My buddy's advice about a secured card actually worked

My friend Mike kept telling me for months to get a secured credit card to fix my credit. I had a 540 score from some old medical bills and I figured it was a waste of money. Finally I gave in and put down $300 on a Capital One secured card back in January. I used it for gas only and paid it off every single month on time. Just checked my score this morning and it jumped to 612 after 6 months. I honestly didn't think it would move that much that fast. Has anyone else had a secured card actually help them rebuild or did I just get lucky with the timing?

2 comments

2 Comments

butler.brian29d agoTop Commenter

My cousin's secured card got him approved for a truck loan after 8 months.

nina18029d ago

The whole credit system is wild like that. It's practically a game where you gotta put in a small deposit to get a little trust, then suddenly you're financing a whole truck. I see it with my friends too - the ones who started with a tiny secured card or a store card are the same ones who get approved for apartments and car loans faster than people with no history. It's like this weird cheat code nobody tells you about until you're already stuck in the cash-only trap.