<prompt> Human: Hello, I am 19 years old attending a State University. I have a summer job and get to save every penny because I have no expenses and no debt. I want to get a credit card mainly to build my credit even more than what I have which is 745. I also like the nice welcome bonus from the card I want to apply for. Im good with spending money but my parents dont want me to get a credit card stating my credit is already good enough to get a loan for a house or car down the line. Is it smart to apply for a credit card to build credit at this stage?  <response>: Im 21 and have 2 credit cards, my credit was around 770 then took a heavy hit because Im paying for a new car for the first time. Its at 670 but rising fast and will surpass my previous score because i manage the cards and payments correctly, imo if youre good with money and budget correctly having a credit card will only allow your score to raise. Keep at most 30-40 utilization, always pay more than the minimum payment, pay in a way where you dont get slammed with interest and just never spend more than you have UNLESS you plan it out with factors of safety that dont put you under and youll be able to pay it off efficiently. Credit cards get a bad rep in my opinion because a ton of people spend way more than what they have because their mindset is oh i have 1500 to spend and i can pay it off whenever I always use excel and i do some coding and can use formulas to help me keep track of everything and make a neat spreadsheet of my balances and maybe that is something that will help you if youre nervous in that aspect 