Dec 09

It has to be said that most of us would be a little dubious about taking on any form of interest free credit. No finance company is going to willingly lend you money with no interest charges at all, are they? Having a cautious nature is generally a good thing, but it shouldn’t stop you taking up a very good offer that could benefit your situation if you know how to handle it properly.

The interest free credit card is often a way to attract new business. Card issuers know that people are attracted to these terms, despite their scepticism, and once the card is issued they are likely to keep a balance outstanding on it for a long time. The interest free period is more than compensated for by the average term that a new customer will hold an active account. This type of offer depends upon it.

Finding out the terms of the offer is important. What is the length of time you are given at zero interest, plus whether it applies to the purchases you will make, balances transferred from existing cards or to both of these. Cash withdrawals are not usually included and attract interest from day 1 at a high rate. A longer term of interest free credit will mean you are more likely to have a higher rate to pay at the end .

Used in the right way it could be very beneficial to apply for one of these interest free credit cards. For a purchase of some home furniture, flat screen TVs or other such items, this could work well you have 6, 9 or 12 months to repay the loan for your new acquisition. Go out in the sales and buy a bargain and get it interest free. The key here is a disciplined repayment schedule. Get any items you need and can afford in one lot and then cut the card up! Repay them at a set amount each month.

For those wanting a cheaper alternative to their current card, you have to think about two things. You will be charged a balance transfer charge of two to four percent and then after the interest free period you will go on to a new rate, which should ideally be lower than your current card rate. Take the cost of these two elements together to decide whether it is worth the effort. The longer the interest free credit period the better, obviously! Be aware that the amount you can transfer could have a cap set at 70-95% of your new card credit limit. This period will enable you to repay the same amount each month that you currently are paying and actually reduce your debt rather than just paying interest alone.

This type of card can be a lifesaver for those in a difficult financial period . You could use it as an emergency measure for food and bills until you can sort your finances out.

It is therefore possible to get a good deal from an interest free promotion providing you use them wisely. You can set your own rules when using interest free credit cards to ensure that the card and the finance company do not control you.

written by Credit Repair Guru \\ tags: , , ,

Dec 01

The title feels very alluring as it would be great to enjoy credit cards without bothering about the interest overload.Honestly speaking, such cards are now a reality in the rapidly changing financial world.However, it is essential to understand the benefits and disadvantages linked with interest free credit cards,  and also their complete functioning.

The question that naturally arises is that why would a bank issue a credit card on which it doesn’t aim to earn any interest.The key factor here is publicity. Banks continuously want to increase their customer base, and what better attraction then a card which you can use to shop as well as pay money later without any overhead.A happy customer would be prompted to invest in other schemes also where the bank can make profit.

It is however important to know that no card will remain interest free forever. The interest would gradually creep in, after a year, 18 months, or after two years depending upon the scheme offered and the credit limit of the customer.This is very beneficial during times of slight cash crunch, when immediate monthly repayment is not possible.In such scenarios, the bank repayment can be put on hold for a specified period that generally ranges from 3 months to a year without worrying about interest overload.

Several factors need to be considered before applying for an attractive interest free credit card.Firstly, be sure that the card is free from hidden or overhead annual charges.Study all the terms warily before taking any decision to ensure that you don’t have to pay extra yearly processing charges.

It becomes inevitable to verify the penalty clauses.Make sure that you don’t end up paying expensive interests once the interest free period expires.Also a noteworthy aspect is that certain transfer fees are associated if your interest free credit card is used to transfer balance to debt-ridden accounts.

Today, most banks have partnered with mass vendors like MasterCard and Visa. Several interest free credit cards are available under various schemes from international banks like HDFC, ICICI, Bank of America, etc.If you verify your credit limit regularly within the specified interest free period, you can enjoy the uninterrupted benefits of interest free credit cards for a long time.

