List of Available Card Offers

What is a Celtic Bank?

Celtic Bank is a privately owned industrial bank founded in 2001. Its headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and although it has no branch offices in other locations, those interested in applying for credit cards, loans, or other lines of credit can still easily do so online. The bank has a comprehensive online presence and allows for easy online applications to any US resident that meets its requirements.

The Celtic Bank has been ranked as one of the top SBA lenders since 2013, and it primarily focuses on offering financial products and services to small business owners. Businesses in need of working capital, equipment financing, refinancing, real estate purchases, and more often consider Celtic Bank as their preferred business lender.

What does it Offer?

Besides offering lines of credit to business owners, it also offers credit cards to individuals with good, poor or damaged credit history. Regardless of the type of credit chosen, cardholders and borrowers can rest easy knowing that all Celtic Bank financial products are insured by the FDIC. Some of the Celtic Bank’s financial products include:

  • Credit Cards
  • Commercial and residential construction loans
  • SBA 7(a) and SBA 504 loans
  • Asset-based credit
  • USDA B&I loans
  • Conventional equipment finance
  • Lines of credit
PRO Tip
One of the most important aspects of choosing a credit card is choosing the right credit card issuer. Different issuers offer different perks, rates, fees, and conditions, so be sure to compare Celtic Bank to other issuers before you apply for their credit card.

What Card Types Do Celtic Bank Offer?

Bank primarily issues credit cards from the Mastercard network, and this offers a variety of different perks to the cardholders. Mastercard credit cards are renowned across the world and are accepted in over 210 countries. If you have a card from this network, you can rest easy knowing you’ll be able to use it for making purchases virtually anywhere where credit cards are accepted.

Mastercard’s perks include

Not all card network perks are offered by the card issuer, so you will have to check with Celtic Bank to find out exactly which ones you’ll be offered with your new credit card.

Most Popular Celtic Bank Cards

Celtic Bank currently offers 5 popular cards, all of them belonging to the Mastercard network.

These cards have their own unique applicant requirements that you have to meet before you are approved.

PRO Tip
Celtic Bank offers Mastercard credit cards that are accepted in almost all countries around the world. However, keep in mind that using Celtic Bank credit cards abroad will incur high foreign transaction fees. If you want a card that you can safely use abroad, apply for a no foreign transaction fee credit card.

Celtic Bank Cards for Good to Poor Credit

The Celtic Bank offers personal credit cards that are designed to help cardholders to improve their credit score and achieve better financial stability. The Surge Mastercard offered by Celtic Bank, for example, accepts applicants with less-than-stellar credit scores, while the Deserve Edu is ideal for college students with little to no credit history at all. Celtic Bank offers both secured and unsecured versions, depending on your creditworthiness and overall credit score.

As a general rule of thumb, if you have a poor credit score, you’ll often be much better off applying for a secured credit card. These cards require you to make a deposit (where the amount of your deposit typically equals your credit limit) and have much lower application requirements, making your credit card approval almost guaranteed. Thus, secured credit cards often come with much lower rates and fees, and more favorable overall conditions.

RELATED: 13 Reasons to Carry Secured Card

With unsecured cards, you’ll normally encounter much greater rates and fees if you have a poor credit score, and these cards can make it more difficult for you to improve your credit score. Regardless of whichcredit card you apply for, your behavior as a cardholder will be reported to all three of the major credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. As long as you use your Celtic Bank credit cards responsibly, you should quickly see an improvement in your credit score.

RELATED: Cards Reporting Credit Explained

You can access your online account any time to check your balance and ensure that all your credit card debts are paid off and that your credit utilization ratio is below 30%.

PRO Tip
If you want to improve your credit score quickly, you’ll need to ensure that your credit utilization ratio is low. Consistently keeping it under 30% and using your card responsibly will help you boost your credit score and improve your creditworthiness.

What are Celtic Bank Eligibility Requirements?

