Credit Cards - The Basics

How Lenders Operate - And How They’ll Make a Tidy Fortune from the Unknowing

Credit card companies might seem like immensely clever, money making enterprises that exploit every loophole to maximize the interest payments - and profits - they are taking from you every month. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. These financial institutions operate on simple principles and exploit the fact that consumer demand and their customer’s naivety will keep business turning endlessly over.

It doesn’t have to be that way, however. Know what to look out for and you can cut your overheads and stop these businesses from making a dime more than they have to.

Lenders exploit the fact that people use one card for many purchases. For example, if you use a balance transfer special card rate for spending in the supermarket or mall, they deliberately structure repayments in such a way that you’ll pay a fortune on the entire balance. To properly play your plastic you need to deploy an army of cards as weapons in the war against consumer debt. Using the right tool for the right job will smash your credit card costs.

If you already have hefty credit card bills, transferring the balance will usually substantially cut your interest costs. What this means is that your new provider pays off the debts on your current credit or store cards for you.

You then owe the money at a (hopefully) lower interest rate for a fixed - or sometimes indefinite - period of time. The key to making this work is by not using this card for spending. What this can mean is that credit card providers will then revert the interest rate for the WHOLE of the balance up to a higher rate.

Consumers who spend on a card, but don’t clear the debt each month should focus on minimizing the interest cost. Search the market for the lowest purchase rate available, but also keep in mind the day when you’ll clear the balance in full (e.g. Bonus time; when your bonds mature, etc.) and don’t let the balance spiral beyond your means.

If you pay off your balance in full each month then the interest rate is irrelevant. Focus instead on the gains available from using the card for spending. The key to this is the reward scheme offered. Many credit cards offer points schemes or even cash-back. There’s a huge array of different schemes, but by picking the right one you can benefit substantially. It’s often simpler just to go for a Cashback card, where the benefits are more apparent, but sometimes reward schemes offer great inducements - particularly when they offer double points to new customers, and so on.

If you’re one of those lucky people to be debt free you can take REVENGE on the credit card companies and make free dollars from their products. The schemes are simple to manipulate. If they lend you money at 0%, you can bank the cash and earn interest on it. There are a variety of mechanisms that allow you to get money into your savings account quickly and easily. Once its in, just let it sit there for the duration of the interest free period and pay it back in full when it’s at an end. Substantial amounts can be made from this, but it’s a strategy that should only ever be used by consumers with a good credit history, no debts and are prepared to make a little effort.

Store cards should be avoided under almost all circumstances. They charge the highest rates of interest, and by being offered at a department store counter are an easy lure into a mine of consumer debt. You should never use them to borrow money on, and if they offer any perks and benefits make sure they work for you. For instance, some offer a 10 per cent discount on first purchases. If they do so - make sure you take them up on it when buying something big, thus maximizing your saving. As a rule, however, avoid these expensive options like a plague. Stick to a credit card that charges low interest on purchases and you’ll be fine.

Some people, however, simply can’t get new credit cards. Sometimes there are quite valid reasons for this, but on other occasions it can be due to incorrect information held on your credit reference file. Apply to a credit reference company, like Experian, and check that there are no erroneous black marks on your record. Beyond that, there are a variety of simple strategies you can apply that will boost your credit score and help enable you to get the best credit cards for your needs. In a position of strength, you can then make credit cards work for you.

Ethan Hunter is the author of many credit card related articles. If you are looking for help with Credit Cards or any type of credit issue please visit us at http://www.creditcardunlimited.com

Credit Cards for Summer Vacations

Summer is finally here, and so begins the season of long travel and family vacations. Approximately 52% of American families take at least one vacation between the months of May and August, which means that quite a bit of money is spent on both domestic and international travel.

Unfortunately, traveling with only cash and checks in your wallet is not recommended. Whether you plan to rent cars, fly on airplanes or stay in hotels, travel is always easier if you have a credit card at your disposal. Even if you only use it for the big purchases - like rental cars and airlines - your travel experience will be much smoother if you have plastic.

For one thing, credit cards allow you to easily document each transaction. When you purchase an airline ticket, a record of that purchase is made with your credit card company, and you can refer to that record if anything goes wrong. Flights are canceled every day, so you’ll want to plan for every contingency.

Credit cards are also easier to keep track of than large wads of cash or a bulky check book. When you visit theme parks and other tourist destinations, you can slip a credit card or two into a fanny pack, a pocket or a zippered compartment of your purse. It doesn’t add much weight and is about fifteen times less likely to be stolen than a protruding stack of paper bills.

