - On their terms and conditions page, Horizon Gold says they report to at least one credit bureau. They are now reporting to Equifax.
- Can Downgrade $24.95/month Membership to $6/month Standard Membership - This is a little known secret for Horizon card. The terms and conditions states that if you fail to pay the $24.95 per month membership fee for three months, you will be "downgraded" automatically to the $6/month basic membership plan. The plan is essentially the same as the Regular Membership Plan except that it has no Roadside Assistance Plan. It turns out you can also call them to switch to the starter plan. This makes carrying the card much cheaper.
What We Don't like
- Can Only Be Used At thehorizonoutlet.com - You can only use this card at Horizon's online store www.thehorizonoutlet.com. Unlike a regular Visa or Mastercard, you cannot use it anywhere else.
- Have to pay shipping and processing fee in full before checkout - When you make a purchase from www.thehorizonoutlet.com, you have to pay the shipping and processing fee in full. You cannot have a credit on those. This comes as a shock and surprise to many cardholders because it is not a normal practice when you make an online purchase.
Horizon Gold Card is Expensive But Can Jump Start Your Rebuilding Efforts
However, the monthly fee of $24.95 is high relative to the starting credit limit of $500. Though you get some benefits with this card (like roadside assistance etc), the vast majority of accounts do not make use of it. In fact, 93% of Horizon's customers do not even buy any product from their online store. They are get the card to get a tradeline reported to Equifax. Even if you manage to get the monthly fee reduced to $6, there are much better alternatives to Horizon Gold.
To sum up, based on our evaluations and review, we have decided to give the Horizon Gold Card a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 for it's easy approval, generous credit lines and credit reporting to Equifax. It's expensive monthly fee, the fact that it is an online store credit card and not a regular Visa or Mastercard, and lack of branded goods in their online store prevents us from giving it a higher rating.
Update: Horizon No Longer Offer
Horizon is no longer being issued and instead have issued several cards under different names. They include Net First Platinum, Freedom Gold Card and Boost Platinum. They differ from Horizon Gold in the following ways. Firstly, they have a higher starting credit limit of $750 vs $500 for the Horizon Gold Card. They have a lower monthly fee of $14.77 vs $24.95 for the Horizon Gold (though you cannot downgrade to the start membership level with a $6 monthly fee)/. But unfortunately, as of September 2022, all of Horizon Card Services cards no longer report to any mahjor credit bureaus. Hence, we do not recommend any of these new issues from Horizon Card Services.How to Use Your Horizon Outlet Credit Card?
- Downgrade to Starter Membership - Why pay $24.95 for a monthly fee when you can only pay $6 a month? Well, you can simply call Horizon Card Services and get them to downgrade you to the starter level. Note: Starter level does not have roadside assistance as a benefit.
- Call to Cancel to get credit limit increase - If customer services refuses to downgrade you to a starter membership, simply ask them to cancel your card. You will likely get a credit limit increase by $500. If you call to cancel the second time, they might also put you on an automatic quarterly $500 credit limit increase until you hit the maximum of $3,000.
- You do not have to purchase anything with the card - Here is another pro tip. You do not have to buy anything with the Horizon Gold Card. In fact, most of you will find that there is nothing really appealing in their online store and many things are overpriced. Just having this card as a trade line on your credit report is the main purpose of why you should get this card in the first place.
- DO NOT use your credit card to pay your monthly fee - You can use either a debit card or credit card to pay monthly fee. Here is the deal - USE your DEBIT card and NOT your credit card. The reason is that Horizon Card Services codes a credit card payment such that your credit card will assume it is a cash advance and charge you interest immediately. So please use your debit card to pay your monthly fee.
CFPB Lawsuit against Horizon Card Services and CEO Robert Kane
The case is still pending and we will given appropriate updates. The 25% cap on fees was clear referring to the time before 2021 when Horizon's cards had only a $500 limit and a $24.95 monthly fee. Since 2021, credit limits have increased to $750 while the monthly fee has decreased to $14.77, thus meeting the 25% cap criteria. Though the lawsuit, we also found out that between 2017 and 2021, Horizon issued nearly 900,000 cards. We also found out that 93% never used or bought anything from the Horizon online store and that only 6% of account holders actually bought something from the store.
Customer Reviews
I have a Horizon Gold Card and I have gotten my limit up to $2500, I have never used the card and I pay the $6.95 monthly fee.
