If you need a credit card but have a poor credit history, don’t despair — bad credit credit cards are available that can meet most needs and this is not common knowledge. No doubt you have had people tell you that if you have bad credit, no lender will touch you but this is not the case for most people. As long as you have the income to repay the debt, lenders will usually be prepared to loan to you.

Let’s face it, there are certain situations in which you need a credit card. For example, at many places it is impossible to rent a car without a credit card. Booking a hotel, renting a car or buying an airline ticket online is virtually impossible without a credit card.

The Wells Fargo Secured Card has a few restrictions on eligibility. If you have declared bankruptcy within the past 12 months or have any unsettled liens, you won’t qualify. Interestingly, you only need to be 18 to qualify unless you live in Alabama (where you have to be 19) or in Mississippi or Puerto Rico (where you have to be 21).

Debt settlement, also known as debt arbitration, debt negotiation or credit settlement, is an approach to debt reduction in which the debtor and creditor agree on a reduced balance that will be regarded as payment in full.

It’s important to note that repairing bad credit takes time and there is no quick way to fix a credit score. In fact, out of all of the ways to improve a credit score, quick-fix efforts are the most likely to backfire, so beware of any advice that claims to improve your credit score fast.