What is a Credit Building Credit Card?
Credit Building credit cards are designed to help you slowly build up a good credit score and credit history.
What are the reasons for having a credit building credit card?
If you have a history of poor credit or you have very little or no credit history, it could affect your credit score and credit report.
What is my credit score?
Your credit score is looked at by lenders including banks, credit card companies, loan companies and mortgage providers. They analyse your credit report in order to assess your suitability for their products. If your credit score is low, then your applications for credit may be declined.
What does a credit building card do?
This type of credit card generally has lower acceptance criteria and as such it will normally have a much lower available credit limit.
The idea is that you pay the whole amount off each month, which reflects positively on your credit history and ultimately your credit score. By doing this, you will eventually build up a healthy credit history that puts you in a more favourable position when applying for credit in the future.
What to look out for on a credit building credit card
The downside to these types of cards is that in addition to a lower credit limit, they will usually have a much higher APR interest rate than other types of credit card.
It is therefore very important that you pay your monthly balance in full in order to avoid steep interest repayments.
How can I check my credit score and credit report?
A number of companies offer credit score and credit report services that enable you to keep a regular eye on your credit status. Check out our comparison table of credit score and credit report companies.
