Credit cards for people with bad credit

Are they a good idea if you want to improve your credit???

Not if you have to pay for them. If you have to pay an account set up fee, a high annual fee, etc. which when they offer you the credit card they say you have a $200-$300 limit and then charge all these fee to it just so you can get the card, and the amount you have left is like $50-$75 no...don't do it. I have been burned by those types of cards. Try and get one from your bank or credit union or a legit company. Because they won't charge you all those fees.

good info puddle....definitely read the fine print! The annual fee, set up fee and whatever else fee will be charged to the card in advance.

HSBC aka Orchard Bank will not work with you if you get past due. They turn you right over to an attorney and you will wind up paying twice what you owe.

o i know about the hsbc, i owe them about 700 dollars and the credit limit was 300

but if you have bad credit your bank probably will not give you a credit card, will they?

jay--Check with them to see if they have any type of secured card. You give them whatever amount you want as collateral, they keep it in a savings account. On your credit report it is shown just like any other card. If you want a limit increase, you deposit more into the account. I've had one of these for a couple of years.

I am with Jessi here. Get either a secured loan or card from a small bank or credit union and let them report to all three bureaus.Once you use and pay on this account,it will help you greatly.

The big thing is to research your options...also don't just jump into a card because you're approved. some of these cards will bleed you. I asked one once (my credit was horrid) 'why would i pay you $150 in fees annually and other fees, to have a $200 credit line?' they couldn't give me a respectable answer ( i think it was a citi card at the time, this was 5 years ago)
If you can't get something from your bank like a secured loan/card, then wait. an offer will come to you eventually and you will be approved. I waited for about a year and finally got a card that had a $300 credit limit with a $20 annual fee and that limit is now raised to $3500 within a year's time or so. so please be patient and do some research. I remember feeling oh i need a credit card i need one, i was very impatient but am glad i waited because the waiting paid off for me and after being through consolidation i now use my credit wisely or i don't use it if I can't pay the debt off. good luck let us know how you do

Also, the card i have now, my company will waive the annual fee i just have to call it's a capital one card.

oh, thanks everyone! great ideas, i will look into the secured cards from my bank

Hi jay

A secured card is definitely a good option when it comes to building credit. You can see your an improvement in you score once start making timely payments for at least the minimum required amount to the creditor.

Take care n best of luck
Nelly

In my opinion, I wouldn't get a secured card. My credit was almost more than shot at this time two years ago - I had about 5 or 6 outstanding accounts with most being sent for collection, even had to pay a $300 security deposit to PSE&G to get service for my apartment last year. I don't even know what my score was, but I'm sure it was pretty low.

Last year, I began paying off most of the accounts that had negatives on them, and didn't even think of a credit card of any type(I only have a debit card). Fortunately for me, all the accounts I was paying off was reporting to the CRAs - even the ones with the CAs. Last month, I brought my report down to 1 negative, and checked my score...Surprised to say, it was in the mid-600s.

One thing I'm trying to do is see if I can get PSE&G and Comcast to report my account status on my reports, since I haven't missed a payment since I opened my accounts 16 months ago. If you have bills like these, maybe you can ask them to report it as well, if they don't already. This way you can build your credit by continuing to do what you do now, and not have to worry about another credit card - I'm still not looking into credit cards.

do they report to your credit bureau?

Any account you open, your dealings with it will be reflected in your report.

Take care
Nelly