Overheard a kid at the mall say he got his first card with a $500 limit

It made me think back to my first secured card with a $200 deposit in 2008, and how different the starting point is now. I realized I haven't kept up with what's actually good advice for building credit from scratch these days. What's the best first move for a young person now, a secured card or something else?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera2917d ago

I mean, a $500 limit for a first card is pretty normal now. I got a student card with like $300 back in college and it was fine. People stress about building credit way too much, just get a basic card and pay it off.

sam_cooper17d ago

My first card had a $2,000 limit from my local credit union.

adams.river17d ago

Used to believe you needed a huge limit to start building credit. My first card was a secured one with a $200 limit, felt kinda lame at the time. But keeping the balance low and paying it off every month actually boosted my score faster than I expected. It forced me to be careful with spending from the start. Now I see a small limit as a good way to learn without getting in over your head.