Credit
Credit questions and answers
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Q: Credit ?
I am only sixteen, but my dad says that if I want to buy a car-- and eventually an apartment or a house I need to establish a line of credit. How do I do this? Whats a good way to get started?
A: my dad said the same thing when I was 17, and he helped me (cosigned) to get a credit card to "establish credit". Now I am 21 and after 4 years of charging crap I'm F*cked. your dad is right you will need to build credit, but I would suggest waiting a little while. Unless you have one of those parents who is going to pay on your card for you just don't bother with it yet. I know you say you will be smarter then me, but I thought the same thing, then your car breaks down and what do you do? or something else comes up where you feel you really need the money, and that's how it all starts. you don't need good credit to rent an apartment. You do if you want to buy a house, you can usually buy a car without credit if you can afford it, but if you don't have any credit they will rape you with interest fees. just wait a couple years, unless you have rich parents.
Q: How do you get a credit card with bad credit?
I am trying to pick my credit score back up off the floor and have heard that you can do this by applying for credit cards and making the payments on them. Nice! Except, I went through a divorce and my credit is now lowsy. I pay all my bills on time and have a decent job, yet credit card companies don't give me the time of day. Does anyone know of a company that will work with a credit slacker like me?
A: Aply for a credit card of a small amount i.e. $300,00 at CAPITAL ONE or your bank, saying you need a credit card to purchaise things trough the internet. After maybe 2 months they put your credit up ond so one. After that your credit repport will be better recognised and you start to have better chances.Like I do I allways pai in before the time and sometimes i put my credit card in credit of £100,00 pounds to schau Them I'm a honest coustmor.And sometimes when I go to the bank they offer me credits and I have a low ballance money in the Bank, but allways in credit. Good luck.
Q: How do I switch credit cards and not affect my credit score?
I want to get a frequent flyer credit card but I already have 3 credit cards with generous limits. I don't need these credit cards and I would like to cancel them and have this "possible credit" to go towards the new card. I heard once that canceling a credit card has a negitive effect on your credit score. Is this true? If so, how do I switch credit cards and avoid affecting my credit score in a bad way?
A: Yes, it is true. Having active credit cards on your record is no problem. It shows that card issuers are willing to extend credit. If these cards have no balance on them, you should have no trouble getting a new card. Apply and start using it.
If there are balances on your other cards, it is a different issue. You should pay them off, or transfer them to the card with the lowest interest rate and pay that off as quickly as possible. Then make sure you never have a balance on a card that exceeds about 30 percent of the credit limit.
Paying the monthly charges in full each month is the best policy. It also means not paying any interest.
Q: What credit score is needed to get the best fixed rate for consolidating accounts?
Any suggestions on how to raise credit scores in the range of 597-607 received from all 3 credit reporting agencies.
I have 2 mortgages which was done by the mortgage company a couple years ago to help my credit and both have high rates, 1 car loan, 5 credit cards, and a small loan company. I have been paying more on my credit cards the last 3 or 4 months to get the balances down. I want to consolidate the mortgages and the car loan in the future. But, not sure how high a credit score needs to be for the best fixed rate.
Thank you for any help.
A: There are ways to improve the score within a week and position the file for a better rate than you will get with that score.
I write a blog and covered this. Check it out.
Q: What is the best credit card I can get to start building my credit with? Or how can I start building my credit?
Can I start building my credit by paying for things with my bank card and telling them to charge it on credit? (I do not know much about how to build my credit so please help me!)
Question: Best credit card to get to starting building credit and can I build my credit by using my bank card and telling them to charge it on credit instead of debit?
A: I agree that car loans and mortgages are better indicators of credit. If you plan to use a credit card, please pay on time. Late payments are never helpful for your credit. If you already have a bank card, why not check with your local bank about about credit cards they offer. Please remember to read the fine print on any card application. I have used the below informational website for expert information on various types of credit cards. Shopping around for the best credit card that suits your needs is also important. Many companies offer credit cards with no annual fees, cash back, reward points, etc...Good luck
Q: How do I get a credit report with out a credit card or checking account?
