Courtney Mihocik

Senior Editor, Credit Cards
Ribbon Icon EXPERTISE
  • Credit scores
  • Building credit
  • Student credit cards
  • Credit card comparisons
Education Icon EDUCATION
  • Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Ohio University

 

Courtney Mihocik is an editor at Bankrate Credit Cards and CreditCards.com with expertise in helping people with limited or no credit to understand their options for improving their credit scores. She focuses on the subprime category and provides guidance to people on their credit-building journeys.

Courtney is passionate about creating a space where people can learn more about managing their personal finances, specifically helping her peers achieve their credit card and credit score goals. She believes that public education fails to teach the essentials of personal finance to students and wants to make up for it in her editorial work.

Previously, she led insurance content at Reviews.com and worked as the loans editor at The Simple Dollar, where she produced daily personal finance articles from founder Trent Hamm in addition to student loan, personal loan, business loan and bad credit loan articles. Before entering the digital media space, Courtney worked in hyper-local print journalism, covering arts, culture, food, news and more for publications in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Courtney wants you to know
Courtney graduated college with a 750 credit score, which quickly plummeted to the 500s when she nearly defaulted on her high student loan payments she couldn’t afford. After applying for an income-driven repayment plan and six years of careful budgeting, hustling and responsible credit use, she’s happy to report her credit score is back hovering around 750 and she can qualify for better financial products.
Courtney’s recommended readings

Rethinking credit: Tips for first-gen credit users
How bad credit affects your mental health
Consumer credit protections: Know your rights

We all make mistakes with our finances, and it’s not shameful to ask for advice or help to get your life in order financially. With credit cards, it’s especially important to be wary of racking up a high balance and relying on transfers to avoid interest. As an editor, I want Gen Z and millennials to have the same — if not better — financial opportunities than generations before.

— Courtney Mihocik

Courtney's latest articles

  • The Home Depot Consumer Credit Card

    The Home Depot Credit Card is one of a few big brand-name home improvement credit cards out there. Read a full review here.

    10 min read Jul 12, 2021

  • DCU Visa® Platinum Credit Card

    A no-frills card that does not offer rewards but advertises a low range of APRs, making it a good card if you anticipate carrying a balance.

    10 min read Dec 23, 2020

  • Best for Excellent Credit

    With excellent credit, you will qualify for the best credit card offers on the market in 2024. The experts at Bankrate have chosen the best credit cards for excellent credit available from our partners.

    10 min read Aug 14, 2018

  • Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

    The Citi Diamond Preferred Card offers one of the longest introductory balance transfer periods on the market. Here's why that might not be good enough.

    11 min read Aug 16, 2017

  • Chase Freedom Unlimited®

    The Chase Freedom Unlimited® has long been a favorite among fans of flat-rate cash back credit cards, but the card may soon hold even greater appeal for rewards-savvy cardholders looking to get started with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

    15 min read Aug 15, 2017