The following credit cards may be able to help build, rebuild or re-establish your credit if you make on-time payments with all of your creditors and maintain your account balances below the credit limits.
Site FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
When should credit card payments be credited?
A card issuer must credit your account on the day the issuer receives your payment, unless the payment is not made according to the creditors requirements or the delay in crediting to your account does not result in a charge. To avoid delays that could result in finance charges, follow the card issuers instructions about where to send payments. Payments sent to other locations could delay getting credit for your payment for up to five days. If you lose your payment envelope, look on the billing statement for the address for payments or call the card issuer.
I wanted to get a credit card but I do not have any credit history. Are there other ways to build a credit history?
To someone seeking credit for the first time, it may seem like a vicious circle: You cant get credit without a credit history, and you cant establish a credit history without credit! Frustrating, isnt it? Interestingly, some institutions only look only at your salary, job and the other financial information that you put on the application to determine if you qualify for their card. However most will be interested in your track record -- How have you handled other debts -- and will ask to see your credit report.
To get the story on you, institutions will turn to information provided by credit-reporting agencies or credit bureaus like Equifax that collect, store and quantify information about borrowers. The records show your credit history -- how much credit youve received and how faithfully youve repaid. Fortunately, even if youve never had a Mastercard, American Express, Visa, Discover, or other major credit card, you can still build a good credit history:
? Open a checking account or savings account or both. Although not part of your credit history, your accounts may be checked by potential lenders as evidence that you have money and know how to manage it.
? Cancelled checks can be used to show that you pay utilities or rent bills regularly, a sign of reliability.
? Apply for a department store credit card. Stores dont ask for credit histories as often as major credit card institutions, so you should be able to get a card based on your annual salary. Then, repaying your store bills on time becomes a major ""positive"" in your credit history.
? Look for a financial institution that will allow you to deposit funds to serve as collateral for a credit card. Some institutions issue a credit card with a credit limit equal to the amount on deposit. These cards are relatively easy to obtain and as with your department store card, paying these bills on time will enhance your credit history.
? If you dont have a credit history because you?re new in town, request a summary of any credit record kept by a credit bureau in your former town. Dont know whom to contact? Ask the bank or department store in your former town for the name of the agency it reports to.
You may already have a great credit history and not realize it. If you do, its time to ""comparison shop"" the credit card companies and find out who has the best deal to offer you.
Annual Fee
some credit cards also have annual fees, which can run as high as $75-$100. Fortunately, the majority of credit card offers for students have an annual fee of $0. Think of it as membership fee, which is tacked onto your balance once a year just for having the credit card. You are expected to pay this fee, and it will collect interest as part of your balance owed. However, if you pay your balance owed by the due date, you will not have to pay any interest
Pay by Phone
If you are in doubt whether your payment will arrive on time, you may call your credit card issuer and make a payment by phone. It may cost you anywhere from $5 to $30, but you will avoid paying a much more costly late fee. To make a payment by phone, all you need to provide is your bank?s account and routing numbers, printed on the bottom of your check and a check number you wish to use. Remember, however, that you will not be able to use a check, whose number you had used for credit card payment.
Debit or Credit?
Once you become a student, you?ll hear this question almost every time you go to pay for something. If you don?t know the difference between debit and credit, learn fast. A debit card (sometimes also called a check card) is basically cash, not credit. Any time you use a debit card money is withdrawn right out of your checking out. When you pay for an item, your checking account balance goes down. Be sure to keep track of what you spend. Even though you might have $100 in the account today, you might have written a check for $50 yesterday that hasn?t posted yet. If you spend $60 with your debit card, your check will bounce when it makes it back to the bank. This can lead to all kinds of fees and penalties.
Be wary of credit card application
A credit card works differently. With a credit card, someone has given you a fixed line of credit. Say, $1000. Anytime you use your credit card, the amount is deducted from your credit line. Then each month you will get a bill. You can either pay all that you owe or only pay a required minimum of the balance due. What you don?t pay will stay on your account and collect interest each month until it is paid off. This might sound like a great thing: buy now, pay later. However, the interest can quickly multiply and cost you much more than you ever spent to start with.
Avoid a Late Fee Punishment
Remember the times in your childhood when asking your parents for forgiveness calmed their anger and compelled them not to punish you. If it worked, it just might work once again, only this time with your credit card issuer. Being late on a credit card payment is now a ?punishable offence,? that will cost you at least $15. However, if you?ve been ?good? on your previous payments, you will most likely get a break from your credit card company. Usually, if you call and ask for ?forgiveness,? your card issuer will oblige. If your only excuse for being late on your payments is that you?ve never been late before, this will probably work as well, as most banks usually forgive first-time offenders.?
Do you know if secured deposits earn interest? If so, what is the range and what does it depend on?
some secured credit card offers do include interest on your initial deposit. In addition, some of these secured credit cards also allow you to add more money to this deposit in order to collect more interest. However, these features do not apply to all secured credit card deposits. Your card application and terms should state whether or not the secured card you are applying for has this feature. The amount of interest is usually comparable to the amount of interest you?d get with a savings account and varies with each card. The rate can also vary from month to month, so check with your credit issuer about the exact amount. While these secured credit cards may offer you interest accruing perks, these cards normally have annual fee requirements and higher interest rates on your balance owed. As a result, the interest you earn may not even cover the amount of interest and fees you owe back. Take the time to do the math on what a secured card will cost you and earn for you in reality. This could determine whether or not the secured credit card is a viable option for your financial future
Correcting Billing Errors
Federal law provides specific rules that the card issuer must follow for promptly correcting billing errors. The card issuer will give you a statement describing these rules when you open the credit card account and, after that, at least once a year. In fact, many card issuers print a summary of your rights on each bill they send you.
Annual Percentage Rate
All cards have an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and many have an Annual Fee. The APR is what makes creditors money off your charges. For each penny you charge, interest accrues monthly until you pay that penny off. Cards can have APRs as low as 0% (although 0% is only offered during a short introductory period) and as high as 29%. It is up to you to know what the APR on your card is and whether or not it is a fixed rate, or if it can be changed at any time. You might only charge $20, but you will also owe your creditor the interest that accrues on that $20. However, if you pay off your complete balance by the due date, no interest will accrue.
