For individuals with no credit or those who have experienced a negative credit event like divorce or foreclosure, establishing credit history can be a real challenge. Without proper credit, everything from a car loan to an apartment to a cell phone contract can be denied – and sometimes, even a job.
When faced with problem credit, many people rely on prepaid cards to manage their daily expenses. However, prepaid cards simply provide access to one’s own money, not credit from a lender. These cards do not report to credit bureaus and do not help re-establish credit history. People need to demonstrate on-time monthly payments on a credit card in order to rebuild that important credit history.
So how can someone who cannot get a credit card rebuild their credit?
The Public Savings Bank Secured Visa offers people with low credit or no credit the opportunity to re-establish their credit history and work towards improving their credit score. Individuals make a deposit into an FDIC-insured account that acts as a security deposit. They can then make purchases anywhere Visa is accepted or take cash advances up to the deposited credit line amount, currently between $300-$2000. Payments are reported to all three major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) so customers can begin to establish credit immediately.
The Public Savings Bank Secured Visa does not require a credit check or even a checking account to apply. Customers can fund their account via Western Union, ACH, wire transfer, check or money order. The card has no annual or monthly fees, and offers 0% APR for 6 months. Rush shipping is available so customers can begin using their card just days after funding their account.
“Building good credit is critical at a time when credit is getting harder to obtain. This card allows the customer to build good credit while enjoying all the benefits of a Visa card at very favorable terms.” said Bob Wexler, Executive Vice President of Public Savings Bank.
Prospective cardholders can apply at www.PublicBankCard.com and be approved within a few hours.
There’s a lot to be said in favor of the Public Savings Bank Classic Secured Visa credit card. If it weren’t for a couple of unusual policies regarding the credit limit, this card would have been ranked notably higher.
I have no credit history. If I got a credit card, used it to buy a single pack of gum every month and nothing else, and paid the resulting bill on time every month without fail, would that help to build a genuine credit history?
It would give you a history of some sorts but a pack of gum is about $1 so that would not give a very realistic picture. If you have a bill that you regularly pay, say the cable bill then put that on the card too and pay it off. E.g. if you pay $50 in cash/check for a bill then you can send that bill to the card and pay the card the $50. That is how I pay my bills so I never carry a balance. Your credit history also looks at the percentage of your credit that you use so putting $1 on a limit of $500 is practically useless.