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Credit Builder

Build credit with your everyday debit purchases

With our patented Sesame Credit Builder, paying for things like gas, groceries, or monthly bills can automatically grow your score.1

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Seame Credit Card - 2023 Digital Awards Platinum Winner

How Credit Builder works

Grow your credit score with your daily debit purchases.1
Save more money in the long run with a better credit score.

Grow your credit score with your daily debit purchases.Save more money in the long run with a better credit score.

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Sign up

No credit check. No security deposit.1 No debt or interest. Instant approval. Fees may apply.2

Add money

This is your account balance used for debit purchases and monthly spending.

Spend

Use your card for debit purchases like groceries, subscriptions, utilities, and everything in between.

Build credit

We report your spending as on-time payments to build your credit history.

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Welcome Screen: Start Building Your Credit Today
Successful direct deposit
recent transactions
credit building transactions

How Credit Builder works

Grow your credit score with your daily debit purchases.1
  Save more money in the long run with a better credit score.
Sign up

No credit check. No security deposit.1 No debt or interest. Instant approval. Fees may apply.2


no-image
Add money

This is your account balance used for debit purchases and monthly spending.


no-image
Spend

Use your card for debit purchases like groceries, subscriptions, utilities, and everything in between.


no-image
Build credit

We report your spending as on-time payments to build your credit history.


no-image
By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Credit Builder

Credit Sesame vs. Others

See why Sesame Credit Builder is the better option.

Credit Builder

sesame debit card

Traditional Secured Card

traditional secured card
By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Credit Sesame vs. Others

See why Sesame Credit Builder
is the better option.
sesame debit card

Sesame Credit Builder

traditional secured card

Traditional Secured Card

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Credit Builder works with
your Sesame Cash debit card

Credit Builder works with your
Sesame Cash debit card

Credit Builder takes your Sesame Cash debit card to the next level.
You get all the great features included with a Sesame Cash account,
PLUS the ability to build credit with the debit purchases you make.

Sesame Cash Debit Card

Mobile Screen with Sesame Cash App

Sesame Cash prepaid debit card

2-day early direct deposit

Cash back on purchases

Mobile device protection

Purchase price protection

Bill pay

Fee-Free ATM withdraws

Sesame Cash with Credit Builder

Mobile Screen with Credit Builder App

Sesame Cash prepaid debit card

2-day early direct deposit

Cash back on purchases

Mobile device protection

Purchase price protection

Bill pay

Fee-Free ATM withdraws

Build credit with everyday purchases

Mobile Screen with Sesame Cash App

Sesame Cash prepaid debit card

2-day early direct deposit

Cash back on purchases

Mobile device protection

Purchase price protection

Bill pay

Fee-Free ATM withdraws

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the
Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Sesame Cash fees2

check circle

Monthly fee $9.99 waived with qualifying account activity2

check circle

Inactivity fee $3.00 waived for active users2

check circle

No minimum account balance required

check circle

Free withdrawals at 55,000 ATMs worldwide

Secure

“I didn’t realize it was even option to build your credit this way.”
Shiva
5/5
Shiva

Free

”I love that it gave me more detailed credit info for free. My goal was to buy a house and I did buy one.”
Charles
5/5
Charles

Helpful

“I wouldn’t have been able to buy a house without improving my score first.”
Brian
5/5
Brian
the word on credit sesame

The word on Credit Sesame

Rewarding

“I’ve been working for over a year to boost my credit score and Credit Sesame has made that possible.”
Torrey
5/5
Torrey

Necessary

“The reason I work so hard to get a good credit? So much of your life depends on it.”
T-wanna
5/5
T-wanna

Savings

“It helped me make a plan to pay down debt. I went from 16 percent car loan to 6 percent refinancing.”
latoya
5/5
Latoya

Free

“I love that it gave me more detailed credit info for free. My goal was to buy a house and I did buy one.”
Charles
5/5
Charles

Fast

“I’m really grateful to Credit Sesame for helping me boost my credit so quickly.”
Randi
5/5
Randi

Free

“I love that it gave me more detailed credit info for free. My goal was to buy a house and I did buy one.”
Charles
5/5
Charles

Fast

“I’m really grateful to Credit Sesame for helping me boost my credit so quickly.”
Randi
5/5
Randi

