What was your 1st credit card?

[lanc]

Cap1 world Cash Rewards 5k and it's never increased

I kind of took a backwards approach and I think it scored me a descent cl with cap1.  I took out a mortgage in november 09 then applied for my first cc in march 2010.

[pkosheta]

Gm MasterCard, I have been an AU on it since I was 11. Looking back carrying around a 5k limit piece of plastic with no idea of what I had is kinda funny..and it confused so many cashiers that I stopped using it in new places because they thought I stole it and, being 11, I didn't carry around a photo ID to prove it was mine. So many awkward conversations, but I did get to meet a lot of store managers that thought it was kinda funny too. We weren't rich or anything but my parents wanted me to have a long credit file when I got older and didn't mind making me walk to buy a lot of groceries, rent a video from blockbuster, or order a pizza for them to pick up on the way home from work. My sisters credit was amazing when she bought her house, i think they started her at age 8, and the lender had never seen anything like it when they pulled the credit report. They also scared me to death about the consequences of misusing the cards. Fees for putting it in atms for cash withdraw, forgetting to tell them about payments resulting in late fees, etc... For me, messing with credit card companies was scarier than trying to ask out one of the cool girls. Thankfully now I understand how credit cards really work and I am not afraid to put in an ap or 2 or 3 when the time is right and thanks to them the CC companies like me.

[cashnocredit]

BankAmericard, $500 CL, circa 1972. Increased to 2k CL in 1973.

It was the first of many. Unfortunately, in the 90's I had dropped all my CCs in favor of a debit card purely for convenience. Only reestablished credit just over 3 years ago with a couple secured CCs.  The convenience is still there with internet banking and autopay. Turned out to be a great move. They unsecured, increased their CLs and PCed to World elite MCs and Visa Siggys.  Also got an Amex Plat.

I've never intentionally carried a balance since about 1973.

[PokemonMaster]

Navy Federal Secured nRewards card opened June 2011 with a 500 dollar limit and it now has a 1k CL.

[hippychic823]

Well, my VERY first CC was an AMEX Green back in 1999 which was not good for me and actually ended up causing me to ruin my credit pretty much as soon as I got it. No one had explained the difference between a charge card and a credit card so I assumed AMEX Green was a credit card and I could charge a large amount and pay payments...so I charged like 1K on it. Now, idk what AMEX was thinking in the first place giving an 18 year waitress/student a Green card but anyways I was obviously unable to cough up 1K in one lump sum on a part-time waitressing income so I screwed my credit up right off the bat. Fast forward about 11 years (to 2011) and I decided to rebuild (AMEX had long since dissappeared from my CR but I had acquired a few piddly medical bills all under 200.00 that went to collections and had a judgement for 200.00 from a local hospital. Nothing major, but the collections and judgement put an UGLY dent on my score) and my first card I received during my rebuilding stage was a Cap1 Platinum rebuilder. Started at a 300 limit, 6 month later got a CLI to 500 but my CL has been stuck at 500 for almost a year and Cap1 is notorious for denying CLI requests. But I still keep it around. And in Dec got a Best Buy card with a 1K CL and they increased me to 2K just a few months ago

[Shiu]

HSBC Platinum Mastercard. I got it in 2005 with a $750 CL.

[iMacDrew]

Navy Federal Cash Rewards Visa, opened in 2009 with a 1,000 credit limit... at around 17.9% apr

[Anonymous]

---

@Sweets8E wrote:

My first credit card was from Providian. It had a $250 credit limit. I maxed it out at some point like a year after getting it. If I recall, I got a Cap1 card around the same time too with a $300 limit. But the kicker was by the time the card got to me it only had like $50-$78 bucks in available credit because of all the fees associated with accepting and activating it. Bad choices each of them. If I knew then, what I know now, I wouldn't have bothered.

---

Do they still do that today? I applied for a student's journey and was approved for  750 and have not received the card I got the "your card has been shipped" email on Sunday morning. Why so many fees? I was not told of this

[Anonymous]

My first credit card was the Capital One Journey card with a $500 limit which was bumped to $750 because of the steps program and was opened in July of 2011. I don't ever use it anymore except to take advantage of the new deals program they have. 

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

My first credit card was the Capital One Journey card with a $500 limit which was bumped to $750 because of the steps program and was opened in July of 2011. I don't ever use it anymore except to take advantage of the new deals program they have. 

---

How long did it take for your card to arrive if you remember? What are some tips you can give me on the card? I was just approved as well for Journey's