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Good first credit card?

P

PoPPeR

Diamond Member
My dad made my oldest sister get a credit card when she was 16, so she has perfect credit now at 22. He got lazy or something and didn't do the same thing to me (and I didn't know what credit was) so now I'm 18 and have no credit whatsoever. What's a good first credit card to get? Interest rates mean nothing to me because I can pay off whatever I buy, and if not my dad has already said he'd rather float me a loan then watch my credit suffer and incurr 30% interest rates (since it's all his money anyways). I guess from the way I described it, any credit card will work, but are there any with some perks or benefits that I can use to my advantage?

 
i dont have a prob with cap 1... they were the first that accepted me (well, the only one i applied to when i turned of-age).... no probs with them whatsoever... i used it as a charge now... now i just need something with rewards for me spending more $$$
 
I dont' really know anything about credit card perks and features but are there any that are based more towards online spending? Fraud protection or certain securities against online purchasing?
 
I got myself a Barnes & Nobles Mastercard. Spend $1000 and get a $10 gift certificate. It's not much but you'll be getting tons of them with the way credit card bills stack up.
 
As long as the credit card you want offers free one time use credit card numbers and no annual fee, you'll be fine.
 
Originally posted by: DXM
As long as the credit card you want offers free one time use credit card numbers and no annual fee, you'll be fine.
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MBNA has a Shopsafe program that lets you create a new number for each online purchase. I actually just used it like two minutes ago. Make sure your card has this service.

 
Originally posted by: psydancerqt
i'm 21 with no credit.... wish someone made me get a credit card... i'm making my kids get them asap
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why? i see no real need for a credit card (unless you are buying a house). call me stupid, call me naive, call me whatever you want, but if you dont have the money, dont buy it. its that simple. i fail to see it otherwise. i bought a truck, my computer, my laptop, my clothes, and everything else with CASH. i have tons of money in the bank because i SAVE and dont pay INTEREST on CREDIT CARDS. sure, i have a credit card, but i can limit myself. that is the difference. i dont EVER impusively buy something. if i dont have enough money to buy it with cash, i dont buy it. you dont even need it to live and buy the things you need/want. if you live from paycheck to paycheck, chances are you are in debt already and there is probably no hope. i get my bill every month and i pay it off every month. basically, i have the card to get skymiles, and thats it. getting this worried about what card will get you the best rates and the best advantages isnt a big deal. rates shouldnt even matter if you realize how to use the plastic.

 
why? i see no need for a credit card. call me stupid, call me naive, call me whatever you want, but if you dont have the money, dont buy it. its that simple. i fail to see it otherwise. i bought a truck, my computer, my laptop, my clothes, and everything else with CASH. i have tons of money in the bank because i SAVE and dont pay INTEREST on CREDIT CARDS. sure, i have a credit card, but i can limit myself. that is the difference. i dont EVER impusively buy something. if i dont have enough money to buy it with cash, i dont buy it. you dont even need it to live and buy the things you need/want. if you live from paycheck to paycheck, chances are you are in debt already and there is probably no hope. i get my bill every month and i pay it off every month. basically, i have the card to get skymiles, and thats it. getting this worried about what card will get you the best rates and the best advantages isnt a big deal. rates shouldnt even matter if you realize how to use the plastic.
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That would work fine until you need to buy a house, unless you have enough money in cash...
 
I'm one that personally would rather carry around cash as well, but I think a credit card can be convienant too. If it's used as it's supposed to (and not how banks obviously want you to use them) then I think it's something that's good to have. I don't need or want 100 credit cards, I just want one so I can start building at least a little bit of credit.
 
Originally posted by: jmcoreymv
why? i see no need for a credit card. call me stupid, call me naive, call me whatever you want, but if you dont have the money, dont buy it. its that simple. i fail to see it otherwise. i bought a truck, my computer, my laptop, my clothes, and everything else with CASH. i have tons of money in the bank because i SAVE and dont pay INTEREST on CREDIT CARDS. sure, i have a credit card, but i can limit myself. that is the difference. i dont EVER impusively buy something. if i dont have enough money to buy it with cash, i dont buy it. you dont even need it to live and buy the things you need/want. if you live from paycheck to paycheck, chances are you are in debt already and there is probably no hope. i get my bill every month and i pay it off every month. basically, i have the card to get skymiles, and thats it. getting this worried about what card will get you the best rates and the best advantages isnt a big deal. rates shouldnt even matter if you realize how to use the plastic.
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That would work fine until you need to buy a house, unless you have enough money in cash...
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lol.
 
Originally posted by: caitlion
hmm.. does anyone know if it has to be a parent cosigning? im 17 and my bf is 19... could he cosign?
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If you're 17, you can apply for a credit card after one more birthday, but I wouldn't recommend getting a credit card without your parents backing you financially. Many, not all, but a good portion of teens with credit cards will overindulge with their card, unwittingly racking up a huge monthly bill. Even if you only pay the minimum the interest you're going to be hit with will be enough to put you in a lot of debt really fast. You may be able to restrict yourself from overspending with a credit card but it's a better idea to not have a credit card unless your parents are going to cover you or if you have a well paying job (I overspent most when I had a part time job and thought I had money to burn, so be careful).
 
im sure my mom would "back me financially" as you put it, but im not worried about overspending. im a very very umm.. "frugal" (cheap) person 😛 and right now i am paying for my car and paying my mom back for my computer and my car down payment so im very aware that i dont have money to burn. i really just want to start building credit.
 
Get a secured visa and you won't have to worry about it (as long as you have as much as you limit is in your bank account). I got mine, at 17, without a cosigner and everything 🙂
 
Originally posted by: rbloedow
Get a secured visa and you won't have to worry about it (as long as you have as much as you limit is in your bank account). I got mine, at 17, without a cosigner and everything 🙂
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nice.. i might try that. but i dont have too much money to save right now.
 
Originally posted by: caitlion
Originally posted by: rbloedow Get a secured visa and you won't have to worry about it (as long as you have as much as you limit is in your bank account). I got mine, at 17, without a cosigner and everything 🙂
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nice.. i might try that. but i dont have too much money to save right now.
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If you ain't got the money in the Bank, you will not get the card.
 
Originally posted by: caitlion
im sure my mom would "back me financially" as you put it, but im not worried about overspending. im a very very umm.. "frugal" (cheap) person 😛 and right now i am paying for my car and paying my mom back for my computer and my car down payment so im very aware that i dont have money to burn. i really just want to start building credit.
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Heh, me and my idiosyncratic language. 😛 But if your mom is going to pay your credit card bill and you pay her back then I would have her cosign your account and not your 19 year old boyfriend.
 
Originally posted by: caitlion
i have it in the bank, it just needs to be used for car payments.
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Then you can't get it - the $$$ limit on the card is the amount which is in essence "frozen" in your bank account. It's still there, but you can't spend it.
 
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