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Apparently having good credit isn’t enough, unless you’ve already pledged loyalty to the debt system. (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Camzing@lemmy.world to c/personalfinance@lemmy.ml

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Just went through a mess trying to finance a used car. I haven’t borrowed money since 2012, no debt, no credit cards, just living within my means. When I applied for a loan, I was told I was refused. Not because of bad credit, but because I hadn’t used credit recently enough.

The dealership advertises “no applications refused,” but apparently if you don’t have an active debt history, you’re too much of a mystery for the system.

Co-signer? Not allowed. Using my own bank account for payments? Denied. Their solution? Open a joint account with my dad just to satisfy a bank’s paperwork, pay hundreds in fees over 6 years just to make it work.

The credit system says you can't borrow money unless you've already been borrowing money, like somehow living within your means disqualifies you. It's not about good credit, it's about loyalty to the debt game. Screw you for standing on your own feet, I guess.

Just needed to get that off my chest. Anyone else run into this nonsense?

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[–] dmention7@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

People act like this is some kind of mysterious system, when it all boils down to one simple thing: If you want people to give you favorable terms when asking to borrow their money, then establish a history of being a reliable money-borrower! It's not rocket science!

Open a credit card or two. Make all your purchases on them (borrow money), and pay off the balance every month (pay back the money). You will never pay a penny in interest or fees, you will easily earn 1-2% cash back, and you have a small buffer in case of setbacks.

Being financially conservative--i.e., saving a lot and never borrowing/repaying money--may be a moral virtue, but it does nothing to establish you as someone who has a history of paying back borrowed money.