(I work in the loan department of a credit union)
In order to help raise your score, I would need to know if you have any derogatory credit.
If you do have any collection accounts, you would have to pay those off or settle for a determined amount by the collection company. If you have late payments, those will slowly effect your credit less over time.
If you have credit, none derogatory, and its just limited, ONE credit card could help. But along with getting a credit card, you would have to keep the balance at or less than 50% utilization. Over 50% can negatively effect your credit score. You would also have to make sure you make payments on time. Doing this will increase your score over time.
When opening a new unsecured trade line, (like a credit card or line of credit with no collateral, like a vehicle) it can decrease your score due to it being a new account. Accounts are considered new for up to 2 years. But it will recover.
I hope this helps. Oh and if your looking for a good first credit card, Discover has good interest rates, compared to other large credit card companies. Good luck.
