Once you have a secured credit card, use it responsibly to build a positive credit history
Make purchases within your credit limit and pay your bill on time and in full each month
This will show lenders that you’re a responsible borrower and can be trusted with credit
Regularly monitoring your credit score can help you track your progress in building your credit history
One free credit report is provided annually by each of the three major credit reporting companies
You can check your credit score frequently thanks to a variety of internet resources and credit monitoring programs
As you use your secured credit card responsibly, you may be able to gradually increase your credit limit
This can help improve your credit utilization ratio, which is the amount of credit you’re using compared to your credit limit