I (F22) have yet to obtain a credit card (yes I know everything most people want to say about it). My mother has used finances to control me most of my life, so credit cards and financial independence have never been a discussion in my house. I just graduated college and am taking a break before going to grad school, the plan is to attend in a little less than a year. I’m currently an intern, which ends around August-September, so I’m trying to find jobs to work afterwards until grad school. Since I’m not currently a student, I don’t think I can apply for a student credit card, right? I’m at a point where I know I NEED to get started or I will keep putting it off. I’ve done research on how it works, I know the ins and outs, but I have zero clue what card is best to apply for.
Hey everyone! I’m looking to get my first card soon so I can start building credit. (I personally think the concept is ridiculous but hey, it’s a requirement so)
Everyone says they offer the best card for beginners. I’m not really picky regarding points or whatever. I really just plan on using it to pay for gas and maybe small bills and whatnot. I don’t really know anything about them except for what I’ve read on their websites.
If y’all have any suggestions I’d be more than happy to hear them. Thank you!
I’m a college student and I need to start building my credit but I don’t know where to start. I don’t plan on using the card for any big purchases. Just day to day things like my groceries or gas. What is the best card for a beginner? And is there anything else I should know as I start my credit journey? Edit template:
Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: N/A
FICO Scores with source (see note on FICO score sources below): N/A
Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: N/A
Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: N/A
Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: N/A
Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: N/A
Annual income $: 18,000 ish CATEGORIES
OK with category-specific cards?: Yes
*OK with rotating category cards?: Yes
Estimate average monthly:
* Dining $: $50
* Groceries $: Kroger- $250 Target- $30
* Gas $: $160
* Travel $: $50-100 put into savings a month
* Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: No
* Subscriptions: Phone- $42. Insurance $9.52
* Can you pay rent by credit card? No
MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS
* Current member of Amazon Prime?: No
* Current Verizon postpaid customer?: Yes $42
* Current member of Costco or Sam's Club? No
* Planet Fitness- $15.99. Hulu $2.99. Peacock $1.99. Insurance $9.52.
* Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: No
* Active US military?: No
* Are you open to Business Cards?: No
PURPOSE
* What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: First Credit Card
* If you answered "first credit card", are you an authorized user on any other cards? No
* Do you have any cards you've been looking at? Capital One student card I’d also like to add I am moving into my first apartment in a few weeks. Grocery cost is an estimation as I have living with my family. Wasn’t sure where to put this but my rent is $890/month. Thank you for all of your advice!
Hey all,
I'm looking to get my first credit card. I've been doing some research to find a good one to open up. I currently bank with Wells Fargo and SECU. I've been told looking at credit cards with your banks first is a good rule of thumb. I want to try and find one that doesn't have a very high interest rate, but I don't plan on spending large amounts on it. I just want to start building my credit through my every day purchases like rent, gas, and groceries. Something with cash back would be nice and I don't do a whole lot of traveling so I'm not interested in anything with miles or points for traveling. I've seen a couple that offers points over cash back, but I'm not sure what they goes towards. Is getting a card that values points worth it if you don't travel a lot?
I would just like a few suggestions for credit cards or tips on how to get started. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
I bank with wells fargo. I’m 25 and make $2,800 a month, and have used a debit card my whole life. What is the best first credit card to get, should I just go to Wells Fargo and pick any of them?
For your first card, I recommend getting a card you're going to keep and use (at least intermittently) forever. Therefore the following points are in order of importance:
-
no annual fee - you want to keep this card forever
-
the best perks - you want to use this card at least once a year/on a recurring schedule
-
the highest % back
-
no foreign transaction fee - Having no FTF means you will always have a card you can use overseas
The reason you keep the card forever is that your credit score uses your oldest account age as a metric. The older the account, the better your score is for that section. Cards disappear after 10 years, so if you cancel it, it shouldn't hurt much, but it's still worth keeping forever.
It's also important to note that your first card may not be a super premium card, so you may want to apply for what you're likely to get, or open a bank account first and prove to them you have cash.
