<p>I'm gonna get a credit card before college, and I was wondering which you think is the best kind for students?</p>
<p>So which credit card company won't screw you over too much?</p>
<p>They are all pretty much the same. Just get one that has a low APY and no annual fee. Don't be lured in by giveaways at sporting events and such. These cards are usually rife with fees. Think aboot it, they have to give something away for a reason.</p>
<p>on those lines, anyone wanna give some good economic advice to incoming freshmen? credit cards, debit cards, any accounts, jobs, all that stuff. advice in general?</p>
<p>if you get a credit card, make sure you can pay it in full at the end of the month. if you get a debit card, make sure you dont buy something with more money than is in your account. i had to work all four years of college (and high school and middle school for that matter), so if you want a job check around on campus.. help desks, stores, libraries.. etc.. places like that usually let their employees work a few hours a week, just to get them some spending money. if youre into sciences maybe look into being a lab assistant..</p>
<p>I agree with Fendergal. As long as you can pay it off at the end of the month you're good. And please stay away from credit card signups on your campus as well. They usually like to show up around orientation, and people usually think, "Well there at my school, so they must be good,". IT'S A TRAP! Trust me, I speak from experience.</p>
<p>Peas</p>
<p>I'm still deciding which credit card(s) I should get for college. I would definitely not recommend having over two, and the only reason you may need two is if you have a charge card like amex that isn't accepted everywhere. And YES, stay away as far as possible from those yahoos trying to get you to sign their credit card deals. I know a college student that has 11 credit cards. geez</p>
<p>Couldn't you sign up to get their "free stuff" and then cancel the cards the next day?</p>
<p>Many people do this but in order to sign up for the credit card, a credit inquiry is issued... and every credit check on your file hurts your credit rating, as does having many cards or opening and closing cards often.</p>
<p>I would recommend the Chase Student Card. It's a Mastercard so it's accepted everywhere, plus it only has a credit line of $300 so it's not to an extent. After a year of being good with payments they increase that credit line to $500.</p>
<p>Please elaborate about the "TRAP" of campus credit card signups on campus.</p>
<p>wait, why does a credit check hurt your credit rating?</p>
<p>I didn't think a check hurt it, I thought being denied hurt it. So if those places check your credit and then deny you - that hurts your rating. I don't think it hurts your rating if they check it and accept you. I mean, you need credit checks for a lot of things.. I had to have a credit check to get a cell phone when I was 18.</p>
<p>My advice to students who are getting their first credit card--If you want to use your credit card as a convenience card, here's a way to use it responsibly and never get caught short: Each time you charge something just note the amount in your checkbook (maybe in pencil). That way you'll think of it as being immediately deducted from your checking account, you'll know when you can't charge anymore, and you'll always have the money to pay the bill when it comes.</p>
<p>according to this, credit inquiries hurt your score when done over a period of time: <a href="http://www.mtgprofessor.com/A%20-%20Credit%20Issues/do_inquiries_hurt_your_credit.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.mtgprofessor.com/A%20-%20Credit%20Issues/do_inquiries_hurt_your_credit.htm</a></p>
<p>Having a company check your credit by doing what is called a "hard pull" will hurt your credit. Whenever you apply for credit/credit card, a loan, a morgage, ect. the company checks your credit with a hard pull, it effects your credit in the same way regardless if you are denied or approved.</p>
<p>^ dspringer's got it - the credit reporting agencies (the companies that keep track of everyone's credit report) will have no idea whether you've been approved or denied (well, at least until a new line of credit is opened), and won't care. Yes, technically a hard pull will lower your FICO, but the effects are so miniscule compared to other things that affect your credit. As long as you don't go on a rampage and apply for every credit card you can possibly find, you'll be fine.</p>
<p>Since I have been with wachovia (Free Checking) for a full year, I decided that i guess its time to build my credit history. I really dont want to get one because I have a full ride, but i realized that I would prob need extra extra cash than what i already have saved and that the money that i saved (going to a lesser college) I could use to get an apartment if I wanted to move off campus for junior or senior year. So I decided to apply for Student Visa. Compared to other cards though, the rates were higher.</p>
<p>Is 4.9% Introductory APR* and 9.9% Fixed APR* reasonable. The other visas had 1.9 Intro and 7.9 fixed. I already applied, but if that is considered too high I'll cancel.</p>
<p>when is too early to apply for a credit card as a college student? I applied in july and was rejected becuz they couldnt verify that i'm a college student (b/c i'm a pre-frosh). is it ok to apply in august or do i have to wait until september?</p>
<p>oh yea also, citibank has a nice new credit card now- where u get extra points for having a good gpa - which you can later use to get some small rewards like 10 bucks at blockbuster or whatever.</p>
<p>I just applied for the Citi card that arangatan was talking about: the MTV U card. I just hope that I don't get rejected because I haven't exactly started school yet.</p>
<p>BTW, they did say that they would notify me by Post mail within 30 days of whether I was accepted or rejected, so be aware of that.</p>