Must-know facts about credit cards for college students
Have you just joined college and are finding it quite challenging to manage the financial aspects of your education? Then it is high time you seriously thought about getting yourself a credit card for college students. There are umpteen benefits of gaining a credit card while you are in college itself. These include:
- The most significant advantage of a credit card college students’ one is the fact that it enables the student to build an excellent credit score even before they require it, provided they use it carefully and wisely.
- Credit cards that levy no extra fee on foreign transactions are incredibly beneficial for students who are doing their education abroad
- The various rewards that the credit cards offer the students can help the students save a tidy sum of money.
For all this, you need to tactfully choose the best credit card for college students from the various offers available these days. Given below are some useful tips that will surely help you make your choice wisely.
- Choose a card that does not charge an annual fee
It is essential to find a good credit card that does not charge any fee annually for its usage. Suppose you find that your bank charges a specific fee, shop for another alternative. - Check into foreign transaction fee details
Suppose you have plans studying abroad; take time off to find a card that does not charge you any fee for conducting foreign transactions. The foreign transaction fee comes to around three percent and can even mount up while doing a semester abroad. - Be prepared for high rates of interest
Do not be shocked about the high-interest rates that will be levied on these cards as students have no history of credit. Be prepared to pay interest rates around 20 percent or more when you apply for a credit card as college students. But these interest rates will not matter provided the bills are paid in time entirely every month. - Don’t get overwhelmed by the rewards offered
Majority of the college student credit cards offers excellent rewards and cash back to the users. Although this, of course, seems extremely attractive, the total rewards earned will be quite nominal as there is a limit to how much one will spend being a college student.
Once you have already applied for a college student credit card, the next step is to ensure you use it practically and with caution. For this, you need to make sure that
- Ensure that you make all your monthly payments within the specified time limit. Ensure that the entire amount is paid up so that unwanted interest rates need not be paid.
- Ascertain that you conduct at least one transaction via your credit card every month. There needs to be some activity on your credit card to get a good credit score rating in future.
- Keep a check on your balance and utilization. The best credit score rating customers have utilizations way below ten percent. Suppose your credit limit happens to be around 500 dollars, ensure that you spend just around 50 dollars or even less each month.
- Make sure that you follow the above mentioned golden rules every year and every month till you finish college. Following these tips are sure to help you ensure an excellent credit rating once you come you come out of college and begin earning.
- One card is more than enough: Although the temptation to get more than one credit card may be very strong, stick to a single credit card to see you right through college. Bear in mind the fact that every new application for a credit card will cause a dip in your credit score ratings. And moreover, the number of credit cards you have with you, the higher are the chances of overspending and being unable to meet payments on time.
- Never make the mistake of buying something that you cannot afford : This is a big blunder most students will commit thinking that they will pay off later even though they are unable to afford something right now. This can quickly build an unwanted balance that you may be unable to pay off making the product triple times the price when you finally pay your balance off.
Although all the advantages as mentioned above make having a credit card appear quite rosy and attractive, one needs to keep in mind the fact that if not used wisely, they may have unexpected and unwanted repercussions. So make a move to apply for college credit card for college students if you are willing to take up the responsibility and act wisely. So, if you are eager, do go ahead and apply for a credit card for college students today.