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I barely know anything about what credit is or why it is good to have "good crdit". All I know is that one needed a credit card to have a credit history, and I assume obeying the rules of the card means you get better history.

So my mother wants me to get a credit card, but since I lack a real job(I have a temp position of doing work study at my school), should I even bother for applying for a card, and id obtained one, use it to establish my credit so I do not jeporidize myself in the future when I need to rent a place?

Ro Siv
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There are some things having a credit card makes much easier -- reserving a hotel room or renting a car, for example, or ordering stuff on line. The effect on apartment-rental options should be minimal, but in some markets having a card (or more accurately having a credit rating) may make a difference.

I didn't get a credit card until I was 22 or so. (I didn't get a driver's license until then either.) At the time, that wasn't a problem at all. I suspect that, really, it still isn't -- if you don't have a specific need for a credit card, you really may not need one. It does help provide a bit of emergency safety net, which may be why your mother is suggesting uou get one -- but it also may present a temptation to buy things faster than you can really afford them, which is a nasty trap to get into. The interest rate on credit cards is moderately obscene.

If you can get a no-yearly-fee card, and if you can trust yourself to always pay off any charges immediately short of a true emergency, having the card will do no harm and may be helpful. If you have to pay for it, or if you expect to ever be tempted to keep a balance on it for more than 30 days, think twice.

keshlam
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It can make a lot of sense to get a card when one is a student as some places like car rentals often work better with credit cards than other forms of payment. The key though to my mind is to beware of annual fees on credit cards as if you aren't going to use it much there can be fees of $50-150 for a card each year that aren't likely what you want to have for the sake of having a card. Also, beware of whether you'd have a secured card as some cards can have their limit tied to a bank account that is another point to beware out there.

JB King
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