Got my first credit card

[movingsoon2 0]

Just adding my 2 cents since I've had similar experiences in the last 2 yrs since moving here from Canada. I have good Cdn credit which no one cared about, I even have seveal cdn credit cards, which they did not care about. I was turned down for Target card and even a joint card with my husband because basically Ididn't exist in the Us credit bureau system

- being added as an authorized user on your USC spouses card does NOT, I repeat NOT get you a credit history. Unless you apply for a joint card together where both of you are account holders, then it report to your credit history as well. an authoirized user is just someone who can use the card

- I applied for a secured card with Bank of America and was accepted last year. A very low limit but I have made monthly purchases and faithfully paid them off on time each month

- recently I received an unsolicited request for a Capital One credit card and was accepted. I now have an unsecured card....I suspect the application was the result of me now having 'some' credit history resulting from the secured card. I plan to cancel the secured card and get my deposit back after a few months.

Long story, but going the slow route works. And yes.....it ticks me off that I, as an adult of 39 with good credit, had to settle for a $300 dollar limit even with a great paying US job

Thanks for sharing this. That's exactly mine and most of the people's situation on here.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Just adding my 2 cents since I've had similar experiences in the last 2 yrs since moving here from Canada. I have good Cdn credit which no one cared about, I even have seveal cdn credit cards, which they did not care about. I was turned down for Target card and even a joint card with my husband because basically Ididn't exist in the Us credit bureau system

- being added as an authorized user on your USC spouses card does NOT, I repeat NOT get you a credit history. Unless you apply for a joint card together where both of you are account holders, then it report to your credit history as well. an authoirized user is just someone who can use the card

- I applied for a secured card with Bank of America and was accepted last year. A very low limit but I have made monthly purchases and faithfully paid them off on time each month

- recently I received an unsolicited request for a Capital One credit card and was accepted. I now have an unsecured card....I suspect the application was the result of me now having 'some' credit history resulting from the secured card. I plan to cancel the secured card and get my deposit back after a few months.

Long story, but going the slow route works. And yes.....it ticks me off that I, as an adult of 39 with good credit, had to settle for a $300 dollar limit even with a great paying US job

Hey Udella, I understand that being an authorized user on my husband's card does nothing for my credit, but do you know why it shows up on my credit report? I didn't pay to see my score, so I have no idea if it did anything to my score, but it definitely created a credit file for me, so I feel like it wasn't entirely useless.

I'm going to get a secured card in the next month or so to get the ball rolling.

Can anyone suggest a good bank or credit company to get the secured card from?

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Just adding my 2 cents since I've had similar experiences in the last 2 yrs since moving here from Canada. I have good Cdn credit which no one cared about, I even have seveal cdn credit cards, which they did not care about. I was turned down for Target card and even a joint card with my husband because basically Ididn't exist in the Us credit bureau system

- being added as an authorized user on your USC spouses card does NOT, I repeat NOT get you a credit history. Unless you apply for a joint card together where both of you are account holders, then it report to your credit history as well. an authoirized user is just someone who can use the card

- I applied for a secured card with Bank of America and was accepted last year. A very low limit but I have made monthly purchases and faithfully paid them off on time each month

- recently I received an unsolicited request for a Capital One credit card and was accepted. I now have an unsecured card....I suspect the application was the result of me now having 'some' credit history resulting from the secured card. I plan to cancel the secured card and get my deposit back after a few months.

Long story, but going the slow route works. And yes.....it ticks me off that I, as an adult of 39 with good credit, had to settle for a $300 dollar limit even with a great paying US job

Hey Udella, I understand that being an authorized user on my husband's card does nothing for my credit, but do you know why it shows up on my credit report? I didn't pay to see my score, so I have no idea if it did anything to my score, but it definitely created a credit file for me, so I feel like it wasn't entirely useless.

I'm going to get a secured card in the next month or so to get the ball rolling.

Can anyone suggest a good bank or credit company to get the secured card from?

Good question - we were told by the authorised user status didn't report to it. You don't need to pay to see your credit report though, it's free once a year.