Easy

“I didn’t realize it was even option to build your credit this way.”
shiva
5/5
Shiva

Helpful

“I wouldn’t have been able to buy a house without improving my score first.”
Brian
5/5
Brian

Secure

“I’ve trusted Credit Sesame to monitor my credit for a long time.”
Amanda
5/5
Amanda
Average customer rating
4.5/5
4.8 (564K reviews)

Secure

“I’ve trusted Credit Sesame to monitor my credit for a long time.”
Amanda
5/5
Amanda

Fast

“I’m really grateful to Credit Sesame for helping me boost my credit so quickly.”
Randi
5/5
Randi

Easy

“I didn’t realize it was even option to build your credit this way.”
shiva
5/5
Shiva

Secure

“I didn’t realize it was even option to build your credit this way.”
Shiva
5/5
Shiva

As featured in

CNBC
forbes
The New York Times
huffpost
WSJ

Security you can trust

Security you
can trust

Your data, our priority

We always treat your data as
if it were our own

256-bit encryption safeguard

We protect your
data with 256-bit encryption

Your data, not for sale

We do not sell your personal
info to third parties

Tips to building credit

Get some tips or gain some insight into improving your credit score. We have tons of resources to help.

Credit-building strategies
Ways to build credit
understanding credit scores
What is a
credit score?
Steps to build credit
How to
build credit
starting credit responsibly
How to
establish credit
highest achievable credit score
The highest credit score

Start building credit history with debit purchases

By clicking on the button above, you agree to the Credit Sesame Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Got questions?
We have answers.

There’s a lot that goes into calculating your credit score, but one of the biggest factors is your credit utilization, or the percentage of available credit you’re using. When you move money from your Sesame Cash account into credit builder, it becomes a security deposit for a virtual Secured Credit Card we’ll report to the credit bureaus. Your virtual secured credit card can help increase your overall available credit and lower your credit utilization, which can lead to a higher score—all with the cash you have.

After activating credit builder, each month we’ll look for Sesame Cash debit purchases that total the utilization limit you set. We recommend no more than 30% of your security deposit—so if your initial deposit is $100, your utilization limit should be $30, or less.

As you shop with Sesame Cash throughout the month, we’ll add purchases to credit builder to create your credit balance. With automatic credit builder, we’ll pay this balance on-time and in-full, and update the bureaus about your utilization and payment history. This all happens behind the scenes, while you use your Sesame Cash debit card!

When you start using your Secured Account, we’ll help you set your credit utilization limit. At the end of every month, we’ll automatically look for Sesame Cash debit purchases that total the amount you choose—not a cent more.

Your virtual Secured Credit Card gives you the credit building benefits of a traditional secured card through the use of your Sesame Cash debit card—there’s no separate plastic card! Fund your security deposit from your Sesame Cash debit card, and start making purchases to help to build your credit history.

Another benefit of the builder account is your ability to set up your own utilization. With a traditional secured credit card, you can spend all your available credit and unknowingly impact your score. With your virtual Secured Credit Card, you’ll set your credit utilization limit up front and we choose debit purchases that create a credit balance within that amount. No surprises, no interest—just credit building with the daily debit purchases you’re already making!

And with credit builder, there’s less risk with automatic payments enabled! When you set up automatic payments, we’ll pay off your full balance every month. When we tally up Sesame Cash purchases to create a balance on your Secured Credit Card, we’ll set aside money to pay it off too. Since you already paid with debit, we’ll stash this money so it’s ready to pay your full statement on time at the end of each month!

We update the credit bureaus regularly, and you could see a higher credit score as soon as next month!

Fees may apply for your Sesame Cash prepaid debit account.

Sesame Cash has a $9.99 monthly fee that is waived for customers who direct deposit at least $500 or spend $1,000 or more each month.

There is also a $3.00 inactivity fee that is waived for active users for any direct deposit, ACH, purchase, spend, billpay, autopay or withdrawal in a rolling 30-day period.

International and out-of-network cash withdrawal fees apply. Third-party and cash deposit fees may apply.

There are no interest payments associated with your virtual secured credit card.

To open your virtual Secured Credit Card, you’ll be asked to make a minimum security deposit from your Sesame Cash account. Increasing this amount can lower your credit utilization even more and help improve your score.