I spent some time in jail and my credit card expired. Currently I have no checking account or active credit card. How do I get a credit report? All the sites I have seen require a valid active credit card.
A: You are entitle to one free report per year. I'm not sure how it works if you don't have an account/card as they usually use this to confirm your identity or sting you for payment after your free trial has run out!
Also you can find some advice here...
http://credit-report-free.totalh.com
Have a nice day.
Q: How many credit cards should you have to rebuild credit?
I am trying to rebuild my credit after ID theft, a couple of problems that were mine and years of basically not having any credit reported. (I primarily use my debit card and pay cash for everything). I make good money now and am trying to rebuild in order to purchase a condo in the next couple of years. My good accounts (rental, club, cable, cell, etc.) have not reported my good credit. So how many cards should I take out that will help boost my credit score but not hinder my credit. Thank you!
A: I would take out no more than 2. I would start out with a secured card. Granted you would have to put a deposit upfront to secure a line of credit, but the deposit would also garner interest while you're proving your creditworthiness. You could start out small, like $200-300 or larger like $1000-2000. Either way, I strongly suggest you to continue to use your debit card and pay cash like you've been doing, and make small purchases that you can pay off in full every month (around $20-50). I would only use the credit card in dire emergencies. After the secured card becomes unsecured, then you could receive offers for other cards, but chances are just the one card could work just as well. Be sure to dispute anything that was involved in the identity theft and make sure that you have a POLICE REPORT. Your "good accounts" (rental, club, cable, cell, etc.) CAN be reported through this reporting agency called PRBC. (http://prbc.com/default.php?) This is for REAL. You can have your good credit reported and complied in a scored report that can be considered with your traditional credit reports. It's become increasingly popular and I'm certain that it will help you out immensely.
Q: How is a credit card considered a written contract instead of an open account?
I am being sued by a collection agency for an old (over 3 years) Visa credit card debt. I live in Alabama and the Statue of Limitations on Open Accounts is 3 years. I hired an attorney but he says that I probably will have to settle because it is not an open account but a written contract account which has a SOL of 6 years. He says this because the collection agency produced a piece of paper that I signed when I opened the account (basically it's the credit card application). I researched on my own and most information that I found says that credit cards are always open accounts. I did find one place (Wiki Answers) where someone said that credit cards could be written contracts. Is my attorney wrong or can this indeed be a written contract in some way. I really need to know before I go to court. Please give me some type of solid backup to your answer and not just your opinion.
A: Sorry I can't give you a definite answer, but if the Alabama courts have found credit cards to be a form of a written contract, then article 2 of the UCC would be irrelevant. I've found anecdotal evidence to suggest this is the case, but nothing firm. I did find examples of other cases in other states where the courts ruling seemed contraindicative of the UCC, and was based partly on UCC limitations - meaning it looks like there definitely is a chance (depending on EXACTLY what was included in that signed piece of paper the collection agency produced) that your credit card account qualifies as a written contract.
If you're unsure, you could try contacting another attorney from Legal Aid for a free second opinion, although I doubt your attorney would give such seriously erroneous information. I know that there legal fees are ginormous, but why not ask him to spell it out to you, show you previous cases where this ruling was upheld, etc.
Q: What credit card should I go for citi bank or bank of america?
I have a credit score of 700 and wanting another credit card. I was thinking about citi bank or bank of america. What one should I get? I only have one other credit card from Wumu. I want a credit card that report to the 3 credit bureaus every month. Anyone has either one of these cards, if so, what one did you like and why?
A: Definitely NOT Bank of America.
They recently upped peoples APR without any explanation or reason; it was all over the news. Try a company that's a little less shady. There are plenty of horror stories of what this company has done to their consumers.
Q: How do you lower your credit limit without lowering your overall credit score?
