Young Adults Building Credit, Choosing Cards

“I can’t refinance because my credit sucks. The only way to build my credit right now is a credit card with a $200 limit and student loan payments which I haven’t been able to afford since I got this damn car. [re: This may be the wrong sub, but I’m looking for advice about my car loan.]”

“Hello. i just have a quick question i got my first credit card in june with rbc and an amex simplycash 2 month ago both have a 1k$ limit. submitted by /u/OldBee5911 [link] [comments]”

“You can go to creditkarma and request a copy of your credit report everyday. It'll give you all the dates and amounts. Set a reminder to check it daily/weekly/monthly/whenever for your spreadsheet. [re: Citi Bank won't tell me when my account was opened?]”

“Stop thinking of your credit score as a resource to spend. A good credit score removes a barrier to getting the best rates on loans, services, etc. that use your credit score. You don't "make your score work harder" - you review your expenses and look for opportunities to decrease them, and as a result of your score, you get better offers for financing and insurance than someone with a lower score. [re: 795 credit score, no card debt, own home. How do I make it work harder?]”

“can’t really “use” a decent credit score. just make some things you were already going to do a little tiny bit easier and cheaper. [re: 795 credit score, no card debt, own home. How do I make it work harder?]”

“Me neither. [re: 795 credit score, no card debt, own home. How do I make it work harder?]”

“dude, just use 1 checking account and use a credit card for your bills. [re: Do I need a third checking account?]”

“I just have one account and an excel that I use along with a credit card as credit score is necessary for me if I want to purchase a house. At the end of the day however do what makes the most sense for you. [re: Do I need a third checking account?]”

“A 672-691 credit score sucks?? Not really. It's not higher because I don't have history. I only have 2 credit cards that I owe $179. That's my only debt that is affecting my score. The other is student loans, still less than most people's student loan debt. And I'm a year from finishing school. I don't owe anything on my repo. I mean listen I'll take all the advice I can get as long as it's good advice that makes sense, so I'm going to get the $4K cash car whe”

“Which credit cards should I keep or close after rebuilding my credit? I’m currently rebuilding my credit, with FICO scores of **592 (Experian) and 615 (TransUnion)**. I have around $8K in credit card debt and plan to pay it off by summer 2027. **My current cards:** Chase Freedom Student — $2,200 (2nd old acc - Jun 2022) Zolve Classic — $1,500 (oldest acc - Apr 2022) Capital One Platinum — $1,000 Capital One SavorOne — $500 Robinhood Gold — $500 Apple Card — $500 Indigo — $1,000 Credit One X5 - $”

“Hi! I'm 22f and recently graduated with a part time job, not the most income but it's something.. I'm planning to move to the UK in a year for grad school and am hesitant what card to get or if I should get one. I'll be in the US until then and am currently living at home, but desperately want to have independence. I'm pretty lost as I didn't grow up with financial literacy, but am trying to educate myself about it. Would appreciate any advice. submitted by /u”

“I signed up for Robinhood yesterday and I got a invitation today, I heard the card was really good, but I don't feel like I'll get approved, I just got my first credit card yesterday with discover it and have no credit history yet... But I also have some fears of missing out on the offer for awhile because I heard it's hard to get invited again later, should I wait till the near end of the offer date and somewhat test my luck or should I just give it up because it will probably just”

“I've been thinking about Langely If they allow us to apply for two cards with one pull (well according to some reddit posts), then it makes sense to wait until I can support 3000+1500 of spend in 90 days and then grab both the langley 200 bonus and the other langely card 100 bonus But then that level of spend requirement puts it in competition with the business credit cards giving 500 bonuses for spending 5000, which I generally can't hit that level of spending unless I know I have a spe”

“You should use Apple/Google Pay since those require biometrics or a password to activate, meaning transactions are less likely to decline. You can look into the Flex card that people posted about recently, seems to be made for super high spenders. [re: Best Card - if money is no object, anywhere]”

“nfcc.org is their website. [re: Whats the best credit rebuild card? I don't have enough for a secure card.]”

“Thought I'd post this to share my experience of trying to get the Venture X. I first applied in April 2025 with a Credit Score of 750 FICO with: AOD Visa Signature $5k CL AAA Daily Advantage $5.5k CL USBank Altitude Connect $1.5k CL USBank Altitude Go Secured $300 CL $270k Mortgage Denied due to too many revolving accounts Got pre-approved in early October 2025. Differences: Paid down Mortgage a little Opened another $15k "credit card"/home improvement LoC. Still about $11k balance”

“Authorized users are generally not responsible for the debt. [re: JP Morgan Chase Card I don't recognize showed up on my credit report. Lots of confusing things about it, wondering what to do.]”

