Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card Review

Surge® Platinum Mastercard® from Celtic Bank — all information about the credit card.

By Hanna Volkava
Updated November 14, 2024

Good Choose for Walmart purchases

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Celtic Bank Surge® Platinum Mastercard®
Apply now
On Celtic Bank‘s site
Our Rating:
3.2 out of 5
scorer
Recommended credit score
No Credit History to Poor (0-579)
  • Rewards Rate:
    • This card doesn't offer cash back, miles or points.
  • Intro Offer:
    • No current offer.
  • Annual Fee:
    $75 - $125
  • Purchase Intro APR:
    None
  • Regular APR:
    35.90% Fixed
  • Balance Transfer APR:
    None
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Rate and fee information

  • Purchase Intro APR
    • None
  • Purchase APR
    • 35.90% Fixed
  • Intro Balance Transfer APR
    • None
  • Balance Transfers APR
    • None
  • APR for Cash Advances
    • 35.90% Fixed
  • How to Avoid Paying Interest
    • Your Payment Due Date is at least 25 days after the close of each Billing Cycle. You will not be charged any interest on purchases if you pay your entire Account balance by the Payment Due Date each month. You will be charged interest on cash advances on the transaction date.

Fees

  • Annual Fee
    • $75 - $125
  • Fees for Cash Advances
    • Credit Limit of $300 or $500: $0 introductory fee for the first year, then either $10 or 3% of the amount of each Cash Advance, whichever is greater. Credit Limit of $750 or $1,000: Either $10 or 3% of the amount of each Cash Advance, whichever is greater from the date your Account is opened
  • Return Payment
    • Up to $41
  • Late Payment
    • Up to $41
View all Rates & Fees

Pros & Cons

Pros:
  • Monthly Credit Reporting
  • Free Monthly Credit Score
  • Prequalification Without a Hard Check
Cons:
  • High Annual Fee
  • Relatively Low Credit Limit
  • Foreign Transaction Fee
  • Monthly Maintenance Fee After the 1st year
  • High APR

Features

Platinum
Mastercard
  • Payment Flexibility
  • Fraud Protection
  • Free Credit Score
  • Purchase Protection
  • Poor Credit

About the issuer

Celtic Bank has several card types depending on your needs.
Manage your Account & Pay your Bill
You can usually pay your bill online on your
Credit card issuer's website
Call to Customer Service

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Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card Review

This article reviews the Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card, which provides cardholders with an initial credit limit of $300 - $1000.

Read on to understand the various benefits, rates, and rewards offered by the card!

The Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card is a handy option for people looking to build or improve their credit.

If you have a less-than-perfect credit score, the card will help you improve that in a few months. It reports to three credit bureaus: Experian, Transunion, and Equifax. Offered by the Continental Finance Company, this card has an annual fee, no intro purchase APR and does not allow balance transfers.

Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Monthly Credit Reporting. All payments are reported monthly to the 3 major credit card bureaus: Transunion, Equifax, and Experian. Making your payments on time gradually improves your credit score. High Annual Fee. This credit card charges an annual fee of between $75 - $125. Credit Limit of $300: $75 introductory fee for the first year, then $99 thereafter Credit Limit of $500, $750, or $1,000: $125 annually.

Free Monthly Credit Score. This credit card gives you free access to your monthly Vantage 3.0 credit score from TransUnion. The monthly report lets you know of the progress you are making towards a better credit score.

Relatively Low Credit Limit. For many cardholders, the $300- $1000 credit limit is relatively low.

Prequalification Without a Hard Check. TheSurge® Platinum Mastercard® allows for prequalification without performing hard inquiry that affect your credit score.

Foreign Transaction Fee. Credit Limit of $300 or $500: $0 introductory fee for the first year, then 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars. Credit Limit of $750 or $1,000: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars from the date your Account is opened.

Monthly Maintenance Fee. Credit Limit of $300 or $500: $0 introductory fee for the first year, then $150 thereafter (billed $12.50 per month).
High APR. The Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card has a high APR of 35.90% Fixed.

Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Reward System in a Nutshell

The Surge® Platinum Mastercard® doesn’t offer any rewards, which is quite standard for this type of card.

Who Can Benefit From the Surge MasterCard® Credit Card?

This card is a good option for first-timers or people looking to repair their damaged credit score. With responsible use, cardholders with low credit scores can hugely benefit from this card.

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You should note that this card comes with high fees and a high APR as well. Cardholders have to make their payments on time otherwise failure to make timely payments attracts penalties and can negatively impact your attempts to improve your credit score.

Other Benefits of the Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card

Despite the low credit limit, the Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card comes with some benefits. They include:

Zero Fraud Liability
In case the cardholder falls victim to credit card frauds, MasterCard's protection ensures zero liability. You are only responsible for purchases that you make, and you cannot be held liable in the event of fraud.
Continental Credit Protection
Continental Finance offers a debt cancellation program. In the event of job loss or disability, it will cover up to 12 monthly minimum payments. However, you have to purchase this program, which is optional. Surge MasterCard® charges a monthly fee of $0.99 for each $100 outstanding balance during the close of the monthly billing cycle.
Online Account Management
You can perform all account-related activities online. The Online Management System allows users to check due dates, view statements, and make payments. You can also view your payment history, previous statements, recent transactions, and balances using the online portal.
Informational Resources
Continental Finance provides users with multiple resources to help them manage personal finance. The blog section has numerous blogs and articles geared towards equipping visitors with extensive financial knowledge. It provides handy tips on building credit, credit utilization, card handling, and much more.

Conclusion

This credit card is a handy option if you are looking to repair or build your credit score. The monthly reporting to the major credit bureaus is what you want if your credit score is in tatters.

The building process is, however, very expensive due to the massive rates and fees. The annual fee, maintenance fee and high APR make card usage very expensive. Before securing this card, we would advise to shop around for cheaper options.

FAQ

What is the customer service phone number for Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card?

Do you have any questions or issues regarding your account? You can easily call customer service at +1 866-449-4514. In case your card is lost or stolen, call 1-800-556-5678. The customer service department is highly responsive and will attend to your queries in real-time.

How to check my application status for Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card?

You can check your application status through the online management portal. Log into the Continental Finance portal, and you will see the status of your application. In case of a delayed acceptance, you can call the customer service number to check any issues. After approval, you will receive a welcome message in your email.
Hanna VolkavaHanna Volkava

Financial and product expert

hv@myfin.us
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