Bank of America is the one I went with, not sure how many banks even offer them anymore. You can fill out the application (printed off from online) and then send the cheque along with it - that is what secures your limit.

Good luck!

[SapphireDreams 71]

Just adding my 2 cents since I've had similar experiences in the last 2 yrs since moving here from Canada. I have good Cdn credit which no one cared about, I even have seveal cdn credit cards, which they did not care about. I was turned down for Target card and even a joint card with my husband because basically Ididn't exist in the Us credit bureau system

- being added as an authorized user on your USC spouses card does NOT, I repeat NOT get you a credit history. Unless you apply for a joint card together where both of you are account holders, then it report to your credit history as well. an authoirized user is just someone who can use the card

- I applied for a secured card with Bank of America and was accepted last year. A very low limit but I have made monthly purchases and faithfully paid them off on time each month

- recently I received an unsolicited request for a Capital One credit card and was accepted. I now have an unsecured card....I suspect the application was the result of me now having 'some' credit history resulting from the secured card. I plan to cancel the secured card and get my deposit back after a few months.

Long story, but going the slow route works. And yes.....it ticks me off that I, as an adult of 39 with good credit, had to settle for a $300 dollar limit even with a great paying US job

Hey Udella, I understand that being an authorized user on my husband's card does nothing for my credit, but do you know why it shows up on my credit report? I didn't pay to see my score, so I have no idea if it did anything to my score, but it definitely created a credit file for me, so I feel like it wasn't entirely useless.

I'm going to get a secured card in the next month or so to get the ball rolling.

Can anyone suggest a good bank or credit company to get the secured card from?

Good question - we were told by the authorised user status didn't report to it. You don't need to pay to see your credit report though, it's free once a year.

Bank of America is the one I went with, not sure how many banks even offer them anymore. You can fill out the application (printed off from online) and then send the cheque along with it - that is what secures your limit.

Good luck!

Yes, I checked my credit report for free. The free version doesn't give you the score (unless if fdoes and I didn't see it) and I saw that my authorized user account is active and now on my credit report. I also researched online and found others who reported that when the card wasn't paid etc., their score was affected. So that's why I wonder if it does or does not impact it. I've heard people say yes and no.

I'm going to check out Bank of America, this is a branch in the main floor of the building I work in, thanks!

[SapphireDreams 71]

Well, yesterday Capitol One sent me a notice to apply for a credit card, so I went online and applied and I was approved. I don't know what the limit is yet, but I'm going to guess that it is low.

I'm going to guess that my husband adding me to 2 of his credit cards (which shows on my credit report) definitely helped. Now that I have a job we also have a higher household income.

I only plan to make 1-2 purchases a month and then paying them off right away to build my credit. Yay for building credit!

[lechatnoir 0]

I don't know if we got lucky or not but I just got my wife a Chase Freedom Visa card with no deposit and she does not have a job yet and she just came from Vietnam about 3 months ago. I put my income in as her house hold income and she got it. They sent her a letter asking for a copy of her social security card 1st and a copy of a utility bill but when we send that in a week later she got her new card.

Hi Dai_Tx, can you tell me if you got instant approval or if it said you will be notified by mail? Based on your post, I applied my husband for a chase freedom card. We didn't get denied instantly but it said he will be notified in 10-30 days. Also, did your wife have a credit file already?

My husband does not have a credit file and I cannot add him to any of my cards because I declared bankruptcy...so I don't have any! We also don't have a lot of money to just throw down on a secured card.

[SnME 3]

I don't know if we got lucky or not but I just got my wife a Chase Freedom Visa card with no deposit and she does not have a job yet and she just came from Vietnam about 3 months ago. I put my income in as her house hold income and she got it. They sent her a letter asking for a copy of her social security card 1st and a copy of a utility bill but when we send that in a week later she got her new card.

Hi Dai_Tx, can you tell me if you got instant approval or if it said you will be notified by mail? Based on your post, I applied my husband for a chase freedom card. We didn't get denied instantly but it said he will be notified in 10-30 days. Also, did your wife have a credit file already?

