Part of rebuilding your credit is proving that you can pay your bills on time. If your bad credit episode left you without any credit cards, you’ll have to open new ones.

The only thing worse than getting a nasty surprise is getting a nasty surprise about your finances. For instance, you check your credit score and discover it’s much lower than you anticipated. You wonder, “What went wrong?”

You can file bankruptcy on just credit cards — you must list all of your credit cards and all of your debts when you file bankruptcy. Some people have gotten the wrong idea that bankruptcy help is no longer available for credit cards, medical bills or other categories of bills. The credit card industry spent millions of dollars promoting an anti-debtor message, which resulted in the passage of the pro-creditor bankruptcy amendments, BAPCPA — the myth grew with all the media stories about the law changes.

Secured credit cards are great for establishing or rebuilding your credit history. Unlike prepaid cards, secured credit cards give you a credit line, and your payment activity will be reported to the major consumer reporting agencies.

There are many advantages to having a good credit score. Qualifying for lower interest rates, ability to get approved for loans and lines of credit, and paying less on loans for items such as homes and automobiles to name a few.