Should College Students Have a Student Credit Card?
Unexpected expenses seem to happen when college students are away from home. Cars break down, meals may need to be purchased and college supplies can be expensive. Having a good student credit card helps build a solid credit history.. helps college students learn to stick to a budget.. and have peace of mind knowing that every time they run into an emergency they won’t have to call home for money.
College students should carefully review the various options for student credit cards. Many offer cash back or other rewards on specific purchases. College students who learn the value of student credit cards can make a good first step towards building their credit history.
Review all student credit cards and confirm the interest rates. While it may be tempting to accept one of the credit cards offering a 0% introductory interest rate.. the regular interest rate is the one that should dictate your choice for the best student credit card for your purposes. This is important.. since you are likely to have balances on the credit card long after the introductory period has expired.
Making a Budget and Sticking to it:
While most student credit cards have a fairly low beginning credit limit, it is easy for college students to run up their balance and then struggle to make the payments each month. Since the primary reasons for college credit cards is to build credit and have access to funds for emergencies, it’s a good idea to make a budget and stick to it.
College students should determine how much money they have available on a monthly basis to pay a credit card bill and should do their best to stay within their budget. This will prevent them from overspending and possibly damaging their credit as well.
Should College Students Get a Prepaid Student Credit Card?
While it may appear on the surface that a prepaid credit card for students is a good idea.. there are some reasons you should avoid them. Primarily.. prepaid credit cards will not help college students in their goal to begin establishing their credit history. These cards do have some advantages.. such as making sure one cannot overspend, but in the long run a prepaid card may not the best option.
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