You can access your cash when you’re ready to use it, but you should allocate an amount you’re comfortable saving for up to 6 months.

Yes! Increasing your security deposit can lower your credit utilization and help improve your score. Your security deposit is still your money—it’s just set aside to build your credit and help you do more in the future.

You never want to overuse your available credit. Keeping your credit utilization below 30% helps demonstrate responsible usage and build positive credit history! For your Secured Account, that means choosing a utilization limit that’s 30% of your security deposit or less.

Yes! You can change your utilization limit at any time within the Credit Sesame app. Any changes made to your utilization limit at least 3 business days before the end of the month can be reported to the bureaus right away.

Building your credit is simple and easy with the free Credit Sesame app. You’ll be able to check your score daily, track your progress, and use Sesame Cash purchases to grow your score even more.

Download our iOS or Android app today!

You can withdraw your security deposit at any time by contacting our Customer Care team at 1-877-751-1859. While increasing your security deposit can lower your utilization and improve your score, withdrawing your funds too early can prevent your credit score from reaching its full potential!

There’s a lot that goes into calculating your credit score, but one of the biggest factors is your credit utilization, or the percentage of available credit you’re using. When you move money from your Sesame Cash account into credit builder, it becomes a security deposit for a virtual Secured Credit Card we’ll report to the credit bureaus. Your virtual secured credit card can help increase your overall available credit and lower your credit utilization, which can lead to a higher score—all with the cash you have.

After activating credit builder, each month we’ll look for Sesame Cash debit purchases that total the utilization limit you set. We recommend no more than 30% of your security deposit—so if your initial deposit is $100, your utilization limit should be $30, or less.

As you shop with Sesame Cash throughout the month, we’ll add purchases to credit builder to create your credit balance. With automatic credit builder, we’ll pay this balance on-time and in-full, and update the bureaus about your utilization and payment history. This all happens behind the scenes, while you use your Sesame Cash debit card!

When you start using your Secured Account, we’ll help you set your credit utilization limit. At the end of every month, we’ll automatically look for Sesame Cash debit purchases that total the amount you choose—not a cent more.

Your virtual Secured Credit Card gives you the credit building benefits of a traditional secured card through the use of your Sesame Cash debit card—there’s no separate plastic card! Fund your security deposit from your Sesame Cash debit card, and start making purchases to help to build your credit history.

Another benefit of the builder account is your ability to set up your own utilization. With a traditional secured credit card, you can spend all your available credit and unknowingly impact your score. With your virtual Secured Credit Card, you’ll set your credit utilization limit up front and we choose debit purchases that create a credit balance within that amount. No surprises, no interest—just credit building with the daily debit purchases you’re already making!

And with credit builder, there’s less risk with automatic payments enabled! When you set up automatic payments, we’ll pay off your full balance every month. When we tally up Sesame Cash purchases to create a balance on your Secured Credit Card, we’ll set aside money to pay it off too. Since you already paid with debit, we’ll stash this money so it’s ready to pay your full statement on time at the end of each month!

We update the credit bureaus regularly, and you could see a higher credit score as soon as next month!

There are no fees or interest payments associated with your virtual Secured Credit Card. The money you set aside is simply used as a security deposit to begin building your credit, and you can access it when you need it! Paying off your balance doesn’t cost you additional money either.

To open your virtual Secured Credit Card, you’ll be asked to make a minimum security deposit from your Sesame Cash account. Increasing this amount can lower your credit utilization even more and help improve your score.

Have other questions? Check out our FAQs for more information.

Got questions?
We have answers.

