College Student Credit Cards

Credit is a privilege and a convenience. Credit lets you charge a meal on a credit card, pay for an appliance on an installment plan, take out a loan to buy a house, or pay for schooling. Credit allows you to make a purchase without ready cash.

A credit card enables you to buy things now and pay for them later. You get credit by promising to pay in the future for something you receive in the present. But, there are strings attached to credit. Credit usually costs something, and what is borrowed must be paid back.

Check out this section for tools, tips, and advice on choosing and qualifying for a credit card, building your credit history, and ways in which you're responsible for wise credit use.

In this section, you'll learn how to build a healthy credit profile, how to keep your debts manageable, where you can go for help if your debts become too high, and what to do if you're denied credit.

This section suggests how to protect your cards, explains what to do if any of your cards are lost or stolen, and covers billing errors and questionable charges, unauthorized charges, cybershopping, and signing up for a card registration service.