Using a low interest credit card

Most credit card companies have low interest credit cards. Usually these will come with a low or no interest rate credit card for six to twelve months. On top of that, these cheap credit cards will go to a high fixed rate or high variable rate card at the end of the free period. These are great cards if you can play the debt off in the specified time; if you can't then they will cost you plenty over the long haul. They are also good for some purchases. Let's say your washer or dryer goes out, and it will cost more to repair than to replace. You can get this type of credit card to purchase your new washer and or dryer from any store you wish, and then have six months to pay off the $300 - $500 dollars instead of renting or waiting. With this type of card you will have to be willing to part with it once your time limit has expired, after that the rates are like the junk cards you get in the mail, upwards of 18 per cent interest. A few will say different, and be as low as 10% if you have perfect or close to perfect credit rating. If you have missed or were late in the last year, it could jump as high as 25%. There are a few people that want to use these cards as account transfer holders. It sounds good to put a 5 to 30 thousand dollar debt on these interest free cards for six months to a year. There are many downfalls to that type of thinking. If you think you are paying way to high of an interest rate now, then if you are a day late with these cards, you will find yourself at 21-25% interest right away. They make their money on you missing a payment or being late with one so they can take away the interest free for the rest of the time period. This brings us to how they make their money. The card is only interest free as long as you are not late. You can call in and make arrangements on these cards, but what you won't hear is that next month they will charge you interest right away, you broke the agreement with them. So your free card now has a 18 per cent or higher rate the rest of the six months to one year period, making it almost impossible to get a decent rate on a new card. These cheap credit cards are what I call "throw-a-way" cards. Use them once for a small purchase, then cut-them-up and throw them away. Remember even on your small purchase you cannot really make arrangements or be late. The key to using these low interest rate credit cards successfully whether for a down payment on a new car or buying a spa is to make sure the payments are within your budget before you actually use it. If there is any reason at all to not be able to make that monthly payment on your low-interest credit card you are out of luck. However if you are one of the lucky few that can make those payments on time for your new purchase, then by all means get the card now and get the things you want. Remember whether it is six months or twelve months will make a huge difference as well as begin able to make your payments. If your credit rating is good, there is no need to go without the things you want right away. Use the link below to compare different cards that you may want to have. Try not to go overboard; one card at a time should do you well. By getting one card every six months you basically get something above average for yourself or family a couple of times a year.

Options for the best credit card

Consumers who want to maximize their options on a credit card should first find out all the terms and related costs associated with a particular card. For those who feel that the best credit card is one that is low-rate and no-frills, they should determine if the card has annual charges, as no-frills users do not need to pay such fees. Some upscale prestige cards, air-mile credit cards and similar rewards packages collect annual fees in exchange for perks, services and other rewards. The definition of a best credit card varies depending on personal preference. Individuals currently have many options available in the market, including instant approval cards, cash back credit cards, low-interest credit cards and prepaid debit cards. The percentage rate (APR) is another crucial element users must weigh before signing up for what they feel is the best credit card in the market, particularly those with balances, as lower interest rates mean lower payments for carriage and substantial savings. For fixed-rate cards, owners can expect interest rates to be more stable – a credit card on 12.99% interest is likely to remain at that level for a relatively longer period of time compared to a variable card. However, holders decided on securing the best credit card should be aware that even fixed-rate terms could change, although card companies are required by law to issue a written notice for any rate adjustment at least 15 days prior to their affectivity. Variable-card customers need to know if their plans feature minimum APRs, or ‘floors’ – the lowest-possible levels that interest rates could fall to, inclusive of any adjustment by the US Federal Reserve. A Bankrate poll indicated floors for 24% of variable-rate issuers surveyed, with 75% of that group already at minimum APRs through October 2001. This means that the interest rate on these cards will only go up in the future. How long or short a grace period is for settling balances is another factor that customers seeking the best credit card should consider. Since interest charges kick in when the grace period lapses, a company offering longer grace periods means a more extended time for users to settle outstanding obligations without paying interest before their next card purchases are penalized. Individuals seeking the best credit card deal should also be aware of all penalty policies covering missed payments, purchases exceeding the limit or balance transfers. First USA and other providers have a $35 ceiling for such transfers, while Citibank has a $50 cap.

