How old do you have to be to get a credit card?

The post is updated with new information on a regular basis.

Everyone should have a credit card.

Everyone can get a credit card. You need to meet certain requirements to be approved for one.

How old do you have to be to use a credit card to earn points and miles? The requirements need to be broken down.

To get a credit card, you must be at least 18. When applying for most credit cards, anyone under the age of 21 will be subject to some additional restrictions.

Credit cards for 18 year olds.

Law and policy

The CARD Act made it easier for card issuers to market to younger people. It wasn't uncommon to see card issuers posted up on college campuses offering free T-shirts, pizza or frisbees to get students to sign up for a card with high interest rates.

If issuers give out free gifts in exchange for applications, they have to be at least 1000 feet away from a college campus. The CARD Act prohibits banks from issuing credit cards to anyone under the age of 21 if they don't have a co-signer or enough money to pay off the card.

If you are over the age of 18 and have enough income to qualify, you can get a credit card. If you're a student, you can't count financial aid as part of your income on a credit card application, but you can include money someone else regularly deposits into your account If someone transfers money frequently to help you pay your bills, that can be counted as part of your income.

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Capital One has a policy on the Capital One Savor Cash rewards credit card.

You can include personal income which includes full-time, part-time, or seasonal jobs, self-employment, interest or dividends, retirement, and public assistance. Sharing income is money that is deposited into your individual account or into a joint account that you share with someone else. You can include someone else's income that is used to pay your expenses if you are over 21.

Make sure to carefully read the fine print on any application you fill out to make sure you only claim the income that you are allowed.

You won't be able to get any credit card if you get a credit card. Further restrictions are added to the CARD Act by some banks. If you live in Puerto Rico, Chase requires you to be at least 21 years old if you live in Nebraska or Alabama. It is not known if the banks will allow you to apply if you don't meet the age requirements, but a quick search through the terms and conditions of the offer page could potentially save you a lot of time and money.

The points guy collected the information for the Capital One Savor Card. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.

A college student is debunking myths.

Become an authorized user

If you can't get a credit card in your own name, you can ask a parent or friend to add you to their credit card.

Adding an authorized credit account to your existing credit account is a great way to increase your credit score and get approved for credit cards in the future. The average age of accounts is one of the factors that contributes to 15% of your credit score. An authorized user's credit history can be boosted by being an authorized user. Banks are more likely to give you a line of credit if you have a long history of paying it back on time.

Adding your children to your credit cards is related.

What card should you get?

Before applying for a credit card, you have to do a few things. Before you can use a credit card, you need to read our credit card beginner guide and follow the 10 Commandments of credit card rewards. It's important to understand how credit works and use your card with care on the front end.

You can begin looking at credit cards once you have a plan. Check out our favorite cards for college students if you feel like you don't have enough options.

College students can use credit cards with care.

Bottom line

The CARD Act made it harder for people under the age of 21 to get a credit card. Before applying for a credit card, it is advisable to read its requirements.

If you can't get a credit card of your own, you can use someone else's account to build and improve your credit.

When you get a credit card, make sure you are prepared to use it safely and set yourself up for a lifetime of earning and travelling with points and miles.

Credit cards for college students have more information.

The additional reporting was done by two people.