i bank with wachovia and was applying for their student visa.

this would be my first credit card. is there one with a better rate than this? some specs:

Introductory 4.9% Annual Percentage Rate (APR)† for Cash Advance Checks and Balance Transfers.*
9.9% APR on all purchases right from the start.
No Annual Fee
Online account access—get up-to-the-minute account information, use our online payment service, review recent statements, and more.

what kind of card do you have and how do you like it? any suggestions to go with this stuff is much appreciated.

thanks.

11/18/2005 9:21:47 PM

USAA
change your numbers to be 0 and 7.9
nominal rewards program

11/18/2005 9:24:35 PM

The best credit card I had in school was an American Express Card. They waived the annual fee the first year and threw in 2 $99 round trip vouchers to any where in the US Northwest Airlines flies. Then they sent me two more vouchers a year later out of the blue.

The reason it was the best card (besides the perks mentioned above) is that it did NOT allow me to carry a balance. This might seem like a drawback, but I recommend it. I had to pay it off each month, and that allowed me to build up my credit rating WITHOUT racking up debt like most of my friends.

11/18/2005 9:29:17 PM

^good idea for new cards users, american express is also good for this i believe, if you want a more general card.....i still have some debt from a few years ago bc of credit cards, although i don't really regret it that much since I needed the money to eat and pay bills at the time, but it can be very dangerous

11/18/2005 9:45:30 PM

Don't get a credit card.

11/18/2005 9:46:26 PM

There is no best credit card

11/18/2005 9:52:18 PM

no credit card


or if you're serious, get one at your bank

11/18/2005 10:01:26 PM

Quote :

"Ronny All American 12632 Posts user info edit post Don't get a credit card. 11/18/2005 9:46:26 PM rjrumfel All American 11929 Posts user info edit post There is no best credit card 11/18/2005 9:52:18 PM RhoIsWar1096 All American 835 Posts user info edit post no credit card or if you're serious, get one at your bank "

Idiots

11/18/2005 10:28:32 PM

^they aren't idiots, they're very smart.

if you can avoid using credit cards for every day purchases (quite easy with check cards around), it's much better for your financial standing. It's good to have one for certain purchases and emergencies, but that's about it.

11/18/2005 10:58:37 PM

ok, have fun making any sort of bigger purchase on credit (car, house). You can use a credit card wisely, its a tool not a bottomless money pit.

On topic, the citi card platinum card for students is probably the best. You can generally get decent rates. 0% for 6mths and a pretty good rewards program (1% back on all, 5% on groceries, gas) plus if you're a decent card holder the customer service is pretty nice.

11/18/2005 11:09:58 PM

I just got the citi dividends for students. Pretty good card with 5% back on groceries and gas and 1% on all other purchases. Credit limit is pretty crazy @4k, they really don't like you lowering it either.

11/18/2005 11:32:10 PM

The best credit card for students is the one that you don't get sent to you in the mail, offered to you with a reward (I.E. the on-campus stuff where you sign up and get free pizza and some other free horseshit), and basically the one that isn't advertised towards you.

Make sure it doesn't have an annual fee.

That'll put you in safe territory for something you can just pay off every month and slowly build your credit rating.

11/18/2005 11:40:28 PM

I am very happy with Capital One. My fixed (not introductory) interest rate is only 5.9, no annual fee, & they give you checks, which work the same, for places that don't take cards.

[Edited on November 18, 2005 at 11:59 PM. Reason : ]

11/18/2005 11:58:58 PM

I got one thru Chase that's 0% thru '06, then fixed 7.9 after that, with a generous credit limit. chase.com/creditcards

11/19/2005 1:47:14 AM

AMEX

BLUE FOR STUDENTS

[/thread]

11/19/2005 2:40:09 AM

Quote :

"Ronny All American 12632 Posts user info edit post Don't get a credit card. 11/18/2005 9:46:26 PM rjrumfel All American 11929 Posts user info edit post There is no best credit card 11/18/2005 9:52:18 PM RhoIsWar1096 All American 835 Posts user info edit post no credit card or if you're serious, get one at your bank"

haha hilarious people are still terrified of credit cards these days

i thought only our parents and grandparents were the scared ones

do you not trust yourselves? do you lack self control? do you not want to build proper credit?

