ok mamas, you have to grade me on a curve here. i had ONE credit card in college which RUINED both my credit (stupid college kids!) and my taste for credit cards. i have never had one since - and my husband, if he could, would be completely "off the grid" so he has never had anything in his name or any credit cards either (zero credit whatsoever). well now it's time that we need one. we are hoping to visit family this summer half way across the country, and our vehicles are not trustworthy for that kind of trip. so we need to rent a car. and to do that we have to have a credit card. SO my question is, what is a good "starter" credit card, for someone with not so great credit, and/or no credit? (althought, i think probably i would just get it in my name...) i would like to look online and apply for one, BUT i don't want to get denied (if i can help it) and then that dings my credit AGAIN. GRR. any ideas??? IS there a such a thing as a good credit card for people with not so great credit??
thanks mama h, i forgot to mention, we did look into using our debit card - we were told only "select" branches do that, and they still run your credit first. so i would rather get a credit card (i would like to have one for other reasons as well at this point in my life), rather than take a chance on doing it when we don't have a backup plan, standing in line at the rental car place. if that makes sense? i am a plan-ahead kinda girl, i am just trying to get all my ducks in a row asap...
thanks again ladies! the only reason i thought we had to have one was because years ago we had a similar situation, and my inlaws actually had to rent the car because i thought the place wouldn't take our debit card. maybe i am making more of this than it is. i like the reserving it online idea. i will keep looking. i did look into a secured credit card through our credit union...it sounds like a great idea, BUT - i don't quite get, how first, you are basically putting your own money on a credit card (sounds great!!) but then, you have to pay it as a bill just like a credit card, sooo it almost seems like you're spending twice as much to use the same money once. then they charge interest...!? i know i am inexperienced but it sounds like a scam to me. i think i will talk to my husband about just doing the rental online with our debit card. solve a lot of problems. thanks again!!
oh and PS, all you dave ramsey fans are awesome lol. i agree with a lot of his principles (although we don't have a lot of debt, we just don't have good/any credit) but my husband is - hence the no credit card up till now. i think he will be really pleased that there is a way around that....thanks again!
If you use a credit union instead of a bank I would get one through them. They're easier to get and usually the interest rate isn't as high.
I have only used cards through my credit union. We just recently got one through my husbands account at a bank. The interest rate is off the map for that one. I would stick to a credit union one if you can. We only have to, mine from the CU and my husbands new one we got a year ago. Huge difference in interests rates by almost 11%
My credit is limited, and I couldn't get a "regular" credit card. Instead, I got a secured credit card with my credit union. You determine the card's limit by how much you pre-pay in the beginning. Then just make sure you pay it off each month. This will build your credit & there shouldn't be any fees.
Talk to your bank or credit union.....sometimes they offer their own credit cards (not debit) and if you have a solid history with them and accts. that are in good standing, they may be able to work with you to get a credit card, if even a small amount ($500) to start without having a ridiculous upfront fee or APR like most online cards geared to the "no credit, bad credit" folks will.......It won't hurt your credit to ask them and explain your situation without filing any applications.......I usually get really good advice asking at my credit union about different things before actually doing any paperwork.....Just a thought.......
Also, credit cards are not bad.........It is a common misconception......They are only bad if you charge and do not pay it off completely or enough to stop from paying an absurd amount in interest........Credit cards are actually a great thing to have on your credit report *when in good standing, of course* because they show how you manage money over a long period of time........In fact, many financial experts will tell you that you should have a credit card, but they will also tell you that along with having it, you should know how to use it and how not to.......
Good luck to you!
Do you have a good relationship with your bank (long term customer, more than one account, etc)? If yes, then you may want to try applying for their card.
Do you know your credit score? If yes, you could try calling a credit card company first and before applying, you could ask "What are your qualifications for issuing a credit card? This may prevent you from being denied.
As a last option you could get a secured credit card.
Good luck.
You don't need a credit card. Don't start down that path. Use your debit card. I have rented cars on several occasions, all using my debit card. I did not even ask if they would accept a debit card. My debit card has the Visa logo and they never asked if it was credit or debit. Nor, did any of them run my credit. Rent your car online. And while you are on your trip pick up this book to read: The total money makeover by Dave Ramsey.
Maybe you could try a secured credit card. You would be able to rent your car, but you wouldn't get screwed by all the fees that they try to give you when you have bad credit and are trying to get a card or be declined causing your score to go down more. Most banks and credit unions offer this type of credit card. Just a thought.....
