Is A 0 APR Credit Card Legitimate?

August 9th, 2010 - 
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You see all the ads for 0 APR credit cards all around you today. However, are they for real? The truth is yes, they are for real, however, this special 0% APR does not last. You can find all kinds of credit card companies offering a 0 APR credit card for people with excellent credit. Many credit card companies are now offering 0 APR credit cards as part of their incentive program to get you to apply and begin using their credit card for all their purchases. However, there are downsides to some of these offers.

Although they are advertising a 0 APR credit card, the 0 percent APR is not for the entire time that you are a cardholder. You will have to pay close attention to learn how many months they are offering this special 0% APR, you can find them for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months and if you are lucky for 15 months. However, now you must check if the offer also includes all new purchases and balance transfers. One company may offer 0% only on balance transfers. If you are using one of these 0 APR credit cards, you will find that you will have to pay the normal interest rate for all new purchases and all money that you pay monthly will be for paying off the original balance, so you will get stuck paying the higher interest rate on your purchases.

It goes something like this say you did a balance transfer of $5,000. This money will not incur finance charges. But then you make a purchase of $1,000 and this money will incur finance charges. You then pay off the $1,000 before you think you will incur any finance charges, however, the $1,000 is applied against the original $5,000 balance transfer. So now you will have $4,000 on the original balance transfer without any interest being charged but the $1,000 in additional purchases is being charged the regular APR, which tends to be pretty steep. Therefore, you may find that it really was not worth the money to use this 0 APR credit card after all.

Another downfall to the 0 APR credit card is that if you do not pay off the entire balance transfer before the introductory offer expires, you may find that you are paying a higher interest rate than you were with your other credit card. Reading all the terms and conditions can aid you in making an educated decision about a 0 APR credit card and whether it is for you.

As such, many of the 0 APR credit cards may sound appealing, however, after the introductory period ends on these offers, the ongoing interest rates and other fees tend to be higher than average, so you may find yourself between a financial rock and a hard place. Just because you can find a 0 APR credit card and get approved this does not mean that you are necessarily going to enjoy a financial life of luxury. Remember, however, there are other fees that are applicable so the credit card issuers are still making tidy profits with annual membership fees and fees for balance transfers. So as usual, it always pays to read the fine print.

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0% APR Credit Cards

Are 0 Interest Credit Cards Reality Or Myth?

May 26th, 2010 - 
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If you are looking at owning a new credit card then obviously 0 interest credit cards hold a lot of appeal for you. Anything with 0 interest does grab attention, for that matter! But in the name of 0 interest credit cards, there is a lot of subtle dodging that credit card companies are playing with,to ensure you catch the bait. The question is will you?

Admit it. You are hooked on the 0 APR credit card ad that you just saw in the morning newspaper,and your interest is piqued. Are these 0 interest credit cards a reality or are they just a myth?

The truth is, they are and they are not! They are for real because there are cards that live up to the promise to a certain degree, but the truth is also that this 0% interest does not last long. It might just be an initial gimmick to get you to apply and once youre a cardholder, you will only have the 0 APR credit card for just a short time (3 months, 6 months, or if youre very lucky 12 months) before they start charging you a higher rate of interest. Truly, this credit card game is an interesting one to watch, if you are the suffering player. Read on to know what you can do to make sure you are not the sufferer.

Understanding 0 APR Credit Cards

Admittedly, 0 APR credit cards hold a lot of enticement. But heres what youve got to do when you find that a 0 APR card that has piqued your attention. Pay attention to how long the no-interest period will last, whether you can transfer other balances at the 0% rate, and, most important of all of these, what the APR rate will be when the offer ends! When you are done assessing these parameters you can properly finalize from the card options available.

The Luxuries of Owning a 0 APR Credit Card

If youve already accumulated a huge debt on your previous credit cards, theres good news for you. A 0 APR credit card is known to benefit users with large outstanding card balances in a big way. Not only are these users able to cut down the amount of interest incurred upon their debt, but with the help of a 0 APR credit card they can also gain access to competitively priced cash advances, which can help consolidate outstanding high APR debt. There are fees and APR’s attached to these cash advances, however.

Pitfalls of 0 Interest Credit Cards

*Most (in fact all) 0 interest credit cards offer 0% interest or no interest only for a limited amount of time, which varies between 6 to 12 months.

*If youre thinking of transferring balances from high interest credit cards, some of these cards might not even allow you to do so during the introductory 0% offer period.

*Certain 0 APR credit cards might also charge expensive balance transfer fees.

*Some of these 0 interest credit cards also carry very high penalties for late payments and automatically switch you to a variable APR rate for a late payment.

*Certain 0 APR credit cards charge a very high interest rate after the introductory (read honeymoon) period expires.

Yes, the picture is definitely not all rosy, even though you can undoubtedly save money through the use of some 0 interest credit cards, not using them judiciously can be an expensive proposition. So choose and use them wisely.

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0% Interest Credit Cards – Truth or Fiction?

March 9th, 2010 - 
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If you are looking for a new credit card then obviously 0% interest credit cards hold a lot of appeal for you. Anything at 0% interest nowadays grabs everyone’s attention, for that matter! But as far as these 0% interest credit card offers go, there is a lot of subtle dodging that credit card companies and bank card issuers engage in to ensure you catch the bait.

