Sunday, March 30, 2008

Get the Best Balance Transfer Offer

You will probably feel that you will never get your debt paid off if your credit card balance is near the limit, and your interest rate has risen significantly. The number of credit card debts in the United States has increased because many families have problems with their credit cards.

A lot of families end up searching for solutions that can get them out from under the burden of owing a lot of money. You may have found a part of the solution to credit cards debt if you find a balance transfer offer that gives you a great deal on your interest rate. However, you need to be careful about how you go about the balance transfer solution.

You can transfer the balance from one of your credit cards to another through a balance transfer offer. Credit card companies often use this offer to convince consumers to sign up for their services. You will usually receive a balance transfer offer with an interest rate of 0%. You can benefit from this offer because you can use a balance transfer to get one card paid off, and to lower your payments on the balance.

However, jumping from card to card can also cause problems. For instance, you may be required to pay hidden fees. You need to find out if you must pay for the initial balance transfer offer before you sign up for one. Remember that the low interest rate may only last a few months before it jumps up to where it was on your last card.

You have to make sure that you look over any balance transfer offer as it comes in. You should not hesitate to contact the company to get specific information about the terms and conditions of their offer. If you can?t understand them completely, then you should ask them to speak in language you can comprehend. It would be wise to skip that balance transfer offer and move on to the next one if they seem unwilling, or seem to be giving you conflicting information.

Always keep in mind that a balance transfer offer may only be a temporary fix for your credit card problems. You may need to change your spending habits in order to clean up your debt. You debt may be caused by other factors other than your credit cards. Do not be afraid of looking into consumer debt help if you seem to be in a lot of trouble.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Balance Transfer Offer. Visit our site for more helpful information about Balance Transfer Offer and other similar topics.

Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards May Save Your Life

Having a credit card can give you a false sense of security. Somehow you find yourself being lured to make purchase after purchase by that little piece of plastic between your fingertips. It?s a very common scenario. And if you are a part of the working class, it?s not likely that you will be able to afford to pay your balance in full. So you find yourself paying the minimum amount due printed on your statement every month, only to find out months later that you?re not that far from where you?ve started.

The reason for this is high interest rates compounded on top of your outstanding balance. Some credit card companies charge interest of up to 18%. And if you are only paying minimum, or slightly above minimum, you just can?t win. Its time to think of an alternative and that is finding the best balance transfer credit cards.

What Is a Credit Card Balance Transfer?
Simply put, a balance transfer means moving your debt from one credit card to another. This is a very good way of saving money. If you have more than one credit card, you can even consolidate your debts by transferring all your outstanding balances to just one card. Many credit card companies offer an interest-free period, making them the best balance transfer credit cards. There are also some offering considerably lower interest rates than what you are putting up with.

How Does It Work?
A credit card balance transfer is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is apply for a new credit card. Once approved, you can give the details of your old credit card to the new issuer and they can transfer the balance for you. If your new credit card has an online banking feature, you can even do the transfer yourself. Of course, you have to do your research and find the best balance transfer credit cards that fit your needs.

How Can I Find the Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards?
Research might be painstaking but it can help you find the best balance transfer credit cards. Find a credit card that would let you transfer your outstanding balance from your old card with a 12-month 0% annual percentage rate, or APR. Also make sure that the new credit card offers low interest rates after the period is over.

Read the Fine Print.
If you plan to make purchases with your new credit card, be very careful. Even if they have a balance transfer rate of 0%, most credit cards still offer the standard, and sometimes even higher, interest rates for purchases. Any payments made goes towards your balance transfer. As a result, interest is compounded each month until your balance transfer is paid in full. The best balance transfer credit cards offer 0% or low interest rates for both the balance transfer and purchases. Also be aware that some credit card companies will charge a transfer fee for every balance transfer.

Protect Yourself.
Once you have chosen the best balance transfer credit cards for your needs, don?t be too cocky to take further precautions. Where money is concerned, there are a hundred and one ways for things to go wrong.

? Do the balance transfer as quickly as possible. Most credit card companies have a limited period for you to take advantage of any promotions.

? If the approved credit limit is not high enough for your outstanding balance, just move what you can. Most people make the mistake of not using the new credit card because the credit limit is not high enough.

? Even with an interest of 0%, it is still debt. Always pay at least the minimum amount required to avoid penalties, or worse, losing the deal offered by the best balance transfer credit cards that you chose.

Manage your credit cards responsibly, or else you just might create more debt without a way of paying for it.

