Thursday, March 21, 2013

Great Tips for Understanding a Credit Card Statement

By Melville Milne


It may seem overwhelming to delve into the numerous credit card solicitations you receive daily. Reward programs or lowered interest rates will be part of the incentives to lure you to sign up. How can a consumer decide? This article has tips to help you learn all about credit cards.

List your credit card numbers and the contact information associated with each of them. Keep that information in a safe spot. If you do this, you can quickly contact creditors if your cards are stolen or lost. It is important to report a lost card, as soon as possible, in order to avoid paying for fraudulent charges.

Transferring a balance from one credit card to another is nothing to shy away from, especially if it allows you to get more favorable interest rates and fees. Aside from interest rates, a different card might offer better rewards that you can claim later. However, it's easy to get burned long-term like this. Crunch the numbers thoroughly before proceeding.

Avoid applying for a large number of credit cards. If you have multiple credit cards, you may start losing track of your finances, making it difficult to manage them. If you have a lot of unsecured credit, you risk having higher debt.

The first place you should look to for a credit card is your bank, especially if you have been doing business with them for years. Your bank already knows you and is more likely to issue to a credit card than another institution. Following this, try your local credit union.

Try avoiding companies which charge an annual fee. People with good credit scores typically are offered cards that have no annual fees. These fees are hard to deal with because they can make the perks that a card has seem worthless. Do your calculations. Credit companies do not make annual feels blatantly obvious; you have to scour the fine print for them. Get your reading glasses out! Calculate whether the benefits of the card are worth the fees. Many times the fees do not outweigh the benefits, so consider carefully.

Try to always pay off the minimum payment at least on a credit card bill every month. If you miss a payment, your credit score could be negatively affected, which will make it harder for you to get access to credit in the future. You may also have to pay costly fees if you miss a credit card payment.

Each day, millions of consumers find credit card offers clogging their mailbox, and it may seem impossible to make sense of each one. By informing yourself, it is easier to choose the right credit cards. Some sound advice is necessary to make wise decisions, and this article will offer just that.




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