Students And Credit Cards
Students can have credit cards - as long as they are able to handle the responsibility that comes along with it well. How young is too young? There is this scene in "Desperate Housewives" with Bree's son Andrew spending her credit card on his expenses. Andrew's only in high school and he doesn't know the value of money yet, so he was just shopping away - for him and his friend.
Bad Credit Home Loan To Get You Out Of Debt
A "bad credit home loan" can help you climb your way out of debt and get you started back on the road to upstanding, good credit. There are many lenders who are willing to make bad credit home loans to you - a loan based on your equity in your home even if your credit has slipped or isn't as perfect as it could be. By taking out a bad credit home mortgage or home equity loan, you can consolidate a... Read article
Balance Transfer Credit Cards
There's been a lot of press lately about the demise of balance transfer credit cards. The reports of their death, to use an old quote, have been greatly exaggerated. Balance transfer credit cards have changed considerably, but they're far from gone and not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. If you've been considering cutting your interest payments by transferring the balances on your high interest credit cards to one with a special balance transfer deal, here's what's going on in the world of balance transfer credit cards.
For years, credit card companies were able to build their business by enticing new customers from the ranks of those who'd never held plastic before. But with the numbers of credit cards in circulation rising and the average Brit carrying four different cards in his or her wallet, they've had to get competitive with each other. Thus was born the marketing tactic of offering 0% interest for any balance transferred from a competitor's credit card to a new card.
Those 0% balance transfer deals were greeted enthusiastically by the public - a bit more enthusiastically than the issuers of those cards expected. They missed a vital point in their calculations - customers who switch cards for a better rate of interest have already given up brand loyalty in the interest of getting the best deal. When the 0% interest ran out, they simply moved their remaining balances to another card. To counter that, the big credit card companies started modifying their offers with restrictions designed to keep people from jumping from card to card following the best rate.
Some of those restrictions are openly stated and easy to see - reductions in time on the introductory rate, for example. Others are hidden in the conditions and terms of your credit card agreement. Those ''traps' make it all the more important to carefully compare balance transfer credit cards before you move your carried balance from one card to another. It's still worth your while to check on the newest balance transfer offers a couple of times a year, say the money experts, but be sure to compare the offers before you jump from one card to the next.
Moneyeverything.com makes it easy to find all the newest and best balance transfer credit cards and compare them with each other. When you check into the offers you'll find on moneyeverything.com, read the terms and conditions of each balance transfer credit card for the following things:
- What is the APR on your transferred balance and how long does it last?
There are very few 0% balance transfer card deals left, but there are a few. The 0% APR on transferred balances may last for three months, six months, nine months, or in some cases for the life of the balance transfer amount. More often, the APR on your transferred balance will be a low 1-2% for the life of the balance, as long as you conform to certain restrictions.
- What is the APR on new purchases?
Many of the new balance transfer offers require that you use your credit card to make a certain number of purchases per month. This is because the lowest interest rate only applies to your transferred balance. Any new purchases will be subject to a higher interest rate more in line with typical APRs on other credit cards. In addition, any payments that you make will be applied to your transferred balance until it's paid off. That means that your new purchases will sit on your card accruing interest at a higher rate until your entire transferred balance is paid down.
- What are the requirements to keep your low balance transfer APR?
Most cards no require you to make at least some purchases each month to keep the APR on your transferred balance. In some cases, the card agreement will specify a number of purchases without specifying an amount. In others, it will specify an amount that must be charged against your card, and in some cases, it will be both a number and an amount. Remember that those amounts will accrue interest until the balance transfer amount is paid off and choose a card that requires the least amount of new purchase debt.
- What's the balance transfer fee?
Another big change is in the structure of the balance transfer fee. Until recently, most balance transfer credit cards had a cap on the balance transfer fee - a percentage of the transferred balance up to £50, say. Now many have dropped the cap in favor a straight percentage. Before you choose a balance transfer credit card, be certain that the transfer fee doesn't cost you more than the interest that you'd pay on your current card.
Balance transfer credit cards still exist, and will for years to come - but the terms are changing, and will continue to change as the credit card companies plug holes that allow consumers to use them in ways they didn't anticipate. Keep your eyes open for new balance transfer opportunities, but be sure to check them carefully for conditions and traps.
Did you know that a credit card with a low APR isn't always the best credit card to use for your purchases? If you shop around carefully, you can find credit cards that will help you save money, earn gifts and get discounts on the things you want and need to buy? Cashback credit cards are designed to offer you rewards for your loyalty in using a credit card issued by a particular company. Here's how to get the most out of using cashback credit cards.
- Pick the best credit card right from the start.
Before you even apply for a cashback credit card, do a little digging to find the best cashback credit card for you. It's not always the one that offers the highest cashback amount, or the one with the lowest APR - it depends a great deal on how you use your credit card.
- Choose a cashback credit card that gives you cash back on the purchases you're likely to make.
The latest trend with credit card companies is to encourage what they call micropurchases - purchases of less than £5. That means that they're offering cash back on your purchases at corner stores, petrol stations and supermarkets to get you to use their credit cards to pay for your purchases there. When you're shopping for a cashback credit card, check which purchases will pay you cash back. If they'll pay you to buy on plastic at the stores you already shop, it's a card you want in your wallet.
- The very best credit card will have both a low APR and a high cash back scheme.
Those are rare, though. Most of the time, you'll have to choose between the two. If you have to choose between the two, pick a card with a good cash back scheme, and be certain to pay off the balance every month.
- Don't mix and match your purchases.
Keep your long term and your immediate purchases on separate credit cards. The only way that a cashback credit card makes sense is if you're not paying interest on a carried balance, because the interest that you pay will always be more than the cash back that you get. You don't want to be paying interest for months on last week's groceries or cup of coffee. If you mix and match your purchases on one card, you'll end up paying interest that builds your balance instead of paying it off.
- Decide how you'd rather get your cash back.
The different credit card companies offer different payment schemes for your cash back. The options keep changing, but the most common are:
a) a lump sum payment once a year mailed to you as a cheque or a gift card
b) a lump sum payment once a year credited to your account
c) running discounts credited to your account immediately
Realistically, getting one or two pence credited to your balance every time you make a purchase is the option that makes the most financial sense. You get the use of that money immediately because it reduces your credit card balance. If you end up carrying a balance, it's a few pence less that you're paying interest on. Practically, though, lump sum payments are more likely to be useful to you. Choose the one that works best for you.
- Check moneyeverything.com frequently for the best cashback deals.
Credit card companies are constantly updating and changing the deals that they offer. The best cashback credit card today may not be the best one tomorrow. Keep you eye out for good deals to come along.
- Pay off your full balance each month.
We said it before, but it bears repeating. Don't carry a balance on your cashback credit card. There's no sense building up interest charges that cost you more than you'll save by using it.
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Balance Transfer Credit Cards
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