It takes time to build up a good credit score. I just checked mine and it's 817. Having a CC is a good idea for emergencies. Maybe you'll never need it but it's handy if you do. Yes, some of these guys are proud that they can pay cash for everything but at some point in time a good credit score will help you. It's 2021.

Gary, its not about being proud of paying cash, but rather offering insight into something schools do a poor job of teaching...money. Anybody that is able to stay out of debt by living within their means is going to have a leg up in this world. I remember a post on here a year or so back talking about debt and how some still think carrying mortgage debt is a good idea because it builds credit, you can deduct the interest and because the interest they were making in the market was more than the interest they were paying on mortgage. Thats all well and good until crap hits the fan, unexpected layoffs, government shutdowns, etc. Probably nobody here will admit it, but im guessing some of those pro-mortgage folks got bit in the hind quarters over the last year when they lost jobs and still had mortgage payments to make. I know the same size shoe doesnt fit everone, but I just offered the advice that I think would benefit Wolfie the most financially. He is free to take it or ignore it, but has nothing to do with 'pride'. If that is the way it sounded, it wasnt meant that way.

Not proud to pay cash for everything. In fact, there are lots of things we don't do or don't buy because we don't have the cash. We got into trouble with credit cards when we were in our early 20's. Took us a long time to climb out of that mess. As soon as we missed a payment we couldn't afford, there were late fees which pushed us over the credit limit. Then there were over the credit limit fees too. And all of the purchases we had made were now due at the new 28% interest rate plus all the fees that had accumulated. We owned a few thousand but paid at least 3x that by the time we were done. Credit card companies make money by getting you in trouble and their system is designed to make that happen. I'm not dancing with them again.

If you CHOOSE to charge more than you can pay every month dont blame the bank. You should already know that money is expensive. If you need a loan go to your bank. If you have been using your cc responsibly it will take about ten minutes to get approved. People who blame banks for their debt have a lot of problems

10-4

Must be nice , I've been turned down at three or four hotels trying to get a room even though I had cash in hand. No credit no room. And buying this car was beyond a pain.

Most credit unions and some banks will give you a free credit report. Between that and the Big Three (see the links) that are federally required to give you a free credit report every year, you can get a free credit report every four times a year, every year. Getting these reports does not hurt your score.

However, when you go for a loan and they run your score, it lowers your score a little bit. So don't apply for a bunch of credit cards, car loans, etc in the same week. There is a way to lower the impact of several checks on your report, if they're all for the same type of loan (say a car) and they're all in a short space of time (think 6 weeks, but don't quote me).

It always pays to know the rules before playing.

https://www.usa.gov/credit-reports

https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/get-my-free-credit-report

Best. Answer. Ever.

Christ I really wish they taught this stuff in school. I may just try Ramsey's methods but I'm trying to learn from others mistakes at this point. There's been alot of problems I've seen my freinds and family have because they didn't have credit and I'm trying to avoid those.
Again thanks yall

Just use her card.

Debit cards hold rooms.

Building credit takes a long time. But miss one payment and they smack you back down quick.

Don’t worry, you’ll get there. Never carry a balance on a credit card, never miss a car payment, nor any other kind of payment. When I was young and dumb I had a credit card I let go delinquent, and a truck that got repossessed, and medical bills and phone bills that went to collections. I had BAD credit for quite a while, but I got my head on straight and started down the right path and my wife just looked at our scores the other day and I’ve got a 798 score now. You’ll get there, just be patient.

local home town banks, especially if you have any history with them , will overlook credit scores.

Not sure if its the same in the States but unpaid fines can have a devastating effect on credit rating here.

Same with loan sharks and drug dealers.

I used to work for hotels and you're right. Hotels don't want cash. That's for two reasons. First, the people that party, play loud music, get drunk at the pool, and trash hotel rooms are usually weekend cash customers. The second is that the the hotel wants a credit card to charge for the damage to the room when those guests stay. Cash is out for hotels. But with a debit card I've never had a problem. I've stayed in hotels in at least a dozen states, maybe two dozen, and never got questioned about my debit card once.

I also bought a car once and after we negotiated a price, I met the finance manager. The finance manager's job was to get us to finance the deal. Dealerships make more money on financing than they do on car sales. The FM was a hard sell. We walked out of the FM's office and found our sales guy. Told him that if he could do the deal we agreed to, we'd buy but we weren't dealing with the finance manager any more. By the way, the finance guy is the top sales guy at a dealership. He makes the most money and brings in the most money for the dealer. We really thought that dealership wasn't interested in a cash sale and were just going to buy a car somewhere else. We got a call from the sales guy the next day and we bought the car in cash. I've bought several cars and all have been cash deals. That was the only problem we ever had paying cash. And, of course I mean a cashier's check from the bank. If I showed up with a briefcase full of brand new $20's there might have been some raised eyebrows.

yeah, dont tell them your writing a check till you have a price

This may have been mentioned already- but you don't have to use a credit card much at all to build credit. I went from mid-400s (no credit) to 720s in less than a year, and I probably used my credit card once a month.

My advice, fwiw, is to find a secured credit card with no annual fee and preferably an autopay function. When it arrives, throw it in a drawer somewhere and forget about it. Once a month, pay for some cheap takeout food with it and throw it back in the drawer and pay your bill online.