i'me 19,have a credit card for over a year, credit line:$6200,and i
always pay on time and in full,why would at&t reject me for a cell
phone plan?

shmuli-ga,

The most likely reason, based on my own experience, is that you have
not had credit long enough.  You credit score (which companies like
AT&T use to determine whether you will pay them back on a monthly
basis) is based on a number of factors:

1) Total time you have had credit.
2) Amount of credit extended to you.
3) Type of credit extended to you (mortgages are generally better than
credit cards).
4) Whether you have had any late payments on your accounts.

I don't necessarily recommend the following service, but it may be an
affordable way to see where you "stack up" compared to the rest of the
population. A low FICO score (a banking standard measure of
creditworthiness) is probably why you were denied.

myFICO
http://www.myfico.com/

Aside from their services, their website itself is a good general
reference that may help you.

I hope this helps,

krobert-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by krobert-ga on 08 Nov 2002 13:47 PST

To answer you a bit better, based on your rating comment, I would have
to tell you that obtaining a better score will simply require time and
good use of credit.

-> Pay your bills on time (your already doing this)
-> Keep lines of credit open (you will likely keep using the credit
cards you have)
-> Get "good" debt.  (student loans, mortgages)
-> Pay those on time!
-> Occasionally, make sure your credit record contains correct
information.

Credit records are updated by both computers and by humans... mistakes
are made.  Those mistakes could reflect badly on you, that's why you
need to check it occasionally.  The big three credit reporting
agencies (Experion, Equifax and Trans Union) can all provide you with
your credit record (for a fee, usually) and all will investigate items
which you think are wrong or don't belong on your credit record for
free.

As far as the cell phone plan goes... try another vendor.  Just
because one turned you down doesn't mean that another will.  It's kind
of like trying to get the job that requires 5 years experience... but
you can't get 5 years experience until you get the job.  Same thing
with credit.  You won't get more until credit-extending companies have
seen what you've done with what you've been given.  Some are more
willing to extend credit than others.

krobert-ga

exactly the answer i was looking for, though  i would understand that
on my own, but what i really wanted was what and how do i get good
credit?