Good Credit, should I get a credit card?

iwanttofight

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Hey Don Juans. How important is it to have good credit? My credit score right now is a 690. That is because of some medical bills from way back in the day. I do not own any credit cards right now, but I have a debit card. I'm pretty much all liquid. I do not like to buy things that I do not have money for. My bank is offering me a credit card with a monthly fee of 39 dollars and $100 up front, but it says that it will help build my credit. Should I get a credit card or should I skip this idea?
 

PrettyBoyAJ

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Get a debit card and only spend what you have.
 

backbreaker

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there is nothing wrong with having credit cards. just learn how to use them.
 

Mike32ct

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Get ONE card. Pay it off each month. It's a necessity for travel bookings and also good for emergencies.

People only usually get into trouble when they are irresponsible with multiple cards. Once you have one card, you will be offered many more. Resist that temptation and you'll be fine.
 

Bible_Belt

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My bank is offering me a credit card with a monthly fee of 39 dollars and $100 up front

$39 should be more like an annual fee, not a monthly one. If that's not a typo, it's a horrible deal to take advantage of people with much worse credit than yours. 690 is not that bad. 720 is the highest minimum required that I have seen for anything, like 0% APR financing on a new car.

If you want to build credit, get a card with low or zero annual fee. The interest rate doesn't really matter, unless you carry big balances long term, which no one should be doing anyway. Your credit limit is probably going to be low, too, but here's what to do: Charge it up to near the max on stuff that you were going to buy anyway, save the cash, run a balance for a month or two, (otherwise it doesn't show up on your credit report) and then pay it all off. Then, call the company and ask for a higher limit.

You don't need several cards, but over time as your credit improves, you will qualify for better cards with lower rates and rewards points. Close the old account after you have moved on to a new card.
 

If you want to talk, talk to your friends. If you want a girl to like you, listen to her, ask questions, and act like you are on the edge of your seat.

Quote taken from The SoSuave Guide to Women and Dating, which you can read for FREE.

n00bPimp

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Dont get one! They start you off with $100 credit limit, then they send you the 0% for a year offers, and you open more credit cards, then they send you the balance transfers, and then they rise your credit limit... in the end you're stuck with $10k in credit card debts... and growing.

Credit cards are like crack. Once you go crack you never go back!
 

ARrocket

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I'd say credit cards are like Facebook. If you are in control of your life and somewhat intelligent, get one. If you can't control yourself and are irresponsible, don't.

Get a card with NO annual fee. You won't have a very high credit limit to start, but that can change later.

What I did (and it worked well, so I'll suggest it) is start with First Financial Bank USA. No fees, and low limit. After about a year, I applied for (and got) a Chase (ie JP Morgan Chase) Freedom card, it's great! Also no annual fee, btw.
 

Alle_Gory

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If your bank is offering that means others may as well. Repeat after me: NO ANNUAL FEE.

It's a ripoff. $100 + $39 a month for a year = $568.

You want to spend $568 so you can spend money? Seriously. And then there's the risk of having interest payments. This is not a good deal. Shop around and please consider who you are getting a card from. Some banks are shadier than others.

And always pay it off. If you want to keep that good credit, never miss a payment. Even if you're paying just the minimum. Credit is simply your ability to carry debt. The better your credit, the more debt worthy the bank sees you. Like a mule.
 

Huffman

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I'm not from the US, but round here (Germany) you can get a free credit card together with your debit card. It's automatically deduced from your bank account the next day, so it works just like a debit card.

So you have all the advantages of a credit card (pay online, book flights) but no disadvantage because it gets instantly balanced on your account.

Maybe you can get a deal like that?
 

If you want to talk, talk to your friends. If you want a girl to like you, listen to her, ask questions, and act like you are on the edge of your seat.

Quote taken from The SoSuave Guide to Women and Dating, which you can read for FREE.

iwanttofight

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Thanks guy, So what is the big deal with American Express credit cards? My brother has one and he brags about it alot. Also Timberland sings in one of his songs about his red american express card. I heard with a black american express card, if you need a ride anywhere in the world they will be there to pick you up if need be.
 

Alle_Gory

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iwanttofight said:
Thanks guy, So what is the big deal with American Express credit cards? My brother has one and he brags about it alot. Also Timberland sings in one of his songs about his red american express card. I heard with a black american express card, if you need a ride anywhere in the world they will be there to pick you up if need be.
If you spend a certain amount of money with them. You think it's free? No such thing as a free lunch. If you're interested please read the fine print and we can help with that. The smaller the text, the more important it is.

It's also beneficial. Did you know that some Mastercards offer extended warranty on purchases? Mine does on certain things. Some also offer you roadside service twice a year. Mine does. Some also offer you insurance on rental vehicles if you're renting the vehicle with that credit card. None of this was advertised as a benefit until I read the little booklet with the fine print.

All this is in the fine print. Also, why do you care what color the card is. You want people to think you're rich and have money with a fancy red or black card? Or do you ACTUALLY want to be rich and have money by making smart and timed financial decisions to reduce money out and increase money coming in long term.
 

Michele l'Arcangelo

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I'm not good at financial advice, but I'll throw my opinion in. I'm 22 and have a higher credit score than you, and basically everyone I know. I "bought" a car with a loan, and showed it to my brother.

He's a man who used to have a lot of debt, and is finally paying it all off, with his wife.

What he said was,

"When you're young, credit is a curse."

From what I understand, it's EASY to get easy credit when you're young, and living at home. All you need to do is make simple payments of low amount of money, and your credit score goes up after as couple years of easy bills.

Then when you check your credit score, your ego goes up, and you think you're a king who can "buy" anything he wishes.

The only way I'd touch a credit card was for monthly expenses such as gas and groceries. Only so I can pay the credit card off that month, as if I didn't even use the card.

Even then, I'd rather pay with my own money, always. I see too many people my age getting into debt they should never have, had they spent too much of other people's money on too many crap that they didn't ever need.

I tell myself when I'm tempted, "Why buy this expensive looking piece of clothing, when you can't even afford it. You're not a faker. If you can't buy things that you can't afford, stop being pretentious."
 

Alle_Gory

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Good advice Michele. One way people look at credit is "WOW! FREE MONEY!" They've never had it before and haven't really put two and two together.

Wrong.

You pay it back. You can either save the money and buy something. Or you can buy it now and pay WAY more for it (interest). Either way, you WILL PAY.
 

Mr.Positive

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I only have one credit card. I use it for purchasing, and pay the balance off every month, so I don't pay the interest. I like to use it because I get free frequent flyer miles with each purchase. Also, the added identity theft protection.

With the frequent flyer miles, I've gotten a free bike, and a free tv, from cashing them in over the years.

A credit card will help boost your credit rating, however the most important thing is to pay it off every single month. Just stay out of debt. It's easy to do with self control.
 

Alle_Gory

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Mr.Positive said:
I only have one credit card. I use it for purchasing, and pay the balance off every month, so I don't pay the interest. I like to use it because I get free frequent flyer miles with each purchase. Also, the added identity theft protection.
The grace period on purchases is usually 21 days. Your bank gives you free money for a whole 4 weeks?
 
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