Rebuild Your Credit: Evaluate whether to apply for an unsecured credit product. With eight months of positive history, you may qualify for a basic unsecured credit card. Look for cards designed for credit rebuilding, such as the Capital One Guaranteed Mastercard (not the secured version) or a basic card from your primary bank. Do NOT apply for multiple cards — submit one application and see what happens. A hard inquiry temporarily reduces your score by 5 to 10 points, so be selective.