I don't understand a lot of negative comments I see online for the Horizon Gold. My thoughts are that even if the fee is high, it is legitimate and it reports to Equifax. The fees are also clearly displayed in the Terms and Conditions. I have this for 2 months and it has reported to Equifax. I am aware that the fees are high but when you are rebuilding, you just have to suck it up. I buy something from the store once in a while just to keep some activity on the account.
I signed up for the card and got what I guess was the standard $500 credit limit with the $24/month fee. I had buyers remorse and called to cancel. Long and short story, rep persuaded me to keep the card open by increasing my credit limit to $1,000 and putting an auto increase of $500 every 3 months until it hits the max of $3,000. I did eventually hit the max and so am still paying the $24/month fee but will probably cancel soon.
I got a statement from Horizon Card Services which I did not sign up for. I suspected that it was opened under my name and I guess my ID has been stolen. I called Horizon to report and they asked me to provide all sorts of ID information. Products were also purchased on my so-called account. After not hearing from them for a while, I filed a complaint through BBB and Horizon reached out almost immediately and the issue was resolved.
I had a 450 credit score and only got this because I was rejected by so many credit cards even secured ones. I started off with a 500 limit and now I have a $2000 credit limit. My Equifax score went from a 450 to a 660 in one month
The Horizon Gold Card is not a real credit card and you can only use it at their own online store. If you do not have enough money for a secured credit card deposit and can afford the $25 a month fee, then perhaps it is worth it but only for a while. They do report to Equifax but their products in the store are not something I would buy. Also, it took a while to cancel because they keep trying to persuade you to stay with credit limit increase and even a monthly fee reduction. But I stood firm and cancelled after having it for a year. I scores did go up but lost a few points when I cancelled.
Fast Online Application
On the next page, you will have to fill in your name, address, phone number, monthly pay, how often you are paid, your next pay date, your credit score range and whether you receive direct deposit. Once you submit this information, you will get the offer and confirmation. You will be instantly approved (within 60 seconds) once you submit your online application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does Horizon Gold Report to Major Credit Bureaus?
Does Horizon Gold Report to Major Credit Bureaus?
According to Horizon Gold, they do report to one major credit bureau. At this moment, it is Equifax.
How does using Horizon Gold help my credit?
How does using Horizon Gold help my credit?
Horizon Gold reports a positive entry every thirty days as long as your account is open and in good standings.
How often does Horizon Gold report to the credit bureau?
How often does Horizon Gold report to the credit bureau?
Once every thirty days.
Can I use my Horizon Gold Card at Walmart?
Can I use my Horizon Gold Card at Walmart?
No you cannot. It can only be used at thehorizonoutlet.com.
Can I do cash advance with Horizon Gold Card
Can I do cash advance with Horizon Gold Card
No. Horizon Gold Card is an online store catalog card and not a Visa or Mastercard.
Which credit report does Horizon pull when we apply?
Which credit report does Horizon pull when we apply?
Horizon does not do any credit hard pulls. Every applicant is approved for an unsecured $500 credit line.
When can I get a credit line increase?
When can I get a credit line increase?
Horizon says that you can be eligible for a credit line increase after three months. You should be on time in your monthly membership fee payment.
When will I get my card after I get approved?
When will I get my card after I get approved?
Normally within 7 business days.
How do I pay back my balance on the card?
How do I pay back my balance on the card?
You can pay online at www.thehorizonoutlet.com.
What is the minimum payment?
What is the minimum payment?
You either have to pay $25 a month or 10% of the balance.
Can I make payments for my benefits online?
Can I make payments for my benefits online?
Yes, you can. You have to go to www.memberbenefitaccess.com. You have to login using your Member ID and Zip Code. You then go to the "account" tab and "make a benefits payment".
Can you use the Horizon Gold Credit Card anywhere?
Can you use the Horizon Gold Credit Card anywhere?
No, you can only use it at their online store www.thehorizonoutlet.com.
How do I use the Roadside assistance?
How do I use the Roadside assistance?
Simply call 1-800-251-6144.
How do I use Legal Assistance?
How do I use Legal Assistance?
Call 1800-251-6144.
How do I use the Universal RX benefits?
How do I use the Universal RX benefits?
You just have to take your membership card to your local pharmacy. You will receive the lowest price if it is covered under your membership.
Where do I go for the credit monitoring service?
Where do I go for the credit monitoring service?
The website that you will be using is www.credit-hawk.com. You will first have to enroll through the members benefits page. After that, you can log in using your username and password.
Customer Service Information
P.O. Box 1275
Indiana, PA 15701
Customer Advocacy
1-800-837-49975 days a week from 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m
Cancel Membership
1-800-251-6144Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (excluding holidays)
Or online at www.memberbenefitaccess.com.
