Gauging The Value Of Low Interest Credit
Cards
by Chris Channing
High interest rate credit
cards are the bane of borrowers everywhere. But
even if you find a credit card with a lower than average
interest rate, you aren't in the clearing just yet. You
will still have to review terms that could still
potentially make a lower interest rate card less appealing
than a higher rate card.
With credit cards being as competitive as they are, almost
every credit card comes with a certain grace period in
which you don't pay any interest. This is a key time to
load up on items you want or need, and not have to pay a
large sum of money in addition to the price of said items.
Be careful for the bait and switch, in which rates jump
sky-high after the grace period.
Be on the lookout for an annual fee. Such fees are applied
to certain types of credit cards, and can make even an
interest-free period cost you money. It is around average
to pay $50 in total for annual fees, but this will
obviously changed based on the lender you address.
Sometimes you can get annual fees cut out of the contract
if you are of high credit status.
Accidents happen- you won't be an exception. If you can't
make a payment one month, you will be assigned a penalty by
your credit company. It's good to sign onto a credit
company that understand that accidents and other "hiccups"
will happen along the way, and that a high penalty would be
a little atypical. If you're lucky, you'll find a company
with no penalty at all!
There is advice that states that if you don't need to use
your credit card, don't do it. In this style of thinking,
mentors claim that you will not be subject to interest
rates and will save money. That is of course if the
creditor your work with doesn't apply a minimum balance
fee, which states that you must have a certain amount of
money owed to avoid a fee. As unbelievable as this sounds,
certain creditors actually go through with such
tactics.
Remember that nice interest rate you were promised? Credit
companies can take it away with even one slip up. Credit
companies have the right to raise interest rates as they
see fit, so long as it is stated in the contract. There
should be a sense of control in the limbo that this
creates, so inquire as to what penalties would be applied
before obtaining a credit card.
Final Thoughts
By law, credit companies aren't allowed to include hidden
fees. But when they detail the fees in the contract, it is
your duty to find out what you are liable for, what you
aren't, and what is expected of you.
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