At your income, I'm not sure if you're going to qualify out of the blue for all of these, so these are my recommendations, roughly best to worst.
WF Active Cash. It's 2% back with cell phone protection so if you drop your phone, it's only $25 to fix. 2% back is the gold standard. While it's not the best % back, it's always good to have at least one universal 2% card. The card also earns go far rewards, and there are ways to increase the value of these points, but you can worry about that later. Since you are a current WF customer, this shouldn't be a stretch to get approved for.
The Harris Teeter card provides 5% in mobile wallet purchases up to $3000/year, plus 3% dining/gas. It's only this high up because of its versatility. There are a few flavors of this card as well, so if you have a local grocery store that also has the 3% dining/gas option, you might try that card as well. Since it's co-branded it should be easier to get than many of the other cards.
Citi Custom Cash, which has a 5% category based on your highest spend of the month. The idea is you put everything on it, and it averages out to be somewhere around 2-3% back. Citi is an awful bank though, so be warned.
US Bank Cash+ is also a top tier card with 5% back on utilities/internet. This is a card that will essentially always be useful in that category. It also has other categories that are extremely useful, but since it doesn't include a 5% grocery category, it's not as lucrative as the custom cash.
US Bank Altitude GO also provides top tier dining (4% back) and a $15 annual streaming credit. Good card to keep forever.
Chase Freedom Flex provides 5% rotating categories, along with 3% dining/drugstores and a huge 5% travel portal. Chase can be difficult to deal with later if you have a lot of cards, so it's always good to hit them up early.
Either with them or Discover has a pretty good selection for credit noobs. What’s your spending like? How much do you spend a month and in what categories?
Im 20 (Ik kinda late to start building credit) and Ive never had a credit card. I already have an account with 5/3rd bank, but Idk if theyre the best for building credit so Id appreciate any and all advice. (Especially because I really want to get my own place soon)
Senior in college so I know I’m late on the jump but wondering which would be the best cc to start with, I also understand there are a lot of factors in deciding but just looking for a generalization, any advice helps.
I’m looking for a credit card as a complete beginner, one that helps build credit with no annual fee. I was considering discover it secured but someone told me that a mastercard or visa would be better so I started considering capital one but apparently it’s not the best for “building credit” and is more so for rewards. I think I just need advice on a good beginner one for building credit with no annual fee. Also, i read the credit card basics under this subreddit and it says to use a secured credit card as a last resort, why is that?
Hello! I just turned 18 a couple weeks ago and am looking for a good starter card. All the information online confuses me and is pretty overwhelming. I am just wondering if anyone has any advice on good starter cards.
Hey everyone!
I need a bit of help finding a beginner credit card that has the most benefits, will approve me, and will help me build credit. A little about me below:
- I am a 23 y/o who currently banks with Truist and graduate college a year ago. My FICO score is very good (upward 700s). I currently make around 40,000 a year and will be starting graduate school in the fall. I have limited credit history, with my only credit history being my student loans.
- Most of my purchases come from food, groceries, gas. I'm hoping to also get a subscription plan to Spotify.
- I have seen these cards recommended: Discover, Chase Freedom Rise, Citi Custom Cash (got denied yesterday). I have also applied for the Apple Card and got subsequently denied due to my lack of credit history.
I need help, honestly. I'm not sure if I should just try a Truist credit card since I already bank with them or invest in something else.
Please let me know! Thanks!
Hi! I just graduated high school and I’m heading to college this fall (out of state!). I want to start building credit but I’m kinda lost — any advice would help!
🔹 My Situation:
I currently have a " Bank of America debit card".
I was offered a $200 bonus to open a BofA credit card ( customized or unlimited card)
I’m a server and make about $11–13k/year
-I’ve never had a credit card, so I have no credit score yet.
✈️ Going Out of State for College:
I’ll be flying at least 2 times this year.
: Wondering if I should consider a travel card, but not sure if that’s risky as a beginner
💸 My Spending Habits:
I mostly spend on food (takeout/delivery/ in person) — at least 3x a week
I shop online a lot (Amazon, etc.)
