Are you looking for a way to build your credit without a credit card? If so, you may have heard about extra debit cards. But does this type of card really help to help build your credit history?
In this extra debit card review, we’ll take a closer look at what extra debit cards are and how they can help you build your credit score. We’ll also provide some tips on how to use them effectively.
Let’s get into it.

What is an Extra Debit Card?
Extra Debit Card is the first debit card designed to help build credit. Depending on your needs, you can use it like a regular debit card or as a credit card. Extra reports the purchases you make on their card to the credit bureaus, just like a lender, which helps you increase your score by improving your payment history.
Extra Debit Card is issued by Thingy Thing Inc. Thing Inc has partnered with Evolve Bank and Trust, which is FDIC insured, so your money is safe in the unlikely case of bank failure.
For Banking integration, they use Plaid. Plaid is a technology company that connects apps, websites, and financial institutions. They help you manage your money without having to sign up for banking services directly with Extra or other credit card companies.
How does an extra debit card work?
It works exactly like a normal debit card. There is no credit involved, and those purchases all come directly from your bank account. The company reports those transactions to the credit bureaus, which can help improve your score by showing better payment history. You can use it online and at brick-and-mortar stores, just like a normal card.
For Example :
Let’s take a look at how it may work for you. You spend $1,500 on your extra debit card every month, which is the maximum allowed through the card( In your case) if you want to maximize your credit-building potential. Extra report those transactions to TransUnion and Experian if you keep that up month after month.
Here’s how it might affect your score: Let’s say you have an Experian credit score of 630 right now. With good behavior over the next few months, that number could go up to 640 or 650, which is great news for you because you can qualify for better rates on loans and credit cards and receive better terms when you sign up for a new credit card.
I know what you’re thinking: “Why should I get an extra debit card if I can get a secured credit card like capital One Secured credit, which is much better?”
Well, that’s because Extra Debit Cards have a few advantages over a secured card.
- No Security Deposit Required: You don’t have to put down any money when applying for an Extra Debit Card, but you would with a secured credit card. You can spend up to $1,500 each month on your Extra debit card without putting down money upfront. So you don’t have to save up money for a deposit like you would with a secured card. You can start building credit right away without any extra work on your part.
- It’s super easy to use, whether online or in-person: When you get your Extra Debit Card, it will be linked to an online account where you can easily keep track of your spending and transactions. Plus, you can manage it from any web browser on your phone or tablet.
- It’s completely transparent: You’ll receive two credit scores from each reporting agency (TransUnion and Experian). That way, you know where you stand with your credit history.
- No over-spending: Since you can only spend up to account balance on your Extra Debit Card without a major credit check, it’s impossible to overspend and get into debt.
Extra Debit Card Pricing Plan.
There are two types of plans. The first one is Credit Building only and the second one Credit Building with rewards.
Types |
Credit Building only |
Credit Building with Rewards |
---|---|---|
Monthly Fee |
$20/month |
$25/month |
Annual fee |
$149 per year |
$199 Per Year |
Credit Building only: Extra Debit Card Credit Builder plan is designed for those who want to build credit and want any rewards or cashback. To join this plan, you have to pay $20./Monthly fee that works out to $240 per year). However, if you commit for a whole year, the company will give you $91 discount.
Credit Building with Rewards: Extra Debit Card Credit Builder+ plan is designed for those who want to build credit and want extra cashback or rewards on their purchases. To join this plan, you have to pay a $25/Monthly fee, which works out to $300 per year). However, if you commit for a whole year, the company will give you a $101 discount.
The extra Debit Card plan is rather pricey compared to other secured credit card users, but it’s well worth the money if you want to build your credit.
How do I sign up for the extra debit card?
To sign up for the extra debit card, you have to visit the official website of Extra credit card. Once on the official website, click on the “Apply Now” button. A new Page will be open. Check on “I am at least 18 years old” and click on the “Begin Application” button, then follow the necessary steps to complete your application.
After you are done with your Extra Debit Card application, it will take a few days to process and approve your Extra credit card account.
When your extra debit card is approved, you will be notified via email or phone call. Once approved, log in to your account using the username and password sent to your email or call number.
You will find detailed information about how to activate your Extra Debit card on the company’s website.
Approval odds of Extra Debit Cards?
After you complete your Extra Debit Card application, the company will check your annual income to determine your repayment capability. Based on that information, they will decide whether or not to approve your Extra Debit card account. The approval process takes up to 10 days, but it can take longer if there is a problem with your background check.