I have only have one revolving credit card, and I have a very high credit score. Because of this overall score they subsequently increase my credit line, even though I don't ask for or use this revolving line of credit. Question? I have been told if you ask for a credit line decrease they lower your overall credit score? Why? What can you do to minimize a lowered credit score?
A: Your talking about your debt to credit ratio which makes up 30% of your overall score.
If your balance is really low and your new credit limit reflects no more then 30% usage, your score will not be affected.
If however your new limit makes your debt to credit ratio over 30% your score will take a hit.
There is nothing wrong with having a high limit as a matter of fact it's good since it makes it hard to exceed 30%.
It's not the credit you have that matters it's how you manage it that counts.
Q: What is the best credit card to start my credit?
I recently turned 18 and im in a great living situation. i live with my dad, make about 1000 a month and im a musician. I wanted to buy a new bass and amp, but more importantly need to start my credit. I already have the money to buy the bass today, but i wanna see if i can start my credit with this purchase.The stores i went to say i need at least a 700 score to apply for their credit.
Is there any credit i can apply for, without having to pay financing and apr and so on without having credit to begin with. My plan is to buy the bass with credit, pay it off right away, and probably cancel the card right after.
A: From what I understand, for the long term if you consistently make your payments on time, Chase is the credit card company that improves your credit rating the best. This information came from my mortgage broker during our first consultation when applying for a mortgage and discussing credit reports.
For someone just starting out, your goal will be to find any reputable credit card company willing to offer you credit and be diligent about paying off your entire balance every month so you won't have to worry about the APR. Quickly, a few months to a year, they will raise your credit and you will be able to access other cards that have the low APR you truly want. Do not choose any credit offers that have yearly membership fees or extra out of pocket fees, there are plenty that do not.
Try not to cancel credit cards. It's better to just not use the card ever again. When your credit score is calculated, it uses debt to credit ratio, a paid off, open card improves that ratio.
Q: How can I get my credit card company to report account information?
I got my credit report today and it shows that my total credit amount is $300 and I have $296 available. After further inspection I noticed that only one credit card had reported a credit limit/max balance and that all of my credit cards hadn't been reported since April. Is there an effective way to contact the credit card companies and get them to report accurate and up to date information to the credit bureaus? I feel that this issue is affecting my credit score, so I would like to fix this.
Thanks in advance.
A: They only report every 6 months. Some do it sooner, but that's rare.
Q: What credit cards are made so that you are instantly approved or denied?
I preferably need a studen credit card (to build up my credit-seeing as how I do not have any line of credit). I just need to know which credit cards/student credit cards instantly approve/deny you or at least you find out some sort of answer within a few hours.
A: Actually most of the companies allow you to apply online instantly. But you have to find the right card that you can apply for. To do this, goto the following site and find the card you want in student section and apply online. This site only has cards that you can apply and get a decision instantly. Good luck!
Q: No credit, How do I start and what is a good credit card for a beginner\r?
I am 20 years old and after trying to get a card for a store I find I have 0 credit history. I have never owned a credit card and want to pick a good one to start bulding credit. Does anyone know a good card to go with that has low interest? Heck if you have any credit tips it would be helpful too...Thanks!
A: Usually gas cards are the easiest to get.
You might try a Master card but Capital One has some really low interest rates. Ask for $500 and start charging and paying off the total balance each month.
The card company will soon get fed up and up your limit hoping that you will start paying interest
Q: My credit card balance is over 50%. How long will it take my credit score to go back up?
Hi. I recently just got my first credit card ever and used it to make a $1600 purchase. The credit limit is $3000, so obviously I'm over 50% of the balance, and I just learned that's bad for credit scores. I expect to be able to pay off the purchase in the next two or three months. Will my credit score go back up immediately after I get the balance on my card down, or will it take a while? Thanks.
A: Once your percent gets to below 30% of your available credit, you will see improvements. They lower the percentage, the higher your potential score is.