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I wouldn't think that they are easy to get anymore. just judging from my mail, I get much fewer "free credit card" letters than I did, say, 6 months ago.I have 5 credit cards, AMEX, Visa, MC, & etc.they all have a zero balance, or close to it.
Ditto ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Debit only with a $300 per day limit. Cant do a bunch with it but I wont get hurt much if it's lost or stolen.
I never get credit card offers in the mail.I have joint cards with each of my parents, but none in only my name. I find in regular life debit cards work just fine. If there's something like the fridge purchase, I always can find a way to make it work. And I never travel by air or need a rental car, so that's not a problem either. But in general, I say yes credit cards were at least at one time too easy to get. Hell when I was 18 Discover gave me a card with a $10,000 limit. As my dad says there's too many people "living the champagne life on a beer budget."
That probably hurts your credit rating. Low balances mean if you use any of them you have a very high available credit to use ratio. If you don't use them at all then they don't count since the divisor is zero and doesn't go into the calculation. Better to get at least one card with a medium high limit (like $5K) and use it sparingly.But keeping your credit card debt at zero is always the best first step. It is only if you have enough income and discipline that you start making moves to up your score.
It is a delicate balance isn`t it.After years of debt from the farm here swore I would never see that happen again so limited my credit to local accounts which were paid when the bill came.Found out when I went to buy a new vehicle in 1995 that despite that I had zero recorded credit.The bottom line is responsibility,as old as that sounds sometimes.
I still get those stupid offers all the time. Furthermore, as soon as my daughter signed up for college - even though events conspired to send her to college when she was 16 - she started receiving them, also. PRE-APPROVED. Of course, they still check you out before sending a card, but even banks loan far more than can be reasonably repaid.When we bought our last car, we went to a bank for the loan. The VP looked over our bills and payments, and at only MY income, and was willing to loan me the money despite the fact that our bills made it clear the we'd be down to $100 after bills, every month. I could NOT believe it. It's like they don't think people actually buy groceries or clothing.
But you do need to know how the game is played. If you are responsible then the rest falls into place. But, as you found out, being overly conservative doesn't work when it comes to credit.
Credit cards are too easy to get. I only have two that I use and pay off the balance every month. Having my house paid off with no debt is a great feeling.
You still owe property taxes... you don't really own your house. They just want you to think you do. </DUmmy>
Here you go.You thought I was making that up?
Damn, my own words come back to prove me right.Does it get any better?
I have joint cards with each of my parents, but none in only my name. I find in regular life debit cards work just fine. If there's something like the fridge purchase, I always can find a way to make it work. And I never travel by air or need a rental car, so that's not a problem either. But in general, I say yes credit cards were at least at one time too easy to get. Hell when I was 18 Discover gave me a card with a $10,000 limit. As my dad says there's too many people "living the champagne life on a beer budget."
