Alright.

The key, as Nordlead has said, is t never use credit cards for.....Credit. That is, to buy things you do not have money for. If you use them for recurring bills, or as a easy way to pay for things you don't have physical money on you, its fine.

Dave Ramsey has a pretty good system for CC usage:

Use them as you like, but always pay on time. If you cannot pay the credit card off in full on a month, cut it up.

Oh, and remember, a missed payment will destroy your credit score. I made 1 mistake (over a few months though) where I moved and my electrical bill was never paid. I had auto-payment, and I didn't know the last payment wouldn't go through. I didn't discover until 6 months later, but my credit score will hurt for ages from that mistake.

these folk speak the truth.
Always pay your credit card off 100% every month, NEVER spend more than you have in your account that's going to be used to pay off the card each month.
rather get a personal loan if you're going to do that imo.
never F$&% with Mastercard.
results of a missed payment? Priceless.

i have a debit card with an overdraft facility, that's so much more convenient than a credit card. could you not have gotten an overdraft instead of a credit card?

interest free for as long as i'm a student, only get charged if i go over it but i have a £1600 limit.

i don't trust credit cards at all. they're so expensive.

I second what nordlead said.

IF you don't pay the balance in full every month, the bank owns your ass from then on. They can jack up interest rates as they please, charge you fees if you don't accept the interest rates, etc.

However there's nothing wrong with credit cards provided you pay the balance each month. Then you're not spending any money on interest, as most credit cards give you 30-45 days interest free, sometimes more.

In this sense, a credit card is not too different from a debit card, as you're spending money that you already have (or will have very soon). However, a credit card adds several advantages (easier to dispute charges, bonuses etc).

If you have student loans... that in of itself will build proper credit history.

Also, get a Credit card from a Credit Union instead of a regular bank... and always pay it off.