“Hey everyone! i don't see myself doing this often. realistically whenever i need to get a new credit card. (need, want, however you wanna phrase this) what im thinking currently is, export my spend data for all my cards, then chuck them into AI of sorts (or something you guys suggest) to review my spend and suggest which cards out of a list i gave it would be best. found tiller but seems paid? rocket money (Per ai) doesn't do much of a deep dive into data. thoughts? submitted by &#”

“Usa 450 credit (yes i know I absolutely screwed myself) trying to fix this. So far all I see are cards that wanna take advantage 300$-500$ initial fees with 28-30% apr. Im approved for the quicksilver but I dont have 200$ for the initial fee as im over extended with debt as it is. I primarily wanna use this for gas as it would give me some breathing room. So far resounding no with discover, visa, everyone i can find. I applied to AAA as ive heard thats a good approval rate with a decent card but”

“Recently went through hardship losing my only source of income and had to max my credit/was unable to pay back for 3 months. I’m now in a position where my new bonus covers the majority but I called and they said even if I pay them my accounts will continue to stay closed. They were with a reputable us bank with a combined limit of 4000 and I worked hard to get that and now my credit is back to the low 400s and honestly I’m quite stressed about not having any credit at all. Not sure what to do i”

“Noooo my credit cards are only $179 out of a $600 limit. The only loans I have are student loans but I'm still in school so I don't have to pay the off yet and they don't build interest yet. No new line of credit. But I have gotten 7 denials and hard inquiries. I will absolutely just continue to build on my savings, build credit, build income, and stop applying for auto loans. [re: **Need honest advice on getting approved for a car loan after multiple denials*"]”

“Hello Reddit, I’m a 23yr old male with a 755 score. I have been steadily and safely building my credit since I was 18 but I want to change it up a bit and start maximizing my earnings potential! These are the cards I currently hold. The Altitude Go being my oldest. AmEx Blue Cash Preferred (AF$95) Rewards * * Limited 6% on Groceries per year at us supermarkets Unlimited 6% on select us streaming subscriptions Unlimited 3% on rideshare, parking, trains, busses, taxis and tolls Unlimited 3% at gas”

“It’s almost been a year since I got my first credit card, the Discover it Chrome. I wanted the Discover it Cash Back, but I think as a first credit card you couldn’t get that. Now that I'm getting close to having the card for a year, I'm trying to figure out what would be the best move for both building my credit and maximizing cash back. I'm considering two options: Product change my Chrome to the Discover it Cash Back. Apply for a second card (the Discover it Cash Back) and keep my”

“$300 in credit is what my starter card gave me. Don’t worry about it being low now, just set it up to autopay some bills and pay that statement balance in full and on time every month and you’ll build credit over time. For reference, I’m 41 now and have $68,500 in available credit being reported to the agencies, $50,000 cap on “no preset spending limit” AmEx charge cards’ “pay over time”, and my FICO score has ranged from 800-850 for the past 4 years. [re: I just want some comparison to know how”

“Nothing wrong, just the result of a likely very thin credit profile. If you need a higher limit you can always apply for a secured card. Otherwise just use the one you got dilgently. Pay it in full every month, and don't exceed you limit even by just a buck or two. Building a good credit profile takes time. [re: I just want some comparison to know how BAD a 300$ credit limit is]”

“You are fine, people that complain about credit limits are overly egotistical, and want the opportunity share that they have high limits. Credit is a marathon, stay with it. [re: I just want some comparison to know how BAD a 300$ credit limit is]”

“They don't know you so they started you with a "starter limit" to see how you do. Think of it as a test. Your credit score is a grade that tells how responsible you are. Use it like a debit card & pay back in full if you can before the statement closes. Over time your scores will grow & since you always & pay back on time, every 6 months you can ask for Credit limit Increases that'll give you Higher limits...... and that by itself grows your scores. [re: I just want”

“This is very interesting to me. It seems really appealing to me. Between my family credit card payments and mortgage we are at 7K a month. We get points or benefits on most of that of course but adding mortgage to the mix would be pretty enticing [re: What are you takes on Bilt credit card?]”

