| A new "Urgent Credit Help" service is available now. Our advisers are ready to answer all of your questions. |
|
|
Credit Cards eZine
Acclaimsecuredcards.com presents the Information Center – a new and improved credit card news service. We will inform you with up-to-date articles on credit cards for good credit, bad or no-credit history. Get information on best credit card deals for student credit cards, cash back credit cards and business credit cards. Learn about the top deals on credit cards with the lowest APR deals and other hot issues.
Best Credit Card Application for Your Spending Habits• Click here to view all Articles... • Click here to view Credit Card eZine Archive... |
|
[09/06/2007]
There are literally thousands of credit card and other charge card products available to help the average consumer manage their day-to-day finances. But how do you find the best credit card deal for you? To earn the most benefit from your credit card or charge card, you don't need to be an expert on every credit card company out there. You just need to be an expert on yourself.
Before you choose a credit card, you should do a little soul searching. Do you have good credit or bad credit? Do you pay off your balances each month or do you carry a monthly balance (and thus an interest charge)? Do you travel? Do you patronize one establishment or do you vary your purchases at different retailers? Do you use one specific brand over another? All are questions you need to answer before deciding which credit card deal is the best for you.
Expenses and Credit Cards
Step one in this process is the evaluation of your spending and payment habits. Look back at your bank statements for the last year and determine where you spent you money. Place these items in one of three categories: fixed expenses, variable expenses and optional expenses.
Next, notate how you paid for each item on the list - whether you used cash or credit, debit or charge cards. Also note whether you made partial or full payments. Or if you prefer, use a computer program to do these calculations for you. Quicken or Microsoft Money offer very basic programs that can help you determine the answers to all of these questions and more. It doesn't really matter which method you use. The goal is to get the answers to the previously mentioned questions.
Credit Card Search Results
Once you know how you are spending your money and how you are making your payments, now you can choose the best credit card application available. If you match your spending habits with the features of a typical credit card, you can get the best credit card deal.
Your spending and payment habits may have revealed that you have bad credit or no credit (something you were likely aware of anyway). But the evaluation was still necessary. You still have options. You can still get the best credit card deal available to you in the form of a secured credit card. This type of card requires you to put up some form of collateral. This collateral can be in the form of a car, cash, jewelry or some other form of currency that the credit card company accepts.
The evaluation may have indicated however that you pay your bills in full each month. In this case, a pre-paid card or charge card might be best. These types of credit cards (the best known of course is American Express) help to dodge finance charges. But if the evaluation revealed that you carry a monthly balance, a credit card with a low interest rate or low introductory rate may be your best option.
Credit cards that offer cash rebates and other rewards incentives are the obvious choice for the credit card consumer that pays his bills each month and has good credit. An example of this is the credit card deal that offers a $25 gift certificate for every $2,500 spent. Chases Starbucks Rewards cards credit the card with cash rebates. You'll never have to pay for a cup of coffee again.
If you have young children, the Disney credit card is a way to be rewarded and get special offers that other individuals aren't getting. Baseball fans might enjoy being rewarded with VIP trips to the dugout of their favorite team. And if you travel a lot, an airline card would be the ticket.
Brand loyalty is another option to consider. If you frequent one particular establishment over all the others or use one type of gas for your car, you should consider credit card applications that take these retailers into account. Why not get paid for your loyalty.
Ultimately, after answering these questions, you may discover that you need to change your spending and payment habits to get the best credit card deals. If that's the case, and you have the ability to do so, by all means change. Change can be a good thing when trying to get the most out of your credit card rewards program.
Copyright © 2008 www.acclaimsecuredcards.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments• eZine Comments... |
|
I agree that before getting a credit card one should think several times not to regret then. I know some people who were a little too previous in applying for a credit card and then understood that it didin\'t match their needs.
I am eager to have a credit card but I'm afraid to run into debt. But on the other hand may be it will help me to manage my budget.
Post Your Comments• If you have something to say, please leave your comments below. |
|
The Latest News |
|
Many consumers have noticed that now they receive less credit card offers in the mail. And not without reason. As the recent research shows, there has been 8% decrease in credit and loan direct mailings since the first quarter of 2008.
Generally, since the 3rd quarter of 2007 direct mail had been falling steadily. In the last year the volume of credit card ads sent by mail was 1.86 million while now this number reduced to 1.54 million. Are there any sound reasons for this 17% decline?
If you are a regular airplane traveler, you are supposed to know how necessary a credit card is during a trip. Today, many air carriers started to take credit cards for purchases during the flight. It is not only a matter of convenience, but also security. Pick pocketing is not a rare thing in airports, this change in airline payment policy is going to save the passengers' money. Many people also underline the fact that paying with plastics is a good way to track the expenses and plan the budget.
An entrepreneur searching for his first credit card for business can often be confused by ads promoting business plastics as bank products for good credit history only. As a rule, business credit cards are unsecured type of plastics which requires the applicant to have enough income and credit score. This means only a part of business owners have the opportunity to finance their enterprise with a credit card and receive the useful rewards.
College students are constantly bombarded with credit card offers. Banks are becoming more creative and persistent in their efforts to snag new customers. They send hundreds of pre-approved letters or offer gifts like T-shirts, Frisbees, pizza and even iPods just for filling out a student credit card application. But sometimes credit cards can become dangerous. College students, who don't have sufficient financial experience and money management skills, can accumulate large debt. That can hurt them after graduation: as a result, many seniors are postponing marriage, home ownership or having kids.