So how do you choose a credit card for summer vacations? If you’re going to be charging your purchases, you should at least reap the rewards of the best credit cards available. Earning airline miles, cash back and reward points can making using plastic much more enticing. And since vacations are inevitably expensive, you might as well get something back for your efforts!

Chase Flexible Rewards Platinum Visa Card

Most credit cards have very specific reward programs that allow you to redeem points only at specific locations or with certain vendors. The Chase Flexible Rewards card is a bit more diverse. With this card, however, you earn one reward point for every dollar spent (as well as 1,000 bonus points after your first purchase) and the points can be redeemed with a variety of merchants rather than just one or two. You can get cash back, gift certificates, or free travel, whichever works best for you. Customers also enjoy a 0% introductory APR and no annual fee.

HSBC MasterCard

This card is a cash back credit card that allows customers to earn 1% cash back on all purchases. This card is especially appealing because of its low APR; 0% for the first twelve months, and then a low ongoing rate. You also get travel accident insurance as a platinum benefit, which can be beneficial if you plan on taking lots of vacations this summer.

Blue Sky from American Express

This card has been getting a lot of media attention because of it’s travel rewards program. Customers receive one reward point for every dollar they spend, and the points can be redeemed for savings on airline tickets. It comes with no annual fee and a 0% interest rate for the first six months.. It is surprisingly easy to earn points, as well. If you save 7,500 points, for example, you can redeem them for $100 off your next airline ticket.

Summer vacations are made easier by carrying a credit card with you instead of cash or a checkbook, and you can even earn rewards for purchases made with certain credit cards. Take a look at three top picks for credit cards to use while on vacation.

Adverse Credit - When is a Credit History Labelled as Being “Adverse”?

If you are a borrower with a history of unsatisfactory credit transactions, the lenders will describe your credit history as “adverse”. The expressions “poor credit”, “bad credit” and “sub-prime” all describe exactly the same situation. This leads to a number of questions; what credit information is collected about you, where does it come from and how bad must your credit history be for it to be labelled as “adverse”?

It’s the credit agencies like Equifax and Experian which collate information about you and then process it. They are then legally entitled to sell the information to anyone with an authorised purpose as defined by Law. This includes banks, building societies, credit card companies, other lenders, landlords, employers, any government agency and anyone you have ordered a product or service.

And you’ll be simply astounded what information the credit agencies hold about you!

A typical computer file will store your name, address, date of birth and social security number. It will also include your previous addresses, whether you are registered on the voters’ roll, details of your current and previous employers. They also hold crucial information relating to your monthly payments on your mortgage, hire purchase agreements, loans and any credit cards you have. Then their computers will store information from the public records. If you have any Court judgements in respect of your debts, then the details will all be on their files. The file is topped off with details of all the times you apply for credit.

All this data is gathered from two chief sources: the Public Records offices and records supplied by financial institutions from throughout the UK. You can’t escape their watchful eye. Quite honestly, the agencies are recording your credit history from the first day you show on their computer screens.

The credit agencies then sell this information to anyone to whom you’ve applied for credit. As part of their service, they’ll also credit score your data. This enables your lender to make a statistical based decision whether to award you credit. So within this credit vetting process, your credit score becomes crucial.

Under credit scoring your credit history is statistically judged and awarded a number of scoring points. The more points you have, the better your credit rating. These points measure the probability that you will repay any credit provided to you. The system is based on the principle that it’s possible to predict your future credit performance by examining your credit history and statistically comparing it with the performance of other applicants who have similar characteristics. The points score allocated to you then makes it possible for your prospective lender to calculate the level of risk in your application and lessen the element of subjectivity in their lending decision.

So now we revert to our first question - When is a credit history labelled as being “adverse”?

In practice it’s not the credit agencies but the lender that decides. Each lender has it’s own lending policy through which they define the level of credit risk which is acceptable to them. If your credit score reaches a certain level, then you ‘pass’ their credit screening. If you don’t score sufficient points, the lender may either refuse your application or offer you a smaller sum than you had applied for or offer you a higher interest rate. The decision is always theirs - after all it is their money! But as lenders each have different lending policies, your credit score could be acceptable to one but not to another.

However, we can tell you some of the main “black marks” that will harm your credit score - the last two being by far the worst:

You’re not on the Voters Roll where you claim to be living.