If you have ever heard of Dave Ramsey of if you haven't....get to know him. NEVER EVER get a credit card. I would say if you absolutely have to have one for the car rental then ask them if its okay if you use one that you apply money onto it???? You could also go to Dave Ramsey's website and check out his forum to see if this question has been asked or not. I'm sure it has and I am pretty sure I know what his answer would be. I think if I was required to use a credit card I would be looking into other options if possible or finding a company willing to do it.....not everyone uses or has a credit card so what do they do in that situation??? It surely has had to come up.....
I haven't read all the replies but I wanted to give you a little advise...don't get a credit card. I don't know what bank you use, but most banks these days have debit cards. Both the credit union and our bank, Commerce, gives debit cards that you can use like a credit card. The only time I use the card like a debit card is when getting cash from the ATM. Other than that I use it like a credit card, meaning, I don't use a pin number, I punch in "credit" when checking out at the store or where ever. Since the money comes straight out of our account we don't get into debt. We have used our debit card to rent cars, get hotel rooms, and order stuff online. So don't get a "real" credit card, use your debit card. If it has Visa or MasterCard on the debit card, then you can use it as a credit card also, the money just comes from your account, so make sure the money is there first.
Please don't get a credit card. Please. We have friends and family members who have gone way over their heads and are in huge trouble from credit card debt. You start with good intentions, but then it is there and you use it and use it, again and again, and then whamo, you can't pay it off and interest incurs and you are in trouble.
I do hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless.
If you have a debit with a visa logo, I'd use that. That's what I use. Good luck!
You should be able to use your debit card. Rental agencirs usually put a $250 hold on it, but debit cards with the Visa or MC logos are accepted. We got rid of our credit cards 5 years ago, and it's been fantastic! Since then we've taken numerous vacations and made numerous flights and rented cars, condos and hotel rooms -all with our debit cards.
Credit is bu&&sh!!. You don't need it at all. Use your debit/Visa/MC and be done. They run it through just like a credit card. You should not have any problems at all doing that AND I doubt you could repair your credit before summer.
Worst case scenario--have husband get a card (no credit is better than bad credit in that regard) and pay it off immediately after.
I agree with all the moms who say don't get a credit card and recommend Dave Ramsey!!!!!!!!!! It's not worth it. We are still paying off ours and we wish we had never ever gotten one. We cut all of ours into tiny little pieces and don't miss them. We have a debit card, and my husband has never had any problem using it when traveling.
So my first thought is that if you do get a credit card, just learn to control yourself. Pay it off every month no matter what and just think of it as an extension of your own money, NOT free money. If you do use a debit card and need to dispute a charge it is MUCH harder with a debit card. Also if someone steals your debit card it is much more stressful than a credit card because SOMETIMES it takes a while for the bank to give you back the money that was stolen....ANd if you happen to make a purhase online by a site that is "not secure", you don't want your bank account's debit card info.....out there....
Other idea... you can get a "gift card style credit card". Some of them don't have a name at all (they are just a gift cards that are backed by visa/mastercard/am ex that you can add money to when you need to). Others let you personalize them and still they don't have anything to do with your credit because they are simply gift cards backed by CC company. (prepaid gift cards). Even if its NOT your name on the card, the car company should still be able to use it because they do a "check" to verify that the funds are there.
(didnt check this out thoroughly but heres one page I found) http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/reloadable_pre...
and you should be able to personalize it with your name and add money when you need it.
I have had to rent a car a few times in the past two months at Enterprise. You can either use a credit card or cash/debit to rent it (they have to run it for the deposit on the car so you have to have that much credit or money available). A debit card will not do alone without them actually charging the deposit on it. You can pay with a debit card for the rental when you return it.
There are some car rental companies that will let you use your Visa debit card.
From my perspective, you are doing a good job and should stay away from them. As the others have said. There are ways around this. It may be easier to contact the various rental places and find out what you need first.
I've had or still have practically every credit card offered. I've carried as many as 20 cards at once. I am working on paying these down little by little. I've been treated both fairly and unfairly by them all depending on what's going on in the market place at the time. Every company that I've worked with has cheated me at times or made stupid mistakes and placed my interest rate sky high. Even though I don't have any over 30 days showing on my records, I've had to dispute problems with billing many times. If I had it to do over, I'd do better.
I am in KCMO. My Commerce debit card has a VISA logo, so as others have mentioned, you can use that. I frequently use it and never mention it's a debit card. Commerce used to have this old slogan when they were having a promotion to use the debit + a contest, "skip the PIN, sign & win".
