If you are a 1st time card user or had credit cards for years , it's really important to understand about possible scams you can be exposed to. Although many Mastercard companies are perfectly honest, there also are many dishonest ones who need to rip you off. If you are ignorant of the ways in which you may be scammed or misled then you could end up losing a large amount of cash. Here are some of the worst credit card scams around and the way to avoid them:
Debt suspension
Debt suspension offers are often offered by banks as a way to ‘help ‘ you stay on course with payments. The way debt suspension works is that you pay a specific quantity each month so that if you cannot pay your bills then no interest will accumulate during this time. Although this might seem like a brilliant idea at first, the benefits are really quite nominal. You cannot use your card whilst you are out of work, and although no interest is being added, your payments have not been paid so once you can work again you continue to have the balance to pay. Essentially you are paying cash for something that will not truly help you. If you are getting a credit card then make sure that this type of debt suspension offer is not included at a price to you within your payments. If it is then get it removed and find an independent insurance policy that will help with your payments if you are underemployed.
Advance charges
One of the worst tricks around is the advanced costs scam, which targets people are frantic to get a hold of a card with good rates. The ‘lender ‘ will be offering you a card at a great rate, but the catch is you have to pay them an administration or approval charge up front so that your request is processed. Once you've paid this fee then you probably will never hear from the company again. If you are ever offered a card but are asked to pay a fee upfront, just refuse. Even though you have poor credit you shouldn't need to pay costs up front for cards. A lender should either accept or reject your request, and costs aren't required.
Credit protection
One of the commonest swindles around is to add expensive credit protection to your card in case it is lost or stolen. The additional money you pay for this protection is usually very high, and frequently covers you for very little. If you report your card thieved right away then it is unlikely that you will lose much, and other insurance programs or consumer laws regularly cover you already. If you truly want protection then get another policy from an independent company that may work out a lot less expensive and will enable you to guard all your cards at once.
If you are getting a Visa card, then remember to check and double-check all clauses in the agreement you are signing. If anything appears suspicious at all, then don't sign and find a different company. As long as you are aware about the dangers you'll find a fair and fair Visa card company who can offer you great rates.
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