[Mark42]

I have our Mastercard credit card through MBNA. There is no annual fee , but that might depend on the card you get (gold vs other).

I would suggest taking a low credit limit, say $2000 to start, even if they offer 10 or 20K. Don't spend more than you can pay every month, IE be sure you don't carry a balance, that's how you get in trouble.

If you don't carry a balance, then the annual rate doesn't mean too much.

They can be a life saver, but you need to know your limits.

Another option is what we did with or 19 year old. He has an American Express in his name, with us as co signers. So he gets to build his own credit history, and he has us as backup payers until he is out of college. Right now we pay a portion of the bill, and its only to be used for gas, school supplies, and food. He works part time, and he is responsible for anything over $250 a month. So far its been working well for us.