If I shop in person, it’s usually Target or Costco
❓What I Need Help With:
Should I go with BofA since I already bank there?
Would a student card be better than a travel card right now?
Is it too risky to open 2 cards (a basic and a travel one)?
Any card recommendations for someone with my situation ?
Any tips would help, especially from students or anyone who started young! My parents aren’t familiar with U.S. credit cards so I’m on my own with this.
Thanks so much in advance !
I’m 20 and have never had a credit card and I don’t have enough credit history to have a score. I would like to start off the right way and build credit quickly. I’m curious about what the best card is for me. Is secured card better to start with? Does it build credit quickly? Any reviews on Cred.ai?
so embarrassingly, i just turned 25 and i've never had a credit card. i've always had some anxiety around money and the responsibility of a credit card without knowing how to "do it right" since i've seen so many differing opinions. for context on spending costs, i live in nyc with 2 other roommates and my parents cover things like phone bill & health insurance. i also have no college debt or anything. i'd really appreciate any suggestions on the best credit card to start off with to start building it up and any advice as well <3
credit profile
current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: n/a
FICO scores with source (see note on FICO score sources below): n/a
oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: n/a
number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: n/a
number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: n/a
number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: n/a
annual income $: 32,000+
categories
OK with category-specific cards?: yes
OK with rotating category cards?: yes
estimate average monthly spend:
dining $: $75-90
groceries $: $80-115 (local market) [had ebt until may and plan on applying again for ny state]
gas $: n/a
travel $: $100-180 on train & i don't use uber/lyft enough to calculate well
do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: no
any other categories: internet - $27, utilities + gas - $77 (more in the winter), & amazon - $7.49
can you pay rent by credit card?: yes - $856 (fee)
memberships & subscriptions
current member of amazon prime?: yes
current verizon postpaid customer?: no
current member of costco or sam's club?: no
other: apple music - $5.99/m & wix domain - $27/yr
current member of chase, US bank or any other big bank?: just opened a wells fargo account, have a regions bank account that i still use
active US military?: no
are you open to business cards?: no
purpose
what's the purpose of your next card?: first credit card
if you answered "first credit card", are you an authorized user on any other cards?: no
do you have any cards you've been looking at?: capital one, discover it, & apple card (i use apple pay a lot) [i'd ideally love something that has travel benefits as i fly with delta a bit]
Hello
I am thinking about getting a credit card for the first time in my life. I wanted a card with small interest, and I will only be spending about let's say $100 to $150 a month. For small stuff like gas for emergencies, food or booze. I do work but most of money goes into bills and food. Usually there are times where I might need gas or a little bit of food at the of the month. Lately I've been making small loans with the bank and been paying it back with interest. (hand to mouth)
I might as well just get a credit card and build up my credit since I am good at paying it back. But I don't want something with crazy interest. Again, usually just to spend about $100 or $150 a month if I really needed to use it which I most likely will.
I found this list on Nerd Wallet, but I don't know which card is best for me. Best Credit Cards - November 2024 - NerdWallet
I am about to apply for the first credit card. Never had a credit card before, but I have a very good salary. So I want to build my credit score fast.
I am 21 and am currently making 23hr, I have a full-time job and some income on occasion.
I really need good advice on what my first credit card should be, I don’t travel a lot but would really like to.
Please help.
I'm 18 and bank with service credit union. I'm looking into getting a credit card, what do you guys think are the best for beginners?
I have zero credit cause it’s never been something that was talked about at my house cause my parents didn’t have credit either growing up. I’m doing my research and I’m gonna start building my credit but I’m stumped on how many different decisions there are for cards.
I’m 28 years currently fresh out of prison I’ve been out about 60 ish days and I find myself in my journey to obtain everything we need as citizens of America. I just got my id next step: Bank accounts and Credit cards. FYI yes I do work. Any and all criticism is requested as well as some guidance. Thank you.
I’m 22, and have a credit score in the low 800s. I’ve never had a credit card and want to know which one is the best for a beginner. I don’t travel often so I don’t need a card with all the travel perks but want a card with some nice cash back. What cards do you recommend I apply for?