Secret credit reporting agencies exposed

The Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA), Equifax, Experian and Trans Union are household names. All of the financial institutions use one, or all, of these CRAs to pull your credit when you apply for a loan. According to the latest federal law, once a year you can get a free copy of your credit report from these companies. If you have not taken advantage of this freebie, go to ftc. gov and follow the free credit report link. This article however isn’t about the “big three” as they are now called. It is about the CRAs you have never heard of which means you don’t know they exist. If you don’t know they exist, you don’t know their potential danger to your personal financial health. Since I don’t like “secret” organizations possessing super detrimental powers, I authored this exposй. Exposй may be a bit of overkill but after you read it, decide for yourself. You see, if you have ever had a telephone, checking account, ATM card, applied for an apartment, or done any of the consumer type things we all do, you might be in one of these unknown databases. I will begin with the organization commonly referred to as the “telephone bill deadbeat database” by the phone companies. The official name is the National Consumer Telecommunications Data Exchange, Inc. (NCTDE). It was “legalized” by the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in September 1997 and went into operation in March 1998. I bet you didn’t know the DOJ had legislative power, did you? Privacy rights activists didn’t either but, to date, no amount of effort has been effective in dismantling what has become a behemoth in the telecommunications industry. The NCTDE (bureaucrats are fond of acronyms) is an information exchange service for its long distance carrier members. Each member reports the names of the people who failed to pay their long distance charges. Not only do they report you to NCTDE but to a third party set up by the NCTDE to maintain the database. Equifax is that third party at present. The bright spot is the NCTDE database is managed in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Chex System, TeleCheck and SCAN are well known to the merchants of this fine country. They each maintain a database of bad check writers. Your name could be on their list if you’ve written as few as one bad check and whether it was your fault or not. How can it not be your fault? If you are like me you sometimes forget to post a check in your register and before you know it, you’ve written another one and it clears before the first one. The result isn’t always a bounced check but it could be and bingo! you are now entered into the Chex System, TeleCheck and/or SCAN database. When this happens, they now have your name, address, telephone number, bank account number and whatever identification - usually driver license number - you put on the check per request of the store. I bet you’d agree that is a lot of information about you. Once on this list, you can be refused check writing privileges by any subscribing merchant. Plus, you may not be able to open a checking account at your home town bank. That’s right, banks are subscribing members too. Since they do not make as much money from a checking account as they do their other services, they tend to monitor this area closely. While technically not the fault of these companies you were denied an account, they are still the ones maintaining the database so they take the heat. If you are having problems in this area, the best resource I can find for actual help and results is: creditinfocenter/FeaturedArticles/ChexSystems. shtml I am not affiliated in any way with this site and make not a dime from listing their website. If I had problems, this is the site I’d use. Or, if you want to go it alone, here are their web addresses and toll free numbers: ChexSystems chexhelp 1-800-428-9623 SCAN scanassist 1-800-262-7771 TeleCheck telecheck 1-800-710-9898 Believe it or not, a Debit Bureau now exists. Just like credit bureaus aid in credit granting decisions, the Debit Bureau aids in debit granting decisions. ATM card issuance and limits thereon and check acceptance are examples of debit transactions as defined by banks. You are correct if you believe this outfit duplicates, to some degree, the aforementioned three companies. Sorry, but you just have to live with it. The type of information the Debit Bureau has on a person consists of your (bank) account opening and closing history, check order history, check writing history, collections data, frequency of debit and ATM card use and your personal demographics. Re-read this list because it is truly awesome and, in fact, contains more vital information than your credit report. For more information on the Debit Bureau visit: debitbureau An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially with this organization. Tenant screening services are well known in the property management business. They provide information on a prospective tenant that helps the manager make informed decisions. That’s the theory and, for the most part, it actually works that way. If this is true, than the information must be fairly accurate but just what type of information is in a tenant screening report? For starters, don’t believe the information about you is accurate. Just like credit reporting agencies screw up, well, so do these outfits. If your prior landlord(s) have reported your payment and residency history, it will be in the report. If you’ve ever been evicted or foreclosed on, this info will be in the public records and it’ll also be in the screener’s report. Your criminal history will be in the report. If you have a felony, misdemeanor, or traffic convictions, all public records, they too will be in your report. The silver lining in this cloud is the Fair Credit Reporting Act governs tenant screening reports. If you are turned down for a rental and the manager has used a screening agency, you must, by law, be furnished with all of the information in your file at the time of your application and the source of this information. You must also be given a list of the people who have received a copy of this report in the past year plus a statement of your rights regarding this report. If the above agencies don’t send a chill down your spine, you don’t have a pulse. These lesser known services are probably more dangerous to your “identity” than the big three. Why? Until now, one, you didn’t know they existed and two, by extension, you don’t know how much false and/or negative information is contained in their files. This all adds up to, at the very least, a wrongful denial of credit or debit services, denial of phone services and denial of checking services. At the extreme end is Identity Theft. Your identity that is. If you fall victim to Identity Theft, you could potentially lose everything you have and not receive remedy for five, or more, years. Hopefully you will visit our resource page (see above) plus do some research on your own. After all, keeping yourself informed on who has what about you in their database is just smart personal privacy protection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Balance transfer credit card debt consolidation

