Saturday, July 28, 2012

Keep Credit Cards From Ruining Your Financial Life

These days, people need as much help as possible when it comes to finance management. Credit cards can be of great service to people, but they can also put you in really hot water in terms of debt! This article will demonstrate how to use credit to your advantage and not let it get you into financial trouble.

Avoid bank fees by using credit cards. Debit cards are known to have many hidden fees, while credit cards are more straightforward and can possibly be completely free of fees when paid in full. Many people use prepaid credit cards for their direct deposits to save on bank fees.

Watch your own credit score. A good credit score is considered by credit card companies to be over 700. Proper use of credit cards can be one way to improve or maintain a good credit score level. With a credit score of at least 700, you will receive the lowest interest rates and best credit offers.

Monitor your credit card spending closely to avoid overspending. It can be easy to run up a huge debt without realizing it, unless you keep tabs on how much you?re spending.

Don?t give into someone else wanting to borrow your credit cards. It may be a friend that needs it for something, but it is never a good idea to give your credit card to anyone. You could be struck with expensive over-limit charges by your credit card provider if your friend accidentally overspends.

Consider getting a co-signer if you wish to open a credit card without established credit. Anyone who has good credit can be your co-signer. They need to be willing to pay for your balance if you cannot pay for it. This works great for getting a first credit card that you can use for building credit.

Always pay credit card bills in full when due. Doing this will help your credit score and open up more doors for you. You do not need to fully pay it off, but doing so would ensure that you do not have to pay interest.

Set yourself a budget you can stick with. Simply because a card issuer has given you a spending limit, you should not feel obligated to use the entire amount of credit available. Be aware of how much you can pay monthly so that you can do that consistently and avoid those interest charges.

Make the payment on your credit cards in a timely manner every month. Missing only one payment can cause your interest rate to increase. Not only that, the late or missed payment will lower your credit score overall and show up in your credit report. Sign up for automatic payments so that you will not have to worry about late fees.

Never leave a space blank on your credit card receipt when you make a purchase. Having a blank space on your receipt is literally leaving space for someone to add an amount where you don?t want it. Be sure to mark through the space with a straight line. Make sure your statement matches the purchases you have made.

Always open and examine your monthly statements. Be sure that all of your charges have been correctly noted and if they have done everything right. Also be aware of charges you didn?t make or ones that don?t seem right. Creditors usually fix legitimate mistakes if you mention them before you pay your bill.

You may want to think about getting a credit card that offers cash back on purchases, such as groceries and gas. A cash-back reward credit card is perfect for daily use. You can often get at least $60 every month simply by using it on purchases you would be making anyways. This can be a great piggy bank for holiday spending. Be sure to avoid carrying a balance on such a card, because interest rates eliminate the reward you get!

Make sure to look over credit card statements very carefully. Look at your statement to ensure that there aren?t any errors or things you never purchased on it. Report any mistakes to the credit card company as soon as possible. This can help to prevent you from paying too much and it might just save your credit score too.

In order to maintain and improve your credit score, it?s best to make card payments before the day they?re due. Paying late can rack up expensive fees, and hurt your credit score. Set up auto payments with your creditors to save money and time.

As mentioned earlier, consumers usually don?t have the necessary resources to make sound decisions when it comes to choosing a credit card. Apply what you?ve just learned here, and be wiser about using your credit cards in the future.

Credit Card Information You Can Really Use

In this ?consumer beware? world that we all live in, any sound financial advice you can get is helpful. Especially, when it comes to using credit cards. The following article will offer you that sound advice on using credit cards wisely, and avoiding costly mistakes that will have you paying for a long time to come!

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If your credit card becomes stolen or lost, report it immediately. Most credit card issuers have a special number to call just to report a loss. To keep you further protected, it is best to write a follow up letter to the issuer. This letter should have the card number, when your card went missing and the date you reported the card lost.

If you are having a problem getting a credit card, consider a secured account. A secured credit card will require you to open a savings account before a card is issued. If you ever default on a payment, the money from that account will be used to pay off the card and any late fees. This is a good way to begin establishing credit, so that you have opportunities to get better cards in the future.

Make sure that you watch your statements closely. If you see charges that should not be on there, or that you feel you were charged incorrectly for, call customer service. If you cannot get anywhere with customer service, ask politely to speak to the retention team, in order for you to get the assistance you need.

If your credit card is charging you a high rate of interest on your balance, consider transferring it to a lower interest rate card. This can save you a lot while you are working to pay down that balance. The key is to not charge any more on the old card once you have transferred your balance, or you will end up in a worse financial situation.

When offered a credit card with a freebie, be sure to make sure that you check all of the terms of the offer before applying. This is critical, because the free items may be covering up things such as, a yearly fee of an obscene amount. It is always important to read the fine print, and not be swayed by free items.

Double-check the terms of a 0% APR offer before using it. It is common to transfer balances from higher-interest cards onto these new cards, in order to minimize interest. However, the 0% rate does not always apply to balance transfers. If you overlook this fact, transferring your debt will be a waste of time.

Consider working with a big company which is regulated by the right organization. To be safe, go with a company that is listed or one that a listing company owns. If you aren?t going with a big company, you run the risk of them doing shady things with your account, such as charging you outrageous fees and raising the interest rates really high.

Having the right habits and proper behaviors, takes the risk and stress out of credit cards. If you apply what you have learned from this article, you can use them as tools towards a better life. Otherwise, they can be a temptation that you will eventually succumb to and then regret it.

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Source: http://articlesfair.com/uncategorized/keep-credit-cards-from-ruining-your-financial-life/

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