Category Archive 'Mathematicians Tips'
26.01.08
Credit cards can be a wonderful financial tool when used responsibly and with caution. There are many risks that go with credit cards besides the possibility of surmounting debt. Some of these risks such as identity theft and theft can be minimized if you take the time to follow some basic steps in protecting your credit card.
Steps to Protect Your Credit Cards:
1 - Sign your credit card immeditately
This protects you from having someone else use your credit card.
2 - Activate your credit card
Activating your credit card is as simple as a phone call, and you may not be able to use your card until you make that call. This should be done after signing your card.
3 - Write down credit card information and store in a safe place
When you get your credit card, write down the credit card number and any customer service telephone numbers. These should be kept in a safe place separate from your credit cards, like a floor safe. After thoroughly reading any documentation that came with your credit card, be sure to store this in a safe as well. You may need to refer back to this information.
4 - Keep credit card information private
Do not give out your credit card number or expiration date over the phone unless you know who it is your doing business with. Giving out this information can lead to identity theft, which can be difficult to solve.
5 - Keep credit card receipts
Your credit card receipts should be kept until the bill come, even those gas receipts you forget to collect at the gas pump. They should be checked against the bill and any descrepancies should be noted and resolved immediately.
6 - Do not lend your credit card to anyone
Your credit card is a financial tool that can be easily abused, and even more so if you lend it out to friends. Protect your credit and never lend your credit card to anyone for any reason.
These basic steps are not a foolproof way of protecting your credit cards as those who are out to commit fraud and theft will go to any length in order to do so as long as it seems to pay off in the long run. Your best bet is to follow these steps and then remain diligent about keeping track of all the information and following up on anything suspicious.
For more information on credit cards and debt management, visit Opinedmind.com
The author of this article runs OpinedMind.com and is currently a Ph.D. student writing articles geared toward the college student. Topics include student loans and debt management.
14.11.07
There are several ways that we can build credit. If you are tired of collectors hounding you, or if you are frustrated that no one will loan you money because you never had credit, it is time to learn how to build your credit. First, and foremost never purchase items you do not need. If you ‘want’, do not let your wants wear you down and get you deeper in debt. If you are searching to build credit and have no history at all, make sure you have your priorities in order.
Bad Credit Building Credit
If you have, bad credit get a DO-IT-YOURSELF-Kit and gets the balls rolling. You can go to your public library and get books that will guide you through the steps of repairing your credit. Most libraries allow you to copy and print forms that you must fill out and then send to your credits.
There are systematic guides at your local library that has the tools for instructor debtors how to write letters to creditors. Letters are probably better than phoning creditors, since some creditors could care less about your situation and may threaten you. Another good reason for writing letters is that (copy in writing) is more valuable in a courtroom than a conversation on the phone. If something is said or an agreement is reached and the creditor later denies his or her claims then you can present this to any courtroom and they will listen to you first. Any documents that pertain to your credit history should be stored in a safe area. If you send letters to your creditors keep a copy of each letter sent and store it in a safe area. If you notice any errors on your bills or credit, reports make sure that you contact the appropriate professionals and dispute the charges immediately. If you have credit cards and used the card to purchase an item or use a service and this person sold you a defected item or else provided bad service, you DO NOT have to make payment toward the charges. You do however have to dispute the charges with the services or stores that sold you the product or service. If the sources refuse to give you an item usable, or else reimburse you for a service or product you have the right to deny payment.
Once you have disputed the charges with the sources you will then contact your card provider and let them know what occurred. If you are lucky enough to have a credit card with bad credit, use the card to repay your debts and then meet the monthly installments on the credit card each month. Ironically, you are getting out of debt while going in debt deeper. It is a solution when all else false. In other words, if you use the card to pay your debts each month and then payoff your credit cards the following month and then turnaround and uses the card to pay that month bills….
Now you see where I am going. Credit cards have interest rates so the bills each month on the card will increase.
No, Credit…No Problem
I do not need a credit line or credit card; I pay all my bills each month with money. Is this you? Well then, you have the obvious answer, but what if…
In today’s world, we are moving into an era that requires us to have at least one major credit card. When you phone any business where you have debts, they will first ask you to pay with a credit card. If you go apply for a job, apartment, mortgage, car loan, or any other credit line you most likely will get a rejection notice in the mail. Most lenders will not give credit to anyone that has no credit history. The reason is that we are expected to establish a credit line when we are teens, and if we do not the lenders are often suspicious. The lenders do not have an idea and can only base their judgments of you on assumptions. Can I assume this person will make monthly payments on time? Has this person taken for granted a loan from a friend or family member in the past and there are no records available for me to see if it is true? There are many reasons that lenders will refuse you a loan if you do not have a credit history. The best solution is starting up a line of credit now, pay off your dues on time and avoid making purchases on items you do not really need. Staying out of debt means regulating your money each month and paying your bills on time.
