| |
| |
|
Credit Information |
|
|
|
Credit Card Balance Transfers Explained
What is a balance transfer ? Should I apply for a balance transfer ? It is important to remember that a balance transfer does not mean that the debt has gone away. It just means you are not paying interest on it. You will still have to maintain payments. This may seem obvious but many people do not get this straight in their mind. The basic criteria for getting a balance transfer is when you regularly have an outstanding balance after making your monthly payments. This is the amount you should look to transfer to another card. This will mean that for the period of the offer you will pay no interest on the balance (provided you make the minimum payments). You should be very wary of taking up a balance transfer, if your overall debt is increasing. A balance transfer is not a green light to spend more money. The money you save should be used to decrease your debt. What should I look for in a balance transfer ? You need to be aware of the following when looking for a balance transfer card Good things
There is usually a cut off point from the account opening when the offer is no longer valid. Be very aware of this otherwise you could end up transferring a balance to a higher rate !! What about new purchases ? Unless there is also a 0% interest rate on new purchases then you should avoid making new purchases on a balance transfer card. This is because the banks will look to reduce the balance transfer debt quicker than the new debt. Provided your credit history is reasonable, there is nothing stopping you having several cards for different purposes. A good way is to have a card, which specialises in 0% on new purchases and another card for balance transfers. What happens when the balance transfer period finishes ? When the balance transfer offer period finishes the debt will revert to the typical variable APR. The lenders hope at this point that the cardholder will retain the card and some of the debt, so they can then start charging interest and making some money! So take into consideration the low interest rate credit cards. However, there is nothing stopping the disciplined credit card holder from switching to another balance transfer deal and closing the account. The cycle then starts again. Always allow 6 weeks to 8 weeks before the end of the offer period to apply for a new card. This means you can get the balance transferred to the new card before the lender can start charging the higher rate. You have to be organised to do this, but if you are it does work. People who regularly switch balances are know as card tarts. The Golden Rules There are three things to look out for with a balance transfer card
Neil Brown is a freelance writer and regular contributor to the credit card sites Choose A Credit Card and Search4 Credit Cards.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Myths and Truth about Credit Scoring Credit score is the key factor determining approval of almost any type of credit. It is based on the information contained in your credit report files. SuperCharged Secret 3, Credit Card Utopia TURBO-CHARGED KILLER RATE SAVING INFORMATION!Let's just take a brief moment to recap:If you've been following along on this journey with me, learning the 5 Super-Charged secrets to Credit Card Utopia, then you now know 2 very important things:You now know how to take advantage of zero to low interest credit card offers.You now know that there is safety in numbers, and you know the magic "Who's Who" of the major credit card companies. Learning the Disturbing Facts about Credit Card Debt When I received my first credit card in the mail at age 18 I was ecstatic, I said to myself, wow now I'm getting somewhere in life. This credit card company thinks I'm worthy of 500 dollars in credit. How to Save Money on Your Credit Cards Credit card companies make their money on the 85% of us who fail to pay the outstanding balance each month. Even if you are not in a position to pay the balance each month you can still save some money if use your card wisely. 10 Ways To Protect Your Financial Identity Being Used For Someone Else's Shopping Spree Someone impersonating you could be spending your hard-earned money.Impossible! Not really, check, loan, and identity fraud are a real problem. SuperCharged Secret 2, Credit Card Utopia INTEREST BEWARE, THERE'S SAFETY IN NUMBERS!Note: The following is part 2 of a 5 part series, Over the course of these 5 articles, I am going to introduce you to several methods for maximizing the use and benefits of the best Credit Cards and offers on the market today. This information, when used in conjunction with one another, is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Building Your Credit History Today, credit is an indispensable part of our lives. In order to get the things you need, such as a home or a car, you have to apply for a credit. Credit Cards, Merchant Accounts, and Your Bottomline Q: I'm opening a gift shop and want to be able to accept credit cards. I talked to the branch manager at my bank, but he didn't seem to know much about how it all worked. Stop Struggling Because Of Poor Credit And Improve Credit Rating Now Did you apply for a personal loan only to be turned down by a bank or lending institution? Like most people there is always a need to borrow money to buy a car or to renovate a home or even to get a student loan. There are many reasons why people need a loan and lenders turn people down from a loan application based on ones credit rating and credit score. Errors on Your Credit Report: What You Should Do There are times when you may be turned down for credit and you do not understand why. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you have been denied credit because of negative items on your credit report within 60 days of the request for credit, if you are unemployed but looking for work, are on welfare, or believe that your credit report is incorrect because of fraud. Finding Reputable Credit Card Companies You're interested in getting the best credit cards for your family's needs, but you don't want to be cheated. Or you're interested in small business credit cards, but you've heard that some of them aren't terribly secure. Figuring Out the Ever Nebulous Numbers Called Credit Scores Credit Score FactorsThe information contained on our credit reports affect every aspect of our lives; including employment, insurance, and even interest rates (mortgage, credit cards, automobiles, etc.). Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Credit Report Your credit report is a very powerful report that essential controls what you can and cannot do in your life. Unfortunately many people aren't aware of what a credit report actually is and what information is contained on the report. Rebuild Your Credit the Right Way the First Time If you are one of the millions of people out there with bad credit you need to step up and start doing something to get yourself back into credits good graces. Having good credit is the only way to assure that you will get the best interest rates on any loans and credit cards that you apply for. Beware the Shopping Mall Monster Like me, you've probably been offered a fair old number of these by now.. Five Credit Card Billing Problems and How to Fix Them It goes without saying that your first and best defense against paying fraudulent or unfair charges on your credit card is knowing what your bill says! When you receive your credit card statement each month, sit down with it and check each item to make sure that you actually DID purchase it. If you do run into inaccuracies or problems, there are procedures to follow to report and deal with the charges. What Are The Most Common Credit Card Mistakes? Now in a world with so many easy to get credit cards it can be easy for someone who is a first time credit card holder, or even someone who has several credit cards in the past to make mistakes when using the card.One of the most common mistakes when using credit cards is to use the credit card to make purchases of things you are not really able to afford. Finance - Money, Money Finance is a big word for some of us. It's a little scary. I've Heard About FACTA; What Does It mean? What FACTA means is that if you, as an individual, lose the information on anyone you have ever hired; or, for any business in the United States of America that collects any personal information on people, if the information should be lost due to not destroying the information properly, then two things can happen. First, there are federal fines of up to $2,500. Good Credit -- Essential for the Prospective Home Buyer Credit is a funny thing. It can be a useful tool in the hands of an informed individual, or a weight of burden to the unsuspecting.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
