• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 04:22
CEST 10:22
KST 17:22
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall10HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0TL Team Map Contest #5: Presented by Monster Energy6
Community News
Weekly Cups (June 30 - July 6): Classic Doubles4[BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China9Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL66Weekly Cups (June 23-29): Reynor in world title form?14FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event22
StarCraft 2
General
Statistics for vetoed/disliked maps The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings Weekly Cups (June 30 - July 6): Classic Doubles The SCII GOAT: A statistical Evaluation Weekly Cups (June 23-29): Reynor in world title form?
Tourneys
RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament WardiTV Mondays Korean Starcraft League Week 77
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps
[UMS] Zillion Zerglings
External Content
Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome Mutation # 478 Instant Karma
Brood War
General
i aint gon lie to u bruh... BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ ASL20 Preliminary Maps [ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall SC uni coach streams logging into betting site
Tourneys
[BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China [BSL20] Grand Finals - Sunday 20:00 CET CSL Xiamen International Invitational The Casual Games of the Week Thread
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile What do you want from future RTS games? Beyond All Reason
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative Summer Games Done Quick 2025! US Politics Mega-thread Summer Games Done Quick 2024!
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
Culture Clash in Video Games…
TrAiDoS
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 662 users

My Path to My First (US) Credit Card

Blogs > Sufficiency
Post a Reply
Sufficiency
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Canada23833 Posts
July 30 2011 07:40 GMT
#1
So I've moved to Seattle for a couple of months now and I finally got my social security number. So I figured that I should try to get a credit card. No, I am not a credit-hippie, nor do I go on spending-frenzy with credit cards, but I do like rewards.

Armed with the thought that I make 1800 dollars per month before tax (lol, I know...) and a student, I researched some student credit card and applied for one (from Citibank, if I recall correctly) online. I received an instant rejection despite all the "reviews" saying how easy it is to get one.

Oh well, Citibank is evil, I thought. Then I decided to try my chances with Chase - which I have a checking account. I chose their lowest credit card option with the minimal rewards, filled my application carefully... and another rejection.

Then I realized the problem is not so much that my income is abysmal, it's actually that I have been in the states only for a bit more than one month. I could just wait, but I'd like to build up some credit in this country ASAP. After researching some more, I noted two places where it is particularly "easy" to get credit cards. One is through the university, the other one is through grocery stores. After some googling I found that University of Washington does have an alumni card - which does not have any rewards on it whatsoever (although I don't really care at this point). However, I recall that the first credit card I got in Canada was through the university as well, so I submitted another application.... and got another rejection. After this I tried grocery store... same result.

I despaired. I fully understand that submitting too many applications hurts my credit rating (although according to many, only a very small amount), but I want to get a basic credit card to build up my rating, then get another card with good rewards such as cashback. However, the past a few weeks felt like when I was applying for graduate school: I kept receiving rejections.

I contemplated getting a secured card. But then I realized even the cheapest option I can find (at Well Fargo) asks for 19 dollars per year for two years until I can "graduate" into an unsecured card. A simple calculation told me that I would need to spend 3800 dollars with a 1% cashback card in order to get the cost of the secure card back. Due to the semi-temporary nature of my stay in the states, it's awfully unlikely that I will be able to spend that much money using my credit card.

Anyways, I know that since I have already decided to get a card, I shouldn't give up. After asking around in my department, I was told that I could try the Washington State Employee Credit Union. I gave it a lot of thoughts (because I got a lot of rejections already), but I decided to give it a shot. It turned out that I am considered an employee of the State of Washington and I am pretty much automatically approved. What was even better was that they gave me 5 dollars for applying (to apply for the credit card I have to have their saving account... and for the saving account I need 5 dollars deposit... but they have a promotion for students so they gave me 5 dollars instead of me depositing it).

As I write this right now I am still waiting for the card to be mailed, but since I can access their online banking already it's going to only a matter of time before I can go on a spending spree. Suffice to say I am pretty happy right now. But perhaps I also learned a lesson: I really wish I started out asking other people instead of finding the answer on the internet (none of the suggestions found on the internet worked out for me).

TL;DR? Making Friends > Internet.


https://twitter.com/SufficientStats
Yurie
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
11807 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-30 09:09:33
July 30 2011 08:29 GMT
#2
This prompted me to read up on why anybody wants a credit card over a debit card. Seems the US has overdraft charges when you reach 0 money in order to promote credit cards instead of stopping the transfer. Well that and fraud protection.

