Pick the offer with the lowest fee structure, as doing so will enable you to build your credit history in the most cost-effective way.
Use your card responsibly, for example by making your payments on-time and if you carry balances on your cards, try to keep them low (generally 30% or less) relative to your overall credit limit.
Be sure to read the the terms and conditions of the card offer and compare the different benefits you can get with each card.
At Wallet Hub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.
If you are new to the credit game, you can find both secured and unsecured credit cards for people with no credit on this page (some offers are from Wallet Hub’s partners).
That’s the proverbial catch-22 when it comes to establishing credit – you need to have it in order to get it.
However, there are ways to begin building a good payment history and have it reported to the credit rating bureaus, which is what ultimately builds your credit history.
A secured credit card is a great way to start building a credit history.
Many credit card issuers offer secured cards and report your payments to the credit bureaus.
A credit history allows potential lenders to extend you credit, but it’s also a way for others to verify how responsible you are with your finances.
If you’ve never used credit at all, how do you begin to building it?
Understand each card issuer has different criteria they use to determine if you will be approved for a credit card, so, having a credit score in a particular range is not a guarantee that you will be approved for the card or for the terms you applied for.