How To Get The Best Credit Card? - Go to top

by: Verena Veneeva. About The Author: This article was written by Verena Veneeva professional writer working for www.coursework4you.co.uk.

Different people have different needs. Depending on who you are and your circumstances, the best credit card deal for you will vary. I will take you through the things you should be looking for, but for the best current deals I suggest you check Money Savings Expert regularly (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com).

Credit cards allow you to spend a certain amount of money at an interest rate that will be charged every month. The spending amount that is available to you can be seen differently. Some see it as an additional amount to spend, some see it as a ‘risk-free' borrowing opportunity. Credit card spending is not a ‘free' spending opportunity, as you will need to pay this money back. This money does not work like a loan, as the amount available to you is not all cash. However, it can be treated as a ‘loan' and this concept will be explained later.

Other very important concepts that have to be understood before getting a credit card, is 0% offers. There are two kinds of 0% offers: on purchases and on balance transfers. The first one allows you to spend the money provided to you by the credit card without paying any interest for a certain amount of time. So, for example, if the credit card gives you a limit of £500 for three months, then you can spend £500 against this credit card and not be charged interest for the first three months since the credit card was opened. However, once this period of time expires, you will be charged the credit card interest rate. This interest differs depending on the credit card, so if you intend to pay this interest, then you ought to look for the lowest interest rate available. Paying interest can be avoided, unless you have already overspent too much and are using credit cards to pay off other credit card interest. In this case you should call some of the debt consolidation companies and try to get some your credit card debt written off. Another reason why you might be in the position of paying interest is because you forgot when your ‘0% free time' ended. If this is the case, you will be informed about this with your first bank statement. Transfer your balance to a different bank or pay the debt off and avoid any further interest payments.

For those of you who don't have interest payments, you can take advantage of the 0% purchasing and make some money. You need a good credit history record to make this work and you also need to be disciplined. The easiest method is to do all of your normal spending against the credit card, while putting the money that is coming in into an interest-earning savings account. For example, if your credit card company lets you borrow £2,000, and you have £1,000 coming in as a salary every month, then put the £1,000 into a savings account and do all of your purchasing with a credit card. There are a few things to watch out for: credit card companies will charge you for cash withdrawals; your cash limit is much lower then the full available credit; and choose a savings account from which you can withdraw easily. At the end of the 0% purchase period, you will need to return all the money that you have spent against your credit card. You should have that amount available in the savings account by then, plus interest. The interest gained is your earnings for this transaction. You can earn even more if you chose a credit card with a cashback deal. This deal will pay you interest on all of your purchases made with the card. However, you should remember, that this is a money-making technique, rather then a ‘spend more' opportunity. There is a more complicated trick of making money from credit cards, details of which are outlined by Money Saving Expert (2006).

If you are making money from the credit cards, there is no need for you to get card protection insurance, as you should have enough money to pay off the credit card debt at any time. At the end of the 0% purchasing period, you can also transfer the balance to a different card provider. This is known as 0% balance transfer, but you will be charged a fee for these transactions, usually around 2%. However, these fees vary, so you need to check the conditions. There are a few things to watch out for: the credit limit offered by your bank also includes your purchases. For example, if the new credit card offers you a £2,000 limit, with 0% balance transfer for 12 months and 0% on purchases for three months, and you have transferred £1,500 from your old credit card, you only have £500 to spend on this credit card. The second thing to watch out for is your credit score. "Most lenders' scoring systems aren't sophisticated enough to detect that you're playing this free-cash game. Yet multiple applications, especially at the same time, coupled with high outstanding debts, even at 0%, will diminish your ability to get competitive credit, so the most important thing is to spread card applications out" (Money Savings Expert, 2006).

However, if you are in the position where you are already fighting the interest payments, as has been mentioned before, the best thing to do is to call debt consolidation experts. In any circumstances it is best to pay off the most expensive credit and store cards first (i.e the ones that charge the highest interest rates). Furthermore, avoid opening any new credit cards to pay off the debt. Instead transfer your high-interest debt to lower interest rate credit cards. For example, if your credit card interest rate is 16%, while your store card rate is 25% per month, transfer the store card balance over to the credit card.

