MasterCard

$5? Yeah, sure.

Grandpa and Grandma from Ohio have asked you to send them a wish list this year for your upcoming birthday. Figuring that you're now passed that age where $5 tucked inside an envelope with your card will do, they've decided to dig in a little bit to their retirement fund in order to make your day more special. And this is all because you're their absolute favorite grandchild, and well, their only one.

So, thinking long and hard about this one, this is the list you finally come up with:

• An ipod
• Gift Certificate for the local shopping mall
• A subscription for Tivo
• Laptop computer
• Plasma television
• Speakers for your car
• A new car
• Motorbike
• Money to fund your trip to Mexico for spring break
• A sailboat you can name after this girl you like at school
• Money to fund a trip to Tahiti so you can really impress the girl you like at school

You fold your list, stick it in an envelope and seal it with a kiss. This year, your sure that your birthday will be like none other.

It's supposed to be a happy birthday, right?

Your birthday has finally arrived and so has a baby-blue envelope in the mail from good ol' Grandpa and Grandma from up north. With excitement, you open up their card first to find out what little surprise they have waiting for you. A gift certificate for the mall? Tickets to Mexico? You open up the card and the sheer excitement you had seconds earlier turns to dull disappointment. An application to apply for a MasterCard credit card?

Now, don't think you've overestimated your grandparents just yet. Grandpa and Grandma are smart thinking people. Applying for a MasterCard opens up a new world of opportunities for you. With a standard MasterCard, you can begin to establish credit and build a reputable history depending on your usage and timeliness in paying for your MasterCard. With a standard card, you can control your finances with flexible spending power with great benefits such as 24 hour account information and Emergency services that come with MasterCard credit cards.

Eventually, once you have established and maintained a good credit history you can redeem rewards from the following cards as well:

• Gold MasterCard - all of the amenities of a standard MasterCard with additional card benefits and strong spending power.
• Platinum MasterCard - exceptional spending power for daily purchases and the opportunity to earn top rewards.

There are several different cards you can choose from, including the Chase MasterCard and the Capital One MasterCard. Research the different offers that are out there and remember to always read the fine print. There's one to bound to meet and suit your lifestyle needs. And in case you've already blemished your credit, there's always a selection of bad credit MasterCards or prepaid MasterCards to choose from as well.

One year from now if you continue to do well maintaining your credit card, you might be lucky enough for Grandpa and Grandma to send you a MasterCard gift card for your birthday and a postcard from Tahiti, too!

All material copyright © 2008 Mastercard Info. All rights reserved.

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