However, in most cases company approves the Extra Debit card application the same day.
Below is the requirement you must fulfill before applying for an Extra Debit card account.
- You must be at least 18 years old to apply.
- You must have a job and receive a steady income flow, whether from traditional employment, self-employment, or another source.
- You must have Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
- You must live in the United States and have a physical card address to receive your card (they do not accept P.O. boxes).
- You must have a bank account in the United States or Canada.
Make sure you keep your application updated with the latest information about yourself. If something changes (address, phone number, etc.), inform the company as soon as possible.
Pros and Cons of Extra Debit Card
Here are some of the pros and cons of an Extra Debit Card :
Pros:
No credit check or approval required: You can get an Extra Debit Card without a credit check. That means that anyone in the U.S. can sign up and receive it, regardless of their credit history, of any credit report companies.
Builds and maintains your credit score: Extra reports all transactions on your card to Experian and Equifax, which helps build your credit history.
High purchase limit: You can spend up to $1,500 per month on your Extra Debit Card without having to put any money down upfront. That’s more than you can usually spend with a visa gift card.
Virtual card: You can order Extra Debit Cards virtually to receive them While physical cards arrive in the mail.
Simple to use: You can easily check your rewards balance or view transactions on your online account.
Prevent unauthorized transactions: Extra Debit Card sends you a text message when your purchase is approved so you can easily prevent unauthorized charges from being made.
Cons:
High monthly fee: Extra charges $5 monthly for the basic plan and $12 for the premium plan.
Not Foreign Transaction Allowed: Extra Debit Card doesn’t allow foreign transactions. So you can use it only in the United States.
Questionable customer support: Some customers have faced issues with contacting Extra’s customer service team for questions or concerns, which might be an issue if your account is compromised and you need help right away.
Doesn’t report to all three credit bureaus: Extra only reports to Experian and Equifax, which means your credit score won’t be affected in the same way as if you paid all your bills on time every month.
Using the Extra Debit Card in a Nutshell.
1. For Normal transaction: If you’re looking to get a little more spending power, you should consider connecting your Extra Debit Card to your bank account. Extra has partnered with over 10,000 banks, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one that fits your needs.
Extra will assign you a spending limit once you’ve connected your funding source, which will always be slightly below your real-time checking account balance. This is so they can make sure they always have enough cash to cover your transactions.
Extra will “spot you” and pay for the transaction whenever you purchase with the card. Within a few days, they’ll pay themselves back by drawing on the cash in your funding source. This is done by debiting your savings through automated clearing house (ACH) transactions.
It’s just like doing a credit transaction, except only the card issuer is doing the lending. It’s as if they give you a credit line equal to each purchase amount and have you pay it off using the cash in your bank account.
This means that using Extra doesn’t have much of an impact on your credit utilization since they wipe out your balance after each transaction.
2. What if you get a refund from the seller?
If you get a refund from the seller, Extra Debit Card will transfer the refund to your bank account within 1-5 days by ACH credit via Dwolla. The process is similar to the debit purchase process.
3. What if your bank is unable to pay Extra ACH debit.
Suppose you cannot pay the Extra Debit Card ACH debit. In that case, the balance will be marked as immediately due, and Extra Debit shall have the right to freeze, suspend, or cancel your account.
Apart from that, Extra Debit will report these negative balances to two credit bureaus, adversely affecting your credit score.
How do I cancel my extra Debit card?
Unfortunately, you can’t cancel your Extra Debit Card online. However if it has been a while since you last used the card and would like to end subscribing then call them at 833-984 2221 or on back of debit card for assistance!
How to does the Extra Debit Card rewards program works.
As discussed earlier, Extra Debit Card rewards is an optional program that you can opt for to gain rewards, but the feature is only available if you have opted for Credit Building with Rewards.
If you opt for the Extra Debit Card Rewards program, your purchases will automatically be analyzed for reward eligibility.
Every time you swipe the Extra Debit Card or use it to eligible purchases of any goods or services at a merchant eligible for rewards( Extra Points). The Extra points shall be issued within 24 hours after completing a qualifying purchase with your Extra Card.
However, suppose you believe that Points or Extra points were not credited properly. In that case, you may contact customer service at hey@extra.app within 15 days of the date on which you made the qualifying purchase.
