A good way for you to build your credit history if you are new to credit is to apply for a secured credit card. A secured credit card works just like a regular credit card with one major difference: a secured card requires a security deposit and your credit limit matches the amount of the deposit you put down. Since your credit line is tied to your deposit amount, a secured credit card will help you build credit history with low risk to both you and your lender – and your approval is guaranteed.

If you’re new to credit, it’s going to be difficult for you to get a regular credit card because you have no history to indicate to lenders that you are a trustworthy candidate for credit. You can prove it to them by getting a secured credit card in which your deposit acts as collateral against your credit limit. Once you have shown you can manage a secured credit card responsibly for about a year, it is likely that your credit card company will offer you a chance to apply for a regular credit card. People who are likely to have no or limited credit history include college students, recent divorcés or widows (whose credit history was in their spouse’s name), or people who have recently immigrated to this country.

The first thing you need to do to move from a secured credit card to an unsecured credit card is use your secured credit card responsibly. Keep your balance low (well below your credit limit), make your payments on time, and pay off your balance in full as often as possible. If you can do these things consistently, most credit card issuers will qualify you for an unsecured credit card after about one year.

After you’ve proved your reliability, there are three likely scenarios for making the transition from a secured credit card to an unsecured credit card. The first is that you close your secured credit card account completely after being approved for a new unsecured card. As long as you close your account in good standing and carry zero balance on the card, your entire security deposit will be returned to you. Generally your credit card company will send your money in the form of a check.

Overview:

A secured credit card works just like a regular credit card with one major difference: a secured card requires a security deposit and your credit limit matches the amount of the deposit you put down. The minimum deposit is $200, but you can easily increase your credit limit by adding to the initial amount you deposited at any time. This way, you control your credit limit by deciding how much or how little you want to deposit.

Usury laws specify the maximum legal interest rate at which loans and credit card accounts can be extended.  A bill for one such law is soon to be introduced to the House of Representatives and would cap the interest rate on all credit card accounts at 16 percent.  While the goal is to lower interest rates for applicants that represent a high-risk to creditors, usury laws will actually hurt this very segment of consumers.

If passed, banks are not likely to respond to usury laws by extending credit to everyone that applies at a rate of 16 percent or lower.  The more likely repercussion is that banks will deny credit to consumers whose credit histories do no warrant an interest rate at or below the usury law’s cap. Thus, if passed, usury laws will prevent an entire segment of consumers from acquiring credit when they need it the most.

There will be several.  2010 will usher in the end of  “gotcha” rate hikes, which for so long have surprised consumers.  This and other changes, that are the result of the CARD Act, will cause the negative sentiment most consumers and Congress have towards the credit card industry to dissipate considerably, but it will be close to the end of the year before we see that happen.
Additionally, credit card companies will begin to compete with each other for customers again in 2010.  Competition in the market has been frozen because, due to record high default rates, the focus for issuers has been on loss prevention.  This will continue into 2010, but consumer credit will begin to become more readily available.

Lastly, and again due to the CARD Act, secured credit cards will make a comeback in 2010.  This is because under the CARD Act, consumers under 21 who want to apply for a credit card will either have to show proof of income or obtain a cosigner in order to be eligible for an account.  If neither of these options are achievable, secured cards will become the only option for consumers between the ages of 18-21 who are in the market for credit.

Yes.  You don’t have to have a credit card to have bad credit. If you have or have had a student loan, auto loan or mortgage that you have been late making payments or defaulted on, then your credit score would have been negatively affected.  Likewise if you have had a credit card in the past that you managed irresponsibly then there could be damage on your credit report for up to seven years from the date that any of your old accounts were opened.  Additionally, if you have any accounts in collections (e.g. medical or utility bills), your credit would have suffered.  Lastly, if you have declared bankruptcy in the last 10 years, then your credit is probably pretty bad.

If none of these things apply for you and your are still unable to get a loan, then you probably have no credit, in which case you may want to apply for a secured credit card.  With a secured credit card, a deposit starting at $200, acts as collateral against your loan, and you can start building/improving your credit history with very little risk to you or your lender.

Your new credit card will show up on your credit report roughly a month after you receive the card in the mail.  This first record of your new account on your credit report will mark the end of your first billing cycle.  Each credit card company reports according to its own schedule, therefore there is no set industry standard date for reporting.  Usually, most credit card companies report to the credit bureaus within a couple days of the close of your billing cycle, which falls roughly on the same date every month.  For example, if your billing cycle ended on the 15th of each month, your credit card issuer might report to the bureaus on the 16th or the 17th of each month.  Given that you haven’t received your first statement, you can call your new credit card issuer to find out when your billing cycle begins and ends.

Credit card companies report you as being delinquent to the three major bureaus after you have been late on your payment for 30 days or more.  In your case, you have been late for 67 days, so your credit score will already have been affected.  Your credit card issuer reports to the three major credit bureaus every 30 days, so it is very important that you make a payment immediately to avoid being reported as 90 days delinquent, at which point your credit score will take another hit.  The effect that your late status will have on your credit score will be marginal and can be repaired if you practice responsible behavior for the next 12 months.
However, you should check your next credit card statement carefully or call your credit card company now, because your interest rate may have very well gone up (perhaps considerably) due to your late status.  Being this late on your credit card payment could have a costly effect on your wallet, depending on if or how much your interest rate has increased.  If it has skyrocketed, you should try to pay your balance off in full.  If you can’t do that, you may want to consider a balance transfer.

The minimum deposit needed to open a secured credit card account is $200.  However, with a secured card, your security deposit represents the amount of credit that will be extended to you, so the higher the deposit the higher the credit line.  The activity on a secured card is reported to the major credit bureaus the same way the activity on an unsecured credit card is reported.  Given that lenders like to see that you have been extended long lines of credit, a large deposit on a secured account looks favorable on your credit report.  Plus, if you plan to make purchases with the card, a larger deposit will get you more usage.

If all you have right now is $200, then go ahead and apply for your secured card now.  You can add more money to your deposit account, thereby increasing your credit line, any time you like.

There are no credit cards that you can apply for with a co-signer.  All credit card offers, terms and interest rates are based on the credit history of the individual.  Credit cards are not like auto loans or home loans, in which co-signers are allowed.  If you are unable to get an unsecured line of credit without a cosigner, you should apply for a secured credit card where a security deposit serves as collateral against your loan in the place of a co-signer.
On the other hand, if by co-signer you mean authorized user, then yes, this is something that you can do with a credit card.  An authorized user on a credit card is someone who has access to usage on the account, but is not responsible for the bill.  The primary account holder is fully responsible for the bill. However, the activity on the card will show up on the authorized user’s credit report.