 

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Nov 14

All people the world over were affected when the mortgage loan crisis hit. Credit cards seem to be getting much harder to get, in spite of the fact that many people are relying on credit just to get through the current economic storm.

Most creditors have to be more strict in their present day lending practices and they can not afford to take any risks, so the people who do not have great credit will have a difficult time getting good card offers.

Not knowing the status of your credit card application can be a very nerve wracking experience. If you have ever applied for a credit card and were forced to wait for a long time before any news of what happened to your card came, you know exactly what this feels like.

For people who need the transactional flexibility that a credit card brings, this is an impossible situation. The reason for the slow credit card approval is that so many factors are making it more difficult for people’s card applications to be accepted.

The new credit card laws that have just been passed are all contributing to the squeeze on the already squeezed industry. The bad debt that has been building in credit cards is also starting to worry economists; this debt now totals around one trillion dollars.

The huge credit debt is just more stressful news for people who really need their credit cards to handle their heavy burden of financing for future purchases, when they don’t have the necessary cash.

While waiting for the results of a credit card application, one might even be tempted to apply for another credit card or look for other means to get an advance on your money.

Giving in to this temptation can be a big mistake and you can lose even more money this way. This would be an especially big mistake, if the card you were waiting for is approved, because having two cards or two debts when only one is needed is not a good idea.

It is possible that those who do not really need a new credit card that badly, will forget to check on their credit card application status.

Depending on which credit card you want to be issued to you, it is usually easy to check on your application status.

A credit card application status check is allowed by most card companies through the Internet, but if you do not chose to do this you can also get the information with a phone call.

To check the application status on a Wal-Mart card for example just call their number, however, they will ask you for your social security number.

In conclusion, checking your credit card application status is something that is in your own hands. If you ask the proper people for the web address and phone number where you can check your credit application status, you can check on it any time you need to.

For more info on credit cards visit CreditCardsWeb.co.uk for great articles and links to credit cards that offer 0% balance transfers and also interest free credit cards

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May 16

Interest free credit cards offer an attractive inducement for people to transfer current credit card balances to a new card and of course to a new financial institution. Because this is a highly effective marketing strategy for financial institutions, there is a lot of choice.

However, the sheer availability of interest free credit cards can present its own problems. How can you wade through so many possibilities to find the best real options for your particular needs? While an internet search will throw up hundreds of choices, without professional product knowledge it can be difficult to make a well considered decision.

A professional service that sorts through the various interest free credit cards on offer and presents a smaller but worthwhile selection can save you a lot of time. It can also protect you from making an expensive mistake. It would be especially beneficial if a reminder service was also offered to let you know when your introductory low rate period is coming to an end. This way you can transfer your balance to another low APR credit card to have to pay the normal interest rate.

Most of us wouldn’t even think about credit card hopping to avoid high interest charges, so this very service can get us thinking in a more financially beneficial direction. Even if we have seriously thought about it, time can easily get away from us and we can find ourselves out of the introductory period before we know it.

When considering interest free credit cards, look for those with the longest introductory periods, the lowest introductory interest rates (zero is best) and the lowest balance transfer costs. Once you have decided which one to apply for you can often apply online on a website offering these comprehensive services. Once approved, you can sign up for an alert to remind you to transfer the balance from your new card to another credit card offering an introductory low rate. This way you will hopefully never have to pay interest on your credit cards again.

By taking this simple step, you will be streets ahead financially and will be in a position to become debt free much sooner if you use your interest savings to pay off your credit card balance. Look for a good comprehensive all-in-one online service that will help you do this, and the process will be far easier than you can possibly imagine.

Interest free credit cards are a great way of keeping control of our finances. Remember that the banks are there to make money out of us, so we should at least attempt to save as much as we can while not spending too much time keeping tabs on what is happening behind the scenes. As always, careful financial planning is important in our daily finances, and there is no reason why we should not look after our bank balance in the same way as we look after our skin or our diets. It’s all part of living healthily.

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