Secured Credit Card -- How big of a deposit?

that sounds good.just remember it is a credit card,so keep up with it and your score will go up.250.00 is a good starting point.you can always add to your credit line.

Yes if your young please start out slow and pay on time and dont max it out too fast hehe and your score will go up. After a few months if you think ur responsible enough you can up your limit. Hope this helps.

Please look at it as a savings account only, buy a tank of gas a month with it, pay it off in full, add a bit more money the next month, then "lather, rinse, repeat"! Good Luck and listen to us "old folks" and don't repeat the mistakes we made with our credit!

I signed up for the card on Feb 21st, they debited my checking account for the deposit on Feb 24th, what is the next step? The web site still says "Pending" on the status. Do I just wait for something to arrive in the mail?

I would check the website every day, and check your email regularly. Sometimes you will only find out if you have been approved when you receive the card and disclosures in the mail, but hopefully they will notify you soon.

If I deposit $1,000 and continue to use only $200 will it report my available credit as $800 on a secured card? I've paid off all my debts but all my accounts were closed from settlements and I'm trying to increase my debt-to-credit ratio. Does this sound like a good plan?