Sesame Cash is a prepaid debit card issued by Community Federal Savings Bank (CFSB). To build credit with Sesame Cash, you must also open a virtual secured account with CFSB that is reported to the credit bureaus. There is no upfront security deposit required. Instead, the balance on your virtual secured account will be securitized around the time of each transaction. To start building credit, deposit money into your Sesame Cash account and start using your debit card. Your debit card purchases will then create a balance on your virtual secured account, and funds in your Sesame Cash account, equal to this balance, will be set aside as a security deposit to pay off the balance at the end of each month. This means you will always have enough money at the end of the month to make timely payments, allowing you to build a positive payment history. Credit Sesame does not guarantee your credit score will improve. To see any credit score improvement from the use of your virtual secured account you must also maintain other healthy credit habits, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning, and more.`

Our Credit Builder enables you to use your cash to build credit. All you need to do is add funds to your Sesame Cash account and use your card for your daily transactions. Your debit card purchases will then create a balance on your virtual secured account, and funds in your Sesame Cash account, equal to this balance, will be set aside as a security deposit to pay off the balance at the end of the month. This allows you to build a positive payment history which will then be reported to all 3 credit bureaus. Unlike other credit building programs, our program does not require an up-front security deposit or utilization limit, making it a hassle-free option for those looking to improve their credit score.

Our Credit Builder allows you to build your credit without needing an up-front security deposit. By using your Sesame Cash card for daily purchases, you can establish a positive payment history reported to all 3 credit bureaus. Our Credit Builder open credit system is designed to encourage responsible usage which helps to increase your credit score. 

When you use your Sesame Cash debit card to make purchases, those transactions are reported to the credit bureaus to help establish a positive credit history. By reporting your spending behavior and payment history, the credit bureaus can create a credit report that reflects your creditworthiness and helps build your credit. 

A secured credit card requires you to provide a security deposit upfront, which is used as collateral against the credit line. The credit limit is typically equal to the amount of the security deposit, and you must make payments on time and keep your balance low to establish a positive credit history.

In contrast, our Credit Builder account does not require an up-front security deposit and users securitize as they go. The program is designed to encourage you to use your Sesame Cash card on a day-to-day basis, and as you make transactions, money is put aside to build your credit. The money spent goes into a vault account, which is used to pay off your credit builder balance. 

We update the credit bureaus regularly, and you could see a higher credit score as soon as next month!

Our Credit Builder account does not come with any fees or interest payments. However, in order to use Credit Builder you must have a Sesame Cash account which may have fees.

Sesame Cash fees include a $9.99 monthly fee (“Monthly Fee”) and a $3 monthly inactivity fee (“Inactivity Fee”). However, we may waive these fees as follows: To qualify for the waiver of the Monthly Fee, you must either deposit $500 into your Sesame Cash account through direct deposit or spend $1,000 each month with your Sesame Cash account. Spending can be satisfied either through point of sale transactions or by using your Sesame Cash card to pay your bills. To qualify for the waiver of the Inactivity Fee, there must be money movement or a purchase made with your Sesame Cash account at least once within a 30-day rolling period. As a courtesy, we will not charge you the Monthly Fee or the Inactivity Fee within the first 30 days of account opening. Review the Sesame Cash Cardholder Agreement for the full fee schedule and additional details. International and out-of-network cash withdrawal fees apply. Third-party and cash deposit fees may also apply.

Our Credit Builder does not require an up-front security deposit to get started, and there is no minimum amount that you need to add to your account. However, it’s important to ensure that you have enough funds in your account to make purchases.

You cannot access the money in the account vault as it is meant to be used to pay off your Credit Builder balance. The account vault is where the money you spend using your Sesame Cash debit card is held until it’s needed to pay off your credit builder balance. 

With our Credit Builder, you can start building your credit without needing to make an up-front security deposit. Although there is no upfront security deposit required to use the Secured Card, you will be required to hold a security deposit account to securitize your debt as it is incurred and separately pay off the balance on your Credit Builder account in full every month. Funds from your Sesame Cash account will be used to securitize transactions made on your Credit Builder account.

No, you do not need to set a credit utilization limit with our Credit Builder account. This is because the program is designed as an open credit system, meaning there is no preset credit limit. Instead, you can spend as much as you want up to the available balance in your Sesame Cash account (following our cardholder agreement limits).

Building your credit is simple and easy with the free Credit Sesame app. You’ll be able to check your score daily, track your progress, and use Sesame Cash purchases to grow your score even more. Download our iOS or Android app today!

The primary difference between our Credit Builder 1.0 and Credit Builder 2.0 is the requirement for an up-front security deposit. Credit Builder 1.0 required customers to make an up-front security deposit to open a credit builder account, while Credit Builder 2.0 does not.

