Credit cards??

Question

I've never wanted or needed to apply for a credit card in my life. however my fiance and I are planning to buy a flat in the next 6-12 months and realise that I'm going to need to improove my credit (apparently never owing money is a bad thing).
My question is what's the best and safest way to build up credit, are credit cards used as a supplement to debit cards and if you are in credit on your credit card do you earn interest? I know I sound a bit thick but honestly don't have a clue about these things!!

Answer 1

I do not know of a single credit card that earns you interest on a credit balance. That doesn't mean there aren't any. Good luck finding one, but I'm not sure that will count a lot to establishing credit worthiness.

Before creditors lend money, they need to be assured that the funds will be repaid. In other words, is the prospective borrower creditworthy?

How to Establish Credit

Begin by opening individual savings and checking accounts in your name. Over time, your deposits, withdrawals, and transfers will demonstrate that you can handle money responsibly.

Applying for a loan is another option, but be aware that this method of establishing a credit history will cost, since loans require the payment of interest.

You could take out a bank loan secured by the funds you have on deposit or by items you own, such as a car. You could also ask a friend or relative who has good credit to cosign a loan, which means that he or she shares liability for the loan with you.

You could also apply for department store and gasoline credit cards, which generally are easier to obtain than major credit cards. Before you apply for any credit, however, make sure you understand the terms. For example, how long is the grace period or the time you have to pay the current balance in full before finance charges are added? Is there an annual fee or other fees associated with the credit? If you believe that you will carry a balance, you need to know how finance charges are calculated.

Patience is important in this process. It takes time to establish credit and build a record of consistency in making payments to demonstrate your creditworthiness. And it is much better to go slowly and develop a strong credit record than to apply for too many credit cards or a loan that is larger than you can handle.

Start slowly, be cautious, keep track of your overall debt, and pay on time. Most importantly, remember that credit actually represents real money and has to be repaid with interest.

Answer 2

A really good place to start is www.moneysupermarket.co.uk and then you can list the criteria that you want from your credit card and they will return a list of available options to you.

If you can you should aim to get a credit card with 0% interest, there are plenty of them around. Mostly credit cards should only be used in an emergency and if you can always try to repay your balance in full each month by setting up a direct debit from your bank account. This will help you to avoid getting into longer term debt but will allow you to build a credit rating. Also if you are offered a silly credit limit (one by which I mean it would be impossible for you to repay in one hit i.e. £5,000) you could request that they reduce the limit to a more manageable amount such as £1,000 or £500 and that way you know you will never owe more than that as a maximum (so long as you don't go over limit).

You can look at some supermarket credit cards that offer reward points etc but I think as a rule these generally have higher interest rates.

Well done you for having no credit cards!! Wish I had done the same. Just be careful they can become a habit to use and before you know it you've got a mountain of debt!!

Answer 3

I would get a credit card and also get set up with online banking. That way you can spend on your credit card and pay off the amount the same day. This will raise your credit rating without risking getting into debt. Another option is to get a Catalogue or store card

Essentially this is all meant to be proof that you have borrowed money in the past and paid it back responsibly. If you have ever had a car loan or finance agreement you should already have a pretty good rating.

As for earning interest on a credit card I have never heard of that situation. I think they just charge you if your in debit but as long as you pay within 30 days of the spend on the account you shouldn't have to pay interest.

Answer 4

The advantage of a credit card is that if you PAY THE BALANCE OFF each and every month, then you have free credit, which can come in very handy.....Interest is only charged if the balance is not paid off...that is unless you get a cash advance, when interest is charged immediatly...It takes a lot of financial restraint to not overspend...You do not get interest if you somehow pay more than due, although the amount is credited towards your next bill....they are very handy for travelling as purchases are insured...and in the USA they are needed for most things such as car hire and hotels and of course for buying on line.....Check out each company as some have bonusus such as air miles or money off your shopping...but I can't stress enough...pay off the balance as the APR can be up to nearly 30%

Answer 5

The safest way to build up credit is by having a credit card/ catalogue/store card and keeping to your monthly repayments or paying more than required. Just be careful that you don't miss a payment or you will get bad credit and be declined a mortagge etc...

Just budget well and keep to your own limits. I think there are sites online where you can compare the best credit cards. As far as i know you dont earn interest on creit cards when you are in credit, its moe that when you owe them money they sting yu for interest on that.

But if you do keep to your repayments they tend to boost yuor cred limit up to sky high amounts with larger repayments... which could be dangerous if you cannot afford the repayments so watch for that. Good luck!

Answer 6

being in credit with a credit card is not such a good idea, you are not covered by their insurance then.

best way is have 1, use it every week to buy petrol on, pay it off in full without fail every month.

worked for me, and i had just come out of a bankruptcy, you cant get worse credit history than that, and now they are throwing cards at me.

ps - on the insurance thing. if you pay by debit card for something then the company goes bust (like that hamper company did) then you have to try to claim your money back from receiver. if you pay by CREDIT card and the same happens you are covered by the credit card insurance and will get your money back.
so worth buying holidays etc on credit cards.

Answer 7

Why not apply for a catalogue, like Kays or littlewoods. What they look for when looking at your credit history is not being up to your limit (meaning that you dont abuse your credit) and not missing a payment.
Therefore, buy something from a catalogue (or something on the credit card) and pay off the balance once the statement comes in.

Answer 8

Nothing wrong with credit cards, they can be very useful at times. But whatever you do, make sure you pay off your credit balance on time every month.

Answer 9

Go to your bank and you can get one free.
Use it monthly and pay off on time.
In a few months you will get an increase in credit limits and that will help you build your credit.

Answer 10

Get a credit card with a low limit.. and make sure u pay it off each month... Never be late..