<prompt> Human: Im looking into getting a credit card shortly for emergency expenditures. I have a few questions. First can someone break down how Credit cards work in general, I honestly just dont get it.Second, Is there anyplace I could just submit my info and have companys contact me? Looking through everything is a little mind boggling.Additional Details: Im 23, just finishing paying off an 850 loan, and got recently denied for Bill me Later service where they claim to have pulled a 528 score. Ouch.Assistant: Credit cards are access cards to a line of credit. Basically when you make a purchase, they pay for it right then and there and you pay them back later with some interest.As far as getting a card, apply for one with one of your local banks or check online. Dont just submit your info anywhere, thatll bite you in the ass later with fees you didnt expect and accounts you didnt know you had.If you cant get one, try applying for a secured credit card. The bank will take a few hundred dollars of yours and keep it in a savings account in case you dont pay.Really though the proper way to handle emergencies is a liquid emergency fund of cash that you have set aside for emergencies.Human: I wish I could do that for an emergency fund but things are...Interesting around here. Thanks for the advice though.  <response>: I see a lot of people explaining what credit cards do. Heres what they dont do: Credit cards do not magically make you have more money than you did previously. If youre broke now, youll still be broke if you manage to get approved for a credit card.If you cant save money to create an emergency fund, then getting a credit card wont make your situation any better, and will very likely make it worse. I dont know exactly what you mean by ...interesting but barring something absolutely unbelievable and unprecedented, your situation probably isnt really that interesting. You probably just dont have a lot of money and cant seem to save much. Thats not interesting, that seems to be fairly common, and opening a credit card is almost certainly not the correct solution to your problem.Edited to add: And keep in mind, Im not one of these raving anti-credit folks that are always decrying the evils of credit cards. I think credit cards are great, I use mine for every single thing I buy. But based on the limited info youve provided, it doesnt sound like theyre appropriate for your situation. 