- Discussion board

I have tons of questions. Can someone suggest a credit card for me?

Here's my conditions:

I've never had a credit card before, so I'll probably only qualify for a student credit card.

1) I'm a college student (4 year college) planning on going a semester to China for study abroad next year sometime. So, I would like it to be internationally excepted (preferably a Visa card???, does Visa have a student credit card?)

2) I'm planning on only using it periodically, maybe once or twice every 2 or 3 months. Is there a rule somewhere that says I have to use the card? What if I never charge anything on it for 6 months or more?? Will I get penalized for not using my card?

3) And if I do go abroad and want my balance charged abroad to be paid off, how does that work? Can I arrange it with my bank (I have a checking account, and assuming I will leave a lump sum of money in there to pay for small neccesities I might need to charge while abroad) so that the amount due can be taken out of my checking account monthly (or whenever the due date may be) while I'm abroad??

4) I'm still confused about the 'grace period' thingy... if I pay as soon (or within a week of recieving my bill) shouldn't I not be concerned with grace period?? Or does this mean I recieve my bill and need to pay before the grace period ends??

5) And if I pay earlier than the due date, could I get penalized for that? By early, I take it to be that the bill arrives today, due in two weeks and I pay it off tomorrow.
Early payment thing makes no sense to me, am I supposed to wait a few days until near the due date to send off payment or something???
My friend's mother says I have to make sure I don't get punished for early payment, so that's why I'm asking.

6) How safe is it to apply online??? I always feel that it isn't very safe, I'd rather sign some paper and sent it off in the mail or something...

Sorry for all the bother, but as you can see, I'm really clueless about credit cards...Please help me out here.

Your primary concern should be getting accepted for a card, not the card's features. If you are a full-time student, you have a decent chance with student products, but I don't think anything can be guaranteed. Here are some points:

* You should apply while you 're still in the U.S. and give your local (U.S.) address. Applications with a foreign address will not be accepted.

* As far as managing your account is concerned, if you manage both your checking and your credit account online, there's no problem - you can view statements and make all payments online.

* Grace period is the period when you don't accrue interest for your purchases.

* Lastly, there are no security issues with applying online as long as you are applying with a well-known bank and are using SSL (secure socket layer) connection - look for the padlock icon in your web browser to be lit.

as far as card suggestions, check out the student product from Chase Manhattan