Credit Cards are the easiest way to cover small and immediate needs like books, supplies, gas for the car and an occasional meal in a restaurant. College students often immediately qualify for credit card offers because banks are eager to help college students to establish and build a good credit reputation. The bonus to using credit cards to cover small and immediate needs is that you don't have to pay the bill off all at once. You need to pay them at least a minimum payment once each month until the credit card balance is paid off. As you continue to make these small payments each month the credit card companies will often increase your credit card spending limit because of your good payment history. Starting your own credit card account is a good idea for a college student. Use credit cards responsibly. Try to pay your card balance off every month. This will keep interest and fees from being added to your outstanding credit card balance. Pay your credit card bill on time EVERY MONTH to build a good credit score so that you can try to qualify for the larger student loans later. This should take around a year of on-time payments depending on your credit card charges and on-time payment history. The longer that you make your payments on time the more your credit score will improve.

Don't over use your credit card or spend more than you can afford to pay back. Spending more money than you can afford will get you into credit card trouble FAST. Manage your credit card use and your payment of your credit card debt carefully and you will always have the money that you need for important things and real emergencies. There are solutions available for those who want to either establish or to improve their credit rating. USE CREDIT RESPONSIBLY. There is no substitute for a good credit rating. YOU MAKE YOUR OWN CREDIT HISTORY