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As much as I hate the very idea of credit cards, I will be travelling to Britain this summer and will need to get one with a chip in it. Sadly, my nice, reliable, accountable, predictable little debit card won't do. :-(
I'm looking for something with no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, etc. ... but the problem is that I'm less than a year out of college (albeit employed full time and doing quite well) and have no credit history whatsoever. I'd argue that this means I recognize the risks of spending money I don't have and am thus being responsible, but the real world doesn't agree . And, anyway, credit cards used correctly can come with worthwhle perks.
With that said, can y'all recommend some good ones for newbies that meets my criteria?
As much as I hate the very idea of credit cards, I will be travelling to Britain this summer and will need to get one with a chip in it. Sadly, my nice, reliable, accountable, predictable little debit card won't do. :-(
I'm looking for something with no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, etc. ... but the problem is that I'm less than a year out of college (albeit employed full time and doing quite well) and have no credit history whatsoever. I'd argue that this means I recognize the risks of spending money I don't have and am thus being responsible, but the real world doesn't agree . And, anyway, credit cards used correctly can come with worthwhle perks.
With that said, can y'all recommend some good ones for newbies that meets my criteria?
By sometime this fall, all US cards will finally have chips. So far I've only been able to get one card with a chip. That's the PenFed card. It's an excellent rewards card too but to qualify, you have to have a family member in the military, past or present.
BTW, there's nothing wrong with credit cards and you need one to rent a car or to reserve a hotel room. The problem is that some people don't pay them off. As long as you pay it off every month, you pay zero interest and it's a great deal.
As much as I hate the very idea of credit cards, I will be travelling to Britain this summer and will need to get one with a chip in it. Sadly, my nice, reliable, accountable, predictable little debit card won't do. :-(
I'm looking for something with no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, etc. ... but the problem is that I'm less than a year out of college (albeit employed full time and doing quite well) and have no credit history whatsoever. I'd argue that this means I recognize the risks of spending money I don't have and am thus being responsible, but the real world doesn't agree . And, anyway, credit cards used correctly can come with worthwhle perks.
With that said, can y'all recommend some good ones for newbies that meets my criteria?
You might try asking your local bank or credit union if they offer a secured credit card - which you can easily get even with no credit history. Some banks might be willing to give you an unsecured card - your rate will be pretty high though with no credit history - around 22%. This does not matter if you pay off the full amount every month and pay no interest at all - and stay out of debt trouble.
Capital One and Bank of America look at your rent/mortgage and your income. If your housing doesn't take up more than 28-30% of your gross income they'll often approve people with no credit history. If not, get a secured card.
Also - if you are traveling to Europe, keep in mind that even though the U.S. is moving to EMV cards. It's still a bit different as most will still be chip and signature vs. chip and PIN.
The latter will give you more options in Europe (e.g. unattended kiosks will still not work with chip/sig cards). There are few banks in the U.S. that offers Chip/Pin. PenFed is one, and Barclaycard is another. I'm sure there are others, but you may have to specifically ask.
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. And, anyway, credit cards used correctly can come with worthwhle perks. 
