Recently, the statistics show that every 3 college students, that are 2 students who will have at least one credit card.  Furthermore, it is proven that very often first-time credit card owners tend to end up in financial trouble because they haven't learned to use them properly. Here are some tips which you can use your credit cards smartly.

It is important to have good credit and thus, it is important to learn how to use your credit cards properly in order to build a good credit history.

So, what are the benefits of having good credit ? Here are the benefits:
* Able to qualifying for lower interest rates on your car loans or home mortgages
* Able to get a reduced cost for insurance
* Able to get a decent apartment because many landlords check your credit these days

What is a good first credit card?
- one that doesn’t charge an application fee
- has no annual fee
- has a decent interest rate (approximately 14-17% for college students)
- reports to all three major credit bureaus. (If it does not report to credit bureaus, it can't help you to build your good credit report.)

Only apply for one credit card at a time. This is especially true when you are first starting out. Be patient and wait for at least more than 6 months before you applying for 2nd credit card. By having more credit cards, it can affect your credit score. 2 credit cards are enough to establish your credit history.

Read the information you receive about your new card thoroughly. It contains information about the interest and all the fees such as interest rate for purchases you make, one for transferring credit from another card, fess for making cash withdrawals and late fees or over-the-limit fees. Try not to incur any of these fees as they are relatively very high.

So, what is your credit limit? Most cards will give college students the limit of $500. However, they may increase your limit depending on how often you use cards and whether you pay your payment on time. Try to spend less than 30% of your credit limit.

Remember, your first credit card is a tool that can greatly influence your financial future. By misusing your credit, it can hurt you for years. Avoid getting cash advances as the interest rate is high. Also, late payment will result a fee of $30 and it also increases your interest. If you miss your payment entirely, it will reduce your credit score by 100 points.

Pay your balance in full each month; never pay only the minimum payment. Do you know that if you pay minimum payment of your total balance, it will take you years to pay off your debts and you also pay an exorbitant amount in interest. It is not worth it. Still, the best way is to pay off the full amount every month and if you can't do so, don't buy.

If you have a steady income, it is better to have your credit bills to pay from your account automatically. This will prevent you from incurring late payment if you have a tendency to forget to pay the credit bills.

By following the above ideas to use your first credit card, you will be able to avoid all the possible financial problems which lots of college students get themselves in. Remember, credit cards is not free money, they are just tools. So, please use them wisely.