Son Ngo is the editor at www.vkhowto.com, a community shared “How To” website on everyday tricks and tips. You can share your expertises and experiences to the world by submitting your article at the website.
02.11.07
Once you became unemployed, did your bills begin to suffer? Maybe you were able to continue paying your bills for a month of two. But the third or fourth month, you began getting behind a little bit more. You were late in paying one or two of you bills. You are sure the next month this will not happen. You will be prepared when the bills come.
The next month comes along and instead of being behind only on one bill, now you are behind on two bills. Your creditors began calling because this is not your normal pattern. What can you do? Do you ignore the calls out of embarrassment or do you take the call and feel worse after you get off the phone.
There are steps you can take to work with your creditor once you are unemployed. If prior to your unemployment, you were faithfully paying your bills on time the next few steps could be crucial. First, I suggest that you do not avoid the phone call. Some creditors are more determined than others to get someone on the phone. Second, one you are on the phone with the creditor be honest about the situation you are dealing with. Assure them that it is not your intent not to pay your bills. You have found yourself in a situation that you are not used to dealing with. Third, ask them if once you have returned to being employed and paying your bills, if they would be willing to add a statement to your file reflecting your determination and willingness to get your bills paid. You might be surprised that some of your creditors will help you.
This will in turn be looked at when you are seeking new credit and trying to re-establish your credit. If you have not ever looked at your credit report, order it from www.annualcreditreport.com for free once a year. Or you can order it from each of the credit reporting agencies individually. The credit reporting agencies are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Realize that these should vary slightly.
If you do not understand how to read your credit report, ask a friend that you trust to read it for you. Or I recommend that you contact your bank and try to meet with the personal banker. They should be able to explain to you how to read it. This will assist you in getting your finances in order. Maybe your credit became bad once you became unemployed, the above strategies should help you.
Dr. Taffy W. Wagner is the author of the Amazon.com Bestseller Debt Dilemma. She is the unemployment editor for Bellaonline.com and the Financial Coach for ChristianLadies.net.
Purchase Debt Dilemma at http://www.amazon.com or http://www.paidoff.net.
08.10.07
One of the most often asked questions about credit cards is ‘what’s the ideal number of credit cards to have?’ The question is asked as if there is a magic number that will tell lenders that you’re credit-worthy without hacking away at your credit rating because you have too many credit cards. The reality is not that simple.
The ideal number of credit cards is a very individual thing. It depends on a combination of factors, including what type of credit card each one is, your monthly income, the amount of credit available to you and your history of making payments on your credit cards. According to the NS&I Quarterly Savings report issued in June, the credit card UK market is doing booming business, with 4.1 credit cards for every adult in the UK. So is 4.1 the magic number?
In most cases, say financial experts, the right number of credit cards is between 2 and 6. Of those, you should have at least one major credit card - Mastercard, Visa or American Express - as those are accepted nearly everywhere you go and are the most genuinely helpful in the case of an emergency. Other credit cards you may carry include a store credit card - which generally charge interest at whopping rates close to 30% - and a gasoline card. More important than how many cards you’re carrying, though, is how much you owe on them.
One of the things that factors into your credit score is your debt/credit ratio. The credit bureaus compare how much credit you have available to you in relation to how much you’re currently using. If you have one credit card with a credit limit of £1000 and you’re carrying a balance of £500, then you’re using 50% of your available credit. Is that good? That depends on the source of your information. Some lenders would consider 50% credit usage to be unacceptably high. For others, it’s right in their target zone. The most conservative lenders balk at a debt/credit ratio above 25-30% of your available credit.
There are other reasons to limit the number of credit cards you carry as well. When you have one credit card, it’s easy to keep track of your spending and your account due dates. Add a second credit card, and you’re still all right - but what happens when your one credit card turns into 15 in your wallet? At that point, you’re at serious risk of accidentally missing due dates out of sheer forgetfulness - and that will kick up your monthly charges, sometimes on more than just the affected card.
So what is the ideal number of credit cards? Here are some rules of thumb to help you decide if you have too few, too many or just enough:
1. Your monthly credit card payments should be no more than 25% of your monthly income.
2. If you’ve forgotten to make a credit card payment because you just MADE a payment - but it was to another company - you probably have too many cards.
