Every\nadult needs a credit card. Whether you hold down one job (or three!) or you\u2019re\na housewife, you should always have at least one credit card. Credit cards\nshould never be treated as free money though, but often housewives seem to\nthink they can\u2019t get a credit card because they\u2019re not working at an official\nplace of business and receiving pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Housewives work extremely hard though, and if it weren\u2019t for their efforts, the kids would be in daycare or with a nanny and nothing around the house would get done. Whether you\u2019re a husband wondering if your wife can get her own credit card, or you\u2019re a housewife yourself, you can take comfort in knowing that yes, a housewife can apply for credit cards.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n However,\nthere is something important you should know. There are many different credit\ncards out there and not every credit card option will be right for a housewife.\nIt\u2019s important to choose carefully to find one that fits the needs of a housewife.\nWhile it\u2019s certainly nice to have so many options to choose from, focusing on\nthe ones offered by reputed banks will be best. Then you\u2019ll need to figure out\nwhat is best for your situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember,\na credit card isn\u2019t free money that you can use to go out and buy everything\nyou ever dreamed of. So many people get in over their heads when they get their\nfirst credit card, not realizing how quickly seemingly small expenses can add\nup. When that bill comes, it can be a bitter pill to swallow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If\nyou keep in mind your actual budget though and use your credit card responsibly,\nby only buying things you can afford, keeping your credit utilization under 30%\nand paying it off as soon as it hits that threshold, it can help you establish\nyour own credit. Plus, if there\u2019s an emergency, you can easily cover it with\nyour credit card as long as the amount is less than 30% of your line of credit and\npay it off afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So\nnow, the next thing to do is keep reading to find out how a housewife can apply\nfor a credit card and learn everything there is to know about choosing the best\ncredit card option for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n While\nI personally happen to think that being a housewife IS a full-time job, it\u2019s\nnot one that receives pay. I\u2019ve researched all of these points I\u2019m about to lay\nout here, so you\u2019ll know exactly what to expect and how to apply for your credit\ncard as a housewife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On\nmost credit card applications, you\u2019ll see generic information requested about\nemployment and income. Some of them will ask if you\u2019re a student, homemaker,\nself-employed, work for the government, or unemployed. You may see an\napplication that asks for the name of your employer, but they usually allow you\nto put \u201cNone\u201d in that slot. There are even some credit card applications you\nmay come across that don\u2019t ask for information about your employer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If\nyou are filling out a credit card application and it requests information about\nyour employer though, you are required by law to answer the questions it asks truthfully.\nIn this day and age, it\u2019s very easy for them to verify what you put, and while\nsome types of credit cards may decline you, there are many that will approve\nyour application. You don\u2019t want to be dishonest and have that work against you\nin the future for obtaining a credit card in your name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nall credit card applications, total annual income is requested. In this area,\nyou can tally up other income to be considered. For a housewife, this could be\nher husband\u2019s income, or any alimony or child support from a previous marriage.\nThis is what the credit card company will consider for repaying the balance on\nyour credit card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nthose over the age of 21, you can legally use the income from someone else like\nyour spouse to list in this area as long as you have access to the money they\nmake to pay your bills. So the credit card could be linked to your joint bank\naccount or to an account that money is transferred in for you to pay the bills.\nIf this is the case, a housewife should have no trouble getting a credit card\nin her name to use for daily expenses or to keep handy for emergencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s\ngreat news for any women that stay at home with the kids all day and need a\ncredit card. You\u2019ll want to build up your own credit by paying it on time each\nmonth which can help your husband too if you venture into a joint purchase\ntogether (like for a new investment property for example). <\/p>\n\n\n\n So\nhow can you apply for that credit card as a housewife? Keep reading and you\u2019ll\nknow how to fill out your applications just right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nfunny thing about credit is that having no credit is often seen as worse than\nhaving bad credit. So, for some housewives, it might not be as simple as\nfilling out an application and getting approval. If you never held a job of\nyour own before, you\u2019ll have to consider other options for obtaining a credit\ncard in your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve\ndetailed below the different ways a housewife can apply for a credit card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to go about this is to become an authorized user. You\u2019ll get a credit card with your name on it, just like the primary account holder (the husband or wife for example). All the purchases you make go onto the same credit account and appear on the same credit card statement each month. The line of credit is shared between the authorized user and the primary account holder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The difference here is that a joint account holder, unlike an authorized user isn\u2019t required to pass a credit check in order to be put on the account. Read all the fine print though because your credit card company may impose a fee for adding an authorized