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If you’re trying to get your first credit card or have already established credit, then you know all the hoops you have to jump through to get your first card. Your credit application gets denied because you don’t have any credit history but no one is approving you for credit to start establishing a credit history. The ultimate catch-22. Here are three tips to help you get your credit established.

– Get a secured credit card

A secured credit card is one of the most common ways to establish credit for the first time and to help rebuild bad credit. Here’s how it works, when you open a secured credit card account you leave a cash deposit and that deposit is effectively your credit limit. For example, if you deposit $500 then you can spend up to $500 on the card. (Please do not spend your max credit limit.) You use it like a regular credit card, charging and paying the bill each month. The bank that issued you the card reports your use to the credit bureaus that issue you your credit score. Then, after time, you should be able to upgrade and get an unsecured credit card which does not require a deposit.

*Note – Different banks have different requirements. They have different minimum deposits, different interest rates and some charge an annual fee. Be sure to compare a few of them and make certain that the one you choose reports to the credit bureaus. If they do not report to the credit bureaus then it’s not helping build your credit.

Check out this card from OneUnited Bank. They are a Black-Owned bank that offers a pretty competitive secured credit card. Click the link for more details.

– Apply for a retail/department store credit card

So you know how you go into stores like Gap or Old Navy and you get to the cash register and they offer you an extra 15% off if you open up a store account? Well that’s actually another method first-time credit seekers use to establish credit. It’s a little easier to get than a traditional credit card but be wary if you go this route. These types of accounts typically have very high interest rates and you want to make sure they report to the credit agencies also. To avoid paying the high interest fees, make sure you pay off the balance in full each month.

– Become an authorized user on someone’s account

This method is also known as “piggybacking”. With this method, you’re asking someone like a parent or close relative to add you on to one of their accounts as an authorized user. They will get a new card in the mail with your name on it but they don’t have to actually give it to you. The idea here is that as they pay their bill each month like they normally do, your score will go up as well because you are also on the account. Be careful though, if you piggyback on someone who’s not good at paying their bill on time and their score is dropping yours will drop with it, which defeats the whole purpose.