People with spotless credit reports obviously get the best deals. In most cases you will find that your rates, fees, penalties, charges and credit limits will be expensive, restricted and limited in unpleasant ways.  This means that you can still get a credit card if you have bad credit but it will cost you.

If you want an unsecured card you can ask a relative or friend to co-sign for a credit card if you have trouble getting one yourself. However understand that when it comes to this type of deal you absolutely can't let your friend or relative down by making a late payment.

Another option for people with bad credit is a secured credit card. You might also want to consider applying for a credit card through a credit union, which are more lenient in the applications that they offer to people with poor credit.

With a secured card you put up your own money (into a savings account) and that amount (or part of it) is the credit line for your card. Put in $1000 and you could have up to a $1000 credit line.  The reason this is better then cosigning is that you are not putting anybody else's reputation on the line if you are unable to pay.

Is there such a thing as unsecured cards for borrowers with credit problems?

Yes there is such a thing as unsecured cards for borrowers with credit problems but often these cards are expensive. First of all you have to pay to apply and usually the fee is $39. Your initial credit limit will be at least $250 and the following fees will be billed to your first statement: annual fee of $48, account set-up fee of $29, program fee of $95, monthly participation fee of $6, and an additional card fee of $20 per card (if applicable). These fees will reduce your available credit until they are paid off. In fact many people who apply for these types of credit cards are shocked to see their credit limit immediately eaten up by application and other fees before they even begin to spend a single cent.