Get a Credit card from your bank. For instance, I have a fleet Checking account. I can easily get a Fleet Credit account from them.
ThePresence
Elite Member
- Nov 19, 2001
- 27,727
- 16
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Originally posted by: Scrooge2
First off most students with no credit have a hard time getting credit card deals too. I had the same problem until I got smart about it. In fact I got the EXACT same deal with American Express.
To get credit cards when you're a student with no credit:
1. Never apply to American Express. For most people unfamilar with credit, American Express is one of the most prestigeous and therefore most demanding credit card companies. If you're in college with no credit American Express WILL NOT accept you.
2. Always try for promotions on campus. Credit carc companies target college students like cigarette companies target 14 year old anst-filled teenagers. You fill out an application when they're on campus, you're guaranteed to get it.
3. Sign up for a credit card company even if you get rejected your info gets sent to credit card companies around the country and they'll start sending you offers for pre-approved cards. That's the easy ticket to credit in college.
4. Try Citibank Platinum Select Divident for Students This is probably one of the best cards to get for a student being Citibank is a credible company and they took me in when I had no credit. Plus you get cash back!
Hope this helps!
Good post, I'm just not sure if #2 is completely correct. I don't think you are guaranteed to be approved just because you signed up on campus.
Not true in many cases. I was denied a Fleet Credit account after having a checking account established with them for several months. It would've been my first card, and the reason was...insufficient credit established.
There are not many places that are willing to give a credit card out to someone for the first time.
Don't do the prepaid stuff, the whole idea is to BUILD CREDIT and you need to do that with a real credit card. Seriously try the Citi Dividend. They gave me 900 base credit and then after a month of paing my bills (not even full, i did the minimum) they upgraded it to 1900!
- Feb 14, 2004
- 51,847
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It looks like they offer both MasterCard and Visa versions...which is the most widely accepted?
I currently have a Visa debit card, but I'll be using my credit card for all purchases from now on to start building credit (and paying it off right after I buy stuff).
Do what Scrooge2 said, and go for the CitiCard. I got it, when AmEx rejected me as well. Started with a 1500 dollar credit line initially, and now am up to 3000.
Yup, this was the first card I got right out of high school.
I got a job, applied for this and got approved. had it ever since and it's been a pretty good card.
Honestly, I really have never seen a place that took one and didn't take the other. AMEX is a different story. I have a Visa check card, so I got the MasterCard version.
Much over 10k. I'm at 12k. My father has a cc with a 100,000k line.
Why you'd need that much, i'd never know.
One more thing. When you first apply they'll send you a letter in approx 1-2weeks asking you for proof of enrollment in college. So the card takes about a month to get.
Credit 101:
There are 3 large credit card companies that keep tabs on your credit info. They do this by checking how much "credit" you have by seeing how many credit cards your have and adding the credit lines together. Therefore if you have 3 credit cars with 1000 each, your total credit is 3000.
However whenever people check your credit, if you want a cell phone, buy a house, buy a car, etc that requires them to check your credit, those credit CHECKS COST YOU CREDIT. EVERY CREDIT CHECK COSTS YOU POINTS ON YOUR CREDIT. This applies to APPLYING TO CREDIT CARDS as well.
So be careful of credit checks. How you start getting credit is to apply to lots of student credit cards. Having a few credit card companies looking at your credit info (even if its none) reflects that you are trying to build credit and eventually a company will take you.
*EDIT* Also debit cards DO NOT build credit. They merely take money from the bank and pays the seller. The cash gets deducted from your account the moment they swipe the card. Credit has to be defined as "buy now, pay later".
I heard about Amex rejecting people based on the school they go it. I applied for the Student Blue card last year before I even started classes and was accepted. A month or so later my friend applied and was rejected with that "people in your area" thing.
This may or may not be an option, but if your parents have good credit, ask them to get a card under one of their accounts in your name. They don't even have to give you the card or number, just get your name on there. It will help somewhat...
This may or may not be an option, but if your parents have good credit, ask them to get a card under one of their accounts in your name. They don't even have to give you the card or number, just get your name on there. It will help somewhat...
AMex sucks. They rejected my application too 6 yrs ago due to the same reason. Now I get invites from them all the time, but I stay away.
Lithium381
Lifer
- May 12, 2001
- 12,455
- 4
- 81
easiest way would probably be to get on through your bank, they offered me one preapproved when i signed up for a checking account, a student one that is. i actually got a preapproved offer from State Farm, my insurance company, and went through them, started out with 500, i max it out almost every month, but i'm really carefull not to go over the limit and i pay in full every time....had it about 6 months, hope they up my limit eventually
Wow, thats awesome then. I know for mine I had to wait about 8 days to get them to send me the letter asking for enrollment verification, sent that back. and about 2 weeks later I got my card.
So a little more then 3 weeks for me. Did you have to send in the verification?
It was a while ago (approx 9 months) so my memory is foggy, but I think I copied my student ID and sent it in w/ my application.
Oh yeah, and the card is pretty hot... I get a lot of comments when I charge things to it. A good segway to talk to that cute waitress 
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