first credit card for college student?

Cosigners...

An 18 year old with no credit history isn't going to get accepted for any credit card that's worth having right now, especially if she doesn't have a job. I should know. Of note, if they aren't sending tons of offers, what's the pile of pre-approved crap I've got on my desk say? Last check I was pre-approved for two Discover cards, a Visa, two MasterCard cards, and other cards from some banks (BofA, Chase, etc).

But why does she "need" a MasterCard?

I got accepted for a CC when I was 16.

Quote : Of note, if they aren't sending tons of offers, what's the pile of pre-approved crap I've got on my desk say? Last check I was pre-approved for two Discover cards, a Visa, two MasterCard cards, and other cards from some banks (BofA, Chase, etc).

Same here, getting offers from different CC each week.

Quote : back in the days, credit card companies would send you bunch of offers. not so much anymore my sister just turned 18 and is now in college, she is getting rejected by citi, chase, and bank of america. YES she is applying for the ones specified as for college students. she needs a mastercard, not visa. we have spoke to many people and they all say "yea this one is great for college students trying to build history" then bam rejected. she has no credit history ever what do you recommend?

Are you sure that your sister is not a victim of identity theft? I mean someone could have opened a fraud loan/credit card using her SS, which could be the reason she got rejected several times.\
why mastercard? all the places that accept mastercard, accept visa also. also, she might want to check her annual credit report for any fraud (https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp)

BoA has a Visa for Students: https://www5.bankofamerica.com/cr...2016259|Y4
for this one, no cosigner is required. but the starting limit will be low (around $500) and good enough to build credit history.

Probably getting rejected for lack of credit history.

Look for a Secured Credit Card for the first year, it doesn't have to be Mastercard, just anything. 1 Year of (Good) credit hisotry, and you'll be gold for any credit card offer moving foward

she needs mastercard because her check card is a visa and our college expenses can be paid with mastercard but not visa

we know co-signing with parents is an option but trying to avoid that, we want her to be on her own

any specific companies you suggest trying? we already tried BoA...reject

Quote from unknown00 : she needs mastercard because her check card is a visa and our college expenses can be paid with mastercard but not visa we know co-signing with parents is an option but trying to avoid that, we want her to be on her own any specific companies you suggest trying? we already tried BoA...reject

okay, she got rejected several times means that there is something in her file that is not good. I mean, student credit card are for students going to college/university who have no credit history. My friends applied for student credit cards after finishing high school and they all were approved (although with a low limit of around $500-700).

one more thing: trying to open several credit accounts in a short span of time + getting rejected will most likely hurt her FICO score even more, causing more denials.

suggestions
1) check credit report (for free) at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp just to make sure that there is no fraud
2) visit a bank branch where she has a bank account (like Chase, BoA, etc...) and ask one of their credit specialists to review her applications. They may be able to get her approved for a low credit limit which will increase as time goes on.

Quote : our college expenses can be paid with mastercard but not visa

btw. if your planning on not paying your credit card in full each month, i would advise get a loan from a bank (or credit unions). You'll be paying a lot more when taking out a credit card loan.

Quote from jackbean : okay, she got rejected several times means that there is something in her file that is not good. I mean, student credit card are for students going to college/university who have no credit history. My friends applied for student credit cards after finishing high school and they all were approved (although with a low limit of around $500-700). one more thing: trying to open several credit accounts in a short span of time + getting rejected will most likely hurt her FICO score even more, causing more denials. suggestions 1) check credit report (for free) at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp just to make sure that there is no fraud 2) visit a bank branch where she has a bank account (like Chase, BoA, etc...) and ask one of their credit specialists to review her applications. They may be able to get her approved for a low credit limit which will increase as time goes on. btw. if your planning on not paying your credit card in full each month, i would advise get a loan from a bank (or credit unions). You'll be paying a lot more when taking out a credit card loan.

everyone we talked to at her bank already said they are not in charge of approvals and its up to corporate and they don't disclose that information, so i'm stuck

also, we are not paying her tuition with the credit card, when i say school stuff i mean small stuff like dining dollars or something

Quote from unknown00 : also, we are not paying her tuition with the credit card, when i say school stuff i mean small stuff like dining dollars or something

My school requires you to have a bank account with a specific bank if you want any financial aid deposited on distribution day. The CC down the road (quite literally down the road) has their own MasterCard that they have connected to an account that they put your financial aid on.

Are you sure the school doesn't have a card system or something? Every college I've ever seen is anal about your ID card being connected to everything.

get the Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® MasterCard® for College Students

Quote from sirens : get the Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® MasterCard® for College Students

Quote : With no minimum income or co-signer required, it's simple to qualify for this credit card, so you can start building your all-important credit score for future borrowing purposes.

looks like a easy credit card to get approved for. By the way, OP ask your sister to write on the application that she earns atleast $500 or $750 per month.

my first card was a visa at 16. I wasn't able to get a discover until I was 18 though. I would pull her report and check for any issues. How come she can't use a bank check card or a CC/debit card?

Quote from jackbean : looks like a easy credit card to get approved for. By the way, OP ask your sister to write on the application that she earns atleast $500 or $750 per month.

Agreed. With the tightening of the credit markets, and without showing an income of some sort, its a certainty that app. will get tossed. I know their is still free money out there, but its getting harder and harder to find, this is just an easier way to get an approval.

The credit card companies are doing your sister a favor by refusing to give her cards. Tell her to live on what she makes. The whole idea of needing to build credit history is a myth. There are plenty of apartments that don't require credit checks, there are banks out there that use their own underwriting methods to determine eligibility for a mortgage, and you can pay cash for cars.