Visa Credit Card

There definitely isn’t a shortage of offers of credit cards online, in the mail, and anywhere else possible. However, it can become a hard task to maintain your credit card, and it can prove even harder to get the right credit card you need.

High Street stores are all too willing to give you a discount on the day if you sign up for one of their cards, and lets face it, that extra 10% is usually tempting whoever you are. Nonetheless before you know it you will be facing yet another monthly credit card bill.

One of the biggest problems with credit cards is that they can cover up that you are actually spending money. By not actually spending cash, you can feel that your purchases are not really costing you at all. Ultimately, this is an expensive illusion and your reality can become very painful indeed if you build up too much credit card debt.

Even if you pay the minimum payment by the due date, your credit card balance is barely affected. You may not make things worse by incurring late fees, but your debt levels remain unaltered unless you can actually pay down the balance.

Ask yourself just how long it would take you to get rid of the debt completely if you didn’t charge another penny to the account. Never consider getting a new credit card to transfer a balance unless the new card offers you interest free credit for a certain amount of time, ideally the time it will take for you to pay off all of the debt.

Many of the major credit cards are accepted everywhere, no matter where you go, so one should suit you. At the most, have two. This is a much easier way to keep an eye on expenditure, rather than having five or six credit cards to sort out each month.

Another temptation of credit cards are cash advances. Companies offer these because they are easy to get your hands on, especially at ATMS. Though handy, these advances come along with a high interest that is calculated daily, so you might end up biting more than you can swallow with a cash advance.

If you are one to use an ATM regularly, you will find that your debt will build up and soar over a small time of just a few months. Interest can go as high as 24%, so avoid this. It makes much more sense to avoid temptations such as rewards and bonuses. Try to opt for a credit card with no frills, no annual fee, and a low interest rate.

When trying to establish a good credit history, you can do so by using a credit card correctly. Your payments have to be on time. It is important that your credit rating stays healthy, especially in the case that you need to buy something big, like a car. During these times, you will be rewarded for having good credit history. As much as some of us love them, shopping sprees aren’t needed. Neither are cash advances and late payments. These all go into your credit rating, so if you are looking to use your credit card to build up good credit, only spend what you know you can afford to pay back each month.

We have discussed why credit card companies charge an interest in our previous post. Now lets take a deeper look at the world of interest rate.

So how does a credit card company determine the rate you’ll pay?

Obviously, not everyone will get the same interest rate. The exact formula for determining the interest rate is not known to public but we know the following factors play a part.

1) Inflation rate

Naturally the interest rate must be above the inflation rate in order for the business to survive.

2) The cost of lending

There will be borrowers who will fail to pay on time or default on their payment schedule. This has to be factor into the interest rate calculation as well.

3) Profit target

Since the credit card companies are out to make money, they have a minimum profit target to meet. They have to make enough money to cover their overheads and generate a profits for their shareholders.

4) Applicant credit history

The applicants’ credit history plays a very important role in determining what rate they will receive. A good credit history indicates to the card companies that the applicant is capable of managing his or her finance well, which in turn means low risk for the card companies. A poor credit history usually indicate high risk and thus the interest rate will be much higher.

5) Applicant income level

This is another important factor. Your income level determine how much credit you get as well as indicate how likely you can repay back the loan. Of course, a high level of income does not imply that the loan will be paid back on time and in full. But it give the credit card companies some assurance that you have an income source to pay back the loan which make you look less of a ‘credit-risk’.

6) The law of demand and supply

Since this is a free society, each consumers can choose which credit card companies to go to. So the credit card companies are mindful that they cannot charge usually high interest rate without proper justifications. It helps that card holders can easily change from one company to the other so the credit card companies will try their best to keep their existing customers.

6) The Federal Reserve

Each quarter of the year, the Federal Reserve will decide whether or not to “raise interest rates.” Its decision has big impact on the stock market as well as all type of interest rates.

The Federal Reserve set a “discount rate”, which is the rate it lends money to its member banks. These member banks typically make loans to other banks, who use that money to lend to corporations and individuals such as yourself. The higher the discount rate, the higher the resultant cost of lending.

The discount rate affects another rate called the “prime rate.” This is the average rate that the largest American banks charge on unsecured corporate loans. Since most credit cards are unsecured, prime rate is often used to determine the rate that cardholders pay.

For example, a cardholder with excellent credit may be offered a rate of “prime + 2 percent,” whereas a cardholder with poor credit may be offered a “prime + 14 percent” rate. Variable interest rates are almost always based on prime rate.

Although interest rate is important, you really don’t have to worry too much about it if you are a prudent credit card users. As long as you pay your credit card bill on time and in full, the interest rate is quite irrelevant to you.

Visa Credit Card

Each and every year, many of us go on vacations. Vacations are a great way to relax, and get away from the everyday pressure of life. Over half of all American families take their vacation between April and September, meaning that they spend a lot of money on travel. Whether it’s international or domestic travel, you can spend a fortune before you actually realize it.

As we all know, traveling with cash or checks isn’t always a wise decision. Renting cars, flying in airplanes, or checking into hotels is a much easier task if you have a credit card. Even though you may decide to use your credit cards for big purchases only, you’ll find that the traveling experience will be a much smoother process.