3. If you can only make the minimum payments - and sometimes not even that - then you should consider consolidating some of your debts onto one credit card. UK companies offer many balance transfer cards that can help you consolidate your debts.
4. If you’re not sure which cards are at or close to their limits, you probably have too many.
5. If your total debt is less than half of your total available credit, you’re probably in pretty good shape.
There are some really good comparison sites where you’ll find all the best deals on offer for any credit card UK companies offer. If you’re looking for other credit cards, your first credit card, or a balance transfer credit card to reduce the number of cards that you carry, moneyeverything.com is the ideal first stop.
Jon Francis has been involved in various areas with the world of finance and has a keen eye for a bargin! He has an in-depth knowledge of the credit card UK market and now helps others get the best from a credit card. For more information visit “http://www.moneyeverything.com”.
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04.10.07
What FACTA means is that if you, as an individual, lose the information on anyone you have ever hired; or, for any business in the United States of America that collects any personal information on people, if the information should be lost due to not destroying the information properly, then two things can happen. First, there are federal fines of up to $2,500.00, and state fines up to $1,000, per employee, per incident. Second, the business is liable for any damages the individual suffers as the result of a breach of information.
Take an example that the company loses information due to negligent destruction (i.e. you don’t own a shredder and throw the information into the dumpster). Nothing in FACTA really determines what the employee has to do to prove “negligent destruction” on the part of the employer, so an employee could simply state that the employer had lost the information, and even if the employer had burned the information into ashes, it would be up to the employer to show that the information had not gotten out due to his or her company’s negligence.
Business Week says that the average damages for Identity Theft victims are $92,000.00 and up per person. Using this statistic, if you have 10 employees lose their identities, then on average, your liability is $920,000.00. Statistically, you are responsible for an average of 75 bad checks and 8 credit cards per employee. The average Identity Theft victim also spends 600 hours getting their credit restored, which means that you will have 600 hours per employee, so potentially 6,000 hours for 10 employees, which you will be responsible for paying employees who aren’t even at work, because they have taken time off to deal with the Identity Theft.
According to John Gardner, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul, “The damages are devastating to any business.”
There are many problems related to people’s identities that don’t deal with credit issues. Contrary to popular belief, only 26% of identity theft issues relate to credit issues. The other 74% of the issues, according to Gardner, are related to the following four areas:
Someone stealing your DMV record. Example: An identity thief wants to drive under your employee’s name instead of theirs. This will help the Identity Thief to not get caught in cases of DUI, unpaid speeding tickets, etc. Your employee is then blamed for their driving record.
Someone stealing your MIB record. This is your Medical Information Bureau Record. Example: An Identity Thief wants to have an AIDS test done in your employee’s name, rather than theirs, or have their prescriptions filled using your employee’s Medicaid or Medicare benefits
Someone stealing your character identity to commit a crime in your name. Imagine this – your future employee comes to your child care facility, and everything sounds good about this candidate. However, you run a criminal background check, and find out that they have three arrests for child pornography and one for drug trafficking to minors. You bring the record to their attention, and they insist it’s not them.
Your employment record. Example: An Identity Thief wants to earn income using your employee’s social security number, but let your employee pay taxes on the money they earn.
As a result of this, Gardner says that “Businesses need to offer 24 hour per day, 7 day per week access to attorneys….I think that the danger is so large to any business, that they may want to [pay for] some of the cost of this, to encourage the employees to get the benefit…If a business does not understand that they need the help, they are living in a dream world.”
Employers should also offer some sort of Identity Theft protection, and ongoing background monitoring. This can be offered as a voluntary benefit which has no real cost to the employer, as a fringe benefit paid by the employer, or can be a combination of both. When an identity thief uses your employee’s information, (for example an identity thief takes the employee’s current address, and uses it as their previous address when they apply for a mortgage,) ongoing background monitoring will notify your employee when the identity theft happens.
Most people don’t find out that they have become victims until that Identity Thief, who has used your employee’s credit to finance their mortgage, stops paying bills, is picked up for a crime, or doesn’t pay taxes. Ongoing monitoring provides an early warning system, so that your employee will be able to call an expert who can correct the problem when it takes place. This will save your employee’s time, and limit the losses your employee will incur as a result of the breach of their information. This will also save you the costs associated with the frustration and lack of ability to pay attention as work.
Even if your employees don’t elect to have the benefits of legal services and identity theft protection, having a mandatory meeting where employees hear that you have made this coverage available to them will provide an affirmative defense, should an employee ever accuse you, as the employer, of having lost their personal information.
