May 05

Do you remember the time when you mother received a pen and a ‘thank you’ note from a credit card issuer, for being a loyal customer? Gone are the days of simply and straightforward credit cards. Plain vanilla cards are a thing of the ancient past. The latest buzz word on the credit card scene is a ‘rewards credit card’. Of course, having the Internet as a resource means you can find what suits you best very quickly.  So if you know how to apply for a such a card online you will certainly get rewarded, and rewarded in style.

When you apply for a rewards credit card online, don’t be surprised by promises of cash back, gift certificates from your favorite store, discounted air travel, holidays and so on. Today, such cards are very popular and issuers are ready to promise the earth to ensure loyalty. If you do a little bit of research before you apply for such a card, you may even receive hard cash as a reward. Certainly, look for gifts and discounts from the card providers themselves, as well as third party incentives.

There are so many different types of credit card around  today. The competition is bound to get more fierce and edgy. Issuers believe that rewards guarantee loyalty, and the winner in this situation is always the consumer. If you apply for a rewards credit card online you can see exactly what they can offer you.

Make make sure you get your card from a site which also offers a free reminder service which means that you get 0 APR credit card balance transfers for years and continuous interest free credit cards.

Before you apply for a rewards credit card, you should explore the options available to you. With the sheer number of cards on the market, there is bound to be some confusion. Sort through all the direct mailers and solicitations and make an informed decision. Broadly there are three types of rewards programs. These are the point based program, the cash-back program and the frequent flier program.

The point based program allows you to accumulate points on certain purchases you make. You can then flip through a catalogue created by the issuer, and choose your own rewards. If you are interested in choice, then apply for a rewards credit card online from a company like the American Express which offers this type of rewards program. The disadvantage of this program is that the items listed in the catalogue may be a bit overpriced.

Cash back programs work best for people who are not big spenders. You get a certain percentage of cash back on items that you buy with your credit card. Sometimes, there may be a limit on the total amount you can receive as cash back. Also, with certain cards, you may have to charge a certain amount of money to your card before you get the rebate.

Finally, the frequent flier programs offer you free tickets with airlines that are tied up with issuers. You have to spend a certain amount of money and charge it to your card before you qualify for the free ticket. You may apply for several frequent flier programs only if you plan on undertaking several international flights. How to apply for a rewards credit card online is easy: you just look at what is on offer and use the simple application form.

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

May 03

To get most out of balance transfer credit card strategies here is something you may want to put into practice today.

When credit card companies issue 0 APR cards and you transfer the balance, that balance (which was previously costing you money in interest charges) is now interest free (for a while). However, all the repayments you are making to your new card only serve to pay off the 0 APR portion of the debt. If you actually use the new card for purchases or to get cash that will attract interest, and that portion is not paid off by your monthly installments. This is a sneaky way for the banks to make more money by only letting you reduce the 0 interest debt, not the 15% interest debt or whatever it is – you’ll find this in the small print.

There are two ways to avoid this issue. The first is not to make any goods purchases or draw cash at all with the card after you’ve made the balance transfer. You must treat this card solely as a card for handling your transferred balance – you should literally not use it for anything else. This may be difficult though, because it means you can’t actually use the card when you want to and as you have been used to!

An alternative approach would be to use two cards. One would be the card with the 0 APR transfer rate and the other would be another card with a 0 APR or low APR, or even a rewards program. It would work like this:

1. First choose your zero-percent card and make sure that there are no hidden charges or annual fees on your interest free credit cards.

2. Transfer your old balance to this new card and try to pay as much of this balance off per month as you can. Remember this balance now attracts no interest for the number of months stated by the issuer of this particular card – but it still has to be paid off! If you can’t pay off the entire balance, you can always transfer the balance again to another card when the time comes (at the end of the 0 APR period), so remember to transfer your balance as that time approaches.

3. Find a second credit card that you can use in the normal way for purchases, etc. You might even want a card with a cashback rewards system of some sort. You certainly want a card with a low APR rate or even a 0 APR rate on purchases as well as cash.

By doing this you’ve established a good debt management program for yourself. You’ve taken a big sum of money, moved it to a 0 APR card, and set up a repayment plan. You also have a second card which means you’ll be able to carry on as normal. Do bear in mind, though, that you do need to stick to the repayment plan you’ve decided is best for you.

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

Apr 30

This article aims to tell you the awful truth about how credit card suppliers designate the month’s repayment in their own favor by creating various levels of “cash importance” predicated on the various interest rates that the banks charge, so that users of 0% APR   credit cards will inevitably be punished for borrowing, no matter what they do. This article shows the reason it is crucial to replace your credit card as soon as the opening 0 interest rate credit card term comes to an end.

A major card provider recently mounted a television advertising campaign that zooms in on the awful truth that most suppliers designate peoples’ usage of their cards into particular categories then associated a particular interest rate to each one. These different levels were calculated upon the spending of typical credit card users. These include users of 0 interest rate credit cards.

According to the advert, most credit card companies expect that the card holder will start use of the new credit card by transferring a balance for an average period of nine months (though of course this will vary). The deal will be at 0 per cent interest for that introductory period. The credit card holder will often make a new purchase using his or her credit card that will typically attract a rate of approximately 15 per cent.

The card user may typically then use their 0 interest rate credit card for getting out some cash. your interest rate for cash is higher than the rate charged purchases, and this is typically between 15 and 19 per cent but may be as much as 23 per cent.

Now here is where the sleight of hand comes into play. As the monthly payment comes around, the 0 interest rate credit card supplier will ensure the less costly purchase items are at the head of the list when the time comes to pay the minimum, or whichever proportion of repayment has been decided by the card user.

Thus the costlier parts of your credit card account – normally the cash borrowing – is put right at the back where it will rack up compounding more interest charges, and where that interest is compounded and carried forward when interest is charged to existing interest (we all know how it works, don’t we?)

your 0 interest rate credit card user may think that they are paying off everything in a uniform manner, because everything will balance out in the end. But of course that is not what is happening. Because the credit card company will tend to put the least costly portion to be paid off first, while the costlier items just sit there burning a hole in your pocket.

The more expensive components will always be the last to be paid. In an average situation, for the nine month usage of this 0 interest rate credit card all the monthly payments will be used to pay the interest-free segment while the more expensive purchase (or cash) borrowing clocks up the interest.

Crucially, the interest-attracting component is treated by how much interest it attracts, and the more expensive parts will always be at the back, paid off last, if at all. Last to go will be the cash borrowing component, with its own huge rate of interest. It is ironic to think that the longer the 0 interest period, the longer the interest will clock up! Then when you add on the charge that most 0 interest rate credit cards charge nowadays for making that balance transfer, you begin to see why the credit card companies are making so much money.

The only answer to this is to get rid of the 0 interest rate credit card when the time comes and transfer the entire balance to a new card. The entire balance. Based on what we know the banks will do, that is the only way out. No exceptions.

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