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If you are here reading this forum/thread, you probably have heard, seen or know someone who has been leveraging credit card points for free or very low cost travel and want to get involved. While it may be very tempting to jump right in and apply for a bunch of credit cards, it is advisable to read through the forums before doing so.

For those who have no credit history, building your credit score is strongly recommended and may even be needed before applying for any credit cards.

Step 1 - Try and get added as an Authorized User (AU) on an established credit card. This card should be kept in good standing and preferably have a low credit utilization ratio.
Some have had success with Amex to get your card backdated to the primary cardholders "member since" date. Having this done will increase your credit history to that of  the account holders first Amex card.
UPDATE Amex no longer backdates any cards. Any authorized user card will show up on the AUs report as a new account, opened on the date that the AU was added. Amex is now one of the worse choices to get added as an AU to, for credit building purposes.
Chase, Citi, Bank of America and others are more likely to show the full history of the primary cardholder on the authorized user's report than Amex is.

Additional Option - In conjunction with being added as an AU, you can  sign up for a secure credit card.
A secured credit card works almost like a debit card (you need to lay out your credit limit), but this functions as a regular credit card and will help build your credit score.

Step 2 - Once you are setup as an AU, it is best to wait a few months before applying for your first card.

Your first card should be a store credit card, which are easier to get approved for, especially with very limited credit history.
Some of the store cards people apply for are Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Kohl's, Macy's, Target etc. While these cards will not give you major signup bonuses to travel with, they do give you access to exclusive promotions and other perks when purchasing from the store.

Additional Options - The CapitalOne Journey card seems to be easier to get approved for, though understand they will pull your credit from all three agencies, while most banks only pull from one.

Discover has a student card you can apply for here. This can also be an easier option to getting approved for your first card. Their regular IT card (not student) seems to be pretty easy to get approved for with little to no credit history as well.

Step 3 - Pay your bill before your statement closes (cut off date), but leave a minimal amount remaining to be paid after your statement closes. This will help ensure that you have both a low CC utilization while establishing a good credit payment history. (This applies to new spending from this month.  Anything already 'due' should be paid in full.)

Step 4 - After using your first card for a few months, you will be ready to apply for the cards you will have read and heard so much about. Remember that getting accepted for a credit card is a combination of many factors like credit history and your credit score, but it is also dependent on the income that you claim* you make.  Income is not part of your credit report or score.

Step 5 - This is a brief synopsis of what to do when applying for credit cards. There are additional factors one should understand before applying for credit cards. DDF is a great resource and there are many people willing to answer your questions (which you should ask, albeit after attempting a search) 

*If you are under 21, you are legally only allowed to report personal income. Personal income, however, can include allowances and scholarships.
If you are over 21, you can claim any income which you have reasonable access to in order to pay back the bill, which includes the income of others in the household (spouse/parent), or anyone supporting you. Additionally, while most banks will not have you verify your income, it does happen and you should be prepared to show them. This is particularly prevalent with American Express, and is known as a Financial Review (FR).
« Last edited by S209 on September 09, 2018, 01:45:26 AM »

Author Topic: Credit Card For Beginners  (Read 918120 times)

Offline coralsnake

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Offline LoLo

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4141 on: December 16, 2016, 01:52:03 PM »
they said that i opened to many cards in one month so i'm a risk and therefore closed all my accounts
How many card did you open in one month?

Offline a good yeshiva bachur

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4142 on: December 16, 2016, 01:55:34 PM »
How many card did you open in one month?
4

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4143 on: December 17, 2016, 06:22:56 PM »
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline PillanSmye

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4144 on: December 18, 2016, 03:03:45 AM »
Guess we need to add to the possible Chase shutdown triggers:

Ever paid Chase cash towards your CC's?
Ever paid Chase via CFBP towards your CC's?
Ever paid Chase via Serve or something towards your CC's?
Ever paid Chase MO's towards your CC's?
Ever used your CC for MS?
Ever sold or transferred UR's to anyone?
Were you honest with your income on your application?
Ever flip your credit limit multiple times per month?
Ever make multiple payments towards your CC's per month
Did you open 4 new Chase CC's in a month?

