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Teenagers who are working should have the opportunity to have credit card because they can pay for it. Allowing teens to run up a credit card with no responsibility on their part teaches them that they can get things without their own personal effort, and without feeling the pain of paying the fees, interests, and debt incurred when purchasing items on a credit card. When a teen has their own job, they will feel what every adult feels- responsibility, and they will know that having a credit card is a privilege.
Before a teen is given the opportunity to apply for a credit card, parents should sit down carefully and explain how it operates. This discussion should bring out the pros and cons of paying on time, and not paying on time. Because teens will be having credit ratings, parents should show them how credit cards can ruin their credit scores if not paid in a timely fashion, and this could prevent them from future important purchases such as a car, or house.
As soon as a working teen gets his/her credit card, he should begin to itemize or estimate about how much he/she will spend for the month, and how these expenditures will fit in with their income. Continue to advise and discuss with your teen how important it is not to extend themselves too much in purchasing on a credit card.
For teens, I would suggest that a credit card with a low cap such as $500.00 or
as low as $300.00 would be good. This way they could more comfortably pay off their balances. Parents can authorize that their teens be given a cap on spending.
The headache, heartache, and burden that a credit card brings when its payments are not handled properly can bring on worry and pain. If a parent can help supervise the management of the credit card, it is good. This will help the parents
guide their teenager to prevent catastrophes. As long as teenagers will remember to
buy items which they need and a few of the things they want, if they can afford it,
they will be safe. If they practice handling their credit in a timely fashion, they will probably grow up being responsible adults who can handle the "plastic".

Learn more about this author, Toni Doswell.
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