Balance transfer credit cards can provide an excellent option for debt consolidation. Many Americans are currently in debt and struggling for a way out. Some choose to use a home equity loan to help get themselves out of debt, but not everyone has a home with built up equity to use for this purpose. In addition, putting your home up as collateral for debt consolidation can be a bit nerve-wracking and many banks enforce annual maintenance fees and monetary penalties if you try to close the equity line before a specified period of time. Rising Interest Rates Anyone that has been a credit card holder for some time or who pays attention to the financial marketplace knows that credit card rates on many cards have been on the rise. Often, credit card companies are more than happy to increase interest rates when the prime rate is raised, but they are not so quick to bring the rates down when the prime rate decreases. By consolidating your debt with a balance transfer credit card, you can remove your debt from your high interest cards and place it on your card with a lower interest rate. The best balance transfer credit cards offer low introductory rates or low fixed rates on balance transfers, making them a great option for debt consolidation. What to Look For When looking for a balance transfer card for debt consolidation, you generally want to find the card with the lowest long-term rate. More than likely, you will be consolidating a debt that you will be unable to pay in a short period of time. If this is the case, your low interest introductory period may be over long before you are done paying off the debt. You also need to be cautious about fees when looking to consolidate debt with a balance transfer credit card. Many credit cards charge a fee for transferring balances from another card onto theirs. The best balance transfer credit cards will not charge an additional fee. In addition, some balance transfer credit cards require transferred balances to be requested at the time of application for the card in order to be eligible for the special introductory offer. While this may be fine for some people, you might want to have the flexibility to transfer balances. In this case, you will want to select a card that allows you to transfer balances any time throughout the introductory period. For the very best balance transfer credit cards, you will want to find one that maintains the low APR throughout the life of the balance you have transferred. In other words, a balance you transfer on a card may have a 0.00% APR for the first six months, but then rocket to 19.99% when the period is over. On the best balance transfer credit cards, however, the low introductory offer remains in place until you pay off the entire amount you have transferred. Self-Discipline Obviously, a balance transfer credit card cannot do all of the work for you. While you can consolidate all of your bills onto just one card, you will need to be disciplined enough to pay the balance off. If your introductory period expires after so many months, you should create a budgetary plan that will have the balance paid off by the time the period is over. You might need to cut out some of the extras, such as the cup of fancy coffee you grab every morning, to help create a little extra cash flow. It will be well worth it when you find yourself out of debt. In addition, the money you are saving in finance charges should be paid toward your credit card debt

Eliminate credit card debt 3 reasons to use a debt reduction company online

An online debt reduction company can offer you all the services of a traditional debt consolidation company from the convenience of your home. You can shop for the best fees and sort through the scams all without making a commitment. In the end, you get lower interest rates on your bills with an agency handling your accounts for a low fee. Easy Comparisons On Fees Debt consolidation companies will get you the same low interest rate from your creditors because lenders have already determined these rates. The difference between debt consolidation companies is in the fees they charge. You should be suspicious of large up front fees to be paid with a cashier’s check or wire transfer. These are often scams where people will take your money without paying your bills. Legitimate companies will charge a fee for each account they handle. This may be a small monthly charge or an upfront fee. When you compare fees, also request pay off dates for your accounts. If the agency is experienced, they will give you a different pay off date for each account. Sort Through Scams You can also sort through scams online. The most common fraudulent companies request account numbers, social security numbers, or personal information before giving you a quote. With this type of information, criminals can commit identity theft, leaving you with more financial problems. You also want to be leery of companies offering too good to be true claims, like super low monthly payments. This bait and switch tactic gets you to commit to a company, only to see your monthly payment dramatic rise within two months. If you have any questions with an online company, request to speak with a representative. Ask questions and listen to their responses. If they give you general, vague answers, then they probably aren’t experienced debt consolidation counselors. No Commitment An added bonus of using an online debt consolidation company is that there is no commitment for requesting quotes. You can look at several companies, only committing to the one that will provide you with the best service. Take your time to ask questions and receive information before making a decision.

