College Student Credit Card Debt. Tips For Parents

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For parents college can be expensive, however for the college student, credit card debt seems to come with the territory. Do students and credit cards go well together?
If you’re starting at a university and beginning to ease into a situation where you will be in charge of your own money,college student credit card debt is something to be aware of. However, used wisely a student credit card might be just thing you need to get started!
These days, many universities offer credit cards to their student body and many students have found these cards to be both convenient in terms of day to day life and extremely useful when establishing a good credit line.
One of the first things to think about when considering getting student credit card is that for the most part, you are pre-approved if you are student at the university. One of the most frustrating things that can occur when you are looking for a credit card is being told that you do not have enough of a credit history to apply.
This can work against you in other situations as well; for instance, many apartments do credit checks before allowing you to rent a unit. A university credit card will allow you to both build up credit and take advantage of the convenience of having a credit card right away.
In fact, many universities that offer credit cards allow you to pay online, ensuring that you will have your credit card in a matter of days, rather than weeks. Similarly, you can keep track of all of your transactions while you are online as well, something that the major companies are just beginning to take advantage of,but be aware that college student credit card debt, can build up without you realising it, especially if your parents are footing the bill!
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Student credit cards, especially as they offered through a university, often have kinder interest rates than otherwise. Do some comparison shopping and there’s a good chance that you’ll end up with a student card during your university years even if you do qualify for a Visa or Mastercard! While the best plan with a credit card is simply to pay it off immediately, a good line of credit at a low interest rate can really help out if money gets tight. No one wants to make the decision between textbooks and groceries, and a good university credit card help out with that.
Think of your student credit card much like a student apartment. While you would eventually like to move into a larger house or condo, there’s nothing wrong with student apartment at the moment. At this juncture of your life, you have different needs than you will later. A student credit card, while not ideal for the rest of your life, is often just the solution you’ve been looking for when you’ve newly entered the university life.
For parents college can be expensive, however for the college student, credit card debt seems to come with the territory. Do students and credit cards go well together?
There are many ways to find out if your university has a credit card available. As soon as you get to campus, you’ll probably get a notice regarding it, but if you haven’t, check the university web pages, and if there is an information center, inquire there. Sometimes, it’s as simple as clicking the right links and filling out a brief application.
Start building up good credit at this point in your life and when you’re ready to graduate, you’ll find plenty of reasons to be glad you did. College student credit card debt, is not a bad thing and on the whole, students (our future) do a great accountable job. So nothing to worry about parents!