user. Others, like many reward credit cards, may offer a bonus upon adding an authorized user to the account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If this sounds like an option you and your spouse want to explore, the primary account holder has to contact the credit card company to do it. These days, you don\u2019t have to sit on the phone and wait until someone can help you (unless you want to). You can do it online. You\u2019ll need important information about the authorized user handy like their full name, date of birth, address, and SSN to finalize this request and make it official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You could add children in this way too as a way to protect in the event of an emergency, like a broke-down car on the side of the road for example. However, be advised that the primary account holder is held responsible for all charges made on the card. The credit card company may also limit the maximum number of authorized users allowed on the account. That\u2019s a good thing too. You don\u2019t want to add all your teenage kids to the account and find that they took it as an opportunity to buy more shoes they didn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary account holder should also be fully aware that the authorized user gets all the privileges of using the card but isn\u2019t legally bound to purchases made with the card. Make sure your marriage is in good standing, for if a lawsuit arises with debts on the account, the authorized user won\u2019t be named even if he or she was the one that made the purchases in question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While that is one downside, the upside is that authorized users can\u2019t conduct any account maintenance like changing the address on the credit card account or adding more users. They can\u2019t ask to increase the credit limit or lower the interest rate either. They can, however, make a payment to cover the credit card bill, do note, however, that this is not mandatory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nis just one way a housewife can apply for a credit card. If you\u2019re worried\nabout being in your husband\u2019s shadow or as a husband, you worry about spending\nhabits, you can always opt for a secured credit card. Keep reading to learn about\nthat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you fill out your credit card application with the household income and any other forms of legitimate income that don\u2019t come from employment (as mentioned above), a housewife should easily be able to qualify if she has good credit. But if you\u2019re a housewife that never held a paying job before, this is considered as \u2018no credit\u2019 which as I said before is regarded as worse than bad credit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If\nthat\u2019s the case, you may be turned down, but don\u2019t worry because I\u2019ve got good\nnews for you. You can apply for a secured credit card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put\nsimply, a secured credit card requires you to pay a deposit first (it\u2019s\ncompletely refundable if you abide by the requirements) to get a line of\ncredit. That line of credit will be equal to the amount you pay on the\nrefundable deposit. So, for example, if you give a deposit of $500, your credit\nline with only be $500. If you pay $1,000, it will be $1,000, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This gives you an advantage since it allows you to use it just like any other credit card out there. You can use it to rent a car or reserve a hotel room, things that are very difficult to do without a credit card. This can be helpful when planning the family vacation or if your husband is going to be on a business trip, for you to make plans to visit your relatives without having to rely on your husband to help you. Secured credit cards can even offer auto rental insurance to help keep you covered. Car rental agencies notoriously charge exorbitant fees for their coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With\na secured credit card, the holder of this card must make the minimum monthly\npayments on time or charges will be incurred. This is why it\u2019s so important to\nonly get a secured credit card in an amount you can afford and not spend more\nthan 30you\u2019re your line of credit at any given time, then pay it off in full immediately\nand you\u2019ll have your full line of credit again, while building credit yourself.\nWhen you pay it on time every month for anywhere from 9 months to a year\n(depending on the credit card company), you\u2019ll receive your deposit back and\nthen be issued an unsecured credit card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\nalso helps to know that your credit standing on the secured card will be\nreported to the 3 major credit bureaus so if you play your cards right (pardon\nthe pun!), you can rebuild credit this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you get a secured credit card, you will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act<\/a>, which is what applies to every standard credit card out there. Secured credit cards might have higher interest rates and annual fees though, but as I said, if you take it easy during this period and pay on time, you can build up credit and get that deposit back, plus, you shouldn’t worry about interest rates since you’ll only be paying for what you can afford in cash and pay it off immediately just to churn (take advantage of) the credit card rewards or to build your credit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s\nanother option for housewives too. Becoming a joint account holder could be the\nsolution you need. This might sound similar to the authorized user, but it\u2019s\ndifferent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With\na joint account, that means both husband and wife can make charges to the\ncredit card. The history of the card is on each of your credit reports. A joint\naccount means you are both liable for the payments to be made on this card.