Credit Recap. Wintermass

[wolven7]

Let's Review: I've never had a credit card. Never needed one, so I never bothered.

I have two student loan accounts, with the US Federal Government, both deferred, in good standing.

I have never defaulted on a loan.

I have never been excessively late on a bill.

Almost exactly one year ago, I attempted to rent a car, and I was denied, due to a problem of some indeterminate nature, on my credit report. I obtained an Equifax report, and found Nothing out of the ordinary. Loans, deferrment, etc, that's IT. But, fine, whatever; the shit is what it is.

This year, so that we might rent a car to make the trek to the frozen north, for Wintermass, I decide that I will obtain a credit card, so that I can more easily rent said car. Except not. Declined for a card, told to check my credit report and see what's what.

So. I checked with AnnualCreditReport.com, a genuinely free service offering checks of three separate credit collators (Experian, Equifax, and one other one I can't remember), and I find... Nothing. Two reports full of nothing out of the ordinary, except a mistaken address, and phone number, which I corrected. No flags, no potential problems; just loans, in good standing. But no Credit Score, either.

So I go to FreeCreditReport.com, which is Not, in fact Genuinely Free, as they require a credit card, and if I don't cancel my "Membership," in nine days (NOTE TO SELF), they start charging me $14.95 a month. Anyway. Nothing Out Of The Ordinary. Oh, and they can't generate a score because I don't have enough of a credit history to do so.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "There's your answer, Fish-Bulb. You can't rent a car, because your credit history is too small." Except I've rented a car before. Three times. In my own fucking name, AND co-signed with others. PLUS, this wouldn't explain, at all, why I couldn't get a fucking Credit Card.

WHAT THE FUCK.

Wintermass is never easy. The walls of reality are thin, and so is patience. I asked for 65F degree temperatures, last night, and we got them, today, out of nowhere, through heavy storms that kept me up most of the night, reducing my projected 5.5 hours of sleep to approximately Four. My own fault, really, and I accept that. But when I ask for the ease of transport up north and the monetary security to make it happen, where the fuck is that? Where, I ask you, is that?

I would like several hundred thousand dollars, US (let's call it $455,698.86), through legal means, without anyone having to die, allocated to me, for my work and my general use, and I would like to have that by tomorrow.

Thank you.

Comments

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

After years of carefully watching my train wreck of a credit score... and I'll be honest... my credit is for shit. Defaults, leans, judgements... also? Killed a baby.

Then I apply for a card this year in an attempt to ghetto consolidate some things? Denied for no credit history.

WTF?

[wolven.livejournal.com]

WTF, indeed... Seriously, this system is fucked to the sky.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, I've never needed a credit card to rent a car.

[sadistic-apollo.livejournal.com]

forget credit cards for a good credit score, they can only hurt you. the easiest (and safest) way to establish credit history is to take out AND PAY OFF a series of small loans. Get someone to co-sign for them. Every year I try to make one small purchase, a tv, a needed car repair, nothing. and then pay it off, as early as possible without incurring fees.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

See, for me, this is only about renting a car Right Now. The larger credit shit is pretty much meaningless, if I can't get home to see my family.

[amberite.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that sucks.

Best way to get a first credit card? Be a student. A community college will do. I don't think you need to be a full-time student either. Then you can get a student bank account, and your student bank account will probably offer you a student credit card. (Or there will be people handing them out on campus - no, I'm not kidding.)

There are secured cards and goofy things like that, but they require just as much planning and expenditure as taking a college class, without the fun of learning things.

(Yeah, I'm a college junkie and have finally admitted my addiction. Honestly, if the pre-med plan fails, I'm seriously considering just staying in @#$%&! college for as looooooong as possible. I was out for maybe a year and really there are so many awesome benefits of being back in -- health care, excused eccentricity, cheap bus passes, and did I mention health care? It's really quite something.)

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love being in school, too, but there's the problem of money I need to be making, and how difficult it is to do that, in school, when not teaching.

And yeah, I'm well acquainted with the Campus Credit Card People. I've gotten adept at dodging them, and now I can't find them.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

just get a secured card. Save up $300 (I think that's the minimum) and shop around. I know I know three hundred dollars is a lotta money to hand over to a credit card. But actually you just put it in an interest bearing account and usually the bank you are with will issue a secured card. Just shop around first.

Same deal with no card is a secured loan. Save up some money then borrow against it. That's how I started credit. Now my credit pretty much sucks (medical bills and the Great Atlanta Gas-Light debacle of 2001) and you know what? It doesn't matter because I own a house. Everyone wants to give me credit cards anyway (with sucky as hell terms)
Hows that for retarded?

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

hell if you know anyone who loves and trusts you and has some money, borrow it from them, put it in an account then take out the secured loan against it. While your loan is active you cannot touch the money and once you've paid off your loan you can take it out and give it back to the person who loaned it to you. With some interest.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Hm. Good point.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

In the long run, that's a good plan, but it's too long term for right now, when I need a car to get north, for the holiday.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

the only way you can do that without a credit card (yours or someone elses) is to put a deposit. Oh they'll not mention that part but every rental place will rent you a car if you have a cash deposit in lieu of a CC

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I wonder how much they'll want. I have to go down to Enterprise, tomorrow, anyway, because their automated phone system is Terrible.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

just hearsay you understand, but I've heard from $100 to $500 depending on the "level" of the place.

[raoin.livejournal.com]

if you need to, i could put you on my credit card... or i could use my card as the collateral for your car rental. let me know.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I'm calling Enterprise, today, and I'll let you know. Thank you.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

it might be (this came up once when I was doing the same thing) that you cannot be primary driver if the card isn't yours. Not all rental places have that stipulation though so if Enterprise says no then call a few other places. I think Ugly Duckling will accept someone elses card.

[raoin.livejournal.com]

additionally, the following anecdote:

when i was a first semester grad student, GSU switched us over to only accepting mastercard or discover and only online payments. i know you'll recall this, it was a pain in the ass.

i didnt have a credit card and my debit card is a visa, so i attempted to get a credit card through my bank (Delta Community Credit Union) with whom i had been a member for nearly 12 years (at that time). they denied me on the grounds that i had no credit and that even if i did have credit, they'd need a co-sign from one of my family members.

so i called up my insurance company USAA, i also bank with them (mutual funds). they offered me a card, no problem, with a good rate, and everything has since been groovy. but they also affirmed that despite having had various bills in my name (gas, electric, cable, water, phone) and despite having rented apartments in previous years (Post), i had no credit score. not a single digit to my name.

what determines this, i dont know.

i put ryam on my credit card back when i upped my credit limit (for the wedding) and it required no effort whatsoever, he didnt even need to be related to me or married to me (he wasnt at the time).

[wolven.livejournal.com]

That is... deeply strange.

[techiecl.livejournal.com]

It's that tightening credit market and the down economy. No ones willing to lend because like most things, 99.99% of the people utilizing it are fraking morons ruining for the rest of us.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

uh actually a large number of people deep in debt are so because of health care bills. Like having to go to the emergency room. While you are in between health care coverage. Twice in a year.

[techiecl.livejournal.com]

I'll conceed it's probably more than 0.01%, but I'd still wager that by percentage healthcare debt is lower when compared to debt via rampant consumer spending on housing they can't afford, luxury goods, and retail crap people just shouldn' thave bought.

and in general for most things I still think 99.99% of all people (on earth) are frakking morons ruining it for the rest of "us".