Too young for a credit card?

Question

i'm sick of asking my bro to buy me stuff on amazon with his card and paying him back. Is there any way i could have like a charge card or something that I could buy and use for buying things online other than a debit card? Thanks...

Answer 1

Don't get a credit card - credit cards are evil.  

Instead, set up a bank account.  Put money into that account and then if you buy things on eBay use PayPal to directly transfer those funds from your account to the seller.  PayPal is very safe and very easy to use and you won't pay any fees to use it - fees are paid by the person RECEIVING the money.

Answer 2

you can get a prepaid credit card and just put money on it when you want to without the hassles... Good Luck...

Answer 3

How old are you, anyways?  In the US, you have to be 18 to have a credit card account under your name.  There aren't any exceptions to the rule.

As another user said, you could get a "prepaid" credit card, but that does not save you from any hassle.  If you get a prepaid card, you'll end up paying an exorbitant amount of fees ($9.95 to buy the card itself, $4.95 every time you load money onto the card, $4.95/month fee for having the card, $2.50 to use an ATM, $0.75 to check your balance.)*

Plus, although it's called a prepaid credit card, it works as a debit card and to use it online the company must not only accept whatever brand it is (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX) but they must accept that form of debit card.  This is because you're working with a prepaid balance, not a credit line.

Here's something you could do-- does your brother have multiple credit card accounts?  If so, there's probably at least 1 he doesn't use on a regular basis.  If not, he should have more than 1 anyways to help build his credit score.  See if your brother would be willing to dedicate one of his credit cards to you only-- give you the card and he doesn't use the account at all.  From there, you could work with your brother to keep track of your statements, make sure you get them paid on time (you can pay with a check or money order-- if you don't have access to either, again you can ask your brother for assistance) and the experience will really help you for when you get your own credit card.

So, with that idea, even though you'd technically be "paying him back", if he's willing to help you out you'd be able to learn how to use/pay a credit card responsibly so that it's not a shocker when you first get your own.

Best Wishes!