Do you reckon a monthly account would help me build credit?

I'm 18, and currently enjoying the assfucking that is the American credit system. I can't so much as pay for a damn phone without spending like $600 out of pocket. I also can't really get a credit card that would be any good because of my complete (seriously, my score is 0) lack of credit, so the best I can do is a checking account with a debit card.

So in an attempt to pay for things I like and potentially build up credit, I'm thinking of a monthly account. I have no idea if this'll even apply at all, as the way credit works isn't super clear to me, other than it's stupid for newcomers trying to do anything.

Edit: No. I thought you were joking before I read the OP.

No, it won't help build your credit. Sorry, Duder.

Also, my friend and I run a personal finance site for college students and younger people that helps explain how to build those type of things in a non complex way. It's in my mini bio if you want to check it out

@BraveToaster: As you can see by my post, I'm completely new to (and already fed up with!) credit. So it wouldn't be meaningful?

To be clear, I don't mean JUST a monthly on here, jsut as something else to add to other stuff.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@BraveToaster: As you can see by my post, I'm completely new to (and already fed up with!) credit. So it wouldn't be meaningful?

No, it wouldn't be meaningful.

Ok, I just figured I'd ask because I wouldn't mind supporting the guys more especially if it helped me out a little.

Is it really that hard to get a credit card and build credit? I'm not sure how maintaining a monthly account wouldn't help his credit. That's the exact stuff I did to build it. I will admit to not knowing in the slightest anything about how it works, though.

@mandude said:

Is it really that hard to get a credit card and build credit? I'm not sure how maintaining a monthly account wouldn't help his credit. That's the exact stuff I did to build it. I will admit to not knowing in the slightest anything about how it works, though.

It takes about a year to get "decent" credit, and the ways you get credit are difficult to get without either paying out the ass for upfront deposits, high interest rates, or being stuck on someone else's account and being liable for their mistakes. In a year I plan to be at MCRD San Diego training to be a marine, at which point having good credit won't be super important. It's far more of a pain in the ass than is should be, just because it takes so long for someone to go from no credit to good credit, and because so much requires you to have good credit.

@MordeaniisChaos: That's really strange. I came to America last year at the age of 20 so because of that I had to start from scratch. When I opened up a bank account, they offered me a credit card there and then, with a limit of $500. It's been roughly 8 months since I opened the account, and now my score is nigh on 800 and I've a limit of $2,000. Is there something different about my situation that made it easier for me or is it just horrendously unbalanced? I mean, I was a farmhand at the time, and it was under the table, so it's not like I officially had job security or anything.

you would be better off getting a credit card and only using it to fuel your car. Then pay off the balance each month. Its money you'd spend anyway, and if you are responsible enough to keep your balance under control and payed on time, you will build credit.