When I got my first credit card, it was to help me purchase a laptop about two years ago. The laptop was $800 and I wasn’t able to qualify for store financing because it was a refurbished item. I don’t entirely regret getting the credit card; it has bailed me out time and again when I really needed help.
My real trouble was when I started using it to buy groceries, and try and make ends meet while I worked for less than what I needed as a Manager at Blockbuster Video. I was living pretty poorly because my rent was over $500 to rent a room in a town house, but my average paycheck was around $800. Everything else went towards bills and food and gas to work.
When I went to find a credit card that was decent, I used Google to search for a credit card comparison site. One such site that will let you search and compare available offers is CreditCardSearchEngine.com. They also help you find online Credit Card Applications. Among the banks offering cards are J.P. Morgan, Citibank, Chase, and Bank of America offering major brands like Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover.
You can also often find cards that are bundled with special privileges or airline miles or bonus rewards points. I ended up getting one with a monthly phone minutes allowance so in case my cell phone dies I can still make calls from the road via pay phone and call for help or a tow truck or anything at all.