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If you鈥檙e one of the听, it鈥檚 easy to feel like you have to accept whatever terms a听credit card issuer is willing to give you. And it鈥檚 true that your options are more limited if issuers see you as a big risk because of听your credit history.

But you do have a choice about how you go about听rebuilding your credit. You don鈥檛 have to听pay exorbitant听credit card fees. You don鈥檛 have to stay in the bad credit rut forever. And in some听cases, you don鈥檛 even have to forgo credit card rewards until your credit improves.

Here are questions to ask when evaluating听credit cards for bad credit.

Will this credit card help fix听your bad credit?

Imagine getting approved for a credit card, using it responsibly, paying the bill on time every single month 鈥� and then finding out that your account activity isn鈥檛 even being reported to the credit bureaus.听In that situation, all your good behavior isn鈥檛 helping you improve your credit.

So make sure that the issuer is reporting account activity to the credit bureaus. It鈥檚 best if they report to all three bureaus 鈥� TransUnion, Equifax and Experian 鈥� because then you鈥檒l be building a credit file with each bureau. Since credit scores are derived from the data collected by these three bureaus, you want all your credit wins to show up in their files.

Nerd Tip

To see what the credit bureaus have to say about you, check your credit reports with all three bureaus once a year for free at.

This is why the Nerds recommend听听over prepaid debit cards for people who are trying to rebuild credit. A secured credit card requires a cash deposit, but otherwise works like a regular credit card.听You borrow money and听pay it back; your听activity is reported to the bureaus, which builds your credit. With prepaid debit cards, you load your own money on the card and then spend that money. Nothing gets reported to the credit bureaus, so it doesn鈥檛 help you build credit.

Are the card鈥檚 fees reasonable?

Some credit card issuers听take advantage of people with bad credit by gouging听them with excessive听fees.

Some fees are common听on credit cards for bad credit:

• Annual fee:听There are some cards available with no annual fee at all. For secured credit cards that do charge them, the average is around $30. If a card charges significantly more than this, that should be a red flag.
• Balance transfer fee:听To transfer a balance from one credit card to another, you鈥檒l typically pay 3% to 5% of the transferred amount. People with good credit can sometimes find balance transfer offers that don鈥檛 charge a fee, but for now, look for something that costs听closer to 3% than 5%.
• Late fees:听If you pay your bill late enough, your credit will take a hit. So the fee isn鈥檛 the only downside of missing the due date. But the听maximum late fee allowed by the听听is $27 for a first offense and $38 after that.

Some predatory issuers that specialize in the subprime credit card market tack on extra听fees. These can include a 鈥減rocessing fee鈥� before you can activate your card, monthly 鈥渕aintenance fees鈥� in addition to the annual fee and even an additional fee for having an authorized user on your account. A good credit card for bad credit will not charge such听fees.

Does the card offer听tools to help you monitor your credit?

Increasingly, credit card issuers are offering their customers access to free credit scores. Some also offer debt-payment calculators, free financial education programs, and other tools to help you improve your overall financial health.

Is there a good exit strategy?

It鈥檚 better for your credit score听to keep older accounts open. So if at all possible, avoid getting a credit card for bad credit that will make you听want to close the account as soon as your credit improves. Here听are a couple of strategies:

1. Look for a secured credit card that allows you to graduate to an unsecured card.听Secured credit cards require a security deposit, and naturally you鈥檒l want to get that deposit听back eventually. It would be nice if you could get it back without having to close your account.听听automatically evaluate cardholders鈥� accounts after one year and, if they qualify, allow them to transition to an unsecured card within the same听account.
2. Look for an unsecured credit card with no annual fee.听Paying an annual fee simply to keep an older card open is usually not worth it, even though older accounts do help your credit score. Some credit unions offer unsecured credit cards to people with bad credit. If you can find one without an annual fee, you鈥檒l be able to keep the account open indefinitely.

Why a card is good for bad credit

If you鈥檝e had trouble with credit in the past, it鈥檚 tempting to听using plastic entirely. But having a good credit score is worth striving for. Good credit makes it easier to borrow money, yes, but can听also have an impact on other things, like your car insurance rates, your ability to rent an apartment, and even accessing essential services like utilities or cell phones.

. So if you have bad credit, it鈥檚 worth looking for a credit card with reasonable fees and good terms that will allow you to improve your credit history over time.

Virginia C. McGuire is a staff writer at听NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:听virginia@. Twitter:听.

This article first appeared in .