Baltimore HUD Homes Blog

Many consumers search specifically for a bad credit credit card, merely for the sake of easy approval and getting their hands onto unsecured credit, without first trying to resolve their bad credit issues and preventing further damage to their credit score.

While there are plenty of bad credit credit card choices available, they can do more harm than good if not used wisely, or if the card issuer does not report timely payments to a credit bureau. Here are important factors consumers should consider:

1) Do you really need a credit card? Credit cards do make life more convenient by not having to carry cash, and they can make tracking expenses simpler. If the applicant’s primary concern; however, is just to get unsecured credit (to make purchases when short of cash) versus the convenience factor, this should be a danger sign of the potential for accruing more debt than can be re-paid, or be re-paid timely.

2) How you used a credit card in the past? Consumers who were consistently late making payments or who did not frequently pay the balance in full every month, likely suffer bad credit for that very reason alone. Living above one’s means often ends in financial disaster, and it’s possible to dig a hole too large to get out of as late fees and interest charges accrue.

3) Can the credit card rebuild bad credit? If used wisely, consumers who are diligently attempting to rebuild credit can benefit from a credit card. How you re-pay credit card charges are one of the largest credit report scoring factors. But not every credit card issuer reports to a major credit bureau. Applicants should acquire a credit card that reports to at least one major credit bureau, i.e. Trans Union, Equifax or Experian. Here’s how to maximize the credit reporting benefit:

- Use your credit card. A strange peculiarity amongst creditors, is that they view open lines of credit as potential debt. If; for example, you have a credit card with a $5,000 limit and it has no charges on it, it is viewed as a potential debt in that amount. Hence, if you have any other credit cards which have no balance and the issuers do not report timely payments to credit bureaus, it may be best to close those accounts. Simply not using the card does not close the account. You must contact the issuer and close the card account.

- Don’t use your credit card simply for the sake of being able to make purchases during cash shortages. Use your card instead of the cash you budget for expenses such as your weekly grocery shopping, and use those funds to re-pay the charges.

4) Finally, when seeking a bad credit credit card, apply for one that may limit your potential for accruing debt. Instead of a $5,000 credit line, consider a credit card with only a $2,000 credit line. Because of your bad credit, you may discover that a higher credit limit bad credit credit card may also charge a higher interest rate because of the increased risk to the issuer. If you just need temporary credit; such as during Christmas, consider a retail or shopping card that reports timely payments to a credit bureau. Since retail and shopping cards limit purchases to a particular store or catalog, this can help curb desires to go on vacation spending sprees.

Article by Toni Phelps of Credit Federal where you can find more information about bad credit credit cards and how to use them wisely.