“While $300 is your credit limit, also keep credit utilization in mind as it can help or hurt your credit score. It's recommended to use less than 30% of your available credit limit each billing cycle... And to pay the full balance by the due date. Using more signals that you may be financially overextended or having trouble paying your bills. [re: I just want some comparison to know how BAD a 300$ credit limit is]”

“I just recently turned 18 and I wanted to start building credit score right away aiming, I do not have money issues and I'm pretty responsible with my money so I try to save most of it, I make around 16-18k a year. I just applied for the discover it card which people reccomended was best for beginners and I assumed I was getting maybe a 500-600$ credit limit considering I saw that 500-1000$ was low. So I was really shocked to find I was approved for 300$. People are already upset with a 1000”

“Soft inquiry. You can do it in the app. [re: What 1.5%, 2%-7% cash back card are you currently using?]”

“My new Kroger card also has a much higher APR compared to my old U.S. Bank Kroger card. I have rating that fluctuates between 830-850 depending on method and measurement timing. I accepted the card because I'm not going to pay the interest anyway. I'll clear it out each month. [re: Kroger Launched New Credit Card with No Annual Fee]”

“1 - Never listen to Credit Karma recommendations. CK is a marketing site that makes money off of you applying for cards through them. They have their best interest in mind, not yours. CK recommendations historically have been notoriously inaccurate. 2 - Credit is approved or denied because of your overall credit profile, not your scores. You mentioned a score, but didn't disclose which of the dozens of credit scores you're speaking of. Hopefully it's a meaningful FICO score and not a”

“Is it worth holding both at the same time? I'm worried about having too many cards to manage. Partially why I did a product change from the student since they all kind of overlap [re: How to get Chase SUB with existing Chase card?]”

“I appreciate your thoughts. I really feel like I wasn’t warned, but I take full responsibility for requesting the CLI. [re: WF credit line increase was a hard inquiry]”

“Hello! I’m pretty dumb to credit cards (picking atleast) but man am I good at paying them off. Never missed a payment, typically pay off the total balance each month (roughly $2000 to the credit card every month) but I’m starting to think I could have better ones? I currently have a citi double cash card and a Amazon prime chase Visa card Any recommendations? Or keep them? Not that I particularly have issues with mine, but they don’t seem common, and credit karma is showing me a bunch that seem”

“Hi, I’m 21 years old and I have $8,000 worth of credit card debt…I know it’s stupid but I needed to use it because I got kicked out at 18 and had to do something. I’m just asking for some advice. I have an apartment it’s not the best apartment, it has mold but I got what I could and I’m glad I did. I have accumulated so much debt with the credit card company but the minimum payments were too much and I fell behind and now it’s impossible to catch up, I don’t know what to do anymore. I have tried”

“Thank you not much but steady growing [re: Need advice for good credit card poor credit]”

“congrats on the promotion and on starting your savings! proud of you turning things around dude [re: Need advice for good credit card poor credit]”

“Part of “building credit” means you need to stay on top of what you charge on the card and being able to pay everything off when the statement comes due. It’s concerning you don’t know what has gone to collections and are looking to get another credit card. Enjoy the cruise but please figure out what’s going on with your credit history and also get organized so you don’t fall into unpaid/late credit card bills. [re: Need advice for good credit card poor credit]”

“So that's why it fell off your credit report. Old debts fall off after 7 years. [re: Need advice for good credit card poor credit]”

“Hi all, questions about holds and credit. I have only a discover card and a capitol one card. When using them for things like hotels, rental cards etc, the businesses explain that there's a hold that will lower my available limit and be removed upon completion of the pending transaction after check out/return etc. I understand this and have read as much on the credit card companies websites. What I don't understand is: my available credit has seemingly never gone down from a hold. Enterp”

“Hello I’m going on a cruise next month and it’s best to have a credit card. I was trying to figure out what would be the best one to get for me my score is 594 I have low credit history and an old capital one credit account that did go to collections but fr some reason doesn’t show up on my credit report. Any advice is welcomed. I know a secured card with at least a $200 deposit is probably my best option, but I’m wondering which one would be best for my situation. Any recommendations or persona”

“Please use the banks and/or card issuer's preappoval tools before getting hit with an hard inquiry on your credit report. Recently, I have had luck using Credit Karma for two Citi Cards. The Credit Karma Citi links to a preappoval portal to see if you would qualify for the card before getting hit with a hard credit inquiry. Also, there are a few banks that have rules like 5/24 with Chase. The 5/ 24 rule is that if you have 5 or more accounts open with in the last two years you will be denied”

“Unless it’s your card, there is no impact to score, which holds true for any card. [re: I opt out of PenFed Pathfinder last month but no impact to credit score]”

“Okay, thank you! Ill look into this one [re: Card Recommendations for Someone Who Just Got Their Credit Under Control]”

“No, their comment was full of bad information and credit myths. See the reply by u/BrutalBodyShots , he's giving good information here. [re: Will it hurt my credit if I close a credit card I just paid off?]”

