If you're a parent who is concerned about your child's credit score, take heart. Here are five strategies for getting them started down the path to good credit.

Credit scores are a big deal, and for good reason: low credit scores can make life hard, while high credit scores can open the doors to our dreams. In order to get a line of credit - any line of credit - some people take the first credit card offer that comes their way. Thrilled by the chance to have a credit card of their own, some customers don't even bother to read the terms they are agreeing to.

Many times people who have never had a credit card or any other form of credit think that the banks will turn them down for lack of credit history. While this may be true in some cases, no credit does not mean you have "bad credit", and provided you have a steady income, chances are you will be able to obtain a credit card.

Secured credit cards may be the best option for your credit card needs. They allow you to travel conveniently, make purchases by phone or the internet, and without the dangers of falling into financial desperation!

Prepaid credit cards are new twists on the popularity of plastic money. The name says it all. They are cards that function just like credit cards in nearly all aspects, but you have to pay the spending limit upfront. It's like a prepaid phone card you can use to buy anything at all

Most of us get a credit card on our name when we go to college or when we are in our senior years of high school and all of us stumble into the same types of difficulties when it comes to finding an issuer and managing the credit card.

Once you finally get a resolution and get the charges removed, be sure to order your credit report from all of the major credit bureaus in order to make sure that the record has been updated there- because chances are the time it takes to resolve fraudulent charges will have caused late payments on that credit card that may have been reported.

A Service charge is a fee that can be added onto a credit account for a number of different actions. Credit card issuers might apply a service charge on unpaid balances, on payments that are not made on time, for exceeding a credit limit, and more. The amount of the service charge varies and often is based on the reason it was triggered.

A setup fee is a fee that the issuer of a credit card may charge to set up a new credit card account. To find out whether or not an issuer charges this fee, refer to the Terms and Conditions section in the credit card agreement. Find the section describing fees and look for one called Setup fee.

The definition of what level of interest rates can be considered usury is a moving target as variable rate loans push interest charges to record highs. Just a few years ago 19% would be considered usury.