11/19/2005 3:25:22 AM

citi bank rewards card. I'm sure there may be some with a better rate but I never carry a balance (just use it for the rewards part)

11/19/2005 3:34:06 AM

Read the fine print on how they calculate interest. Make sure it says "average daily balance". If it says "two cycle average daily balance", run away from it and don't look back

Check the grace period. 25 days is about the usual. If it's 20 days or less, do not get that card.

Do not use cash advance checks. Those checks do not work the same as the credit card!! You start incurring interest charges on the day you write that check; the grace period only applies to card purchases

Do not pay an annual fee, even if the card has rewards.

Don't let them solicit you; if you get it in the mail and it says "student" anywhere on it then it's probably a bad deal. You should find the card you want.

11/19/2005 8:57:51 AM

Also ask them (over the phone) or read the fine print as to whether they have the right to change the interest rates on you. Most cc companies are located in specific states not by accident, but because laws allow in those states allow them to do that. 7.9% "fixed" isn't really fixed if they can change it on you.

11/19/2005 9:05:02 AM

Get a credit card to build your credit so you can buy a car and house later. Just don't go overboard with it. Good thing to do is something like go out to eat, pay with the credit card and pay the card off next thing you do. My friend did that and it increased his credit status quickly.

11/19/2005 9:14:37 AM

i should have mentioned that i have NO credit. i've applied for most of the cards you've mentioned (about 10 in total) and haven't heard anything back yet. the applications were for instant notification (of acceptance) too. said that it might take about 4 weeks to review.

and i do have a job.

and i do already have a checking account with wachovia.

and i'm only going to use this for food and bills. it's kind of hectic right now. i agree that credit cards can be useful. it's money in advance that i'm needing...that and to establish some good credit, which i'm confident i can do.

thanks guys/girls. i REALLY appreciate all of your advice on this.

[Edited on November 19, 2005 at 10:12 AM. Reason : w]

11/19/2005 10:11:27 AM

state employee's student card

11/19/2005 4:49:57 PM

I really like my Chase student credit card, I've been really happy with all the services, like their chase online and their rates, plus they are really good with rewarding you when you have good credit.

11/19/2005 8:27:38 PM

dont worry about the apr
after you fuck up a few times they will all be the same

11/19/2005 8:31:55 PM

i dont have any credit, and dont work


how can i get a credit card?

11/19/2005 9:13:01 PM

lie about your income

11/19/2005 9:14:14 PM

^ i did, never get approved. even by chase

11/19/2005 9:15:07 PM

you couldnt even get a student card? anyone can get one of those

11/19/2005 9:16:36 PM

^ how do u get that?

11/19/2005 9:19:07 PM

probably online if they havent sent you applications

11/19/2005 9:20:51 PM

its easy
get a few credit cards with decent plans
and never EVER carry a balance
then you can buld up good credit and get good loans for houses and cars man
i have one credit card with my bank
and an exxon card for gas
im only ever planning on getting 2 more credit cards for the remainder of my life
those would be american express blue with the smart chip in it
and a discover card
that way i can used different ones for stuff
having more than a couple credit cards will help your credit a lot
just dont over do it
and i say again
never carry a balance because its just too fucking dangerous
besides not carrying a bal is better for your credit
if you think you wouldent be able to pay it off then dont buy it

11/19/2005 9:29:50 PM

you arent helping yourself with lots of revolving credit if you arent using it

11/19/2005 9:36:05 PM

yeah, don't carry a balance

i pay for everything with either a credit card or a check card (run as credit, so i can get the 1% rebate)

but i never carry a balance. ever. if you're going to spend money you don't have, you can get a better rate with a loan than you can with a credit card most of the time.

