Quick question about credit cards

Got a quick question about credit cards. I just turned 18 a couple of months back and I'm heading into my senior year of high school.I was wondering what kind of card I could actually get from a bank... something where I can stash some cash (maybe like 500-$333) and use it for online shopping or just hitting up stores, but since I'm looking for one of those big names you see everywhere—you know, like a VISA... is it even possible for me to snag one of those when I don't have a job yet?Any advice would be huge!!!🙏

Look, it’s simple. You can walk into basically any bank in the country and grab a checking account. Nobody is going to grill you about why you’re opening one; they don't care. And once you get that account set up, you’re pretty much automatically signing up for online banking and all that extra digital stuff too. Most standard debit cards are just basic Maui branded ones. If you want to deal with foreign currency or anything involving the European Central Bank, that's what you use a VISA for. 😉

So, basically I just open an account at the bank first and then I can grab a credit card. Got it. I think I'll probably just go with a Visa and set it in dollars since the dollar keeps fluctuating and having that stability feels better... I'll just chat with the folks down at the branch and see what they say. Thanks :)👍

You aren't going to walk out of the bank with a credit card in your hand immediately... No, what you'll actually get is a debit card—one that lets you spend whatever happens to be sitting in your checking account at that moment. Now, if you’re looking for a real credit card, you have to prove you’re actually creditworthy, which usually means having a steady stream of income to back it up. I think someone earlier in the thread was asking about the whole mess of different card types and how they work for online shopping anyway.

Not a credit card—definitely a debit card instead.

coppergardener22 said:Look, it’s simple. You can walk into basically any bank in the country and grab a checking account. Nobody is going to grill you about why you’re opening one; they don't care. And once you get that account set up, you’re pretty much automatically signing up for online banking and all that extra digital stuff too. Most standard debit cards are just basic Maui branded ones. If you want to deal with foreign currency or anything involving the European Central Bank, that's what you use a VISA for. 😉

Where on earth did you get the idea that VISA is just for foreign currency? Never heard that one in my life... you can totally have a VISA debit card for a standard US dollar checking account, so... just setting the record straight since that's flat-out wrong. 😉

Steven Morris12 said:Where on earth did you get the idea that VISA is just for foreign currency? Never heard that one in my life... you can totally have a VISA debit card for a standard US dollar checking account, so... just setting the record straight since that's flat-out wrong. 😉

If that's the case, how do I have a specific amount of dollars sitting on my Maui?

Steven Morris12 said:Where on earth did you get the idea that VISA is just for foreign currency? Never heard that one in my life... you can totally have a VISA debit card for a standard US dollar checking account, so... just setting the record straight since that's flat-out wrong. 😉

Alright, so I checked with my mom, and yeah, okay—VISA isn't strictly for Euros, but saying it is isn't exactly a total lie either. 😉

As for the credit card situation, I think somied actually explained it better than I could. But look, regardless of how you slice it, you’ve gotta have a basic checking account first where your cash lands. You need that account to cover all your credit card fees and stuff anyway. 😉

quieteagle16 said:If that's the case, how do I have a specific amount of dollars sitting on my Maui?

Everyone's making this way too complicated 😁
Debit cards are just Mastercard or Visa Electron. Basically, whatever you spend comes straight out of your checking or savings account immediately. The "issue" is that banks like Chase, Bank of America, or Wells Fargo offer Mastercard for standard checking accounts... while at Chase, for example, you might get a Visa Electron when opening a foreign currency account with a set balance—though at Bank of America, I know you can get a Visa Electron just by having a standard account.
At Wells Fargo, you can also get a Visa Electron as a primary checking card—so it acts just like a Mastercard at Chase or Bank of America—and that’s why everyone is getting confused. Some people have a Visa Electron tied to their local checking account, while others have one tied to their foreign currency funds (USD, etc.).

Our banks just overcomplicate everything😢

Regarding what dobermann1991 asked, yeah, you can grab certain cards if you deposit a specific amount to use for online shopping. Someone mentioned a Bank of America Visa Electron earlier in another thread that works fine for web purchases, whereas a Chase Visa Electron might give you trouble...

