Whether you're at the ripe age of 18 (the minimum age required to get a credit card) or in your late twenties just beginning your credit journey, there are a handful of tips for credit newbies.
Though these pieces of advice — like paying your bill on time and in full, using up very little of your credit limit and constantly reviewing your credit card charges — are all important notes to make, there are some factors to consider before you ever even swipe your first card.
Below, CNBC Select reviews what you should look out for when applying for your first credit card and top credit cards to help you get started.
What to look out for when applying for your first credit card
It's important to start good credit behavior early, which means making sure your first credit card is affordable.
First-time cardholders should shop around before they apply and look out for what interest rates and fees (such as annual fees and foreign transaction fees) that banks and credit card issuers charge. Though you only pay interest on a credit card if you carry a balance, it's important to know ahead of time what you could be getting yourself into before it's too late.
Credit card interest rates are notoriously high — the average APR being 16.61%, according to the Federal Reserve's most recent data. With many cards charging compound interest on outstanding balances, this could really eat away at any person's finances.
Since credit card issuers are required by law to disclose interest rates and fee information on their website, the good news is that this information is not hard to find.
Keep in mind that each time you apply for a credit card and a lender checks your credit, a hard inquiry shows up on your credit report and dings your credit score a few points temporarily. It's therefore worth doing your homework beforehand so that you reserve your hard inquiries for only the cards you actually want and can afford.
Top credit cards to help you get started
Thinking ahead
Once you have shopped around and found the best first credit card for you, remember that your oldest card is the most important to hold onto.
As you work your way toward a better credit score and graduate to a regular credit card, keep your first one and use it a couple times a year so that you maintain your long credit history; the average length of time you've had credit makes up 15% of your credit score.
Information about the Citi Rewards+℠ Student Card, Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card, Citi® Secured Mastercard®, Capital One® Secured, Capital One® Platinum Credit Card, Deserve® Classic Mastercard, Petal® Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the CNBC Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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What to look out for when applying for your first credit card - CNBC
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