11/19/2005 9:46:42 PM

Quote :

"you arent helping yourself with lots of revolving credit if you arent using it"

yea thats why get a few good cards and just use those
but make sure to use them all or its not helping to have one that isnt used.

11/19/2005 9:56:39 PM

or if you do carry a balance....
get the 0% apr cards... then at the end of that term, transfer it to a new 0% apr for a year card... call and cancel the old card... and keep paying it off.

11/19/2005 9:57:45 PM

yeah opening and closing new lines of revolving credit is a really smart thing to do
theres a lot of sarcasm in there

11/19/2005 10:00:13 PM

actually, carring a balance builds credit the fastest according to credit bureau. your credit report will show an "OK" for that month, instead of an "N/A", meaning there was no balance to pay off. the more OKs you have on your credit report for each revolving account, the higher your score will be.

11/19/2005 10:01:02 PM

so pay off everything but a dollar every month.

11/19/2005 10:02:07 PM

best CC = cash

11/19/2005 10:23:50 PM

cash is a pain in the ass

easier to carry plastic

11/19/2005 10:24:47 PM

not all of us are blessed with $, or families that will bail us out... therefore the revolving credit works for a low balance is all i can do sometimes.

that balance for small things, and paying off my monthly bills has given me a nice score... so i will go with it.

[Edited on November 19, 2005 at 11:08 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2005 11:07:26 PM

you just told people to open and close lots of cards
you really lost any credibility that you might have had

11/19/2005 11:20:00 PM

how so?
i opened 1 card.... 1 year later i transferred the remaining balance (less than $1,000) to another card that had 0% on transfers until next year when i will be out of school and can pay it off.

and notice that i prefaced it with "if you do carry a balance"... not saying that is the way to go.. just saying that if you have to, then it makes sense to not accumulate interest fees, and instead work at paying off the total amount, not the monthly interest.

and again... apparently i am doing something right as my beacon score is solid.

11/19/2005 11:37:29 PM

because the simple act of opening and closing lines of credit is not good

11/19/2005 11:41:37 PM

I have a Citi card for college students and its great. I dont know the APR shit because I just pay it off and dont really care. The reason I got it is for the rewards. You get 1% cash back on all purchases and 5% cash back on gas, grocery and drugstore purchases.

11/20/2005 12:53:07 AM

Quote :

"yea thats why get a few good cards and just use those but make sure to use them all or its not helping to have one that isnt used."

Not a good idea. TWO is the limit. An Amex and a Citibank Platinum Dividends card are the two you should carry at the moment

11/20/2005 2:09:38 AM

Quote :

"^they aren't idiots, they're very smart. "

tww is oblivious to sarcasm

11/20/2005 3:39:45 AM

Quote :

"i've applied for most of the cards you've mentioned (about 10 in total) and haven't heard anything back yet. "

oh yeah, don't do that either. If you apply willy-nilly you look desperate and looks like you're in trouble with someone, which of course is bad for your score. Just pick one or two and apply for them - not to mention if you actually get approved for most of those 10, then you have a whole ton of cards that you don't need, which is bad for your score. Then you have to go through and cancel them, which is also bad for your score..... etc etc etc.

11/20/2005 7:01:25 AM

Quote :

"I have a Citi card for college students and its great."

The dividends platinum card gets you that plus airline miles. and a much lower apr.

Quote :

"it's money in advance that i'm needing...that and to establish some good credit, which i'm confident i can do."

If you need money in advance, a credit card is NOT the way to go. DO NOT BUY SHIT YOU CANNOT PAY FOR IMMEDIATELY. If you absolutely need a short term LOAN, get overdraft protection on your checking account. Most banks will approve you for up to 1-2K in a couple of days or less. It's a MUCH better route to take in order to pay for things you can't pay off immediately.

[Edited on November 20, 2005 at 7:23 AM. Reason : .]

11/20/2005 7:21:04 AM

I have USAA, don't know what my numbers are but I like them. However, you have to be military and such to get one.

11/20/2005 4:22:35 PM