You could also just get a credit card—I think Chase issues a Visa Classic—by putting money into a CD, say $1000 (more or less). You get a card with a limit matching that amount, and since it's a credit card, it works everywhere—online or in-store—and they just pull the payment on a specific day each month.

So, here's the deal. I think I finally figured out the drill today... basically, I need to start by opening a checking account at a bank, and honestly, I'm leaning towards JPMorgan Chase. Once that's set up and I've moved some cash into it, I can just lock it away in a CD for, say, a year or something. Then, I should be able to ask them for an Intel card or whatever kind of credit/debit thing they offer. But wait, does an Intel debit card even exist, and can you actually use it for shopping online? Also, what's the actual big difference between a CREDIT card and a DEBIT card anyway?

Why make this more complicated than it needs to be...🙄

A Visa debit card and a Visa credit card are two completely different animals. A debit card is just tied directly to your checking or savings account—you can only spend what you actually have sitting in there, and it's deducted instantly.
With a credit card, you pay off your balance once a month; you don't exactly "load money onto it."
Even with a debit card, you aren't "loading" the card itself; you're just depositing funds into the account it's linked to.
As for opening a CD, I'm not entirely sure if they'll hand you a credit card right away by default (I managed to get mine without one), and you shouldn't necessarily need a standard checking account if you're putting that money into a foreign currency CD.

When it comes to shopping online, those basic debit cards can be pretty hit-or-miss—some merchants take them, some don't, and some won't touch them at all. If you want something reliable, you really need to stick to a Visa or Mastercard, though even then, there are no absolute guarantees they'll work everywhere.

I’m kinda lost here. If I set up a CD $1667 into that account and then later get a debit card linked to it, is there actually any cash available? Or does all that money belong to the people who $1667 ALREADY LOCKED IT IN? Like, am I gonna need to dump more cash—staying under the $1667 limit, obviously—into the account just to move it over to the card? For example, if I put another $1300 onto the card, can I actually use that to buy stuff online or hit up shops? Once I blow through the whole $1300, do I just top it up again and spend it again... maybe five times or whatever the bank lets me do? Is any of this right? Seriously, help a guy out... 🙏

Look, man, you guys are making this way more complicated than it needs to be... Visa and Maestro are just brands. Period. => Banks use them based on whatever specific contracts they've signed with the networks... whether a card ends up being debit, charge, or revolving depends entirely on the individual bank's policies, not the brand itself.

I'm merging this with the existing thread.

slyangler68 said:I’m kinda lost here. If I set up a CD $1667 into that account and then later get a debit card linked to it, is there actually any cash available? Or does all that money belong to the people who $1667 ALREADY LOCKED IT IN? Like, am I gonna need to dump more cash—staying under the $1667 limit, obviously—into the account just to move it over to the card? For example, if I put another $1300 onto the card, can I actually use that to buy stuff online or hit up shops? Once I blow through the whole $1300, do I just top it up again and spend it again... maybe five times or whatever the bank lets me do? Is any of this right? Seriously, help a guy out... 🙏

If you read the posts more carefully, you'd see this has already been explained.

A Visa debit card isn't a credit card, so you don't need a CD to use it.

If you're talking about credit cards linked to a savings account or CD, you just need to make sure you have enough funds in the account to cover what you spent by the time the bill is due.

Look, I’m talking specifically about my Visa debit card here, so that was the whole point of the question... Between these two replies from you guys, I still haven't actually found an answer to what I'm asking...

Let me try this one more time:

A Visa debit card isn't a credit card, so you don't need to lock up any funds to get one.

What part is still confusing? 🤷 Just open a standard checking or savings account at any bank, and they'll hand you one.
When you use it, you can only spend what's actually sitting in your account.

Finally sorted out and I think I finally get it now. Thanks, everyone. Honestly though, I'm still wondering if a standard debit card works for stuff online... like, can you use it for things like depositing on DraftKings or whatever?

There have actually been a few threads on this already:

Why is everyone hating on Diners? I'm torn between them and Mastercard. What's actually the difference?

Dunkin':

-it's a bit of a hassle to get your hands on one
-not many places actually accept it

Honestly, I can't think of a single practical reason to choose Dunkin' over any other card.