etben | adulthood: how does it?

So, okay: I have never in my life had a credit card. This is something that baffles a lot of people, but it's true! My name is technically on my parents' card - it was supposed to be one of those "use it WISELY, pay it off, build credit" things parents do, but I have literally never once used it. Because...idek, paranoia? Being stuck in my ways? Failure to Adult? I have a debit card, I have a checkbook, I am FINE.

Except, okay, I'm 25, having a credit card is not actually an unimaginable thing to do, and possibly actually a good idea. Except...where do I even start? I have five accounts with four different banks (...don't even ask, my family does savings in a way that is the most special), do I talk to one of those? Except the bank that is local doesn't offer credit cards, so that's out. I get mailers from Southwest and stuff, but I feel like that is...somehow not a good plan? AUGH THIS IS SCARY AND BEWILDERING, GIVE ME ADVICE, I seriously have no idea what the fuck I am doing with this nonsense.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hi! As someone who got their first credit card (Capital One) at 16 from one of those pre-approved in the mail things (right after I got my first job), and have gotten most of my cards since then the same way, I can say that as long as you are willing to read all the fine print and pay them off each month, they are not necessarily a bad way to go? I got rid of the Capital One card because I didn't like their customer service after about five years, but by then had built up my credit rating and had the three cards I like now: the main one I use all the time is an HSBC Mastercard that I got the offer for unsolicited in the mail that gives me 2% cash back on everything. (I also have a Costco AmEx and a United Visa I just have in case.)

Something I didn't see mentioned, is that you will want to think about what cards are accepted in your area. I live in Oregon and can only talk about here; Visa and Mastercard are accepted pretty much everywhere, but some places will not take AmEx and more places will not take Discover, so think about that when choosing what card to get, especially if you are only going to have one.

/going back to lurking.

adulthood: how does it?

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