How do you build your credit as a college student?

Credit is a mysterious thing, but what is not mysterious is that it is very important for your long-term financial health. One thing you can do as a college student is set up an account with credit karma and see what your score is and what kind of credit cards they recommend. Try to find a card recommendation that does not have any annual fees and a low-interest rate. Also try to sign up for the card before you take out any loans. This is because when you take out student loans for a period of time it will be factored into the decision of them giving you a credit card. Once you finally have a card find out the maximum credit on the card and calculate what 30% of that would be, this will tell you how much you can actually spend with the credit card. This probably won't be a lot of money at first since the maximum credit will probably be around $500 and 30% would be $150. Basically just use the card for getting gas for your vehicle and make sure you do not go over the $150. If you go over that amount then your credit will get dinged. Be sure to connect the card to your bank account it can be paid automatically when the time comes each month. This will allow you to never miss a payment, which will help your credit score. Keeping this card through your college career will greatly help you because then you will have at least two open lines of credit for a few years. There are other things that can also be done, but this is one of the easiest things to do in order to help build your credit.