Your first credit card story?

[Anonymous]

I know members of the myFICO have some interesting stories about CC. I just would like to hear people's stories, no matter if its good or bad, about what their first application/card was like. Also a little bit of the aftermath of their first card. 

I guess I have to start it off since I made the topic. Here goes.

My story: (You can skip my story BTW)

In my college, we had a local CU that was inside our school. Most colleges partner with banks/credit unions so it wasn't out of the ordinary. I wanted to work there not only because it was an easy commute, but it would improve my personal finance. They weren't hiring at my school, but I thought I could work at a different branch and transfer in. I applied for a faraway branch of the CU and got accepted. So I was a teller at my local CU. Now you can see where this is going. 

Mind you I was the babyface of my branch, the youngest teller, and people always teased me about my younger-looking appearance. That's beside the point. If you never worked at a CU, you have to meet goals and pitch products to a customer coming in. I was terrible at it, but I was interested in the CC that I was trying to "sell" to people.

I wanted one even without any knowledge of how to use one. You can't just ask a co-worker to apply for you, you have to have the branch manager apply for you. I dare say it was the easiest application in my entire life, they had my address, my source of income, my current credit score. I just signed. The manager didn't even ask me a question I was on the teller line and she said: "can you sign for $500 CC". The card wasn't too good it was a 1 point card (the 76ers card on my siggy). 

I skip the secured route and went straight into unsecured. I max that card for like a year oh boy it was terrible, making minimum payments everything you shouldn't do to a CC I did. I became responsible a couple of years later, but boy I chuckle each time I look at my first CC. 

[Kforce]

My first card was a gas card thru Synchrony.

Had so many card compromises, bad charges that I closed the card year one.

Have never went for another gas or store card.

Have no Synchrony serviced cards, and don't plan on any.

[Anonymous]

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@Kforce wrote:

My first card was a gas card thru Synchrony.

Had so many card compromises, bad charges that I closed the card year one.

Have never went for another gas or store card.

Have no Synchrony serviced cards, and don't plan on any.

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I hear store cards aren't the best to apply for unless you shop there on a daily basis. The only card that I hear from Synchrony is PPMC. It got some mixed opinions on it.

[sccredit]

Philips 66 Visa card from Associates National Bank, became Citibank. That card was bad maxed out for like 2 straight years. 

[Anonymous]

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@sccredit wrote:

Philips 66 Visa card from Associates National Bank, became Citibank. That card was bad maxed out for like 2 straight years. 

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I had similar experiences.

[Ficoproblems247]

It was a Cap1 card. It was either the Platinum, or whatever version of that card they had around '03. I received a mailer for it and was approved for $500. Used the card responsibly for the first year or so and had an auto CLI to $1,500. A few months later I lost my job and let my card go to CO. (Was a 20 year old with no understanding of credit.) I believe it sat long enough that they stopped trying to collect as I don't remember getting sued for it. Either way, I have $20K in lines with them currently so we're good again these days!

[wasCB14]

$600 Freedom as a Chase checking/savings customer.

My sister had suggested it as a good first card. Glad I wasn't a MF member then, or I would have gone with something worse in an abundance of caution.

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

$600 Freedom as a Chase checking/savings customer.

My sister had suggested it as a good first card. Glad I wasn't a MF member then, or I would have gone with something worse in an abundance of caution.

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Was still under 5/24 haha. Started out right in chase.

[Anonymous]

This was back in 2004/2005... I got a prequal mailer from BoA. It was a no frills platinum type card with a 18.99% variable APR. I had no idea what variable even meant but I was approved for $4500 IIRC. My grandmother couldn't believe it since I was not a college student, I was 18/19, and had no other credit. Needless to say, I abused the heck out of the card. I even took a few cash advances and back then they applied payments to the lowest interest balance first so I was paying that high APR until I zeroed my card, which didn't happen often because I was a party kid and was more interested in spending my money on raves than credit card bills. 

[KJinNC]

Actually very first was, I think, Amex Green Card, in college with part-time job, I think my mom got me to apply for it and most likely paid the annual fee (if any) for me, I don't remember any of that. I just remember having the card in my wallet and rarely if ever using it. The card was opened in 1990.

The reason I know that is that after closing that card in the mid-90s, I got my next Amex last summer, and upon request, they put "Member since 1990" on it.

I had no cards for many years (lack of attention -> nuclear wasteland -> no effort to rebuild until last year -> basically empty credit reports 14 months ago). My first card time time around was Citi Diamond Secured.

My first unsecured card this time around was Amazon Store card. My first unsecured bank card was Coastal 3-2-1 Signature Rewards. My first unsecured "name brand" card was Amex Gold. Getting that card was a crazy, almost unbelievable story. And on from there.