Originally Posted by peachfront

I'm glad particlemn has spoken up with the voice of common sense. It makes no sense to put in money chasing miles as a top priority when there are so many better ways for a young person to get travel.

IMHO the FIRST priority should be to chase jobs, hustles, scholarships, heck, even dog walking and baby sitting gigs, to get CASH. I've never met anyone who regretted not having student loans when they get out of college. I've met many people, including people who attended top schools only to find out LOTS of people attend top schools, who deeply regret the student loan. At your age, I had zero interest in chasing credit cards and a great deal of interest in chasing ways to get extra money. Student loan is the only debt I know of that can't be cancelled by bankruptcy, even if you don't finish school and even if you don't get a job that pays much or anything more than it would have paid anyway -- in other words, it is the ONLY business risk you will ever take that if you learn you made a mistake, you still have to pay for it.

If you want the freedom to travel the world, follow partclemn's intelligent advice. You will have limited time after your studies in high school and college. Spend that limited time getting CASH not miles. If there is still time left over, then you can worry about juggling credit cards as well.

Yes, we all know that what has worked for SOME young people is to get the parents to co-sign the cards, enjoy the spend, and then abandon the debt, which means the parents are forced to pay. While this does have a positive financial expectation for you, I myself consider it a dishonorable technique. My personal belief is that I will not co-sign a card nor will I accept a co-signed card. But that's me. If you want free, at your age, the easiest way is to get your parents to pay for the trip. The second easiest way is to get scholarships that give trips as bonuses. The third way is the part time job and paying for one's own cheaper trips. I tried all of these at your age, and you should too. #2 is particularly recommended by my hubby, who actually had a 10 day trip paid for by the Air Force for a scholarship he won, which included a visit to see the space shuttle. But even I won a free (airfare included) trip for myself (and my parents) and no one would accuse peachfront of being the world's most dedicated high schooler.

Credit cards will always be there, but there are scholarships and bonuses from other sources for good students that will FAR surpass any credit card offer. You should grab those opportunities while you're still young, because most of them will NOT be there for returning students.

Good Luck.