best unsecured credit card for brother who is rebuilding his credit

[Anonymous]

Hello all:

After over a decade of drug dependency and related financial disaster, my brother has finally dug himself out of a debt hole and has been gainfully employed (and healthy!) for several years. He has gone without credit cards for some time, and now 7 years has elapsed and his credit report has no negative things on it, but obviously indicates, given the absolute lack of a single positive report, previous trouble.

I have told him to get an unsecured card, but he is wary of scams (probably rightly so) and of the outrageous fees charged by some of these companies.

Can anyone recommend a safe, secured credit card (or other card suitable for someone with no credit) for someone in his situation seeking to rebuild credit slowly and safely?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Try capital one or Credit One. Will be a low limit with high APR and a yearly fee but should help build something at least.

[Anonymous]

Bank of America or Capital One. Both are going to have a low limit & a yearly fee but that's the only way to start building credit again. Some times the bank will wave the yearly fee if you also have a checking account

[Anonymous]

the only thign to repair credit is time, and based on the fact that you are doing this for him tells me he is manipulating people a classic sign of someone who is not remrsful

[Anonymous]

Are you are you want him to have a credit card, given his history?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you are you want him to have a credit card, given his history?

7 years clean and sober should be enough time to resist the temptation of a $200 limit credit card.

I echo the suggestion to try Capital One and Bank of America.

[Anonymous]

My first credit card at 18 was through Bank of America and I had a $300 limit. By the time I finished college (4 years) it had gone up to $3000. It is now 8 years old and has a $15,000 limit. It was a great way to build a credit history with minimal risk.

[Anonymous]

Capital One offers a secured card product. You should look at that. You basically give them $500 dollars upfront and they give you $1,000 line (or something like that).

[Anonymous]

He should talk to the institution where he banks. Often they will give "starter" credit cards to current account holders especially ones with a history at the institution. One benefit for them is that you can often tie payments directly from the bank account to the credit card so that they have a little more financial security that the card balance will be paid. I know when I was young and had no credit history, my credit union gave me my first credit card.

[Anonymous]

2nd the secured card. Try that instead.