Student Credit Cards 101

Credit card issuance to minors is not prohibited. Credit card companies even see teenagers as a way to make their market more lucrative. As this is the reality, the question would be this: "Are Student Credit Cards Advantageous or Disadvantageous?"
Most parents believe that allowing their kids to have credit cards at a young age teaches them a lesson about managing their finances or money. The one thing that the parents should be aware of in terms of giving their children credit cards is to ensure that these kids are given guidance as well as support for them to be responsible in handling their credit. Having student credit card also helps in building the kids' credit histories that are truly important in the future.

There are some financial institutions that have second thoughts when it comes to issuing student credit cards, and if they ever issue one, they only give a very low credit limit and when the student fails to pay on time or goes over the credit limit, these institutions charge a lot higher interest rates since they know how risky it is to issue credit cards to students knowing of their instability. Therefore, a student should learn that having a card is a big responsibility. In the event that the said teen has proven his or her maturity, then a good credit score is up for grabs at the credit bureau, giving them an established credit history after they finish school.

If a student wants to apply for a student credit card, what is the first step? The first step is to have credit since it is a fact that in order to get credit, you need credit. Here are easy ways to establish credit and be able to apply for a student credit cards: One step requires the student to open a checking account or savings account. Once the creditors see this information, they will, more often than not issue a credit card because they have seen that the student has an account that could be used to pay the purchases.

If a teen still is unable to get a student credit card from a credit card institution, another way of jump starting credit is to apply for a retail store card. It's definitely easy to acquire a store credit card, and by using it in a wise and responsible way, one can start building up credit positively. In just a few months, the student can reapply for a student credit card in a major credit card company and would most probably be approved as soon as the creditors see how responsible the student has been with the retail store credit card.

Knowing that there are a lot of institutions offering student credit cards today, the student should select a card with the best offer and below are the basic features and benefits that should be present in the card applied for: there should be no annual fee, no co-signer requirements, no minimum income, zero percent introductory fee with a low APR after the introductory phase, and of course, a free rewards program.