Unlike cash or checks, credit cards make handling your documents and receipts much easier. If you purchase something, records from that purchase will be made with your credit card manufacturer, which you can always fall back on if something happens. Things can go wrong without notice, so you’ll always want a backup plan or something to have as proof in the event of a disaster. With a credit card, all you need to do is look back at your statement and you’ll find everything that you purchased in one easy to find location.

Credit cards are also much easier to handle and keep track of than cash. If you decide to go to a theme park or a resort, you’ll find that cash can be a bit bulky to handle. Carrying a large amount of cash can be hard to keep track of, even though it isn’t recommended. Credit cards use up less space, and you can keep them in your pocket. When you need to pay for something, you don’t need to count through your cash, simply hand over your credit card and sign your receipt.

if you don’t have any credit cards, you can always get them for vacation purposes only. There are many benefits to having credit cards, besides the fact of them being easier to keep track of. There are many different credit cards out there to choose from, including those that will give you cash back or rewards when you make a purchase. Cash back is normally a small percentage of what you spend, and is given to you at the end of the month.

Some of the Credit cards will give you reward points for every dollar you spend, which can be redeemed with several merchants offering a variety of products. Although cash back is always a great thing, many people find reward cards to be just as good. You can enjoy your vacation, buy just about anything you want, and know that the money you spend will help you to buy other things that you may need when your vacation is over. Actually, can you think of this as having your cake and eating it to.

All in all,Credit cards can make your vacation easier than ever before. You can earn rewards and cash back with purchases you make using your card. Although you may think cash is the preferred way to go, there are several merchants who actually prefer credit cards. They are more professional, and easier for you to handle than cash or checks.

They are easy to obtain as well, providing you have good credit. If you don’t have a credit card, you should look into getting one before you take your next vacation. All you need to do is look for your favorite company online and apply through their website - you’ll normally receive a response in a matter of minutes.

Credit score information is what your lender will use to judge your application, they use it to evaluate the risk of giving you credit. As you must already know, credit institutions are a business and are only interest in making a profit in lending there money. They look to only lend money to responsible people with a good track record of repayments.

Lenders assess each application by checking applicant’s credit score. By doing this they are able to determine if your application is worth the risk. Your credit score is made from your past credit activities as well as other information in your credit file.

There are many different factors that come into play when a credit score is calculated, a predetermined formula is used by credit reporting agencies to come up with your credit score. This formula will take in to account all the information that is available to them in a credit report, then is used by credit reporting agencies to come up with your credit score

You must at least have one account for at least six months, that has been regularly use and updated, in order for this score to be calculated. This will ensure that you will have enough recent information in the credit report, from which they will base their calculations.

Any previous payment history will account for 35 percent your credit score. This will also include any one time payments you have made. Any records in your credit score of late payments, bankruptcies, lawsuits, etc, will have a detrimental effect on your credit score.

The amount of credit that you have applied for in other past, will account for about 30 percent of your credit score. Not only will the total amount you have borrowed be calculated, also the amount you have borrowed from different accounts will be as well. For example if you maintain a small balance in your accounts, then this will have a positive effect on the credit report.

The length of any credit history you have accounts for 15 percent of your credit score. The oldest account and the average age of your other accounts, will be considered as well. Another thing that will be considered, is the length of time that has passed since you have used certain accounts.

The number of deposits you have made will have made account for about 10 percent of your credit score. Any previous loan or credit applications will also be taken into account.

Credit card debts as well as installment credit as in, personal loans and mortgages are taken into account when calculating for your credit score.

The formulas used by the different credit reporting agencies vary, when calculating for your credit score. But more or less, this is how the above information is used all the credit reporting agencies, to come up with a viable credit score to assess your credit risk.

snowball credit bills

Many people probably have considered a variety of options of how not to pay your credit card debt. In other words, they are looking for ways to get out of debt without having to pay off credit card bills. If you are looking for ways how not to pay your credit card debt that will get you out completely without damaging your credit, you are out of luck.

If you want to get rid of debt while maintaining the best credit rating possible, you will have to pay the debts; there is no other choice that will keep your credit score intact. 

Ways to Keep from Paying Credit Card Debt while Protecting Your Credit Score from Serious Damage

If you have no other options, there is a way to keep from paying your credit card bills in order to be able to afford other essential monthly bills.  This will only work if, despite your best efforts, you are not able to pay your credit card bill and care for other financial obligations simultaneously.  This method should only be used for a very short period of time.

First, pay for the absolute essentials.  This means food, transportation, child support, rent, and anything else that you have choice but to pay on a monthly basis.  When it comes down to paying your rent or mortgage payment or your credit card bill, choose the one that you have to pay in order to live.

Your credit card account will not be considered delinquent until thirty days have passed without payment from the due date.  That means that credit reporting agencies and collection agencies will not be aware of your situation right away.  This way, you will be able to continue paying for the vital things in life, even though failing to make payments on your credit card bills is sure to lead to increased interest rates and extra charges.

This should only be used as a way to buy time to get your financials in order and you should make a payment, the late and the current payment as soon as possible on your credit card in order to avoid collections action.

The very limited effects prioritizing your bills in this manner will bring to your credit score are nothing compared to the damage inflicted by charge offs and filing for bankruptcy.