A credit card can help you rebuild your credit score. This card will help your ratio of available credit to debt and you can build a positive payment history.
When you have a damaged score you will be faced with a sub prime interest rate. This means you will have an interest rate around 19%.
You should still make efforts to remove derogatory items off your credit report. However it is rumored that once a derogatory item ages four years it will not impact your score as dramatically.
On your card you will have to pay an annual fee and a high interest rate. Unfortunately this is an unavoidable cost, however with proper use you can ensure this is the last time you will have to pay high interest rates.
You credit limit will be approximately $300. The other option is to get a secured credit card, however your credit score will not receive the same benefit.
A secured card works like this; you deposit money into a bank account with the credit card issuer and they give you a credit card with the amount of your deposit as your credit limit. Your card will work just like an unsecured card; you will have monthly due dates and minimums to pay.
Both of these cards offer online approval. However before you apply for any card double check and make sure that card does report monthly to all three bureaus.
In addition your credit will get the most benefit if you can keep your monthly balance at 10% of your credit limit. For example if your credit limit is $300 then you want your monthly balance to be $30.
This will show the bureaus that you use your credit, and you use it responsibly. In addition having this new line of credit will improve your ratio of available credit to debt. This is a very important factor when your score is calculated. It is the bureaus method of checking to see if you are in over your head.
There is one other option that we strongly discourage and that is a shopping or catalog card. This is a credit card that is only able to make purchases through a catalog or a website online. We discourage this option because there is often a large down payment required and the card typically only reports to one credit bureau.
A prepaid debit card is another option. We suggest this option to individuals in chexsystems because it will work just like a bank account.
In sum we suggest you open a sub prime credit card for your credit score to get the most benefit. This card will help improve your score by creating a positive payment history and improving your ratio of debt to available credit.
When you have a damaged score you will be faced with a sub prime interest rate. This means you will have an interest rate around 19%.
You should still make efforts to remove derogatory items off your credit report. However it is rumored that once a derogatory item ages four years it will not impact your score as dramatically.
On your card you will have to pay an annual fee and a high interest rate. Unfortunately this is an unavoidable cost, however with proper use you can ensure this is the last time you will have to pay high interest rates.
You credit limit will be approximately $300. The other option is to get a secured credit card, however your credit score will not receive the same benefit.
A secured card works like this; you deposit money into a bank account with the credit card issuer and they give you a credit card with the amount of your deposit as your credit limit. Your card will work just like an unsecured card; you will have monthly due dates and minimums to pay.
Both of these cards offer online approval. However before you apply for any card double check and make sure that card does report monthly to all three bureaus.
In addition your credit will get the most benefit if you can keep your monthly balance at 10% of your credit limit. For example if your credit limit is $300 then you want your monthly balance to be $30.
This will show the bureaus that you use your credit, and you use it responsibly. In addition having this new line of credit will improve your ratio of available credit to debt. This is a very important factor when your score is calculated. It is the bureaus method of checking to see if you are in over your head.
There is one other option that we strongly discourage and that is a shopping or catalog card. This is a credit card that is only able to make purchases through a catalog or a website online. We discourage this option because there is often a large down payment required and the card typically only reports to one credit bureau.
A prepaid debit card is another option. We suggest this option to individuals in chexsystems because it will work just like a bank account.
In sum we suggest you open a sub prime credit card for your credit score to get the most benefit. This card will help improve your score by creating a positive payment history and improving your ratio of debt to available credit.
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We suggest the Tribute Credit Card an unsecured credit card or you can see a review of the Orchard Bank MasterCard a secured card by visiting us.
