What bank should I go through for my 1st credit card?

your bank (or credit union) is the best bank for you to get a credit card with. if your own bank (or credit union) won't give you a secured credit card then no one else is going to give you one (secured or unsecured)

yes, properly managing a credit card will build your credit. but having a large down payment & no credit won't prevent you from getting a car loan.

Never lease a car. Not unless you own a business, you're a realtor, or you are extremely rich and like a new car every couple of years.

Leasing is throwing money away for most people.

A credit card is NOT for emergencies

A savings account is. Where is your savings account?

6 months of living expenses. More if you have a family.

Credit takes 2 years to build with any credit card.

If you are expecting it to build credit fast, you'll be dissapointed.

And applying for new credit will hurt your score for a few months.

Sounds like you would carry balances on a credit card which is fast way to destroy your life. If you ever get one, you charge gas and pay in full each month. Little things. NOT emergencies.

Just the fact that you think credit cards mean debt is scary.

Most of the people never have debt on them since they pay in full each month.

To summarize:

1. You think credit cards mean debt.

2. You think leasing cars is ok.

3. You have no savings.

I hurt my credit by getting into debt. If you want to build some credit I would get one card and use it only for gas, nothing else. That way you don't dig a deep hole and you can pay it off at the end of the month for the amount in full.

BTW... I applied for a credit card long ago and I changed my mind about it. The company called me and I said I wasn't interested. They lady told me that it looks bad if I refuse a credit card. I was stupid and listened. Sure, maybe it does look bad, but late payments (which I had on the card) looked way worse.

Check with your bank. They are most likely to extend credit to you. With no credit history, you may have to start with a secured card.

By the way, just having a card will not build your credit. You have to actually use the card on a regular basis. Best way to handle a credit card is to use it for regular purchases and pay the statement balance in full every month. that builds credit and avoids interest.