Interested in best balance transfer credit cards? Visit CreditCardMonitor.org today and find easy to get credit cards, particularly zero interest credit cards

Labels: , , , , ,

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Credit Card Balance Transfers - Know How To Save Money

In 2004 Americans paid $412 billion dollars in finance charges to the credit card companies. If you contributed to this astronomical amount, you might be considering a 0% interest balance transfer to knock down those monthly payments. You also might think that this is a simple choice, that of course you should opt for a card that does not charge interest over any other card that does. Well, before you take up credit-card hopping as this month's attempt at exercising, there are a few things you should be aware of when it comes to balance transfers.

Balance Transfer Fees. Many balance transfers can cost you a charge of 3% to 5% of your balance. Although many cards will cap this charge at around $50 to $100, some do not, and your charge could very well negate your savings from the lower interest rate.

Universal Default Clause. This policy is practiced by many credit card companies and you need to be aware of it. Under this policy if the cardholder is late on any of their bills, cell phone, electric, car, what have you, the credit card company can instantly take away the promotional interest rate and charge a higher rate.

The Fine Print and the *. Be sure to scrutinize the fine print and watch out for any conditional symbols such as the asterisk*. Many zero % interest offers are only given to candidates who qualify, namely those with a clean credit history. Be careful when applying under these terms as you might not qualify for the zero % interest but instead end up with an even higher interest rate.

Additional Purchases. Find out if new purchases qualify for the zero% interest as this will have important ramifications. If new purchases do fall under the 0% interest then you can rest easy. If they do not, you must be aware of the consequences. Let's say you transfer $5,000 and then make additional purchases of $500. Any payments you make will go towards the $5,000 first and the $500 will instead accrue interest at the higher interest rate until the entire $5,000 is paid. That $500 might end up costing you more than you saved with the balance transfer. **It is important to note that the balance transfer fee usually counts as a new purchase.

But do not be discouraged, balance transfers are a powerful fiscal tool, if used properly. Follow these steps and you are sure to beat the house.

Destroy The Old Card. Do not give the temptation a chance. Like the arms of an ex-lover you are trying to leave, you do not want to be wrapped up by them...again.

Destroy The New Card. If your main goal is to pay down the balance, cut the new card as well and you will not have to worry about interest charges on new purchases. Simply pay down your debt at zero interest.

Pay All Of Your Bills On Time. Do not fall prey to the universal default clause. Pay all of your bills (phone, auto, mortgage, etc.) on time and you will retain your zero % interest.

Call The Credit Card Company. When your promotional rate comes to an end, before transferring to another card, call your credit card company and tell them you are going to transfer your balance if they cannot give you a low interest rate. It will not be 0%, but it might be much safer then jumping to a new card and repeating this precarious process.

This article may be reprinted on the condition that nothing is altered and that the links remain active. Rose Spencer is a Credit Risk Analyst who writes articles on credit management for a website offering news and information on credit cards. If you're looking for a Balance Transfer Credit Card visit these links and Apply for a Credit Card Today.

Labels: , , , ,

Friday, January 11, 2008

5 tips on find the best balance transfer credit cards

The balance transfer credit card can help you save money if you have an outstanding payment to make on one or more high interest credit cards. You can use the balance transfer feature to transfer you balance from your high interest credit card to the credit card with the lower rate of interest. Accordingly, you pay less on the balance transfer credit and save money.

These low interest credit cards or balance transfer credit cards have an introductory period, which can generally last for six months or a year. The interest rate that you pay in the introductory period is either zero or negligible. Since the interest rate is low or zero, you can make your credit card payments on the principal amount a whole lot faster. You get a regular APR on the card after the introductory period is over.

Here is a look on the 5 tips on find the best balance transfer credit cards:

1. Check how long the introductory period lasts. Though it is normally a year, it is not obligatory. Sometime you can have a free promotional period for 18 months or sometimes you can have a negligible interest rate for the life of the balance. You have to check how high will be the APR charged after the promotional period is over. Will the interest rate rise by a few percentage points or is the increase going to be drastic? Though some credit card companies will sugar-coat the entire thing about the rise in interest rate, you have to proactively ask them or at best, read the credit card fine print or the documentation in its entirety.

2. When you are looking for the balance transfer credit card, go through the terms and conditions for payments. Is there any annual fee for the card? What are the late fees and over the limit fees? How are you going to be penalized for defaulting on the payments? Do you stand to lose the introductory APR if you default? Some credit card companies automatically increase the APR, and keep it higher than normal, after the promotional period, if you do not make prompt payments.

3. Most balance transfer credit companies readily offer the facility to transfer larger balances to people who have a good credit history. The ones who do not have a good credit history may not be able to avail the benefit to transfer a large balance. It is important to make it clear with the balance transfer credit card company about the maximum amount that is allowed to be transferred.