Whatever your circumstances, when you do open a new credit card always look for the longest 0% balance transfer and 0% purchase period, lowest transfer fee and interest rate charged afterwards. The limit offered to you will not only depend on your salary and credit rating, but also on the company that you go with.

Finally, do not forget – don't play the credit card game if you cannot control it or have a high debt already.

References

Money Savings Experts 2006 "Card Trick" [Available from]: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1076883546,34894 (Accessed on: 10/11/06)

Money Savings Experts 2006 "Card Card Shuffle" [Available from]: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1102335753,51771 (Accessed on: 10/11/06)

Money Savings Experts 2006 "Credit Card Newbie MoneySavers Guide" [Available from]: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1103212597,43859, (Accessed on: 10/11/06)

Copyright © 2006 Verena Veneeva

How To Find Out Deceptive Credit Card Offer? - Go to top

by: Mario Churchill. About The Author: Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout www.usa-credit-card-guide.com and mycreditcardblog.info.

The internet is the place of limitless ideas, products, businesses and anything under the sun. It could also be a place of deceptive offers and persuasive advertisements?

Credit cards are already becoming a must-have item nowadays. People are seeking to own one to facilitate their shopping and traveling. Credit cards are very important properties that can be equated to cash. Almost every product that is available for sale can be purchased using the credit card. Restaurants are offering foods to be served for a credit card. Hotel rooms are made available in one swipe. Plane tickets and cruise line fees at hand provided by credit cards. There is nothing to ask for if one has a credit card.

Debts are natural to be included in credit cards. And these debts can be directly relative to the card issuer company. There are many things to look up to when credit card and credit card offers is being the subject of the conversation.

The internet, being the place of instant shop less the hassle, is also becoming the place of fraudulent offers be it form any product and even to credit cards. There are fake or marketing companies that use the internet to win attention from people who would want to their own credit card. There are a lot of them and they are drastically growing.

These companies are not actually lending companies. They can appear to be foundations that offer credit solution and the like but acts and talks the same way as a credit company. There are many ways and strategies that they are doing just to capture the attention of many and rob their money. What are the things that these fake lending companies are saying and what are the offers they frequently brag? Here are some pointers to consider on how to know whether a lending company is a fake or not.

-When companies are starting to offer zero interest and low interest at the same time but not telling what type of credit card is going to be given, chances are that the company is not giving away or is not a lending company but a marketing or sales company. This company maybe referring to one-time-credit-cards or gift checks that can be used to purchase products from the company. The card that they will give can never be used in any ATM around the world.

-When companies disregard your credit history or situation, then these certain companies maybe just pretending to be real. No lending company will disregard a credit situation of a client. Companies think first of the profits that they can get from the client and will not accommodate any losses due to non-payment.

-When companies disregard the age and employment status of a person, there is a higher possibility that these companies are just make-believing. The capacity of a person to pay is determined through his employment status. When this is disregarded, what good can it bring to the lending company? In addition, most banks and lending companies prioritize those younger person rather than the old ones. This is in lieu with the ability-to-pay scheme that lending companies are implementing.

There are still a lot of doubtful offers that you may encounter not just in the internet but also in newspapers and other media. To make sure you will not be victimized by these people, try to contact reliable banks and lending companies rather than infamous lending companies.

Understanding 0 APR Credit Cards - Go to top

by: Joe Kenny. About the author: he writes for the Card Guide, a UK credit cards site, visit today for introductory 0% balance transfers and start clearing credit card debt, www.cardguide.co.uk

A 0% APR is essentially a credit card offered by credit card companies to their consumers with an ‘annual percentage rate’ (APR) of zero percent. However, this rate does not exist forever, and after a period that ranges between three to twelve months, credit card companies begin charging higher rates of interest. Therefore, the major factors to be considered are the duration of the no-interest period, and what would be the APR rate after the offer ends.

Advantages of owning a 0% APR Credit card:

Though 0% APR credit cards have a few catches, they can also prove to be advantageous for its users. The best way to assess these cards is by actually using one. If you pay off the monthly balance regularly, then the rate of interest will not be a major concern. Some of its main benefits are as follows:

- Cut down the interest rate: A 0% APR credit card is popular among users with heavy outstanding card balances. It helps them to slash the rate of interest incurred upon their debt.

