How Old Do You Have to Be to Get a Credit Card? (Is It 18?) (2024)

How Old Do You Have to Be to Get a Credit Card?

You must be 18 years old to sign a credit card contract. But getting an unsecured credit card before you turn 21 isn't easy since the Credit CARD Act of 2009i. You'll either need a co-signer or proof of regular income to qualify. (Or start with a secured credit card instead.)

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While the rule of thumb is that you can get a credit card at age 18, not all issuers blindly adhere to this. For instance, to get a Chase card in Alabama or Nebraska, the credit card age requirement is 19 years old. And if you live in Puerto Rico, the minimum age to get a credit card is 21.

How to Get a Credit Card at 18

We already established that the age requirement for a credit card is 18—but we also noted it’s not as easy as just clicking a few buttons online. (You’re going to have to work for this one a bit.)

Then what’s the best way to get a credit card at 18 years old?

Next, don’t just apply and hope for the best. Look for a pre-approval option—see if you’re likely to be approved, without the hard-pull hitting your credit report.

At age 18, you’ll either need to prove your income or have a co-signer vouch for you. By co-signing, they’re putting their credit on the line, so don’t take this lightly. Find someone with an excellent credit score with whom you have a trusting relationship. (This is probably your mom, dad, or a close relative.)

If you’re enrolled in college, student credit cards may be the best option for you. Since you’re younger than 21, you’ll still need to prove that you can make the minimum payments—but the process is often more straightforward since the issuer already knows you’re a young adult looking to get your first credit card.

If all else fails, retail credit cards can often be easy to get. They have a low credit limit and high APR—so they aren’t ideal for the user. But if you’re just looking for something to get started with—this could be an option.

How to Get a Credit Card If You’re Younger Than 18 Years Old

If you need a credit card, but you’re not quite 18 years old, what are your options? There aren’t many, I’m afraid. In fact, there’s only one option—to become an authorized user on someone else’s credit card account.

How to Get a Credit Card If You’re At Least 21 Years Old

If you’re 21 years old, you’re free! The world is finally your oyster—with access to cigarettes, co*cktails, and credit cards (we condone the latter—not necessarily the first two).

What does this all mean? (And what’s the best way to get a credit card now?) Honestly, the advice doesn’t change much—I’d still recommend student credit cards and secured cards to build your credit further.

If your credit score is already good and you’ve been responsible with your spending, I’d recommend looking at the top credit cards. If you qualify, you’ll be well on your way to earning great rewards and further building your credit.

When to Get a Credit Card

When young adults ask, “Should I get a credit card at 18?” there are some strong opinions out there—from the Dave Ramsey rants saying that people with credit cards are idiots, to people like the Money Ninja saying, “Get a credit card as soon as you legally can by yourself (18 years old) to start building credit early. Or even better, have parents add their child as an authorized user on one of their existing credit cards.” When do we believe someone should get a credit card? When they can check these three boxes:

• “I know how to set up and stick to a budget.”

• “I have a steady income.”

• “I want to start developing my credit history.”

If you’re 18 years old, and you’re nodding “yes” to the above bullets, then go for it—get yourself a credit card. If you can’t honestly say yes to all of them, then it’s probably not time for you yet—and that’s okay. (It’s often better to have no credit than to start your life out with bad credit.)

How to Start Building Credit

Once you have your credit card, building credit is actually pretty easy—

• Start buying things with your credit card.

• Pay off your statement (or, at the very least, the minimum payment) by the due date.

• Repeat the above steps every month.

By using your credit card—and paying the bill each month—the credit bureaus will receive your outstanding payment report, and your score should slowly rise. If you started with no credit, you’ll see your first FICO score about six months from when you started using your card.

Read more:

• How to Build Credit - Tips to Develop a Good Credit Score

• How to Establish Business Credit—and Then Build It Fast

• How Long Does It Take to (Re)Build Credit? Tips, Tricks, and Timeframes

• How to Build Credit Without a Credit Card: 10 Easy Ways to Build Credit

Key Takeaways

How old do you need to be to get a credit card? If you want your own account, the legal age is 18 years old—but you’ll either need to prove that you have a regular income or get a co-signer. Getting a card on your own is much easier once you turn 21.

If you’re between 18 and 21 years old, you basically have two options—secured cards and student credit cards. If you’re younger than 18, you can still get access to a credit card by being an authorized user of an adult (likely a parent). Some banks allow this at any age—but more commonly, the minimum age for an authorized user is 13.

Finally, you may want a credit card—but be honest with yourself. If you can’t manage your emotions, don’t know how to budget, and don’t have a regular income—a credit card will probably do you more harm than good.

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