[StaceyLS83]

I am looking to get my first CC ever (recent college grad) and I know that Capital One has a card for building credit. But I've read some bad opinions on the company. Any experience?

[starfused]

yes, DO NOT use capital one, not recommended based on personal experience. i posted my experience about capital on on this forum too - if you want to read about it.

[dreamz905]

I suggest sticking with the big banks like Chase, Citibank & Bank of America. They usually have a bunch of cards to choose from even if you've never had a credit card before. I've had good experiences with both Chase and Citibank.

[log47]

i've personally never had any problems with capital one

[Zophie]

I never had any problems with Capital One until I had credit problems. Their bill collectors are straight up evil. Up until then they seemed fine to me. that was several years ago though so they might have changed. Whatever card you get, just pay it all off and pay your bills on time and you should be fine.

[StaceyLS83]

Thanks for all the advice! I know that any card I get will probably have a low limit, so I plan to just use it for gas and pay it in full every month....hopefully if I don't carry a balance on it, I can build up my credit without having any trouble.

Thanks again!

[acegirl]

There was a recent thread about Capital One.... I had one awhile ago but happily closed it. They sucked!

[sakuraicedtea]

The bad thing about capital one is that they rarely report your credit limit to the credit bureaus. So they use your highest balance as your "credit limit" on your report. So if you hit your highest balance you could look like you have 100% credit utilization even if you have only spent 30% which will ding your credit score.

I would reccommend the citiMTVU card. It gives you 5 thank you points (about equal to 5% cash back) for restaurant and other stuff. Other things are equivalent to 1%. Also citibank is the one who is getting rid of the universal default clause, which might be helpful in the future if you default accidently or by other ill effects on another credit card.

[StaceyLS83]

Is that something I can get with limited credit history? That's why I was going to go with Capital One, it seems like one of the only ones I'll be able to get w/o doing a secured card.

Originally Posted by sakuraicedtea

The bad thing about capital one is that they rarely report your credit limit to the credit bureaus. So they use your highest balance as your "credit limit" on your report. So if you hit your highest balance you could look like you have 100% credit utilization even if you have only spent 30% which will ding your credit score.

I would reccommend the citiMTVU card. It gives you 5 thank you points (about equal to 5% cash back) for restaurant and other stuff. Other things are equivalent to 1%. Also citibank is the one who is getting rid of the universal default clause, which might be helpful in the future if you default accidently or by other ill effects on another credit card.

[IntlSet]

Do NOT use Capital One. They're just downright ridiculous.

I had a $10,000 credit line with Citi Mastercard -- then Capital One offered me a $200 credit line at 27% interest. Isn't that INSANE? It was my second credit card so I took it to build up credit. But they would NEVER increase my credit line and it was rarely that I could get through their insane phone system.

There are better cards out there.

[gucci girl]

I never ever had a problem with cap one

[merika]

Stacey, you might find a good offer from American Express? I actually got my first cc from Amex, the one which is called "Student Blue". Later they turned it into a Blue from American Express, and it's a great card.

[lizlikeshugs]

They have HORRENDOUS APR!! They are almost 30%! They raise it when you're not looking. This is why I never applied or accepted their cards.

[StaceyLS83]

Thank you for all the advice. I had already applied for the card, but if I'm approved I know I don't have to activate it if I decide not to get involved with CO.

merika - thanks for the tip. I'll check out Amex today and see what they have to offer.

[angelica]

I agree with Merika and choose amex blue. I have heard so many cap one horror stories. Search some online credit forums and you'll see. They are known for hiking interest rates and not reporting timely payments which are actually the things necessary to build credit.