Bad credit home financing is it possible to buy a home with bad credit

At one point in time, having bad credit made it extremely difficult to get a home loan. Fortunately, things have changed, and many people with less than perfect credit are obtaining home loans with decent rates. Getting a home loan with bad credit is doable. However, you must be willing to seek out lenders that offer bad credit loans. Reasons to Consider Purchasing a New Home Homeownership is beneficial for several reasons. Individuals who rent their homes or apartments are literally throwing away money. If your rent is $500 a month, in a year’s time you would have spent $6000. Instead of making your landlord rich, this money could go towards paying a mortgage and building equity Furthermore, if you own a home, you are eligible for certain tax deductions. Owning a home also makes it possible to get extra cash by tapping into your home’s equity. Home equity loans and lines of credit are perfect for home improvements, unexpected expenses, debt consolidation, etc. Choosing a Lender for a Bad Credit Mortgage Be aware that not all lenders will offer loans to people with bad credit. Although many mortgage companies have started offering sub prime mortgage loans, some lenders will not approve an application if your credit score falls short of their minimum requirements. Because credit blemishes are common, and the average household carries a large credit card balance, many lenders have begun offering loan programs for all credit types. These loans also benefit those unable to save for a down payment or closing fees. Tips for Getting Approved for a Bad Credit Mortgage If you are hoping to get approved for a home loan with bad credit, you may qualify for a better rate if you fix credit problems beforehand. Improving your score by as little as ten points may make you eligible for a slightly lower rate. Additionally, get multiple quotes by using a mortgage broker. Brokers can help you locate many sub prime lenders that offer bad credit mortgages. When completing a quote request, choose a broker that does not review credit. If your credit is evaluated by four different lenders, it may decrease your score. Instead, provide an accurate credit description. It may help to check your personal credit report before applying. Once you obtain at least four offers from different mortgage lenders, compare the quotes, and pick a lenderplete the loan process by submitting an official loan application. The chosen lender will check your credit before finalizing the loan.

What to do if you have credit problems

The current mess that the United States is in due to the sub-prime lending fiasco has many people scrambling for ways to repair their credit. There is no set answer as every person has to assess their own financial situation and come up with a solution. Solutions can vary from debt consolidation to adhering to a strict budget to filing for bankruptcy. There are many choices and each choice is up to the individual. If you are having trouble paying your bills, you should first attempt to work out a budget that details your income and expenses. After you have identified where your money is going, identify your spending priorities. Your public library has information on how to draw up a sound budget. Many local community organizations sponsor counseling programs as well. You should immediately contact creditors if you are having trouble making payments. Many creditors will try to work out a more suitable payment schedule if they believe you are acting in good faith. If you are still having serious problems after attempting these steps, another option is to contact a credit counseling services to create a debt repayment plan. In these plans, you work out a payment agreement with a counselor, and the service distributes your payments to the creditors. Other methods of dealing with debt include consolidating debt through loans and bankruptcy. These are steps with serious consequences, and should be taken only after consultation with an attorney. If you are unable to obtain credit on your own, you can try to obtain a credit card or consolidated loan with a low credit limit from a local bank. If you pay promptly and that creditor reports this to a credit reporting agency, this information could improve your credit record. Another option is to obtain a secured credit card. With this type of card, you place a certain amount of money in a bank to guarantee your credit, and the credit grantor gives you a small credit line. There is no quick solution to rebuilding or repairing your credit. You just have to work out a solution that fits your current situation. Regardless of the solution, it will take time to get back on your feet and establish good credit again. It can be done with perseverance and persistence. Hang in there, stick to a budget, and pay off those bills. Soon you will be back to normal and able to lead a life where creditors don’t hound you day and night.