Hmm might consider getting a credit card, though the safety of only being able to lose whatever is on my spending account feels like almost as good protection.

I would not get it for the bonus points though. I try to avoid all of those systems, only way to make them stop it.
RedJustice
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
United States1004 Posts
July 30 2011 09:13 GMT
#3
The bonus programs don't offer any kind of serious benefits to most people, but hopefully you get some good credit built up, and can later get a card with better benefits for your lifestyle! :D

@ Yurie The real benefit to having a credit card can come from being a responsible user so that you build good credit. Good credit will get you the lowest possible interest rates on a house or any other loan you need to take: possibly a car (usually a poor financial choice to take out a loan on a car since they depreciate so quickly that anything you can't afford up front is kinda :/), medical expenses, school, or small business loans if you choose to take that path. With low interest rates, the amount of money you can save in the long run is actually quite significant.

Another benefit to credit cards that not many people know about is that they may provide their own warranties for purchases you make, and will not charge you for a service you paid for if you can prove that the business did not follow through on it's promises (like if you paid for a nice suite at a hotel and then get put in another, worse room and the hotel refuses to compensate you for it).
wonderwall
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
New Zealand695 Posts
July 30 2011 09:25 GMT
#4
The bonus programs don't offer any kind of serious benefits to most people, but hopefully you get some good credit built up, and can later get a card with better benefits for your lifestyle! :D


Not something you'd buy a credit card specifically for but they can be nice if you let them build up. After having a family American Express card which my dad used for business a bit for like 2 years I got a free Ipod Touch back when they were relevant
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 1h 38m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
OGKoka 146
StarCraft: Brood War
actioN 1329
GuemChi 1310
Hyuk 297
EffOrt 216
Leta 213
PianO 196
Soma 195
ToSsGirL 179
Dewaltoss 93
Barracks 46
[ Show more ]
Sacsri 37
Movie 36
Free 27
Sharp 24
yabsab 23
JulyZerg 12
Bale 12
sSak 12
Yoon 8
Dota 2
XcaliburYe702
League of Legends
JimRising 611
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K1385
shoxiejesuss571
kennyS158
Other Games
Liquid`RaSZi636
ceh9491
Tasteless175
Pyrionflax98
Mew2King66
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick22193
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 15 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH422
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• lizZardDota2241
League of Legends
• Rush1145
• Lourlo971
• HappyZerGling116
Upcoming Events
Sparkling Tuna Cup
1h 38m
WardiTV European League
7h 38m
MaNa vs sebesdes
Mixu vs Fjant
ByuN vs HeRoMaRinE
ShoWTimE vs goblin
Gerald vs Babymarine
Krystianer vs YoungYakov
PiGosaur Monday
15h 38m
The PondCast
1d 1h
WardiTV European League
1d 3h
Jumy vs NightPhoenix
Percival vs Nicoract
ArT vs HiGhDrA
MaxPax vs Harstem
Scarlett vs Shameless
SKillous vs uThermal
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
1d 7h
Replay Cast
1d 15h
RSL Revival
2 days
ByuN vs SHIN
Clem vs Reynor
Replay Cast
2 days
RSL Revival
3 days
Classic vs Cure
[ Show More ]
FEL
3 days
RSL Revival
4 days
FEL
4 days
FEL
4 days
CSO Cup
4 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
4 days
Bonyth vs QiaoGege
Dewalt vs Fengzi
Hawk vs Zhanhun
Sziky vs Mihu
Mihu vs QiaoGege
Zhanhun vs Sziky
Fengzi vs Hawk
Sparkling Tuna Cup
5 days
RSL Revival
5 days
FEL
5 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
5 days
Bonyth vs Dewalt
QiaoGege vs Dewalt
Hawk vs Bonyth
Sziky vs Fengzi
Mihu vs Zhanhun
QiaoGege vs Zhanhun
Fengzi vs Mihu
Liquipedia Results

Completed

BSL Season 20
HSC XXVII
Heroes 10 EU

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL 2v2 Season 3
Acropolis #3
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
Championship of Russia 2025
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters
CCT Season 2 Global Finals
IEM Melbourne 2025

Upcoming

2025 ACS Season 2: Qualifier
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSL Xiamen Invitational
2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
K-Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
SEL Season 2 Championship
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.