Credit Information



Articles Home Page | Main Site Home Page





Text Ad's by TextAdPro.com
ThatsNeato.com - That's Neato! All Neato, Hip and Cool!

Freebies57.com - Freebies and Freestuff.

2coolhair.com - Over 5,000 Hairstyles Pitcures.

Games57.com - Free Online Games.



Saving Money with Credit Cards


Having a credit card is a wonderful convenience for those times when you don't have immediate access to your cash. It can allow you to purchase something on time for which you can pay later, thereby giving you the ability to afford something NOW that you'd have had to save for later. But buying on credit will also cost you money - in that way it's no different than taking out a loan to buy something that you want. There are, however, ways to save money when you buy with credit cards.

0% Balance Transfers

One of the most common ways to save money with credit cards is by transferring your balance from a high interest credit card to one with a low or no-interest card. It's easy to illustrate your savings there. If you are carrying a balance of $1000 on a credit card that has a 19% APR and transfer it to one that offers 0% introductory APR for 9 months and a 15.9% regular rate, here's how your savings stack up:

Interest on old card for one year:

1000
x .19
$ 190 annual
$ 15.83 per month for 12 months

Interest on new card for one year:

1000
x 0
$ 0 per month for 9 months

$1000
x .159
$ 159 annual
$ 13.25 per month for three months

for a total of $39.75 for the year.

That's a total savings of $159.25 for one year.

You can, however, save the full $199 by paying off the entire $1000 during the 9 month introductory period.

Save money on credit cards with lower interest rates

It's fairly obvious that you'll pay less in interest charges if you choose a card with a lower APR, but before you jump for the card with the lowest interest rate, take the time to figure out your own buying habits. If, for instance, you tend to carry no balance or a very low balance from month to month, a low interest rate matters far less than say - a good rewards or cash back program, or no annual fee. If, on the other hand, you carry a balance from month to month, the APR is the biggest determining factor in how much your credit card will cost you.

Just as an example, if you generally carry less than $100 on your credit cards from month to month, even an interest rate of 19% only works out to $19 a year, or $1.58 per month. In that case, it makes little sense to choose a credit card that offers a 10% APR with a $29 annual fee.

On the other hand, if you carry a $500 balance from month to month, you'll pay $95 in interest for the year at 19% - but even adding in a $29 annual fee, you'll only pay $79 for the year at 10%.

Don't just assume that the lowest interest rate is the least expensive card. Do the math - and save money with your credit card.

Save Money with Your Credit Card Rewards Program

Cash back and reward points programs are another way to save money with your credit card. If you use your card often but still manage to keep your balance low, you can save 1-5% on purchases that you'd make anyway. Many cards these days offer 5% cash rebates on any purchases made at gas stations, convenience stores and supermarkets. In many cases, those rebates are applied directly to your bill. If you purchase your groceries with your credit card AND PAY THE CARD OFF immediately, you'll end up saving 5% on your grocery bill all year long.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the credit card comparison sites http://www.credit-cards-info.com/ and also http://www.creditcards121.com/


MORE RESOURCES:

Credit-Card Ills Weigh on Target
Wall Street Journal - 10 hours ago
By GARY MCWILLIAMS Discount retailer Target Corp. will curb store expansion and tighten credit-card terms after reporting fiscal second-quarter net income ...
Credit-card troubles sap Target's earnings Bizjournals.com
Consumer cutbacks nick Target Minneapolis Star Tribune
2nd UPDATE: Target 2Q Net Falls 7.6%; Card Troubles Continue CNNMoney.com
Minyanville.com - CNN
all 261 news articles


Former UF player charged with credit card fraud
International Herald Tribune, France - 9 hours ago
Former University of Florida football player Jamar Hornsby was charged with four misdemeanors for using the credit card of a dead woman, ...
Hornsby charged in Slonina credit card case The News Herald
Former UF safety Jamar Hornsby off the legal hook for credit-card ... Orlando Sentinel
Former UF football player charged with four counts of credit card ... The News-Press
Florida Times-Union - Gatorsports.com
all 60 news articles


Meriden Credit Union Liquidated
Hartford Courant, United States - 5 hours ago
The Meriden FA Federal Credit Union closed its doors in July. Officials with the National Credit Union Administration confirm that checks have been ...
Meriden Credit Union Assets Liquidated NBC30.com
all 9 news articles


starved companies face tight credit landscape
guardian.co.uk, UK - 11 hours ago
Deteriorating credit quality, fears of rising defaults and a weakening US economy are all combining to drive borrowing costs higher. ...


Who wins in a credit crunch? Ask the person with cash
Los Angeles Times, CA - 2 hours ago
The US financial system crisis -– aka the credit crunch -- is one year old this month and showing signs of getting worse instead of better, ...
Fed's Lacker Clashes With Paulson on Fannie-Freddie Strategy Bloomberg
High borrowing costs defy Fed's interest rate cuts USA Today
all 23 news articles


Maktoob

Dollar steadies, gains capped on oil, credit jitters
guardian.co.uk, UK - 2 hours ago
Investors unwinding bets that the global economy will withstand the US downturn and credit crisis have helped support the dollar against the euro and other ...
Yen Advances as Credit Losses Damp Demand for Higher Yields Bloomberg
Dollar Revival Reaps Roses and Thorns Wall Street Journal
Yen Advances as Credit Losses Damp Demand for Higher Yields Bloomberg
Bloomberg - Bloomberg
all 635 news articles


Credit spreads point to end of equity rally, Merrill says
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
By Deborah Levine, MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Credit spreads, which represent the gap between corporate debt and Treasury yields, ...
Bond market jitters return CNNMoney.com
all 2 news articles


Commentary: Even the best borrowers will feel the brunt of the ...
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
Highlights: The credit crunch is the one area that many consumers think they can sidestep if their financial situation is not perilous. ...
NBKI Now Provides FICO Credit Score to Russian Lenders WebWire (press release)
all 2 news articles


Home Depot: New Credit-Card Pact Limits Cost Volatility
CNNMoney.com - 16 hours ago
Home Depot Inc. (HD) and Citigroup (C) have a new eight-year agreement for a private label credit card that the retailer expects will limit rising costs ...
AmEx Gets No Credit; Home Depot Up Next; BHP Goes Six For Six Barron's Blogs
all 2 news articles


Utility-worker imposters seeking credit-card data
Arizona Republic, AZ - 3 hours ago
20, 2008 12:00 AM Scam artists have been impersonating utility-company employees in an effort to steal people's credit-card information, utility officials ...

Credit - Google News




Articles Home Page | Site Map | Main Site Home Page
GETsonic | TrafficFish | Games | YaZoW | Freebies | WildThingsDesigns | Mp3mama

© 2008