Another difference between the two programs is that Credit Builder 2.0 is an “open credit” system, meaning there is no limit to what customers can spend on their Sesame Cash program (following our cardholder agreement limits). With Credit Builder 1.0, customers had to choose a utilization limit based on their security deposit.

There’s a lot that goes into calculating your credit score, but one of the biggest factors is your credit utilization, or the percentage of available credit you’re using. When you move money from your Sesame Cash account into credit builder, it becomes a security deposit for a virtual Secured Credit Card we’ll report to the credit bureaus. Your virtual secured credit card can help increase your overall available credit and lower your credit utilization, which can lead to a higher score—all with the cash you have.

After activating credit builder, each month we’ll look for Sesame Cash debit purchases that total the utilization limit you set. We recommend no more than 30% of your security deposit—so if your initial deposit is $100, your utilization limit should be $30, or less.

As you shop with Sesame Cash throughout the month, we’ll add purchases to credit builder to create your credit balance. With automatic credit builder, we’ll pay this balance on-time and in-full, and update the bureaus about your utilization and payment history. This all happens behind the scenes, while you use your Sesame Cash debit card!

When you start using your Secured Account, we’ll help you set your credit utilization limit. At the end of every month, we’ll automatically look for Sesame Cash debit purchases that total the amount you choose—not a cent more.

Your virtual Secured Credit Card gives you the credit building benefits of a traditional secured card through the use of your Sesame Cash debit card—there’s no separate plastic card! Fund your security deposit from your Sesame Cash debit card, and start making purchases to help to build your credit history.

Another benefit of the builder account is your ability to set up your own utilization. With a traditional secured credit card, you can spend all your available credit and unknowingly impact your score. With your virtual Secured Credit Card, you’ll set your credit utilization limit up front and we choose debit purchases that create a credit balance within that amount. No surprises, no interest—just credit building with the daily debit purchases you’re already making!

And with credit builder, there’s less risk with automatic payments enabled! When you set up automatic payments, we’ll pay off your full balance every month. When we tally up Sesame Cash purchases to create a balance on your Secured Credit Card, we’ll set aside money to pay it off too. Since you already paid with debit, we’ll stash this money so it’s ready to pay your full statement on time at the end of each month!

We update the credit bureaus regularly, and you could see a higher credit score as soon as next month!

There are no fees or interest payments associated with your virtual Secured Credit Card. The money you set aside is simply used as a security deposit to begin building your credit, and you can access it when you need it! Paying off your balance doesn’t cost you additional money either.

To open your virtual Secured Credit Card, you’ll be asked to make a minimum security deposit from your Sesame Cash account. Increasing this amount can lower your credit utilization even more and help improve your score.

Have other questions? Check out our FAQs for more information.

1 Sesame Cash is a prepaid debit card issued by Community Federal Savings Bank (CFSB). Building credit with Sesame Cash requires you to also open a secured line of credit with CFSB that is reported to the credit bureaus. Use money from your Sesame Cash account to create a secured line of credit (Secured Account). Your debit card purchases are then added up to create a balance on your Secured Account. As you make these purchases, an amount equal to the balance on your Secured Account is also set aside in your Sesame Cash account to ensure you can make timely payments to pay off the balance on your secured line of credit at the end of each month, allowing you to build a positive payment history. Credit Sesame does not guarantee credit score improvement. Any predicted credit improvement from the use of your Secured Account assumes that you will maintain healthy credit habits, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning, and more.

2 Sesame Cash fees include a $9.99 monthly fee (“Monthly Fee”) and a $3 monthly inactivity fee (“Inactivity Fee”). However, we may waive these fees as follows: To qualify for the waiver of the Monthly Fee, you must either deposit $500 into your Sesame Cash account through direct deposit or spend $1,000 each month with your Sesame Cash account. Spending can be satisfied either through point of sale transactions or by using your Sesame Cash card to pay your bills. To qualify for the waiver of the Inactivity Fee, there must be money movement or a purchase made with your Sesame Cash account at least once within a 30-day rolling period. As a courtesy, we will not charge you the Monthly Fee or the Inactivity Fee within the first 30 days of account opening. Review the Sesame Cash Cardholder Agreement for the full fee schedule and additional details. International and out-of-network cash withdrawal fees apply. Third-party and cash deposit fees may also apply.