<p>Hi, I'm a community college student. I'd like to start building my credit as I just turned 18. However, I don't want to hurt my chances at any future credit card applications by getting rejected. I don't have any source of income currently, but if I applied for a student credit card, would I for sure get accepted if I had a co-signer with good credit?</p>
<p>My daughter received an application from Discover Card when she was 18 and had some savings but no job. They said she would be accepted with a co-signer but she sent it in without one and was denied. She also applied for a credit card through her credit union and was denied there too. She got a debit card instead.</p>
<p>Our D got a AmEx Costco credit card one day when she was shopping with me. For her income, she was able to list the amount we were paying for her tuition, expenses, room and board, which was a significant sum. She had no job but was still approved for her CC and has been using it carefully. She is on a card with me as well, which she can use for expenses that she informs me about.</p>
<p>My S got an extra card on one of my accounts, in college. He has had no trouble getting and keeping an excellent credit score since he started his job shortly after graduating from college.</p>
<p>H and I have excellent credit, so I believe our excellent credit helped the kids with their credit scores.</p>
<p>@spdf I applied for the same Discover card, since they sent the invitation in the mail twice. My income was barely under $10k, which I guess isn’t bad for a student, but I was still denied.</p>
<p>I applied for a Discover It card with a 3k income and was approved. I did that the month I I turned 18. My mom didn’t think they would approve me so she let me apply, it was funny seeing her reaction.</p>
<p>After the credit card reform in 09, it has become VERY, VERY difficult to get credit cards before the age of 21 without a cosigner. (I got several under 21 after the reform so it’s not impossible) </p>
<p>Does your CC partner with a credit union? They will often have offers for students.
Is a parent willing to cosign?</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend not getting one. It’s incredibly easy to be very irresponsible with credit cards, especially when you have a very low income.</p>
<p>If you do, only use it when it’s absolutely necessary. You don’t need to worry about ‘building your credit’ at this point.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend getting one and then freezing it. (Like literally, putting it in a bag of water and putting it in the freezer.) </p>
<p>I completely disagree with curt. It is very advisable to start “building credit” ASAP. You do NOT, I repeat- do NOT- need to USE the card to build credit. But when you go to get a loan or mortgage or anything else, they like to see a long credit history. </p>
<p>I got a fantastic rate on my car loan when I was 20 based on my great credit score, long credit history (for my age- I got my first CC at 16), and modest income. It really does make a huge difference.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses, but I still don’t really have a clear answer. It looks like I would have little to no chance of getting a credit card if I had no job and no co-signer. But if I had a co-signer, my application should get accepted even if I don’t have a job?</p>
<p>Don’t get the credit card yet - get a debit card instead. When you are employed get the credit card at that time.</p>
<p>You have no chance of getting a CC with no co-signer and no job. </p>
<p>If you have a cosigner with good credit then you have a good chance of getting accepted. </p>
<p>Do you have a bank account already? If so, go to that bank/credit union and see if you can get a secured credit card. Generally, secured credit cards require about $500.</p>
<p>I can’t say much about getting one under 21, since I waited a while to get mine, but most people I know get one with their bank. Your bank, if you’ve been with them for a while, will usually have an idea of how financially responsible you are: they can see your overdrafts or lack thereof, how regularly you make deposits, what amount you regularly keep in savings. I don’t think it matters too much if you’re employed. I told my bank that most of my “income” was my parental allowance, so they gave me a very low limit.</p>
<p>However, there’s certainly merit in having a debit card for a while and then a credit card. You can establish good habits with the debit card, namely becoming accustomed to spending only the money you have even when it’s plastic, and then move to credit. It’s also probably hard for you to judge how financially responsible you are when you’ve only ever lived with your parents.</p>
<p>I got a credit card in 09 without a cosigner (I was 18, and had just graduated high school), I can’t remember if that was before or after I had my job.</p>
<p>I got a discover it card last year with no job/income.</p>
<p>Yeah that’s what I was thinking. Discover It cards aren’t hard to get, and they don’t have a bad APR and no fees.</p>