The Extra Debit Card rewards program looks suspicious because they have not disclosed rewards rates of different types of purchases, rewards redemption options, the total number of extra points you earn to redeem it, etc.
Features of Extra Rewards Program.
- Not all customers are eligible: Only Members of Credit Building with Rewards are eligible for Extra Points.
- Rewards points & Redeeming extra points: You will approx 1% Extra points value for the dollar spent on purchases like rideshares, coffees, and your phone bills. You can check the extra rewards points in the app. The extra points can be redeemed as Rewards Store.
- Extra points are only valid for one year.
- Expire: The Extra Rewards points will expire 24 months after the date of credit.
Customer Testimonials.
Extra is a relatively new company, having only been founded in 2019. As a result, there are limited opportunities to read client comments online. However, I have found a few that will be summarized below.
App Store Customre Feedbacks.
Almost all of the Extra Debit card reviews are good, and most of them say that they enjoy them. 1.7K customers have provided feedback on the Extra Debit card, giving it a rating of 4.6 stars out of 5 thus far.
It appears that the bulk of Extra Debit Card Reviews’ clients is very happy with their purchase.
The last comment I’d like to include is Vinnie’s user, who says I’ve had the extra card now for 2 months. Very happy, easy to use. This is what I have right now.
Reddit Reviews.
To get the Extra Debit card review, I decided to go through Reddit. On Reddit, there were 320 posts and comments about Extra Debit cards, suggesting charges.
Most people claim that they are happy with everything except for the fees. Further, Reddit users said that unless we need a card to build our credit and we’re willing to pay $8/month for it, don’t bother getting this card. Also, most Reddit posts suggest that Extra imposes too many restrictions, and their customer service is not good.
However, many complain that Extra does not report to all three credit bureaus, and reporting time can take up to 90 days.
Twitter Feedback.
There are many positive Extra Debit card reviews on Twitter, saying that extra is easy to use and has great customer service.
On the other hand, some negative comments on Twitter claim that “don’t use this card predatory company will take money with zero authorization.”
The Social posts may have fake reviews, so you should research Extra Debit card reviews, not social media.
Is there any alternative to an Extra Debit Card?
Yes, there are many different credit card companies to go with. Sequin Card and Credit Sesame are just two examples. So Extra’s assertion that their debit card is the first of its kind isn’t valid.
Extra’s and Sequin’s credit cards use the same design. It connects to your bank account, then transmits all of your purchases to the credit bureaus. The most significant difference between the two is that Sequin has no costs and only communicates with Experian.
The Sesame Cash debit card, on the other hand, works in a somewhat different way. You allocate a certain amount of money to the card each month, which they use to construct a virtual safe credit card.
Apart from alternatives as a debit card, there is another alternative like a Secured credit card; you may check my blog about best-guaranteed approval credit card no credit check for more information.
Final Words: Is Extra Debit Card Worth It?
An extra Debit card can help you build credit. You also get rewards points when you make purchases with the card, but there are high monthly or annual fees to consider before buying one.
I suggest that you read the Extra debit card review carefully and research alternative options (like Sequin Card and Credit Sesame). Also, consider whether buying any extra cards is worth it for your situation before committing to an Extra Debit Card Review.
There are many advantages of using the extra debit card like no credit check, easy to use, Build credit with two credit bureaus. But there are some disadvantages like High monthly or annual fees, Questionable customer support, and If you don’t need a credit card in general — not just this extra card — then it’s not worth it.
Extra Debit Card Review : Could you really build your credit with a debit card? - June 2023
Personal Tips: An Extra Debit Card could save you a lot of stress and money if you research properly. You don't want to end up with another prepaid debit card that prevents you from getting what you want because your credit score isn't good enough yet!
3.9
If your credit score is very low, you may consider using an Extra Debit Card, but make sure you know what to expect and how much it will cost you.
If the Extra Debit Card is not worth it for you, I suggest that you consider Secured Credit Cards as an alternative. You can also check my blog about best-guaranteed approval credit card no credit check for more information.
I hope this Extra debit card review helps!
Thanks for reading this article; if you want to know about Extra Debit Card Review, please comment below, and I will try to answer your question as soon as possible.
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About Author

- As a personal finance and credit cards expert, I provide valuable insights and advice on budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management. I am also an expert on credit card rewards programs and help readers make informed decisions about which cards are right for them. My goal is to help people improve their financial literacy and make better financial choices.
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