So just go ahead and admit it. You are hooked. The 0% APR credit cards ad that you just saw in the brochure attached in the morning newspaper has piqued your interest. But seriously … are these 0% interest credit cards for real?

The truth is they are and they are not. There are cards that live up to the promise of a 0% APR credit card, but the truth is that this 0% interest does not last long. It might just be an initial gimmick to get you to subscribe to the card offer and once youre a cardholder, you have the 0% APR for just a limited time (3 months, 6 months, or if youre very lucky 12 months) before they start charging you a higher rate of interest. The credit card game is truly an interesting one to watch, but not if you are the suffering player. Read on to know what you can do to make sure you are not the sufferer.

Understanding 0% APR Credit Cards

Yes, 0% APR credit cards do, in fact, hold a lot of enticement. But here is what you must do when you find a 0% APR card that has gotten your attention. Pay attention to the following:

1) How long the no-interest period will last?
2) Can you transfer other balances at the 0% rate?
3) What will the APR be after the introductory period ends?

When you are done assessing these factors, you can properly compare all of the interest credit card options available.

The Luxuries of Owning a 0% APR Credit Card

If youve already accumulated a huge debt on your previous credit cards, theres good news for you. A 0% APR credit card can benefit consumers bad credit histories in a big way, if (and that’s a big if) they can get approved for the card offer itself. That being said, a 0% APR credit offer allows cardholders to drastically cut down the interest being incurred on existing debt while it can also help consolidate debts on other outstanding high APR card balances. There are typically balance transfer fees associated with this type of consolidation, but if your credit is sufficient enough, you might be able to avoid fees altogether.

Pitfalls of 0 Interest Credit Cards

1) Most 0% interest credit cards offer 0% interest or no interest only for a limited amount of time, which varies between 6 to 12 months.

2) If youre thinking of transferring balances from high interest credit cards, some of these cards might not even allow you to do so during the introductory 0% offer period.

3) Some 0% interest credit cards might also charge very high balance transfer fees.

4) Some of these cards also carry very high penalties for late payments and
automatically switch you to a much higher variable APR after incurring even a single late payment.

5) Some 0% APR credit cards charge a very high interest rate after the introductory (read honeymoon) period.

Yes, the picture is definitely not all rosy, even though you can most definitely save money on interest charges by using 0% interest credit cards judiciously. If cardholders fail to pay off their card balances prior to the introductory offer expiration, if they fail to make payments on time, or generally disregard their credit responsibilities, these credit cards can end up costing consumers significantly more than most will anticipate.

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0% Apr Credit Cards You Can Find

February 11th, 2010 - 
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When it comes to 0% APR credit cards, you may be wondering how you can take full advantage of these offers. There are many f them out there, actually. The ability to offer this service is usually something of a ploy though. To get you into their card products, card issuers may offer 0% APR abilities as an introductory. Yet, even if this is only an introductory offer, you can still find these benefits to be rather rewarding. If you take a few minute to consider what is out there, you may see that you qualify and can benefit from these 0 interest credit cards.

What Are They?

The first thing for you to do is to understand what 0% APR credit cards actually are. Having this card will allow you to use credit without any interest accumulating on the amount that you have borrowed. Any fees including annual fees will still apply, but this amount of money is not something that you have to worry about having a 25% interest rate charge on top of, at least, not at first.

The 0% APR credit card is offered strictly as an introductory rate. It is never offered for the life of the card or even for an extended amount of time beyond say, 12 months. You will most certainly have this 0% interest for just a limited time. Sometimes it is just a few months, other times it can be as long 15 months for some of the longer, extended introductory APR offers. The goal that you should have is to take full advantage of this offer within the timeframe of the introductory offer and consider how it can benefit you.

Your Benefits

First off, you should look very closely at the particulars of each 0% APR credit cards offer that you are considering. Ask yourself the following questions:

* How long does the card offer keep this introductory rate?

* What is the ongoing APR after that introductory period is over?

* Is this an APR that you can live with, especially if you are a cardholder that tends to carry large card balances?

* Are there other fees that you should take into consideration, such as an annual fee?

* How well does this compare to your current credit cards?

* How well does it compare overall to the other offers you are considering?

Since all credit card offers are a bit different, make sure you read the details before you just accept any offer out there.

Your benefits come in when you can take what is being offered to you, in this case a 0% APR credit card, and use it to your advantage to save money, and in some instances, a lot of money. Lets say that you currently have a credit card that you have a 25% APR on, which is considered anything but cheap. Now, you are looking to find a way to lower the amount but the lender wont offer a drop in the APR (you should always call and ask for your current lender to lower your APR!) One thing that you should also do is determine if your 0% APR credit card offer applies to purchase, balance transfers or both. If the introductory rate only applies to balance transfers, you should move your outstanding balances to the new account, and ultimately pay it off before the introductory period ends. If the introductory APR applies only to new purchases, you should use this new card
strictly for all new purchases while continuing to pay down the balances on your higher APR cards. And if the 0% introductory APR applies to both purchases and balance transfers, you should centralize all of your card activity around this card for the entirety of the introductory period.

The key to any of these credit card strategies is an aggressive card balance repayment plan that minimizes the compounding effect of high APR finance charges. If you let your card balances continue to roll over, you are likely to end up paying just as much, if not much more, on the credit card anyway. Yet, those six months or more of no interest can be a true blessing to those that pay down their balances aggressively within the timeframe of the introductory period.

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0% APR Credit Cards