Many people have owned credit cards and found themselves in trouble with high interest rates and increasing amounts of debt. This is because they either didn’t research their cards before applying for them, or because of bad spending decisions. You can avoid making these mistakes with the tips and advice from this article.
Only if you regularly shop at a certain store should you think about applying for a store credit card. Even applying for a card with the store will reflect badly on your credit score if you’re not accepted, and there’s no sense in applying if you’re not a regular shopper. Excessive inquiries from those retailers on your report can drop your credit score.
If you have a credit card with high interest you should consider transferring the balance. Many credit card companies offer special rates, including 0% interest, when you transfer your balance to their credit card. Do the math to figure out if this is beneficial to you before you make the decision to transfer balances.
Students who have credit cards, should be particularly careful of what they use it for. Most students do not have a large monthly income, so it is important to spend their money carefully. Charge something on a credit card if, you are totally sure you will be able to pay your bill at the end of the month.
An important tip when it comes to smart credit card usage is, resisting the urge to use cards for cash advances. By refusing to access credit card funds at ATMs, you will be able to avoid the frequently exorbitant interest rates, and fees credit card companies often charge for such services.
If you ever have a charge on your card that is an error on the credit card company’s behalf, you can get the charges taken off. The way you do this is by sending them the date of the bill and what the charge is. You are protected from these things by the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Make sure you save your statements. Before you file them away, pay close attention to what is on them as well. If you see a charge that shouldn’t be on there, dispute the charge. All credit card companies have dispute procedures in place to assist you with fraudulent charges that may occur.
Once you decide to open a credit card account, keep it open. Avoid closing out one account to open another, unless it is essential. The length of your history with a creditor is one factor in your credit score. A good way to build your credit is to keep your accounts open.
Know what recent credit card laws have been created recently. A credit card company is prevented by law from retroactively increasing rates, for example. They also cannot double-cycle bill clients. Study the laws and keep up with the changes. Two primary changes that have occurred in recent years involve the Fair Credit Billing Act and the CARD Act.
Before you pick a credit card be sure that it accepted at most businesses in your area. There are only a few credit card companies that are accepted nationwide, so be sure you know which ones these are if you plan to purchase things around the country. Also, if you plan to travel abroad, be sure you have a card that is accepted where you might travel as well.
Do not go on a spending spree just because you have a new card with a zero balance available to you. This is not free money, it is money that you will eventually have to pay back and going overboard with your purchases will only end up hurting you in the long run.
If you have gotten in over your head with credit, and have no idea how you will pay back your debt, don’t give up just yet. Many companies now have hardship programs which you can enter, that will lower your interest, set you up on a payment plan you can afford, and save you the damage of bankruptcy or litigation.
If you are going to be using your credit card to purchase something that is really out of the norm, it’s a smart idea to contact the issuer first. Making large purchases and traveling overseas are two situations when you should call the card company. If your card issuer is aware of these purchases ahead of time, it will keep them from suspecting fraudulent activity that could suspend use of the card.
If you feel that the interest rate that you are paying on your card is too high, you can call your credit card company and ask them to lower it. Many people do not know this and the credit card companies are not going to openly tell people that they may receive lower rates by request.
Avoid the temptation to consolidate multiple credit card accounts onto one card. If your credit balance rises beyond half of your available allowance, your credit score will suffer. These kinds of consolidations should be carefully considered to prevent doing damage to your credit rating. It may save you money monthly, but it could cost you your credit score.
If you are hit with a credit card fee that is unavoidable, perhaps due to an emergency situation, call your credit card company. Sometimes they will waive these fees for certain users. The key is to only ask if you are a person who always pays their bill on time and only needs a one time exception, otherwise your request will be turned down.
You can avoid many of the common problems with credit if you utilize the information that is available to help assist you in making smart decisions. Simply use the advice in this article, so that you can eliminate credit card debt and high interest rates.
