New credit cards

[PREZ]

Can I get new credit cards after filling BK or must I wait till discharge is granted.

[ccmisery]

Why would you want to? To go back in debt again? Sorry, not trying to be sarcastic, but plastic is the reason I filed bankruptcy, well that and the fact I had 2 jobs losses in a year, a cut in salary among other financial devastating things. I was chipping away at my debt, but it was a mountain I could not climb in the end.

You will probably be able to get a card after discharge which is the norm, low balance and as long as you discipline yourself to pay it off every month then you can use it to rebuild your credit, only positive. For me a debit card works fine, I know there is no looming 18% APR to drown me and if I can't pay for it in cash, I can't afford it.

I have found out though that some rental car agencies do not fare to well with debit cards and it causes a slew of other problems if you travel a lot. One of my concerns since my job (when I find another one) will involve this.

[Pjmax]

Some people have been approved for cards and car loans within days of discharge. I monitored my credit reports, but waited about a month and a half. Takes about that long for all the reporting to catch up and stop fluctuating. Got my 3 credit reports and did some cleanup work, made sure everything was reporting correctly which also brought my scores into the 600 range, then applied. I think because I did some clean up, I was approved for an unsecured card. Capital One is a good rebuilder. Depending on what your credit report and scores are like, either unsecured or secured. Secured cards with a local credit union are good too, and will help you build a relationship for future loans.

I've heard the sooner you start, the faster you can rebuild, but take things a step at a time.

[sbatman]

I want to have enough credit to buy me an emergency airfare, a hotel room and a rental car. I've had a very bad, protracted problem with a debit card from USBank. So, for me, I need to use a credit card.

One month after my discharge I got a Capitol One card with a $750 credit limit. Six months later I got a secured $2000 Visa with Navy Fed. Then they gave me a unsecured Visa with $1000 credit line. I got rid of the secured VISA then. I have to go visit my sister in Bangor next month. The airfare alone was $700.

With this trip to my Sister coming up, I called Navy Fed and requested an increase of my limit from $1000 to $1500, just in case of emergency Hopefully, I won't need it.

With all above, though, I PAY OFF ANY CREDIT CARD BILLS IN FULL EVERY MONTH! If you can't keep yourself from using the cards reasonably and being able to pay them off in full, then you probably shouldn't have one.

[Drazil65]

If you filed already and have freed some money up by not having to pay cc then the best thing you could do is save the money in cash. Put away a little each time you are paid until you have enough to cover the emergency stuff.

[hnhlvr]

Wait until your discharge just to be on the safe side.