Multiple applications for credit

Payments that are over 30 days late on your mortgage or other loans

Arrears on your mortgage or other loans

County or High Court Judgements for debt

Repossession

Recent Bankruptcy (undischarged bankrupts will always be refused credit)

Lending policies are central to a lenders business and as such are highly confidential but on mortgages especially, some will indicate that certain black marks might be acceptable.

All things considered, by reading this article, you should know if there is a likelihood that you will be judged as an “adverse credit risk”, But in the end you cannot be absolutely sure unless you’ve been refused by a main line lender. If you do get turned down you’ll have to apply to a sub-prime lender who is more likely to accept you, especially if you own your own home - but you’ll definitely be charged a higher rate of interest for the privilege.

All in all, it’s essential to build up a good credit profile that will reflect in your credit score. This then gives you access to a wide range of credit facilities at reasonable interest rates. So please remember, if you need a loan, make sure you can afford it before you sign up and then maintain a perfect payment record.

Michael writes for Brokers Online who offer critical Illness and most UK financial services including secured loans. Visit our family finance blog for useful tips on uk finance

How Long Do Credit Inquiries Stay on a Credit Report?

Credit reports can be a bit of a balancing act. On one hand they need you to take out credit so that they (the big three credit reporting agencies) can see that you have a good payment history otherwise they have nothing to base a credit report on. But if you take out too much different credit too quickly then they can see you as being a bad risk for their clients thereby preventing you from obtaining a good credit ranking and possibly favorable credit terms on future purchases.

The trick is if you are looking for credit, whatever it is for, then only apply for the credit that you really want. Don’t apply for many different products so you have a better chance of one of them accepting you. Of course, it can be difficult trying to determine just how long do credit inquiries stay on a credit report and when you can start applying for purchases requiring credit again without it adversely affecting your credit history.

Although you may want to know and may routinely ask yourself “how long do credit inquiries stay on a credit report” for perfectly good reasons it is not always easy to get a straight answer to the question. Credit report companies can be very secretive about exactly how they compile their reports for very good reasons and are unlikely to give you any real help, information or guidance even if you are trying to find out why you have been refused by a merchant for credit.

For a general guideline as to how long do credit inquiries stay on a credit reports, it is usually safe to estimate about 2 years. And if you have been refused credit because of this it is usually a good idea to wait for about 6 additional months before applying again for another loan. Even if you have been applying for credit cards and are now looking for a mortgage the credit card applications will appear on your credit report for the mortgage company.

The best way to make sure that the credit check companies do not see you as having too many applications for loans is to not apply for more than one or two things at a time. That way they may see each application as separate and you will not look like someone who is just applying for a lot of different products or credit at the same time. Of course if you get refused for the loan you are looking for then you are free to always apply to different loan and credit agency or company. Just remember, it is not usually a good idea to apply for too many at the same time. This way your credit is much more likely to be looked at favorably by the credit report company.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt consolidation advice, solutions and answers to questions like how long do credit inquiries stay on a credit report that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

http://www.debt-relief-solutions.com/Credit-Repair.html

The Menace Of Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt can often be crippling and lead to a lot of stress. Even students are not immune as people are getting credit cards at an earlier age and falling into debt. With the increased use of credit cards, more and more people are falling into debt. With hassling creditors, a ruined credit report and a threat of looming bankruptcy, it becomes extremely urgent to find a way out.

While credit card debt is fairly easy to get into, getting out is a hard and long process. No agency or system will get you debt free in one day. It will take time to bring your debt under control and to start rebuilding your credit.

One of the best defenses against credit card debt is to get properly educated in financial matters of credit, and money management. Often it is good to prevent getting into debt by creating budgets and saving plans. Sticking to your plan can help you avoid overspending.

Get rid of any excess cards you have lying around, especially high interest department store cards. You can also try credit card debt consolidation where you take out one low interest loan to pay off all your other loans. For example you can use a low interest home equity loan to pay off your credit card debt. This way you will only have one low monthly payment to make.

Remember to pay more than the minimum of your monthly credit card payments. If you continue to make only the minimum payments you might end up paying only the interest, which would lead to lifelong credit card debt. Each month you should be paying a part of the principal payment with the interest payments so that your debt slowly starts to shrink and your monthly payments get reduced each month.

There are many non-profit debt management agencies and consolidation services to help you in your fight against credit card debt. You can seek them out for counseling and financial advice. They can also help you get a consolidation loan and find other ways to get you credit card debt free.