by Sean Good
Daily Lobo
Free food can leave a bad taste in your mouth if you signed up for a credit card to get it, said Sharla Reinhart of New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union.
CitiCards encourages students to sign up for a credit card by offering free food at restaurants near campus.
Promoters pass out fliers and tickets on campus advertising free food for students.
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Student Eugene Romero said he was surprised when he went to get a free sandwich and got a credit card application.
"When I went for the Schlotzsky's sandwich deal, they made it look like you had already got the opportunity to get a sandwich for free with no strings attached," he said. "When you got there, you realized that anyone could do it by applying for a credit card."
Ashanti Johnson, supervisor at Citibank, said credit cards can be good for students, because there is a card with benefits for college students.
"Credit cards can be essential to a college student in an emergency," Johnson said.
CitiCards representatives did not return calls the week of June 4 to comment on the free food promotions.
Reinhart said any offer that entices students to go into debt is not in their best interest.
Credit card companies used to give out prizes on campus until the University put a stop to it, Reinhart said.
The food offers are a creative way to do the same thing, she said.
"It's just another way to hook a student into credit," she said.
Student Mark Silversmith said it's easy for people to get sucked into credit card debt.
"Their promotions looked pretty good," he said. "It's a shame because I have a lot of friends who have real credit problems because of things like this."
Reinhart said debt affects some students' ability to succeed.
"A lot of students leave school now not because of grades but because of debt," she said.
Reinhart said students who are 18- or 19-years-old don't need numerous credit cards.
"If they applied for multiple credit cards at a time, that would drag their credit score down considerably, even if they don't use the credit cards," she said.
Reinhart said there are ways for students to improve their credit scores.
"The best thing a student can do is put together a budget and pay their debts on time," she said.
Reinhart said getting a credit card should be a well-thought-out decision, rather than just a way to fill the stomach.
"They should know how they're going to be able to pay that card back." Reinhart said. "They should also have rules and regulations about how they intend to use that card."
Learn more about credit scores at AnnualCreditReport.com.
