How long does it take to gain credit?

Question

I went to get a cell phone in my name to get off of my dad's plan and become more independent, but when I tried, the company tried to charge me a $500 deposit because I have no credit. (I am nineteen years old.) So my dad took me to his bank and we applied for a student credit card for me.

I'm not going to overuse it, I never wanted a credit card in the first place. Basically my dad told me you can't do anything without credit, so I guess I have to start building it now. How long will it take me to build credit with this credit card and what is the best way to do it?

Answer 1

Use the credit card every month and pay if in full beforethe due date.  After about 6 months, you'll have a score.  The longer you build the consistent, on-time payment history,the better your score will be.