Your College Student’s Credit Card
Written by
Chris Chisholm
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Are you thinking about putting your college-aged son or daughter on your credit card account?
Consider the pros and cons of putting your college student on your credit card account…
THE PROS:
There are several good reasons to give your son or daughter their own credit card when they go off to college:
- Credit cards offer convenience
- Having credit card will allow them to cope with sudden emergencies (i.e broken down car)
- If a you co-signed on a credit card and the payment is paid in full every month, your child’s credit score will build
- If your child is under your credit card account, it is possible to crease your child’s credit history
- Teach them financial responsibilities
As a parent you’ll feel better knowing your son or daughter has some back-up in case they run into difficulties. However, if you’re worried about their credit card splurging habits you can always monitor the activity on the credit card account. That’s something they will thank you for down the road.
THE CONS:
Despite all the good things that can come out of giving your college student a credit card, it can also be disastrous if your child isn’t careful.
The problems that your college-aged son or daughter may have when in charge of his or her own credit cards are:
- Promote bad spending habits
- Ruin your credit history – if you are a co-signer on the credit card and are not aware of the piling debt
- Ruin your child’s credit history
- If the outstanding balance is not paid – debt collectors will be call you to collect
When you consider allowing your child the privilege of having his or her own credit card either under your account, or you as the co-signer of the card, it is best to talk through the responsibilities of having a credit and how it will affect you and your child’s financial well being.
