ok I did my application on apple.com for the juniper visa card which is through Barclays...

now.. It asked for rent.. and I do not pay rent. I asked the help desk person what to do. He said to put zero... well.. I got denied.. even for the platinum version( for 5k).. I'm kinda worried... I hope my identity wasn't stolen..

I can't call their customer service.. its completely useless.. cant use the email for them since its for card holders... I'm really confused. They said they will be sending the reason for my denial in the mail.. maybe a number to call someone will be in it...

I also got an email from geico regarding my credit history.. From what I know I have never had a card... I'm seriously worried.....

I got a good Mastercard through Chase. Go through a legit place for your cards. Your only going to get $500-$1k for your first card.

The only way to get a much larger limit is to either make and spend a lot of money, or if your parents make like $300k a year and your on their cards they will give you a ton.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Don, you should have gone through someone like Bank of America or one of the other biggies to get your card....


I started out on a Visa From Bank of America, and used that for two years... Built up my credit, and got my American Express Card.......



Its a sweet deal. Start small, dont go for that Super Uber Platinum Card right off the bat.... Go get like a gold card or something...

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

sears... But.. I don't buy alot from sears.. my car is running fine .. though I do need some jack stands

this week I will look into the fine details of the stuff...

Don't apply to TOO MANY places, at once, it shows up on your Credit history in a negative way.

Make just one choice apply for a card, to start, but make a it GOOD one, that will guarantee you the issuance of a card.

For example, with your employment history a card from Nordstrom's or Sears with a $300 limit, should go through. Maybe your parents might co-sgin for the first one.

Better yet would be one single bank credit card with a modest limit on it.
Make a couple of small purchases with it and pay them off promptly then your good credit history will be off and rolling. The credit limits and future credit offers WILL come after that, be sure.

Kind of like the old "can't get a job because I have no experience, and I can't get experience without having a job" kind of conundrum.

Your first one might only have a $400-$500 limit on it but it would be enough to put you on your way.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Don, which bank do you bank with? They will usually offer you a credit card through them in some form or another of either a Mastercard and or a Visa. There is little chance that they will give you platinum status without being an additional cardholder on a very creditworthy family member.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Since you are starting out on the road to building credit, I would guess that the APRs being offered to you aren't worth a damn (i.e. 21% or so). Many contain annual fees, and penalties for late payments and such are pretty stiff in those cases...read the fine print.

Like the others have posted, get a card through a bank. Better yet, a debit VISA or MC. Unless you plan on renting a car, or charging for stuff regularly, I would steer clear of traditional credit cards for now.

It's far too easy to charge up to the limit and get in trouble in short order...run away from the dark side!!!

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Ding ding! We have a winner. Nobody knows your credit story better than your own bank. They'll be the first.

As for a Platinum? That's a tad lofty. I didn't get my first platinum card until I was in Iraq and wasn't expecting much, but it was for Disney Visa with decent perks. Yeah, I was surprised as heck when I flipped it over and it said PLATINUM across the back! It's funny because I was just turned down for a gas card maybe a year before the deployment. The no-rent, been under contract with the same job for a few years, working for THE MAN (really helps as they WILL get their money) and oh yeah, I made good coin on deployment all contributed. Don't expect much while in college though.

I recently stopped paying for almost everything with cash. Credit cards are giving such nice rebates that I just make big payments each month when I get paid and only use plastic unless the vendor is going to charge me a fee for doing so (Tag office, tax collector, just about any county level gov't agency). It shows responsible use and you're earning benefits in the form of "cool points" or rebates that you wouldn't see with cash...and you're more protected that way too.

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-James

'85 280GE...sold
'96 Impala SS ~ 6-speed 396
'14 Cadillac Vagon. . . . . . . . . . "Life without knowledge is death in disguise." - Hans-Peter Geerdes

Good call...if illegal immigrants can get a card from BOA, anyone can! Personally I'm avoiding the Bank of Evil. I never had an account with them, and their new ATM fees are simply asinine.

Silly question, but have you tried here yet? http://www.pefcu.com/ That may be even better than your current bank...unless that's them.

__________________
-James

'85 280GE...sold
'96 Impala SS ~ 6-speed 396
'14 Cadillac Vagon. . . . . . . . . . "Life without knowledge is death in disguise." - Hans-Peter Geerdes

I don't even remember my first credit card. It was some campus thing from a booth in the student union. I put down email addresses for my contacts and they gave me one with a $500 credit limit.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

That's how I got my first. In fact, it was a fundraiser for our dorm where we got money for every application that was filled out.

6 years, 4 credit cards and $40,000+ in credit card debt later I decided it was time to smarten up. I'm still about a year away from paying the last remaining card off in full and it's been 10+ years.

Talk about pissing money away!

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Dayum!

I don't know how many cards I've got (some old department store cards (never use), Home Depot, Lowes, and a gas card or two)....they all stay in the safe with the exception of three. I also have daily credit monitoring - good credit is worth protecting.

1. AMEX - Delta SkyMiles We buy everything on this card. Pay off at end of month.

2. Mercedes-Benz Visa - In case a store doesn't take AMEX. I charge less than $100/mo so it's paid off too.

3. (Business) Visa - for business trips and expenses - paid off monthly.

Chase and BOA are decent first cards, stay away from Capital One because the charge fee's even if the card is not used, furthermore it's the #1 ding I see on otherwise perfect credit they seem to have the niche on screwing peoples credit for no reason.

With that said I have recently unburied myself from the deep hole that credit cards enable us to dig and now that I am out, it's Amex for extreme emergencies and my debit card.

You may be able to get a secured card from your local credit union or bank IMO that is the best way to go.

Yup, sadly so. Putting a couple of semesters at UConn on a card because I pissed away the money my parents had given me to get through 4 years of school didn't help.

Once I got out of school and into the real world I knew the hole I had dug. But I was determined to get myself out of my self-inflicted situation instead of the bankruptcy route (I know of a couple acquaintances who did file back when it was easy-sure seemed like a good idea at the time. Not so much looking at their situations now!).

I have 2 cards that I use regularly now. One for business so I can get the miles and the other used mainly for groceries and gas, that get paid of entirely or near-entirely every month. The third card is one of the leftovers that is down to the final $3K. I have a Sears and JC Penny card somewhere but we don't use them.

I am the poster-child of what not to do with your credit cards. While embarassed that I got myself into the situation, I am pretty proud that I was able to get myself out of it the right way. My credit score is just creeping up to the "Good" level now. It sure didn't take long for it to drop!

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Get in line...I have stories similar to yours, including my very first VISA out of college with a $2K credit limit. Charged an apartment's worth of furniture and ended up living hand to mouth for years! Had to eventually move back home in order to get my finances straightened out.

My advice to those with newly-acquired credit it to save all you can and hold off on frivoulous purchases that you cannot afford to pay for with cash. It's too easy to fall prey to easy credit spending, until the grim reaper arrives for collection each month.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car