What’s the Minimum Age for a Credit Card? (Is It 18?)

Here’s how college move-in day went when I was a kid—

• Show up on campus with all your stuff (whatever you could fit in your car)—and your mom and dad in tow to help Tetris it into your shoebox-sized dorm.

• Walk past the credit card sign-up table on your way into school.

• Sign in with admissions, unload your stuff—and hug your teary-eyed mom goodbye.

• Then head back to the credit card table, and sign up to get a free slice of pizza.

Getting a credit card was easy back then—probably a bit too easy. (Too many kids were signing up for cards—not truly understanding how they worked or how the interest would impact them if they couldn’t afford to pay back what they borrowed.)

The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 was meant toprotect young people from marketing tactics like the one I laid out above. It also stops banks from issuing credit cards to anyone under 21—unless they have proof of income or a co-signer.

That’s why, if you want to get a credit card as an 18-year-old, expect these roadblocks. Plan on sending in some paystubs to prove you have an income—or have a co-signer at the ready.

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.

If you’re just looking for the convenience of having a card (vs. building your credit with a credit card), then a debit card could satisfy your needs.

Most banks allow children to have a joint checking account with their parent or legal guardianat the age of 13—this, of course, comes with a debit card. It isn’t a hard and fast rule though—some banks will allow children as young as six to have a debit card with joint checking.

Before you just run off and apply to the first credit card that pops up on your laptop window, take a moment to review the top cards for teenagers and young adults.

• What cards have the lowest interest rates?

• Do they report to the big three credit bureaus (so you can build your credit)?

• Which cards offer cash back?

Read more:

• 22 of the Best Credit Cards for 18 Year Olds

• Best Credit Cards (For Travel, Transfer Balance, Students, +More)

• Free Credit Card Payoff Calculator Excel Spreadsheet (Simple Debt Payment Template)

• Free Credit Card Payoff Calculator: Excel and Google Sheets Template

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.

This is the easiest way to get access to a credit card as a teenager—you can get a credit card at age 13 this way with many banks.

So what does it mean to be an authorized user?

A credit-carrying adult can simply name you as an authorized user on their account. You’ll get a credit card, and you can spend money as if it was your own. If the account holder pays the bills on time, your credit will build and improve—and if they don’t, your credit may suffer.

As a young adult, be cautious with this one. Sure, it’s a simple solution to getting a credit card—but it may also hurt you in the long run if you’re an authorized user of a defunct account.

This is a fantastic option for 18-year-olds looking for their first credit card. With a secured credit card, you first load it with money—and then spend it with your credit card.

It’s similar to putting money into a bank account and using a debit card, but this method will help you build your credit.

Read more:

• Chime Credit Card Review: Top Secured Credit Builder Option

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.

Adults know how important it can be to build your credit. We find many of them are asking questions like—

• “Can I open a credit card for my child?”

• “Can a minor get a credit card?”

• “Can you get a credit card at 13?”

• “How to get a credit card for my kid?”

Well, the answers to these questions will depend on what credit card issuer you have. American Express, for instance, says the child needs to be 13—while for Discover they need to be 15 to become an authorized user. This table shows the minimum age for each credit card issuer—

Source: Creditcards.com So, if you were asking yourself, “Can you get a credit card at 12?”, the answer is yes (as an authorized user)—but only for Bank of America, Capital One, Citi, Chase, Synchrony, and Wells Fargo. You can see that the Capital One authorized user age is “none”, which means you can add a child as a user at any age, while the Discover authorized user age is 15.

Besides using your credit card, there are several other ways to build credit—

• Take out a loan (not recommended unless you’re confident you can pay it back).

• Add rental payments to your credit history with Experian’s Rent Bureau.

• Be sure payments for utilities, cell phone, streaming services, and internet plan are recorded—use Experian Boost for this.

• Monitor your score with Credit Karma—be sure to keep the information accurate.