My husband does not have a credit file and I cannot add him to any of my cards because I declared bankruptcy...so I don't have any! We also don't have a lot of money to just throw down on a secured card.

You are funny!

You already PROVED that you can't manage your own money by declaring bankruptcy and you currently don't even have enough money for a secured credit card so what do you do next?

You went and applied for your husband a card!!!

My advice: SAVE some money and learn to handle it wisely before you go try to borrow more in your husbands name!

Without learning to save and manage your money, You will never get anywhere in life...

[lechatnoir 0]

LOL, no you are funny... thank you for taking it upon yourself to dole out judgement without cause. I can manage money just fine thank you. Perhaps I didn't declare bankruptcy because I decided to go crazy with spending? Perhaps I had to declare because I was unemployed for over 6 months and I had a house that was upside down by over 150,000 with a crappy economy?

And I happen to have applied for him because he ASKED ME TO!

And I need him to get some credit established so we can SAVE money not spend it! I get charged extra on my insurance because he has no credit, higher deposit on our apartment etc etc...

Please mind your own business. If I asked for financial advice then perhaps your comments would be warranted.

Edited November 16, 2009 by lechatnoir

[MissusM09 1]

LOL, no you are funny... thank you for taking it upon yourself to dole out judgement without cause. I can manage money just fine thank you. Perhaps I didn't declare bankruptcy because I decided to go crazy with spending? Perhaps I had to declare because I was unemployed for over 6 months and I had a house that was upside down by over 150,000 with a crappy economy?

And I happen to have applied for him because he ASKED ME TO!

And I need him to get some credit established so we can SAVE money not spend it! I get charged extra on my insurance because he has no credit, higher deposit on our apartment etc etc...

Please mind your own business. If I asked for financial advice then perhaps your comments would be warranted.

i so agree with that one. Doberman guy, YOu need to sit down. Well said.

I have tried unsucessfully to get a capital one card, sorry to say the only way to establish any credit here is with the unsecured card, someone here mentioned that you can get the application form online with bank of america, i havent seen this.( where is it???)...as i bank with them I was told by my banker to just come in and open one up. its a $300 minimum with B of A. Oh and if you do try to get one of these secured credit cards ( maybe it has been said) be aware that not all of them report to the credit reference agencies, and some are unscrupulous in how they charge folk who they know need the help, hidden fees and such.

oh I applied for about two cards in the last month, got turned down. I was told that this stays on your file for 6 years, so its not like the uk i believe where a search on your credit file has less impact after 3 months. Can someone clarify this for me.

Bankruptcy is an avenue many people are taking at the moment, what with being laid off, or getting reduced hours, some are being forced to go part time or take less pay. I live in Michigan, and I can tell you looking around here, its the good, the bad, and the ugly that are applying for bankruptcy as foreclosures increase and jobs decrease.

wish you and your husband all the best...

Edited November 17, 2009 by primahen

[Dai. 7]

I don't know if we got lucky or not but I just got my wife a Chase Freedom Visa card with no deposit and she does not have a job yet and she just came from Vietnam about 3 months ago. I put my income in as her house hold income and she got it. They sent her a letter asking for a copy of her social security card 1st and a copy of a utility bill but when we send that in a week later she got her new card.

Hi Dai_Tx, can you tell me if you got instant approval or if it said you will be notified by mail? Based on your post, I applied my husband for a chase freedom card. We didn't get denied instantly but it said he will be notified in 10-30 days. Also, did your wife have a credit file already?

My husband does not have a credit file and I cannot add him to any of my cards because I declared bankruptcy...so I don't have any! We also don't have a lot of money to just throw down on a secured card.

We didn't get instant approval, they notified us by mail that they needed some documents from my wife and after she submitted them they sent my wife a new credit card. My wife does not have a credit file what so ever. In Vietnam she has never even used a bank account.

