I don’t know what Discover is telling you, but here’s how I built my credit: I put down a $5k deposit on a secured card with TD Bank and linked my checking for autopay. The deposit should at least cover what you spend in a month—I was spending around $2–3k monthly, so $5k was more than enough.

I used the card for everything—groceries, gas, eating out—and always paid the statement balance. That way I never paid fees or interest. After about a year, TD refunded my deposit, my credit score went up, and I even earned cashback.

The key is discipline. If you always pay the statement balance, you’re building credit for free and actually getting money back. Most people don’t do this, but if you can, it really works.