There are many people in the difficult position of having a poor credit rating. Often the rating reflects past circumstances rather than present ones and there are people who are capable of managing a credit card, but struggle to return to the credit ladder as a result of these past circumstances. Conversely there are people with poor credit ratings that should definitely not be looking for a return to credit cards. There are a few credit cards that are tailored to the former group of people, that is those who are able to manage a credit card successfully.
These cards have a high interest rate, often up to 30% and will also have a low credit limit. The credit card company will argue that the high interest rate reflects the risk they take in offering credit to people with a poor credit history and also acts as an incentive for the cardholders to repay balances monthly. On the other hand it could be seen as a way of exploiting people who have nowhere else to turn. There are probably valid arguments on both sides.
However, the fact remains that with such high rates it is absolutely imperative that cardholders are able to repay the balance monthly otherwise the interest rates will rapidly increase the outstanding debt. If the card can be managed properly then it can be used as a tool for improving credit ratings, however, it cannot be stressed strongly enough that if this is not the case then under no circumstances should anyone with a poor credit rating be looking to obtain one of these high interest cards.
A final point is that applications for credit cards and other financial products are reflected on credit ratings. Therefore if you have a poor credit rating and have an application refused you should be aware that further applications could only make the rating worse. So avoid blanket applications in the hope that one will be accepted as this is rarely the case.