Ashley Parks

Ashley Parks is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com with expertise in building credit and repairing damaged credit quickly and responsibly. She has broad knowledge of credit card products, and she’s especially knowledgeable about subprime and student credit cards.  During her time at Bankrate, Ashley has published stories with credit card advice for college students, international students, and first-generation credit card users. She also wrote a series on the best credit cards available to people with credit scores in the bad to fair range. Ashley is regularly featured in Bankrate video explainers, where she breaks down credit card concepts into understandable tips. Ashley is passionate about making credit card knowledge as accessible as possible.

Ashley graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU), earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing and Theatre. You can learn more about Ashley, her work and her artistic pursuits at her personal website, ashleyparks.com.

Ashley wants you to know

Ashley opened her first credit card when she was a sophomore in high school. She didn’t want a credit card at all, but her parents insisted that building credit early would be key to helping her achieve future goals, like getting her first apartment. Though she got the credit card in high school, she didn’t start using the card to its full potential until after she began her career covering credit cards at Bankrate. “I avoided using my credit card at all costs until I had the knowledge of how they actually worked…almost 7 years later. I missed out on some key perks, but I’m impressed with what we can get credit cards to do for us when we know how to use them responsibly.”

Ashley’s recommended readings

• Rethinking credit: Tips for first generation credit users
• Credit cards for a 500 credit score (or less)
• 5 credit card tips for college students