Student Credit Cards - A Quick Guide

We all have different credit requirements, and so the credit card companies design various cards to suit. The variant we are interested in here is the student credit card. This card is designed to help any student build their credit rating, and be useful for emergencies, which is ideal for many.

These days a credit card is almost essential for anybody, let alone students, and as such is used for many purposes including making travel arrangements etc. There is a wide selection available, and some students end up with multiple credit cards, and these are the people that are most likely to get into debt problems. The one saving grace is that credit cards for students usually have a fairly low limit, so if they do get into debt, it won’t be too extreme.

A recent study has shown that about 80% of college students own credit cards with a typical balance being around $3500. A worrying thought to ponder is that when many students use their credit cards to buy stuff, they don’t see it as spending real money.

Another worrying trend that has been reported is that a number of students are using their credit cards to top up the money that they have borrowed using student loans.

Do no take the amount you spend on your student credit card lightly. Because if you overspend or miss payments, you will end up paying extra interest, and possibly damage your credit score. This might not seem too important to you now, but trust me, it will be a pain later on in life, as it will cause problems when you come to get a mortgage or auto-loan etc. Don’t ask me how I know.

So, I will sum up by saying that a student credit card can be a very handy tool to have in your locker as you work your way through further education. Just use it responsibly and be aware of the dangers. Also, do some research, there are some good deals out there.

Credit: James Hunaban