I’m Starting College and Plan to Apply for a New Credit Card — Thankfully, My Dad’s an Expert

Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mason Ulzheimer and his father, CardRates.com Finance Expert John Ulzheimer. Mason is a 2025 high school graduate and a Freshman at Auburn University in the class of 2029. This is Mason’s first co-published article.

I graduated from high school in May, and I started college this fall. My dad is renowned credit expert John Ulzheimer, and he tells me that I should consider getting a new credit card to use in college. 

I already have a lot on my plate as I start my freshman year, but I know he’s right. I need to think about applying for a new card so I can start establishing my own credit. 

Here are some of the things I’m going to consider as I start this credit journey on my own:

When I was younger, my dad added me as an authorized user on one of his credit cards since I wasn’t 18 yet. I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but I had a card with my name on it, and I was able to use it for necessary purchases such as gas and Uber rides. 

I was not responsible for the debt on that card. It’s also my understanding that being an authorized user on my dad’s credit card is not a good long-term solution to building my own credit.

I need to get a credit card in my name, meaning that I am responsible for the debt, so I need to search for a good credit card. I’ve never done this before, so it is going to be a learning experience for me. 

My dad taught me that shopping for a credit card is easy because I can compare cards online and choose the one I think is best.

Even though my dad’s an expert, I still have a lot to learn, and need to do my research and compare cards designed for people my age. One thing that came as a shock to me was how many options there are. 

When I type “credit cards for students” into Google, it returns an almost unlimited number of page results. I applied some additional search filters to find credit cards targeted specifically to college students. I even found a rewards card issued by Bank of America with my college’s logo on it!

Since I’m a college freshman, I don’t need a massive credit limit. I’m not going to use the card for large purchases. I just need a card with a $5,000 credit limit, or something in that range, to use for emergency purchases and possibly spring break trips. 

“Since I’m a college freshman, I don’t need a massive credit limit. I’m not going to use the card for large purchases.” — Mason Ulzheimer

Anything more than $5,000 and I could risk getting myself into too much credit card debt. That’s not what I want, given that I need to focus on my grades, rather than working a full-time job to pay off debt.

When I evaluate my options, I’m going to primarily focus on the credit limit. When I ran that strategy by my dad, he also suggested that I choose a card with a good rewards program so I can earn points or cash back while I’m using the card. He also said having a card with my school’s logo is a harmless way to represent my university.

My dad sent me a link to an article about the CARD Act (Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009). I was two years old when President Barack Obama signed the CARD Act into law, so obviously, I had no idea what it was at the time. 

What I learned from the CARD Act is that, because I’m under 21, I need to show that I can make payments independently or have a cosigner to qualify for my new credit card.

I won’t have the time to work a full-time job, which leaves me with two options: wait several years to get my first credit card, or convince my dad to cosign for me. This is probably the reason I’ve been an authorized user on one of his cards for the past few years. 

I’ve learned that a credit card is not cash, and most certainly not free money. It’s a short-term loan that needs to be paid back in a timely fashion. He reminds me of my purchases all the time.

That’s certainly one of the risks of getting a card. Apparently, credit card debt can be very expensive. According to my research, the average credit card interest rate on newly opened cards is over 24%. My dad says that’s more than eight times what our mortgage interest rate is.

My plan is to pay off the card every month, which means I can’t have large balances. Here’s where having a credit expert advise you on finances for your entire childhood pays off. I’ve been taught that keeping low balances is good for your credit scores and also makes it easier to pay off the entire card balance monthly.

No balance means no interest (because of your grace period). That’s good because 24% seems very high.

There’s a pretty solid set of benefits when it comes to getting a new credit card, including the ability to buy items using plastic or a digital version of my card instead of using cash or checks — although I’ve never written a check. 

Having a credit card account on my credit reports will also help me build credit and earn good credit scores. That will help me someday when I decide to buy a house or car and need a large loan (with a low interest rate) from the bank.

I know when you apply for credit, there’s a chance you’ll be denied. That’s more likely to happen if you don’t have good credit. I’m not too worried about that, especially if my dad cosigns for me, because he has great credit scores.

That should give me a pretty good chance of getting approved for my very own credit card. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a cosigner with great scores and the chances of being denied are a real thing.

If I’m denied, I can either look for a different credit card option or continue using my debit card. My dad taught me that debit cards aren’t as safe as credit cards, and you can’t use them to build credit because debit cards don’t extend credit. 

Ultimately, my goal is to get approved for a credit card so I can build my credit safely. If I’m denied because of my credit report (which I’m not sure if I have because of my age), lenders have to send me a letter — called an adverse action notice — explaining why they denied me. If they also saw my credit score, then they have to tell me what my score was at the time.

The first thing I’m going to do is some basic online searches for college credit cards. Next, I’m going to talk to my dad, and we’re going to narrow down the list of potential cards to maybe five or six. After that, we’ll rank them based on the criteria I mentioned earlier, including the interest rates and rewards. 

Then, for the first time, I’ll get to fill out a credit card application. My dad says the decision should be almost instantaneous, but that’s usually for an adult who has a more established credit report and credit score. So, we’ll see. 

The good news is that it’s free to apply for a credit card, so I won’t have to pay the bank just to consider my application.

Wish me luck! I’m a little nervous because I have no idea how this is going to end. Hopefully, it ends with me having a cool credit card (maybe even with my college logo) that I can use to build my credit and buy stuff while I’m at school and during spring and summer breaks.