If you're like a lot of people, you may want to include thousands of dollars of credit card debt in your bankruptcy. Once the bankruptcy is over, you should swear off credit cards forever, right? Not so fast.

In the scheme of things, you need good credit to get an automobile loan, a mortgage, to rent a home, to get better auto insurance rates, and sometimes a job. So, how do you go from a bankruptcy to good credit? One of the smartest ways is to get credit cards.

Why You Need Credit Cards

In order to rebuild your credit, you need to show that you can be a good borrower, and that you've learned from your financial mistakes. The best way to begin this process is to start small, and by small this usually means with either a secured credit card from a local bank, or with a card that you shop out online.

With regular cards, your interests rates will be high initially, and your credit lines low, but by maintaining very low balances or paying it all off each month, as time passes, you should receive more attractive credit card offers and higher limits.

Tips for rebuilding your credit with credit cards:

• Get a secured credit card.
• Shop credit card offers online: compare annual fees, interest rates, and all other fees before choosing a card.
• Pay off all of the balance each month.
• If you don't pay off the whole balance, try to keep it less than 20% of your limit.
• Always pay your cards on time.
• After a year, see if you're eligible for better cards.

Have a spouse or family member with good credit? You can see if they would consider making you an authorized user on one of their accounts. You don't even have to use the card, just being an authorized user will help boost your credit score.

For more credit rebuilding tips after bankruptcy, contact a bankruptcy attorney!