<prompt> Human: Hi, Throwaway account for obvious reasons. I am 23 years old, when i was 18 i got a credit card through my bank, maxed it out and had it sent to collections by 20. then paid it off when i was 22. This is my only credit history. Since then ive never had any loans or credit cards. When trying to viewmonitor my credit on sites like credit karma and experian, it comes back saying that i have thin credit or thin line credit.Now i think i understand what that means, basically i have very little credit history and none in the past 3 years.I would like to buy a house with my long term girlfriend within a year or so hopefully. I have looked at getting a secure credit card as that looks like my only option for credit cards. Is this a good way of increasing my credit history and raising my credit score? or are there better ways that i, in my situation, could use to increase my credit history and raise my credit score more quicklyeffectively?  <response>: Getting a mortgage is a lot more than your credit score and whether you can manage a secured credit card. They will look at your entire financial picture and ability to repay. Getting a secured credit card and making on time payments doesnt show you can handle a mortgage. How much are you planning to put down? 