Hi, quick question Even though the legal age for owning a credit card is 18, what would be the worst that could happen if I said I was 10 months older than I am, got approved for a CC, and then was later discovered that I am really 17? I don't like the idea of a prepaid credit card, and my mom has the fear of using credit cards online will result in theft and $340839238 of fraud charges, which is understandable, but thats only if your dumb enough to enter credit card or any other info into a suspicious site.. I just want this CC to play an online game that costs 10 dollars a month, and they wont accept paypal, only credit cards. So would it be smart to just say I'm actually 18, or should I get a prepaid credit card instead? Or should I just wait till I'm 18? Thanks in advance
Get a debit card or a prepaid credit card. Don't mess around with fraud. You also want to be prepared financially to have a credit card. You're starting with a perfectly clean slate, something many people here would kill to have again. Be careful with it and you will be rewarded well.
My cousin got a credit card when he was under 18 because his mother co-signed with him. However, he is now in a world of debt and wishes that he had done things differently. This isn't to say that everyone will end up in the same position, but it is always better to wait until you feel responsible enough to pay on time every time and you have enough money to cover your bills. I say you should get a debit or a prepaid card for now. When you are ready, get a real one and pay it off every MONTH on time COMPLETELY... until you get the hang of it... Believe me, most of us are here because we messed up the first time around (because we were not mature enough to realize how much it would interfere with the rest of our lives!!!)....and we were over 18 when it happened! Best of luck!
I'm a testament to that! I'm 20 years old and have had a credit card (now probably too many!) since I was 16. Things went ok at first, but college came and things got expensive, and I thought I could just charge it and "pay it off later." When you get say five thousand in debt, it's not too easy to do that. PLEASE PLEASE don't get a card. I've never missed a payment, but it's really cut down on what I can do for fun, etc, because I have to use a good portion of my paycheck to pay towards the card. Just get a prepaid or debit card and use that and start a responsible pattern of spending. I learnt my lesson, sadly it had to be the hard way.
