A Student Credit Card: the Approval Process
This article will give you a quick introduction into the process of being approved for a credit card. This is a very simple process but not one you may be familiar with if you are a college student and starting out with no credit. Let's begin with the student credit card.
When you want to start building credit, it may seem overwhelming with the numbers of choices you have out there. There are so many different places you can have a credit card from. Many companies offer credit cards because they are highly profitable and it is one of the easiest ways to make money due to the likelihood a percentage of their customers will carry a balance which is great for the card companies.
To apply for a credit card, take a look at where you want to get a card from. You can get a card from your local retail stores or from your bank or credit union. Most of the applications are very simple. Most companies will ask for the same information: your name, social security number, address, birth date and mother's maiden name.
Your mother's maiden name is used to verify your identity. Depending upon what application you are filling out, it may also have a location where you have to put in your yearly income. The company you apply with may also want to know how long you have been living at your current location along with how long you have been at your current job. Showing stability always can help with credit cards or any type of loan you are trying to do. After you have filled out the application, it will then simply take a little while for the company to get back to you with whether you are approved or denied. This may happen instantly or it may take a day for the companies to get back to you on this.
Here is a quick example to show you how easy it is: think about if you have a PayPal account. Whenever you sign in, you are usually shown a commercial for their credit card and two of the major selling points are that you can have an instantaneous decision as well as rewards for using the card. Receiving a response in thirty seconds is very fast and most companies do not work that quickly but this gives you an idea how easy it is to get a credit card.
If you apply for a credit card and are declined, you are able to get a copy of your credit report for free. You will receive a letter from the company with whom you filled out the application stating the denial along with the negative factors from your credit report which played a part in the decision.
This article has explained the basics of a credit card application. Many people are scared of the application and will shy away from filling one out but this most often occurs due to bad experiences with credit cards in the past. You must make sure that you take care of yourself with the credit card and are prepared to keep track of your balances every day. This will help you build good responsible financial habits from the get-go.
