In the United States, so many people use credit cards that some stores no longer take cash. If someone doesn't want to find himself in a situation where he needs to make an emergency purchase but can't because he doesn't have a credit card, he should at least think about getting one.
Some people who don't have credit cards anymore used to have one or two plastics. But they might not have paid for the cards and now have bad credit. Some people want credit cards but aren't sure if they should because they have loans or credit that aren't paid off.
Companies that lend money and give out credit cards call these people "bad credit." It means that credit card companies and other places that lend money are likely to turn down any application from someone with bad credit because it is seen as a credit risk.
Even for a bank account, it's hard to get a loan if you have bad credit. If someone has bad credit, it's even harder for them to get a credit card. Companies will have to check a person's credit history if they want to give them money or do something similar. When companies see that a person has become a credit risk, it's likely that his application will be turned down.
But even if someone has bad credit, they may still be able to get a credit card. Some companies don't make quick decisions about people with bad credit. Instead, they ask the applicant a series of questions. When he gets a passing grade, which shows that the person will probably pay back his debts, he might get credit after all.
If someone has bad credit, they should expect to be turned down by some, if not most, companies that offer credit. This is normal, but the applicant shouldn't give up because there are a lot of lenders and credit card companies with less strict rules about giving credit.
Bad credit may look like a red flag on a person's record, but some credit companies also look at other signs and factors in addition to the record. Some lenders may take into account the fact that an applicant has had a bank account for a certain amount of time.
Even if someone has bad credit, they can still apply for a credit card in person or on the Internet. Applying for a credit card online is faster and easier for the person applying. She no longer has to deal with the people at the credit company, who might not care about her because of her bad credit.
People with bad credit who want to get a credit card have many options, such as getting a prepaid credit card. One way to get around lenders who won't give credit cards to people with bad credit is to get a prepaid credit card.
The prepaid credit card works a lot like other credit cards, but the person needs to pay for it ahead of time or put cash on it before he can use it to buy things. There is no credit check for prepaid credit cards, which makes them easier to get.