“Closing any credit card has no impact on your score. [re: I opt out of PenFed Pathfinder last month but no impact to credit score]”

“The credit limit itself doesn't factor in, but your overall usage does. The only way the loss of a card's limit is a credit problem is if it causes your utilization to go up past the next threshold for aggregate utilization and you're in credit card debt and you're going to be applying for something important before you can pay off that debt and that points loss drops you down a tier as far as the bank is concerned. What's the risk in keeping the account open? Missed payments”

“They're correct. It appears you're confused about how credit works. Instead of blocking them, why not try to learn from them? u/BrutalBodyShots is one of the most knowledgeable people here. [re: Will it hurt my credit if I close a credit card I just paid off?]”

“So I use to have pretty bad credit around 2020-2025 and built up a bunch of debt. Recently in May I was able to pay all of it off and my credit score went up higher than its ever been! So now I'm looking for actually good cards that I can get and phase out some these terrible cards. All recommendations and thoughts are appreciated! Here's my info: Current cards: - Target Circle Card, $1,100, Oct '21 - Victoria's Secret Mastercard, $1,000, Aug '20 -Fortiva Credit Card, $1,300,”

“I opt out of PenFed PathFinder credit card because of the new annual fee and they closed my account. I thought this will impact my credit score but I am not seeing card closure in credit report or any change to my credit score. Can someone explain if is this normal? I was told closing credit card will impact the credit score but that doesn’t seem true for pathfinder. submitted by /u/Positive-Cod9116 [link] [comments]”

“I’m a 20yo, and I’ve never had a credit card. I recently got a job again after not having one for two months, and in that time I used all my savings on rent and food. This month I finally found a job again, but it wasn’t in time because they pay biweekly and I’ll only get one check. I need to pay by November first, so I don’t have a lot of time. I need to do something immediately to borrow 150-200 dollars from someone in order to cover it, but I’ve never had a credit card and I don’t trust ai ge”

“The credit limit itself doesn't factor in, but your overall usage does. Right, and utilization doesn't build credit at all . This concept is so incredibly misunderstood (it's the biggest myth in credit) that this sub has an AutoMod reply that addresses it. The AutoMod reply is already found within this thread, so definitely check it out. What's the risk in keeping the account open? Unused accounts that are kept open unnecessarily are likely to go unmonitored. That's when prob”

“The credit limit itself doesn't factor in, but your overall usage does. If he has combined $100k limit, and with all cards combined has a $10k balance, that's 10% usage If he cancels that card and has a $15k limit for example, that leaves $85k limit, with a $10k balance is about 11-12% usage. Not the biggest different of course, but that credit usage plays a factor. What's the risk in keeping the account open? It's okay to disagree. That's why I said in my opinion. I wanted t”

“Freeze your credit with all three credit bureaus and you won't be temped to open credit cards without serious thinking. Sure I open credit cards but it takes more work and I have to really want it. Trust me I got plenty of credit cards including a Macy's card that I've had for over 20 years! [re: Should I cancel macy’s credit card?]”

“I don't know if this post belongs here, but I'm a 35 year old male struggling at adulting. I got an email yesterday from American Express stating that they are doing a review of my account for a possible credit limit reduction. With the state of the economy and the job market, has anyone else gotten a credit limit reduction or is it just me? I'm fortunate to have a job, but it doesn't pay enough and I keep applying for better paying jobs and for part time jobs to supplement my in”

“Yes. You never know what will happen in the future. It’s better to be prepared for it than regret it down the road. [re: Do I “need” to build credit?]”

“I’m confused why almost all of my peers (early-mid 20s, I’m 22 myself) believe credit is a necessity. I’ve never had a credit account before. Apart from student loans, I’ve no debt and everything I own was paid for in full (including 2 cars, worth about $20,000 in total). I really don’t want to open a credit account but folks (mostly younger people) make it sound like I won’t qualify for a mortgage or be able to handle emergencies without one. submitted by /u/8rings_86k [link]”