0% APR Credit Cards Can Save You Thousands

January 27th, 2010 - 
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Low interest credit cards are available as alternatives to those with middle-of-the-road to very high interest rates. If you have a credit card with a high interest rate anywhere from 17% to 24% or higher, then you may not realize that it is costing you hundreds and even thousands of dollars every year in interest alone. Once you understand your credit and how it is impacting your debt situation, you will see how low interest or even 0% APR credit cards can be a much better solution.

Gather Your Statements

Collect your statements for all high and low interest credit cards. Include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, department stores, retailers, grocers and any other revolving accounts. For each bill, make a record of the total balance, minimum payment amount and interest rate. You might also want to include your estimated monthly payment (if it’s more or less than the minimum) and the monthly finance charge.

Compare Cards

If you compare the numbers for each card, you will be able to see which ones are costing you the most money. The higher the APR and the higher the balance, the more you will end up paying in interest in the long run. And, if you only pay small amounts of what you owe, you can go on paying for over 20 years. Now you can see the benefit of having a low interest credit card.

Categorize Your Debt

Once you’ve figured out which are the low interest credit cards and which are high, you need to categorize them from highest to lowest. Then reorder them, if necessary, based on the estimated amount of interest you would pay for the entire year. In other words, if you have a high rate card with a low balance, the overall interest may be less than a low interest credit card with a very high balance. This step will help you to focus on the cards that are taking the most of your hard earned money.

Negotiate With Your Bank

Before you cut up your plastic or send it through the paper cutter, call you current credit card company. Many consumers don’t realize it, but companies would rather lower your interest rate than lose your business. Tell them that you’ve been offered a better deal on a low interest credit card. They may just match that offer, saving you the time and effort used to close and open a new card.

Shop Around For 0% APR Credit Cards

Some banks just won’t budge. You may have to do some digging to get a low interest credit card. Check online, talk to your local bank and sort through those direct mail offers. Ask your friends, family, co-workers and other acquaintances to learn about the cards they use.

Carefully Read the Fine Print

Many cards look too-good-to-be-true – 0% interest on transfers, lifetime low rate, frequent flyer miles, insurance benefits, etc. Often times, the offers are just that. 0% offers may only be applied to a limited amount or during a specific time frame. Fixed rates may increase if you so much as miss a single payment and so on. Pay close attention to all terms and policies, making sure to read the fine print. Don’t accept a low interest credit card until you are sure you understand all that is involved.

Maintain Good Credit

Now you can stop throwing money down the drain. Treasure your low interest or 0% APR credit card and maintain your good credit rating. Pay more than the minimum amounts and don’t get behind. Just as fast as you were able to lower your APR, it could jump up to astounding numbers.

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0% APR Credit Cards

0% APR Credit Card Benefits

November 24th, 2009 - 
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You will see many lenders these days offering 0% APR credit cards. If you are thinking of applying for a 0% APR credit card, it is well worth taking the time to research and compare all the offers and benefits available. Although many company’s offer 0% interest credit cards, in most cases it is for an introductory period only. You should take the time to compare the agreements and conditions carefully, as these vary considerably from lender to lender. It’s also important that you take into consideration the permanent rates that the lender charges. While 0% interest credit cards may look tempting, it’s no use entering into an agreement if you struggle to make payments because the permanent rate is too high.

The benefits of a 0% APR credit card may seem obvious, you don’t pay any interest! But many of the 0% interest cards also offer other benefits. Some come with reward schemes like rebates, others with cash back offers. The reward scheme applies to your purchases, where the lender may give you a percentage of cash back for every dollar you spend. They may also have a reward scheme where you can accumulate points depending on how much you spend. These points can then be exchanged for merchandise which the companies offer to their customers. While the points on offer are strictly in favor of the card company, you can still save on the retail purchase price of these goods, which is a benefit.

If you are currently paying interest on your current card or cards, why not think about changing to a 0% APR credit card? If you have a few cards the monthly payments can soon become a considerable sum. You can save yourself money by changing to one of the 0% interest cards. Just think, instead of paying out maybe $100 or so a month in interest, you could be paying out a lot less while reducing the amount you owe.

Most banks or credit card companies will allow you to transfer the outstanding balance you have on your current card to one of their 0% interest credit cards. That means you could consolidate all your outstanding balances on your current cards by transferring them to your new 0% APR credit cards. Some lenders may have a limit on the total money you are allowed to transfer. It’s important that you read the terms of the offer and understand them fully before committing yourself to an agreement. You don’t want to be penalized by any fees you may have to pay if transferring a balance.

The new lender you have transferred your balance to, may have a time limit on their 0% interest credit cards. If you want to keep your payments low, or keep reducing your balance then you should think about changing your card or transferring the balance before the 0% APR credit cards offer runs out. It is worth checking your agreement at this stage just to make sure you will not incur a fee for transferring your balance to another card.

If you’ve done your homework and chosen the correct card in the first place, this shouldn’t be a problem. You should start to look for your new 0% APR credit cards, or card, a month or so before your offer terminates. This will give you time to apply and be able to transfer your balance as soon as your 0% interest credit cards offer ends.

There is an important fact about a 0% APR credit card that most people overlook. Most agreements state you must make ALL your 0% APR credit card payments on time. If you make a late payment on your 0% interest credit cards then the offer becomes invalid immediately.

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0% APR Credit Cards
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