\nShould those payments become delinquent, then the credit card company can go\nafter both of you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nare definitely some situations where a joint account would be most beneficial,\nnot just for the housewife but for the spouse too. If you keep reading, I\u2019m\ngoing to tell you about the benefits so you can decide if this fits your\nsituation best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While\nthe risks are greater, there are some reasons that becoming a joint account\nholder for the housewife would be best. Read on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nspouses share certain payments, it\u2019s just easier. It means you have one less\nbill to remember to pay at the end of the month. Some people even set an\nauto-pay for certain bills (like to the electric company so they don\u2019t forget)\nand this can make life easier for husband and wife when it all comes out of the\nsame place. This way, neither of you forgets to pay for what you must pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether\nyou got duped into a high-interest credit card in college and learned about\ncredit the hard way or you\u2019ve never had credit before, getting a joint credit\ncard can help earn better credit for a housewife. For this method to be\neffective though, you must pay the bill on time and keep the balance low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nyou add a joint user to the card, it might be the only way a housewife can get\nthe credit card she needs. It can also secure her a low interest rate which is\ngreat if she\u2019s trying to build her credit back up after making a mistake or\nsimply to apply for a better interest rate on a mortgage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve\nall made mistakes before, but credit card mistakes are certainly the most\ncostly. Still, punishing yourself forever isn\u2019t the answer. To fix your credit\nand get a credit card as a housewife, it really makes a lot of sense to go for\na joint credit card, but there are some reasons why you should mull that over\nfirst. I detail those below so dig in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n While\nI think a joint credit card is great for a housewife, there are definitely some\nthings to think about that might make you decide against it. So here\u2019s what I\nhave to say about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hopefully\nall is well in your marriage. But if it isn\u2019t, you should know that the credit\ncard company can take legal action for those charges that you haven\u2019t paid.\nThink about getting sued or having your wages garnished. Yikes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Money\nis one of the biggest things that ever comes between people, especially in a\nmarriage. It\u2019s easy to see why sharing an account might lead to arguments, and\nyou might find you argue less if you don\u2019t share an account. If you can\u2019t spend\nresponsibly or if you\u2019re the one yelling at your spouse for buying something\ndeemed necessary, perhaps sharing an account isn\u2019t a good idea but that\u2019s\nprobably the least of your problems since you shouldn\u2019t yell at your\nsignificant other in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\nif you get a divorce? Well, with a joint credit card, you\u2019re both still on the\nhook for the original credit card agreement. That means if your ex isn\u2019t paying\ntheir share of the credit card charges, your credit suffers. While a joint\naccount is less risky between married people, it\u2019s much riskier when you are\nmerely dating the person or go in a joint account with a family member or\nfriend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not\neveryone is vindictive, but there are spouses who will use the card against the\nother after a vicious breakup. One could go spending and leave the other card\nholder to foot the bill. Someone with bad credit really has nothing to lose by\nmaxing out a credit card, especially if they skip town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While\nthat\u2019s a bit extreme, it\u2019s always wise to know just what you\u2019re getting into,\nboth in marriage and in credit. Assuming we\u2019re all responsible adults here,\nlet\u2019s carry on to find out what a housewife should list on the credit card\napplications to start the process for obtaining a credit card in her own name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For one, you could put that you have the income of a working spouse on there. But the thing about that is the banks enacted the CARD Act of 2009<\/a> which took effect in 2010. So now banks were required to evaluate applicants based on their own individual ability to pay the fees they incurred. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately,\nit resulted in hindering stay-at-home moms, housewives, and others with unusual\nfinancial situations being left in the dark in the credit market. Applications began\nrequesting individual income so that begged the question: Do housewives list $0\nas their income? Honestly, if housewives were paid for the work they did, it\nwould be a 6-figure salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHaving\na job is not a credit card requirement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How\ncan a housewife apply for a credit card?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
–\nBecome an authorized user<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
–\nGet a secured credit card<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A housewife can become a joint account holder <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why\na housewife would want to become a joint account holder <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
–\nSharing a bill as a joint account holder is convenient<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
–\nHousewives can get better credit this way<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
–\nBetter credit card or interest rate<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\nyou should consider before getting a joint credit card<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
– You’re both legally responsible for those payments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
–\nDisagreements on the credit card could cause a rift<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
–\nEnded relationships make it hard to deal with the card<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
–\nIt could be used to hurt one another<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\nshould a housewife put on her credit card applications?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n