4. Check if there are fees for balance transfer. If you are transferring a huge amount, the balance transfer fees can really be on the higher side. Stay away from such murky offers because ultimately there is not much sense if you are paying more for the transfer of the money to be saved.

5. You may get a zero percent or a negligible interest rate from the balance transfer credit card but there can be a catch to it. As per there 'terms and conditions', you may not be able to make a credit purchase on your card for a certain period. Alternatively, you may be offered a promotion to buy something within a certain period. Ask the balance transfer Credit Card Company about what kind of purchases you can make during the promotional period of 0% or low APR. There are some balance transfers credit cards, which offer you cash back for any new purchases on the card. You however do not get cash back on balance transfers. The cash back offer is a good thing if you hope to use the balance transfer credit card for a longer period of time.

Daniel Cohen recommends Find Credit Cards for comparing the best balance transfer credit cards

Labels: , , , ,

Monday, November 26, 2007

How Balance Transfers Can Help You Stop Putting Money Down the Drain!

As you probably know, interest rates are at all time low right now and if you aren't getting the best deal from your
credit card company then they owe it to you to either lower your rate, or you owe it to yourself to find a better deal.
You see, credit card companies need your business in order to succeed and if you refuse to pay a penny more than you
have to then you'll be doing yourself and others a big favour indeed. By doing this, you'll avoid paying more than you should and the companies will stop treating its clients inappropriately.

Now that this is clear, we will talk about the essentials of balance transfers, how they work and how you can ensure that you get the absolute best possible deal.

1. First and foremost, understand what a balance transfer is. A balance transfer is when you transfer the balance from one card to another in order to get a better interest rate than the one that you are currently getting.

2. Second, to find the absolute best deals, look to transfer balances on cards where the initial interest rate is 0% and the amount after that is lower than the one you have now. For instance, if you're a cardholder that has an interest rate of 27.4% on a 1000 balance and you only pay
150 a month for 6 months, you will not pay off the balance in 6 months. Instead you will pay 247 worth of interest and your balance after 6 months will be 346. In contrast, if you had a 0% card and make the same monthly payment then your balance will be reduced to 100 at the end of the 6
month period, a tremendous saving!

3. Third, don't throw those offers that you receive in the mail away. If you have great credit then you'll likely have
credit card companies vying for your attention. Just use this power to your advantage and find the very best 0% deal
for you.

4. If no good deals seem apparent, then you have to find your own deals. You can do this by conducting a thorough search on the internet to see if you can find a 0% card offer.

5. Once you've done this, request information and then review it carefully. Pay close attention to the rate after
the initial introductory period is over. For instance, if you have two choices of cards with 0% interest rates for 6 months and one charges an interest rate of 15.00% after the initial period and one that charges 11.00% after the initial period then by all means choose the second one
because it is by far the better deal overall.

6. Read and then reread the credit cardholder agreement a couple of times. Make sure that you understand all of the
jargon and if you don't, find someone that does before you sign it. Review it closely to make sure that you are getting the best deal possible. For instance, when
evaluating deals, you should ask yourself these questions:

a. How long does the introductory rate last?
b. What will be the rate after the teaser expires?
c. What are the cards annual fees? Can they be waived?
d. Are there any transfer fees that you should be aware of?
e. Are there any perks that are offered? (Ex. frequent flier miles, free gifts, etc).

7. Once you've decided on an offer, fill out your application fully and get it in the mail as soon as you can.

8. Once you get the offer, make sure that it is a 0% teaser rate and if it isn't, then contact the company right away. If they aren't open to doing so then tell them that you're cancelling the card and look for another company that delivers what they promise. Your primary goal is avoid the old "bait and switch" while simultaneously saving money on interest.

9. While waiting for your new card, make sure that you continue to pay on your old card to avoid glitches in your credit report and once you receive notification that the transfer has been made, make sure you contact the old company and make sure that they received the payoff amount.

10. After the teaser rate is up, don't be afraid to jump from one credit card to another after the teaser expires. You see, there is absolutely nothing wrong with surfing cards and taking advantage of 0% offers whenever you possibly can. Just keep finding and researching great deals.

That's it my friend. Credit card transfers don't have to be so confusing and daunting. If you follow the above
mentioned steps then you can and will win the balance transfer rate and stop throwing your hard earned money down
the drain.
Claire Bowes is a successful freelance writer and owner of http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.ukwhere you will find further advice and tips on the best credit card deals.

Labels: , , , ,