Business owners applying for a business line of credit can have varying requirements depending on their creditworthiness. The general requirements for business owners when applying for an SBA loan include, but are not limited to:

  • A personal credit score of 680+ (Check Your Score!)
  • No recent bankruptcies
  • A year of profitability
  • Collateral

If you’re applying for one of Celtic Bank’s credit cards for good or poor credit, the eligibility requirements are not nearly as strict:

  • You need to be of legal age (18+)
  • US resident
  • Have a valid current address
  • Have a checking account

Most credit cards for poor credit accept applicants with any credit score and depending on which credit card you’re applying for, you might not even need to have a credit history at all. Interested applicants can pre-qualify for most Celtic Bank credit cards to see whether they meet the basic requirements. It’s important to note, however, that even if you do pre-qualify for a Celtic Bank card, this doesn’t guarantee that your ultimate application will be accepted.

RELATED: Guaranteed Credit Cards

Only once you apply for a credit card will Celtic Bank do a full credit check and examine whether you meet all the requirements. If you do not, your application will be denied.

PRO Tip
If your credit card application’s been denied, it’s in your best interest to wait at least 3 to 6 months before you apply for another card. When credit card issuers do a full credit check on you, this leaves a trace on your credit report and temporarily impacts your score. The impact lessens over time, so waiting for a while will be in your best interest.

What is an Application Process?

Seeing as Celtic Bank primarily operates as an online bank means that the application process tends to be simpler and more straightforward. Applicants can complete the entire process entirely online and receive their results relatively quickly. Applicants simply need to fill out the online form on Celtic Bank’s website and wait for the results.

Online applications don’t differ much from in-person applications, and you’ll still need to provide all the essential pieces of information for your credit card application to be considered. To make the entire process faster and simpler, it’s a good idea to gather the vital pieces of information and have them on hand while you’re filling your application out. Some of the information you’ll need includes:

  1. Your name and social security number
  2. Valid current address
  3. Employer information
  4. Details about your income
  5. Federal income tax returns

While Celtic Bank doesn’t actually offer instant decision credit cards, the fact that they allow for online applications often means that you’ll quickly receive a notification telling you whether your application’s been approved or not. In some instances, you might even receive a notification within just a few minutes. However, you’ll typically wait between 5 and 10 business days – still a much quicker process than when you’re applying for a card in person.

What are the Main Advantages?

All applications approved

One of the biggest advantages of applying for a Celtic Bank credit card is that almost all applicants can be approved. Personal credit cards offered by this issuer are designed for those with a poor credit score or limited credit history, so the application requirements are rather limited. Virtually any credit score will be considered, and this is a huge plus.

24/7 account

Another great advantage is the fact that you have online access to your credit account 24/7. Whether it’s the middle of the night or a holiday, you can always check your balance and see where you stand.

Outstanding customer support

Celtic Bank can be contacted via phone, email, or even on social media, and the staff is always ready to help. Compared to some other credit card issuers, Celtic Bank’s customer service is truly outstanding.

What are the Disadvantages?

High fees and rates

No credit card network is perfect, and Celtic Bank has some cons of its own. The biggest problem with most credit cards for poor credit is the high rates and fees. It can make this card very expensive to hold and can deter most people from applying. It’s crucial to learn about all the possible rates and fees you can expect to pay before you actually apply for a credit card. Otherwise, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

PRO Tip
Always read the fine print before you sign any contracts with a bank. The rates and fees with Celtic Bank will vary depending on your creditworthiness, income, and more, and different applicants will be offered different terms and conditions. Read the complete contract, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if something isn’t clear.

How to Contact Celtic Bank Customer Service?

  • Toll-Free Number: 800-509-6191
  • Corporate Headquarters: 800-854-7848 (Toll-Free), 801-363-6500, 801-363-6562.
  • Fax Number: 801.363.6562
  • Online Contact Form/ Chat: celticbank.com/contact-us
  • Emails: help@celticbank.com or info@celticbank.com.
  • Corporate Office Address: 268 South State Street, Suite 300, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
  • Hours of Operation: MON-FRI 9AM-5PM (MST)

Bottom Line

As an issuer of credit cards for good and poor credit, Celtic Bank truly stands out. It generally offers favorable terms and conditions, it’s reliable, and cardholders can easily improve their credit scores, as long as they’re using their cards responsibly. Celtic Bank can be a good choice for anyone, but it’s always important to research at least a few different issuers before you commit – this will ensure that you find the best issuer for you.

Frequently Asked Questions