Offline rollingstone

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4145 on: December 18, 2016, 03:32:29 AM »
Guess we need to add to the possible Chase shutdown triggers:

Ever paid Chase cash towards your CC's?
Ever paid Chase via CFBP towards your CC's?
Ever paid Chase via Serve or something towards your CC's?
Ever paid Chase MO's towards your CC's?
Ever used your CC for MS?
Ever sold or transferred UR's to anyone?
Were you honest with your income on your application?
Ever flip your credit limit multiple times per month?
Ever make multiple payments towards your CC's per month
Did you open 4 new Chase CC's in a month?
That basically leaves a chase card to a piece of plastic/metal.

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4146 on: December 18, 2016, 03:49:31 AM »
That basically leaves a chase card to a piece of plastic/metal.
Not sure what you mean.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline rollingstone

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4147 on: December 18, 2016, 03:56:05 AM »
Not sure what you mean.
Meaning, pretty much anything you do with a chase card will trigger a shutdown.

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4148 on: December 18, 2016, 04:00:05 AM »
Meaning, pretty much anything you do with a chase card will trigger a shutdown.
Not really, almost everyone here (sorry JTZ) has many chase cards and hasn't been shut down. That is just a lost of all possible known triggers, meaning it's a list of all the reasons that we know have been given to people as the reason why they were shut down.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline LoLo

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4149 on: December 18, 2016, 11:32:24 AM »
People were shut down for using serve to pay Chase?

Offline JTZ

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4150 on: December 18, 2016, 11:45:47 AM »
People were shut down for using serve to pay Chase?
You have to be careful about so called triggers. Many of them are in combination with other factors.
"LESS IS MORE" It is the cumulative effect that kills deals!!! How many times do I have to say this?  >:(

Offline PillanSmye

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4151 on: December 18, 2016, 01:14:40 PM »
Not really, almost everyone here (sorry JTZ) has many chase cards and hasn't been shut down. That is just a lost of all possible known triggers, meaning it's a list of all the reasons that we know have been given to people as the reason why they were shut down.

All of them are fine,  until you get eyes on your accounts,  and then they're not fine.

Offline PillanSmye

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4152 on: December 18, 2016, 01:19:30 PM »
Meaning, pretty much anything you do with a chase card will trigger a shutdown.
The vast vast majority of consumers won't do any of those things on the list.

Offline JTZ

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4153 on: December 18, 2016, 01:21:43 PM »
All of them are fine,  until you get eyes on your accounts,  and then they're not fine.
I abused many IP cards over the years and not a peep out of them. Many have done the same. The accounts that were shut down were collateral damage from checking.
"LESS IS MORE" It is the cumulative effect that kills deals!!! How many times do I have to say this?  >:(

Offline PillanSmye

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4154 on: December 18, 2016, 01:25:44 PM »
I abused many IP cards over the years and not a peep out of them. Many have done the same. The accounts that were shut down were collateral damage from checking.
Thanks for proving my point

Offline JTZ

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4155 on: December 18, 2016, 01:27:15 PM »
Thanks for proving my point
I have had eyes on my account so I guess I missed your point.
"LESS IS MORE" It is the cumulative effect that kills deals!!! How many times do I have to say this?  >:(

Offline Tomorrow

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4156 on: December 18, 2016, 01:34:21 PM »
I have to get off the current AU I'm on and am looking for a new CC to start with. With a credit score of a little more than 700 and I plan on spending a large amount, what card do you suppose i get?
Sorry if I ask so many questions, but life is short and there is so much to learn! Let's help each other be great!

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4157 on: December 18, 2016, 01:39:25 PM »
I have to get off the current AU I'm on and am looking for a new CC to start with. With a credit score of a little more than 700 and I plan on spending a large amount, what card do you suppose i get?
Why do you have to get off the AU?
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline emjee

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4158 on: December 18, 2016, 01:43:25 PM »
I have to get off the current AU I'm on and am looking for a new CC to start with. With a credit score of a little more than 700 and I plan on spending a large amount, what card do you suppose i get?
Are you just an AU . Are you starting gor your first card ? - what do you mean by new card ?

Offline hide4

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Re: Credit Card For Beginners
« Reply #4159 on: December 18, 2016, 02:44:55 PM »
I have to get off the current AU I'm on and am looking for a new CC to start with. With a credit score of a little more than 700 and I plan on spending a large amount, what card do you suppose i get?
I would go with either the Chase freedom unlimited or spg from Amex. Unless you want to start with a store or a secured card. How long were you an AU for?