- Travel benefits: A 0% APR credit cards offer travel benefits to its users. You could profit from this card if you travel by air frequently. Most companies provide bonus air mile benefits on APR credit cards. This could be as much as twenty-five thousand miles, merely by signing up and making your first purchase from this card. The travel facility could also be used for hotel rooms, meals and other additional alternatives. It also provides you with free gas discounts and rebates in purchasing a car.

- Cash back or reward benefits: Low APR credit cards also provide a system where you could get back a percentage of your purchases. You could get a reward of five percent for certain kinds of purchases you make.

- Paying off debt: Transferring your credit card balance that needs to be paid off to a new credit card with 0% APR would be a better money- saving solution, than holding on to the old card with a high rate of interest.

- Start up a new credit history: A 0% APR credit card can be used to establish a new credit history for a cardholder with a previous credit card debt. These cards curb the credit card usage, and initiate the necessity of spending within the budget. However, it might not be issued to people with a bad credit history.

Limitations of 0 percent interest APR credit cards:

A 0% APR credit card often comes with strings attached. Some of the major limitations are as follows:

- Usually, a 0% APR credit card offers the no-interest benefit for only a limited period, such as six months to a year.
- It might not allow you to transfer balances from high interest credit cards during the introductory 0% offer period.
- It could charge expensive fees for the process of transferring the balance.
- Some of these credit cards bear very high penalties for late payments, and automatically transfer you to an inconsistent APR rate.
- It often charges a very high interest rate once the initial offer period expires.

Therefore, although 0% APR credit cards may seem too good to be true, they do have a number of real advantages. While these promotional offers by credit card companies are useful, they need to be taken up judiciously.

Making Low Rate Credit Cards Possible - Go to top

by: Mario Churchill. About the author: Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout www.firstglobalcreditcard.com and www.edblogonline.info.

While plenty of cardholders around the world suffer from unpaid debts due to unsurpassable high interest rates, there are also some who enjoy low rated credit cards plus other benefits. Are there secrets on how to acquire a low interest rate credit cards or owning one that offers rewards?

Several people claim that credit cards are no other than a heavy yoke to their pocket. They would express their heartfelt hate to the credit companies and banks that do not in any way lower their rates though they maintain a good standing and credibility with them. How could these things go possibly true and untrue?

All credit card companies, except otherwise for some that chooses not to, apply the APR or known as the Annual Percentage Rate. APR is the interest being charged by the credit company to the borrowers. This interest rate includes other fees and add-on costs that is part of the transaction. There are other companies that associate APR with the penalties due to late payments, transaction fees and other forms. The APR may serve as the ground rate in which a lender can compare with other companies. There are provisions that mandate credit card companies to show the APR to customers so that the latter may have enough reason to whether go for the said credit line or not depending on the rate. In general, 12 % per annum is the accepted APR that is being asked from the client. However this rate may be changed and made higher but then it will need the approval of the authority. There are banks that convert APR into monthly rates but when compounded, the rate is just equivalent to the APR.

There are still a lot of fees that a credit company may ask from the client. APR is just one of plenty yields that they ask one to pay. But then, these additive rates maybe prevented or are scraped out by you through your company.

There is one possible way to get a low interest rate credit card. That is to look for a card with low APR and offers constant rating as long as your account is active. Here are some pointers in which one may use in order to find a good rate or better yet low interest rate credit cards.

-Beginners must seek for banks or any lending companies that offers low APR and penalty rates. These will help you check on whether you can possibly pay your balances or not. You can also ask the company if the interest rates that they have are constant from the activation of the account. If not, ask if the fluctuations or inflations are small enough that you can bear. Old card holders may call their credit card companies and ask whether they can convert the rates into a lower one. If not, tell them to cancel the account and try to temporarily transfer the balance into your other accounts and then open another with low interest rates.

-Keep yourself updated with the press releases of the Federal Reserve Board. This will help you know the current average accepted rate as compared to your accumulated earnings.

-Maintain a good credibility with your bank. Payment must be done ahead or on time to prevent penalties and to further solicit trust from your credit card company. Many good payers are being cared for by the lending companies.

When all these things does not work for you, then try some other ways without compromising your money and without dumping yourself into a pile of debt.

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