Online credit card use on the up

Internet commerce and shopping online have become extremely popular in recent yearspanies such as Amazon have revolutionised the way we buy books and CD’s. Also, booking travel arrangements such as airplane tickets, car rentals, hotels and other accommodation is no increasingly carried out online, by customers themselves, who are thus avoiding the costs of going through a travel agent or other middle man, and keep the savings for themselves. This area has been augmented by the growth in low cost airlines and the increasing popularity of taking short trips abroad more frequently. As well as these purchases, more and more services are becoming available online, from online banking, financial services, applying for loans and mortgages, and a whole host of online business dealings, have made the internet probably far more important than the high street for many shopping needs. And this trend is only set to increase. Already stores like Tesco and Asda offer online shopping services, where you select the items you want to purchase, add them to your electronic shopping basket, pay for them online, and then have them delivered to your door. The growth of online retailing is seeping into every area of the market and you can now even rent videos online. And what, you may be asking yourself, is the most popular form of online payment? Well, despite the huge growth in popularity of debit cards, it is still credit cards that are the most important means of paying for things online. Debit cards will generally only be available from companies that operate in your own country, which means if you want to buy from a company that operates outside of the UK. Then you will not be able to use your debit card and will have to use a credit card. And since, taking advantage of suppliers from all over the world is what the internet is all about, you will not wish to be limiting yourself to UK sellers by relying on a debit card. Almost all internet website that are selling something will be accepting credit card payments. However, this is becoming more flexible and accessible through the use of such payment intermediaries as pay pal and egold. A new credit card is being brought out in the near future that you will be able to use over the internet using your unique personal identification number (PIN) the number is entered into a keypad supplied by the credit card company. The next step to make online shopping much easier and safer. A word of caution however, if you are shopping using your credit card online. Beware of identity theft, which is a growing problem. Only ever do business with a company that you have heard of before and know you can trust and never give out your credit card details unless it is on a secure website. Identity theft can easily be avoided. Always destroy unwanted credit card statements. Whenever you stop using a credit card you should cancel it in writing immediately. If you decide to just leave an old credit card stored in your home, you leave yourself open to credit card fraud. Be aware!

Obtaining a credit card with a less than perfect credit history

If you have had difficulty keeping up with your bills, you can rest assured you are not alone. Many people have run into trouble or a shortage of cash flow from time to time that has resulted in the inability to make all of their payments in full and on time. However, just because you don’t have a perfect credit history does not necessarily mean that you will be unable to obtain a credit card. It’s no surprise that a person with a low credit score will have more difficulty and less options when trying to get a credit card in their name, but it is not completely impossible because creditors do take more than just your credit score into consideration when deciding whether or not to give you a credit card. The important thing to remember is you do not want to apply for every credit card out there - every time you apply for a credit card, you are further hurting your credit rating. When you have a low credit score and a poor credit history, you need to do your research before you start applying, and only apply to the handful of credit cards that are designed for individuals with a less than perfect credit history to make sure you limit the number of credit inquiries that are placed on your credit report. When a credit card provider is deciding whether or not to extend credit to an individual, the lenders take several things into consideration. The credit score is always a factor, as is your overall credit history of how many times you’ve made late payments, and how much credit you currently have available to you, and how much debt you currently owe. In addition to these issues, a credit card company will also consider the length of time that the individual has been employed at their current job, and will look favorably on people who have held a steady job with a decent income for a long period of time. If your debt to income ratio is manageable, meaning you make enough money to comfortably pay for the amount of debt you currently owe, sometimes a lender can still extend you credit even though you have made late payments in the past. Chances are, if you’re working to improve your credit score for your future, you’re sending as much money as possible to each of your creditors each month as you are trying to pay down your overall debt. Because of this additional money being sent out, there will be less money available to you on a regular basis, and having a credit card can give you some security in the event of an emergency. What happens when your car breaks down, or a health issue comes up and you just don’t have the money to pay for it because you’ve been sending all your extra money to each of your creditors? Having a credit card can be the security you need for these emergency issues. Credit cards for individuals with poor credit histories will almost always carry a higher interest rate than a traditional credit card, but the benefits of having a credit card for emergencies, or to use as a second form of identification, or even for renting an apartment make having the credit card advantageous over not having the card at all. Some landlords may require a credit card be on file in the event you are late with your rent payment, so that they have the additional security of knowing they can get their money by billing your credit card. The most popular option for people with poor credit histories is to obtain a secured credit card. A secured credit card allows the cardholder to make a cash deposit on the card, and then whenever the card is used, it deducts the amount from the amount of the deposit you made. It’s much like a bank debit card, but a secured credit card deposit will earn interest, and help earn money when you aren’t spending with the card. In addition, as you continue to make deposits to the card to cover your purchases, you are helping to improve your overall credit score.