I'm 18 and I'm taking a year off before I go to college, so I can work and earn money, because due to my family's financial situation, I have to pay for college all on my own. I was brainstorming the other day about how I was going to pay for college, and I was wondering how long it would take to build your credit with a student credit card.

I have a bank account and I am financially responsible and I need to build my credit so I can apply for a loan without a co-signer (both my parents have bad credit due to their divorce). I have scholarships and federal loans and such, but it's just not going to be enough.

How long would it take to build my credit, and do you recommend going this path, or would you suggest another? I have until fall to get all this together so I can attend college.

Credit bureaus have to see that you have a pattern for paying your bills on time, before giving you a good credit rating. This can take up to at least a year.

Don't get into the credit card scam, they will cost you so much money in the end, there are other ways, like low interest loans. Or just work while you go to school like I did, It is hard, but I didn't have high interest rate credit cards to pay off after I graduated.

Consider starting at a less expensive school part-time while you work and then transfer the credits when you're ready to go full-time to the college of your choice.

Responsible credit card use is highly urged. Credit cards will help to build your credit. They don't really help until you make 24 consecutive payments. That shows responsible bill paying habits. You may also take out a couple of small loans at your bank..put the money in savings and then make monthly payments.

Best way to build credit is to spend however much you can afford to pay off on the card the same month you plan to pay it off... in other words if you were going to go spend $100 dollars on groceries and pay with cash/debit.. put it on your card, then BEFORE you are charged interest go and pay off the entire balance on your card. Then you haven't spent any extra money and you have built up your credit... do that as often as you can afford to. I'd recommend applying for more student loans though as you will probably qualify to freeze interest and payments on the loan until after you graduate. You college of choice or a high school counselor should be able to help you apply for more studen loans.

i think if your credit track is good it is beneficial for you to upgrade your credit score.