A lot of people think that the best credit cards in the world are out of reach for the average person. When we say "best," we don't always mean credit cards with almost unlimited credit limits. The best credit cards are those with reasonable interest rates and enough spending power, that can be used almost anywhere in the world at a wide range of businesses, and that give their users extra perks and benefits.
A lot of people think that if they've had bad credit or other problems in the past, they can no longer get the "better" credit cards or may not be able to get ANY credit or debit card at all. This is actually a myth that some debt collection companies use in an aggressive way to try to get people to pay.
Even if you have had credit problems in the past, you can still apply for a credit card. The first thing you should think about is whether or not your credit history has reached one of these two points: The first is if you have a bad debt that is now being sent to a collection agency. This DOES show up on your credit report, but once you pay off the collection agency, the entry is changed to show that you DID pay off the debt. Also, some credit companies remove collection agency marks after a certain amount of time, usually a year or two. This lets you start over with a clean record.
The second "level" of bad credit is when you had to go to court to settle a debt. If this is the case, you will have a permanent mark on your credit history that says you have bad credit. However, some credit card companies still work with people whose credit histories have reached this point. They can give you a sort of "probationary" credit card, and as you use it, they can gradually raise your credit limit based on your credit score.
The two examples above are extreme, but some people do think that missing just one or two payments is enough to hurt their credit. It's not like that! One or two late payments won't hurt your overall credit score as long as you were able to make the payments. When applying for a new credit card, late payments can only cause problems if they are a habit. This means that you pay your bills regularly, but always a month or even two months after the due date. When looking at your credit history, credit card companies will look at how often you are late with payments.
So, if you only missed one or two payments but paid on time for the rest of your credit, you're fine. If, on the other hand, you have a history of late payments, have been sent to collections, or even been to court, you CAN STILL APPLY FOR A CREDIT CARD, but you may have to follow stricter rules at first until you can clean up your credit history. Even the biggest credit card companies in the world have plans like this for people with bad credit, so you shouldn't rule them out if you're looking for a new card.