I believe when you get married your credit does sort of merge together so If you have a bankruptcy and they check your husbands credit they will probably see that his spouse has declared bankruptcy. I believe they do the same in divorces also but I am not to sure as I have never been divorced.

Can you afford to put down $300 for a secured credit card? If you can't then I agree with some here that you should save your money and try to spend as wisely as possible instead of spending borrowed money. I got my wife a secured $300 credit card from bank of america where I bank so that she would have 2 credit cards on her credit profile so that she can get a good credit score after she moved to America.

[movingsoon2 0]

Since I received my Capitol One Card I made 2 small purchases for 2 months in a row, paid them off and they are increasing the limit on my card already. It's a great way to build credit history here in the States.

Still no green card though so I'm pretty stressed.

[lechatnoir 0]

Miss,

Thanks for your reply. You are totally right with the way the economy is lately... its crazy. I live in Northern VA where the property values were already incredibly inflated. I purchased my home in 2007 and within 2 years it dropped over 150,000 in value. I still can't believe it.

Inquries on your credit file remain for 2 years, not 6. Also, if you have no file yet and are applying for cards and get denied, it does not impact you at all...cause you have no file to record the inquery on. I even called the credit bureau to ask about that one.

Dai_Tx, thank you for the response as well! It gives me some hope then that maybe Chase will give my hubby one too. And no, your credit does not merge together when you get married. And a bankruptcy done by one individual will not show up on my husband's record. This happens if the couple share joint finances and debts but my husband still, has no credit file and it will not impact him. We don't even have the same last name...cause I refuse to change mine to his! And I have been divorced before as well, that does not impact your credit unless you had joint debts that were not paid off in the divorce.

I suppose I should have worded my post differently in that yes I could put 300 toward a card but I meant that I can't afford it because I would rather put that 300 to some other use than spending on a sign up fee, annual fee, etc... if I could find one that doesn't charge any crazy fees then perhaps I would be more willing to shell out 300. Even if we get an unsecured card it will be charged and paid off every month.

I just find it amusing when someone mentions the word bankruptcy and then automatically people start thinking that you are bad with money, can't handle your finances or stay within a budget... yes, some bankruptcies are caused by frivolous living that gets out of control but sometimes they are caused by other extenuating circumstances that are out of ones control. I think anyone would have a hard time finding money to pay your mortgage after being out of work for over 6 months with no unemployment. My best friend had to declare at one point not because of her spending or ability to pay her debts but because she nicely co-signed on a car loan for someone that decided he didn't want to pay it anymore and skip town... so guess who they came after for the full amount of the car? Yes, she shouldn't have co-signed and I bet she never will again... but it was not because of HER debts that she had to file.

Edited November 18, 2009 by lechatnoir

[SapphireDreams 71]

LeChatNoir - I didn't think that the inquiries I made would show up either, because they both said "No credit file" but when I checked my credit report they were both on there... which makes no sense I know.. but they were there and I had a file. But, that was after my hubby added me to his card as a secured user, so I'm wondering if that's what "created a file" for me... but the inquiries were before I was a secured user... i dunno it makes no sense to me!!

[Dai. 7]

Being that my wife has no credit history or credit profile and she doesn't have a job right now, she doesn't have any of her own income and her social security number is new , I think she got approved because of My salary. I got her the chase freedom card before I got her the secure credit card. Before her chase freedom card I inquired at 3 other companies. Go to creditcards.com they have a list of option secured credit cards there and they have tools that lets you compare with each of the companies. Link for cards for people with no credit history:

http://www.creditcards.com/no-credit-history.php

On that page you can see upside visa card that has no annual fees, or sign-up application fees. Personally I think this cards with annual fee report to credit bureaus more so you have a better chance in building/rebuilding your credit. With secured credit cards the money you deposit will be given back to you after you get a good credit history with that card company so you are basically investing on your husband credit future. That looks like your best option right now is to get a secured credit card if chase freedom doesn't go though.

[lechatnoir 0]

Thanks Dai! I have a really good salary too, so hopefully we will get that one. Thanks for the link as well, I believe we have some good options now.