Archive for the ‘ Credit Cards ’ Category

 
Saturday, February 14th, 2009

Get Credit Card Online: Choose The Best

By deSita Anwarhee

Get Credit Card

Get Credit Card

Get Credit Card. The traditional way to get credit card won’t allow you to compare what other providers have to offer. If you prefer to get credit card online, you will have the option of looking at several different providers and know without a doubt that you got the best deal for your money.  There are literally hundreds of credit cards online, you will need to prioritize what features are the highest priority to you.

The first decision you have to make is to select what brand of credit card you want: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. MasterCard and Visa credit cards are the most widely accepted and the most common online.  If you are applying for your first credit card, you’ll likely want to choose a Visa or MasterCard refer to their high acceptance rate at nearly any merchant you do business with.

Discover credit cards are a smaller portion of the credit industry, but can offer significant benefits to members that pay their bill on-time each month. American Express credit cards are a great selection for those with good credit scores because of their special rewards and perks for those that pay off their bill in full.

The next decision that you should made is what kind of features you want to have on your credit card.   Credit card rewards programs are setup to provide a variety of perks, including discounted shopping at your favorite retailers, free air travel, discounts on restaurants, cash-back on your regular gas expenses, and concierge services, and much more.

Or simply if you don’t need those kinds of perks, you can get a slightly better rate on a credit card that does not provide a rewards program, so it can be worthwhile to evaluate your credit card usage that you expect to have and then compare offers accordingly.

Another decision you need to make is the variety of fees that you may be subject to over the course of a fiscal year. For those with good credit scores, you can likely receive an unsecured credit card with no annual fees. For those with less-than-perfect credit, to apply for cards with small annual fees can be an acceptable way to gain access to credit that you didn’t know was available to you.

Getting approved online for your credit card is easier than ever, as all you need to do is apply and wait for a response. Many online companies are looking to get more business, so they’ll let the line slide quite a bit, and approve almost anyone now days. Once your application is approved, all you do is sit back and wait for your credit card to arrive, it’s as easy as that.

Chek out our other credit card guide on Bad Credit Credit Card.

 
 
Saturday, February 14th, 2009

Credit Card APR: What You Should Know

By deSita Anwarhee

Credit Card 0% APR

Credit Card 0% APR

Credit Card APR. Governments and the Financial Regulators recognize that for most people to understand and compare between different financial products such as credit cards are very complicated. Therefore they put in some precautions to protect consumers and to make certain they have some standard information to compare different credit card interest rates and other associated charges.

The Credit Card APR that stands for Annual Percentage Rate is the interest amount a customer will pay annually. It attempts to make a single figure of interest and finance charges so the consumer can make a comparison like with like. APR differs from credit card to credit card, sometimes it’s fixed, and sometimes it changes from month to month. But if you pay the bill in full every month then there will not be an APR fee applied.

People with good credit are typically offered credit cards with low APR. People with poor credit will have much higher APRs. Rates will vary from 3 percent for good credit customers and up to 21 percent for people with poor credit.

However, most credit card companies compound interest rates. This means that your credit card fees will be higher than just this straight interest charge, particularly if you carry a balance on your cards. If you have a balance you will also be charged interest on any interest charges that are not paid from the preceding month.

Some companies might change your credit card APR if you fail to make payments, or they may decide the APR based on your current credit history. Some credit card companies have an introductory rate for their APR, and after so many months this rate may go up dramatically.

It is significant to read fine print for each card because terms and APR is different for each card. If a credit card company charges a fixed rate that means that your credit card APR may change, but the company is required to give you notification of a specific number of days.

If a credit card company offers a variable interest rate, this means that your interest rates will change according to interest rates generally. They may change from time to time. It is most likely attached to another interest rate, such as the prime rate. If the prime rate changes your credit card rate may change also.

Always check what the APR is of any credit card you are considering. The credit card APR directly impacts on how expensive it will be to carry a balance on a credit card. You’ll be able to save money in the long-term by recognizing exactly what you’re receiving from the credit card provider.

Chek out our other credit card guide on Bad Credit Credit Cards.

 
 
Saturday, February 14th, 2009

Understanding Your Credit Card Interest

By deSita Anwarhee

Low Interest Credit Card

Low Interest Credit Card

Credit Card Interest. Credit card suppliers now use many different methods of charging interest. If you pay your bill fully, this usually won’t affect you. But if you withdraw some cash with your credit card, or pay anything less than the full amount on your statement, you’ll normally be charged interest.

To calculate your credit card interest each month, the lender multiplies the credit card interest rate (the APR) times your credit card balance. This will give the interest for the full year. The lender will divide this interest calculated by the number of months in the year. The sticky part is calculating the credit card balance.

If you had two cards with the same interest rate and used them in exactly the same way, one could end up costing over twice as much as the other just because it calculated your interest differently. The reason for this is that card suppliers start and stop charging interest on transactions at different times.

If you do have a balance on your card, there are three methods of calculating it:

Average Daily Balance: the issuer calculates the balance by taking the amount of debt you had in your account daily during the period covered by the billing statement and averaging it.

Previous Balance: The issuer uses the balance outstanding at the end of the previous period that is, the period prior to the one covered by the current billing statement.

Adjusted Balance: the balance is calculated by subtracting the payments you’ve made from the previous balance.

Different transactions attract different credit card interest rates. Common rate that you will find on your credit card interest:

  • purchase rate: Unless you pay off the balance fully each  month, you’re charged credit card interest on the value of purchases made with the card
  • cash withdrawal rate: When you get cash advance, normally a higher rate of interest is charged, and  you’ll normally be charged from the day you make the withdrawal, even if you pay off the balance in  full.
  • transfer rate: Most cards offer a reduced introductory rate for a debt transferred to the card  from elsewhere.

Holding a credit card balance actually negates any investment gains and can be very costly. The best way is just to pay off your balance entirely.  Paying the interest rates that credit card companies charge simply does not make sense if you have savings elsewhere. If you can’t completely pay off your balance, increasing your monthly payment will be very helpful in the long-term.

Chek out our other credit card guide on Bad Credit Credit Cards.