Kick Those Bad Credit Blues

“How old is your daughter, Marty?,” asked Darryl.

“She’s eighteen going on thirty-three,” Marty responded. They both chuckled at the joke; with Marty and Darryl both having teenage daughters, they knew that there was a bit of truth to the joke, too.

“Marty,” Darryl said, “You should get her a credit card.” Darryl said the statement with a straight face and no hint of comedy in his voice. His eyes were dead set on Marty. He was serious.

“A credit card! Are you crazy? Or do you think that I’m crazy? There is no way that I am going to get Kelly a credit card,” exclaimed Marty, raising his hands. Even the idea clearly agitated him.

“Well, I got my daughter one from First Universal Platinum. It was the best thing that I ever did for her,” Darryl said.

Marty stood up and stared at him in disbelief. This was logical, reasonable and frugal Darryl saying that he had gotten a credit card for his teenage daughter. Marty had always thought Kelly was a handful, but she was no match for Darryl’s daughter.

Maybe he had heard incorrectly, Marty thought. “You’re thinking about getting Mel a credit card?”
“No,” Darryl replied.

“Oh!,” Marty replied with relief. “For a moment, there, I thought that-”

“I already got Mel a credit card from First Universal Platinum. It was the best thing that I ever did for her,” Darryl said.

Maybe he had heard incorrectly, Marty thought. “You’re thinking about getting Mel a credit card?”

“No,” Darryl replied.

“Oh!,” Marty replied with relief. “For a moment there, I thought that -”

“I already got Mel a credit card from First Universal Platinum. $7500,” Darryl said, interrupting his friend’s sentence.

Slowly, Marty sat back down. “Alright, I know you, so there must be a darn good reason that you got Mel a credit card. So, what’s the deal?”

“It’s not just any credit card, Marty, it is a credit card from First Universal Platinum. $7500. They’re a great company and I feel secure knowing that they are in charge of handling my daughter’s account.”

“Okay, sounds good so far,” said Marty.

“Second, Mel has no credit history since she is so young. Therefore, it was easy to get her a card through First Universal Platinum because they run no credit checks. So, now, she can finally begin to build a strong credit background.”

“Yes, that is important,” Marty said. “It still sounds good to me.”

“Great. Next, the first year that she has the card, they charge her no interest on purchases. None at all!,” exclaimed Darryl.

“That is a great deal!,” Marty said, now clearly excited.

“That’s not the best part, though,” Darryl said, stopping his friend. “With the First Universal Platinum. $7500 credit card, account holders can only buy things that are available on the card’s website and nothing else. That way, I will always have an idea of what my daughter is buying and she still has the freedom to buy and build a great credit score. That’s the best part!”

“Wow, this is good,” Marty said. “I can see why you got Mel one, and I think that Kelly is going to have to get one, too. I never thought that the day would come when I would say this, but I think that teenage girls and credit cards finally make a great match!”