Whats a good Credit Card for a beginner ?

This is kinda a continuation of this thread ... Finacial Help Needed

I am looking for a good beginner Credit Card, that I can use to build credit on.
I went to a few sites, like Visa, but it quickly got compicated,,, I bet you there are at least 120 different card providers on there!
Theres just too damn much to read over and compare with all those.
Gees and here I thought a Visa card was a Visa card /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

Just looking for something with a fairly low rate,,, and hopefully one that doesnt charger interest if the amount is payed in full wach month. And that will bump up my limit over time, giving me a positive credit history.

try getting one from a credit union, they normally have some good rates for their visa's.

Stay away from the ones that promise low rates for a set amount of time.

doug

Look for one that offers rewards. There's lots of them that offer 5% back on all gas purchases...that's about 10c/gallon!

I havent called them yet, but my local credit union says this on their site.

No Annual Fee
A Low 13.4% APR Fixed
A 25-Day Grace Period on Purchases
No Balance Transfer Fee
Low Monthly Payments to Fit Your Budget

isnt that rate rather high???
or is it good, sence its fixed? (though that rally means nothing, they can still change it)

get one you will keep for a long time, so five or ten years from now, there aren't several old unused cc accounts still showing on your credit reports.

get this one: USAA 1800-922-9092 (usaa.com)

good rates, and IIRC, the nice feature that cash advances don't get charged a percentage fee, only interest charges. that's nice for unexpected "shortages" while travelling.

13.4% is actually pretty good. Stick to one without an annual fee.

All my Visa/MC are around 18%. Have you had a look at American Express?

If you don't carry a balance from month to month, the rate is meaningless.

For the best rates, go to bankrate.com. If you qualify, any bank in the U.S. should be considered.

i think wachovia (sp?) has some of the lowest rates

http://www.wachovia.com/personal/page/0,,11_4080,00.html

Find a card with:
No annual fee.
No sign up fee.
No application fee.

Pay your balance IN FULL and ON TIME, EVERY month.

Do that and your % rate will come down (but it won't matter), your credit limit will go up, your credit rating will improve.

Everything else is just B.S.

If you're in college or taking any classes, swing by one of those tables set up in front of EVERY university with your student ID and get a card. You'll soon get offers for new cards in the mail. DO NOT sign up for a hundred cards. DO use the cards you have.

Pay your balance IN FULL and ON TIME, EVERY month.

Hi Watt4,

I think you may have forgotten that USAA membership only available to active members of the US military, retirees and their family members.

A good card can be hard to find.

The things that I look for are:
1) Low interest rate.
2) 30 day grace period.
3) Customer friendly fraud protection and insurance.
4) Online account management.

I generally use my card only when the merchant doesn't take another form of payment (like rental cars), or when making purchases online. Since I don't put more on the card than I actually have, the 30 day grace period means that I can pay off the card completely when the bill arrives and not pay any interest at all.

Having a lower interest rate allows me to carry a balance from month to month in an emergency situation and not get reamed on interest charges.

Some credit card issuing banks are more helpful than others when it comes to fraud and complaints. Outright fraud is generally handled pretty well by all banks, but there are other situations which can be more difficult. I once ordered a new computer power supply from a company. They charged my card, but never shipped the item. I called the credit card company and explained the situation and they immediately reversed the charges and offered to rescind the interest charges as well. Some banks will put the charges on hold so you don't have to pay while they research the dispute, but the held charge reduces your credit line until resolved.

Finally, I hate writing out checks, buying stamps and driving to the post office just to pay off my card. My credit card company has an online account management system which allows me to view my bill, dispute charges, make payments, etc. all from a nice web interface. It also allows me to set an email notification if I have a balance and the payment date is near. Being able to completely control my account from wherever I happen to be is a big plus in my book.

Anyway, hope this helps,

pb

Absolutely what Sinjz said twice:

Pay your balance IN FULL and ON TIME, EVERY month.

If you can't do that, don't buy it.

You should get the ebay one! It gives you ebay points and you can use them on ebay /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif pretty good stuff. Its by the MBNA company. It has no annual fees, and as long as you make all your payments on time, no interest. (well, i guess thats all credit cards) But just make sure you make your payments on time....19% interest is a killer

I hope you're smarter and/or more disciplined than I was in my early 20s. Otherwise, don't get a credit card!! I wish I hadn't.

But, if you pay it off completely every month, and can resist buying more than you can afford - thinking "oh, I'll just pay it off when I get $$$ for Christmas, or a raise, etc.." or whatever - then you'll be fine.

Having a credit history is overrated. If you have cash and an income, even with no history, you'll get a loan when you really need it (ie. house loan or car loan). If you want something else, just save your money and buy it outright. You'll feel a lot better.

So far this seems like a nice card.
What do you guys think? ( i am bad at small print, and red tape)

https://www66.americanexpress.com/cards/Fmacfservlet?csi=38/6532/b/3/0687820983/068140243255/20/n&from=10

OH, i forgot to ask....

Is it a bad thing, or will it show up on reports, if I apply for a bunch of cards tonight?
I wanted to apply for a bunch of them, and then choose the best one that I was approved for.

In my experience, American Expressed has higher rates, and is not as commonly accepted as Visa or MasterCard.

My first card was from Capital One, then I moved to CitiBank. We also do as Sinjz suggests.

[ QUOTE ]
jtice said:
OH, i forgot to ask....

Is it a bad thing, or will it show up on reports, if I apply for a bunch of cards tonight?
I wanted to apply for a bunch of them, and then choose the best one that I was approved for.

[/ QUOTE ]

John,

Just get one and use it like the others have said your mail box will be stuffed with offers from other companies very soon /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif

Later
Kelly

[ QUOTE ]
jtice said:
OH, i forgot to ask....

Is it a bad thing, or will it show up on reports, if I apply for a bunch of cards tonight?
I wanted to apply for a bunch of them, and then choose the best one that I was approved for.

[/ QUOTE ]


don't! pick ONE. seriusly, pick one. you can call the company you want, and they could probably tell you if they would approve you.


[ QUOTE ]
pbarrette said:
Hi Watt4,

I think you may have forgotten that USAA membership only available to active members of the US military, retirees and their family members.


[/ QUOTE ]

didn't forget. but that doesn't matter in this case.
the usaa credit card is available to the general public, or at least to those who are good credit risks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

btw, usaa is open to reserves and guard, too.

Kelly,

true, but I dont want to hassle with all those, I want one good one, for a long time.
That will be easier, gain points, and good credit, showing I can stick with it.... at least thats the plan.

Dont worry guys, im not getting this to buy cool stuff,... I hate these damn things.
Just doing it to build credit.

welp, I was just turned down by American expresses Blue card....
"Delinquent past or present credit obligation(s)" must be talking about my school loans.

they are not delinquent, just large lol