What credit card can I get if I have no credit at all?
Credit Card
Brandee L asked:
I’ve applied at my bank (washington mutual), discover card, and for a wal-mart card. I was denied for all of them because I have no credit. Where can I apply?
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I’ve applied at my bank (washington mutual), discover card, and for a wal-mart card. I was denied for all of them because I have no credit. Where can I apply?
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March 31st, 2009 at 6:30 pm
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Do you belong to a credit union or have a checking account. You should try with them. Just make sure you don’t keep applying for credit as it can hurt you. Also beware of companies that will approve you for a $300 credit card but by the time the fees kick in you’re left with about $150 plus a high yearly fee.
In my opinion the you should try for a Sears card.
For more info check out
April 4th, 2009 at 3:39 am
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I am currently in the same situation as you. I also have no credit and have tried to apply with my bank (also WaMu) as well as many other card companies. All of my applications were denied. I am honestly very frustrated and at a loss. I hope you have better luck than myself!
April 6th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
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Department stores are nicer in granting credit.
April 8th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
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Try a secured credit card (not prepaid-those may not show up on your credit) My son has one thru Bank of America. Deposit money into a savings account, that account will earn some interest, and they typically make your credit line that amount. You still treat it just like a regular credit card, monthly payments, etc but they will give you a chance even if you have no credit.
Hope it helps
April 9th, 2009 at 10:36 am
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Try creditcards.com and see if you can find one there (don’t pay an annual fee; you can find a card without one, trust me). Or you could get a department store credit card. There are some very important things you need to know about your credit:
1) Always pay on time, at least by the due date if not before. If you’re one day late (i.e. you pay on the 3/26 when it’s due on the 3/25) it will show up as 30 days late. Why? Because a new pay period begins on 3/26, so the entire pay period of 2/26-3/25 was missed. This will completely f*ck your credit.
2)Try not to carry a balance, especially on high-interest rate dept. store cards (usually at least 25% APR). If you have to carry a balance because you can’t pay it all off at once, stop using the card and always pay more than the minimum (pay at least $100/month). This will ultimately save you money because you’ll pay less interest.
3)Don’t make the mistake tons of people make when building their credit and think you have to use your credit cards to build credit. This is completely untrue. All your credit report will show is your current limit, your current balance, your highest balance, and your payment history. So if your limit is $500, spend $125 (which is 25% of your limit), pay it off immediately, and never use the card again. This will show on your credit report as a card with a $500 limit, $0 balance, $125 highest balance, and payments made on time every month because you have no payment due every month because you have a zero balance. This will make you credit soar (my fiancee did this, and at age 24 her score is over 750).
4) A little side note pertaining to #3 - Using your credit cards is good for one reason: small purchases that you pay off every month, so you can call your credit card company once a year and ask for a lower interest rate. They probably won’t lower it if you don’t use it, but you can always tell them if they lowered the interest rate you’d would use that card as your primary card. They would see dollar signs flash and lower your rate, you’d continue to pay it off every month, and keep calling and asking for progressively lower rates. Before you know it, you’ll have credit card companies courting you, offering you mediocre rates that you’ll scoff at, because your only card has the lowest interest rate of anybody you know, and your credit score is sky-high. Ask an elderly couple with a score over 800 how many cards they have, and you’ll always hear the same answer: just one.
Good luck building your credit. I hope it works out well for you.
April 12th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
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if you apply fo the correct card you will get approved go to go under poor or no credit section here you will have a few choices.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
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Try getting a card at a gas station or a retailer (like a clothes store). They will generally be low-limit cards. Your risk of overspending on them is limited by the fact that you can’t use them everywhere. Paying them off every month will help establish credit.
Also look at getting a secured credit card. I believe WaMu offers them now. But considering what WaMu did to my APR on my unsecured card, I have a real hard time recommending them to anyone.