Under FACTA, access to an attorney and credit restoration, are benefits that employers need to offer. Ongoing background monitoring will mitigate damages that the employee can experience because the early warning system will be in place to handle the issues. Access to an attorney and credit restoration will drastically reduce the time the employee spends away from work dealing with the issues surrounding identity theft and other personal legal problems.
Failure on the part of an employer to offer this benefit leaves a company exposed to thousands (and even millions) of dollars in potential damages, and leaves employees subject to the time, frustration, and headaches associated with being a victim of Identity Theft.
Jonathan Kraft is a benefits consultant who specializes in educating people about how they can get affordable access to the legal system. Because of his work in the field of electronic Identity Theft, he has come to be known as Colorado’s Foremost Expert on Computer Related Identity Theft. To schedule a time for Mr. Kraft’s company to present Identity Theft and Legal Service protection to your employees, please contact him at (877) 825-7119. You can also find out more on the web at http://www.strive4impact.com/group
27.09.07
Most people don’t want to spend a lot of money on having a credit card. They will shop around for the best possible deal they can get on a credit card. They will wish to get as low an interest rate as possible and definitely not pay a monthly or annual fee for the card. Getting the best price on a credit card makes a lot of sense for most people, in fact for the vast majority of people; however, there are circumstances in which you will wish to pay more for a credit card than you have to.
One thing that many people opt for is a fee-paying credit card. This fee will be payable either annually or monthly, and you will have to pay it no matter how much or how little you use the card. Paying the fee will entitle you to certain benefits. For example, you will be given a preferential interest rate that will be among the lowest credit card interest rates on the market. If you currently have a high outstanding credit card balance that you frequently pay interest on, then having access to a reduced interest rate will have the potential to save you your annual fee many times over. Another benefit of the feeing paying card is that it may give you access to a higher monthly spending limit. This will be valuable if you rely on your credit card to make a lot of vital purchases.
If you use your credit card abroad a lot, you will know that most cards charge high exchange fees, and transaction charges on all transactions made in foreign currencies. To save on these sometimes very high fees, you can opt for a fee-paying credit card and you will no longer be subject to them. This can be a very wise saving for all people who use their credit card abroad a lot.
Another extra charge you can optionally incur on your credit card is that you may opt for optional payment protection insurance. This insurance will be calculated based on the outstanding balance you have on your credit card. It will be charged as a percentage of that balance and is designed to protect you against circumstances in which you become unable to keep up with repayments. This covers instances where you may become unable to make your repayments if you lose your job or become ill or unable to work through no fault of your own.
A fee-paying credit card can also help a cardholder when they are in trouble, especially while abroad. Some of the services that a fee-paying credit card provides are second to none. With many cards, if you were to lose your credit card you just call a special international help line number where you will find assistance. Most fee-paying credit card services will provide a new credit card within 24 hours and will supply cash until your new credit card is ready.
Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb
For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about credit cards, please visit us at Credit Card and 0% Balance Transfers
http://www.creditcards-gb.co.uk
15.09.07
Most gas companies offer two types of gas card – a gas credit card and a gas charge card. Credit cards are self explanatory, and charge cards require consumers to make a full payment for expenses incurred within the agreed date. Charge cards differ to credit cards, as they do not allow consumers to carry forward a balance at the end of each month.
Gas cards with high annual fee benefit from higher credit limits, accident insurance cover, travel cover, and every other cover under the sun. In modern times due to high competition between banks, card issuers are quite often wavering joining fees and annual fees to attract more clients.
The Discover Gas Card is one of the top gas cards on the market offering up to 10% rebate on your gas purchase. As more cards appear on the market allowing greater flexibility of offering cash rebates regardless of where you top up with gas, consumers have a much varied choice, and discover gas cards are one of the top of the list.
This card caters mainly to consumers looking for better gas deals, it offers 5% cash rebate on gas or up to 10% savings on gas to consumers who accept their rebate as gift certificates from their partner retailers.
As with any type of card application there are a certain amount of items and documents about your self needed in order to apply for a card.
You can apply and submit your application for a gas card online. If you have an existing account with a bank this can help make the process a lot easier and quicker. Alternatively if you are not internet familiar or prefer to send things the old fashioned way, then you can use the postal system to mail off your application form.
As standard the application form will need your bank details, details of your current job and annual income, as well as the years held in your current job position, and you social security number. Other questions will just be about yourself and details on where you live.
Many oil and gas companies are now offering revolving accounts. A revolving account is the credit facility extended to the cardholder, which allows consumers to use the credit up to the amount the consumer reimburses in to the bank as a repayment on or before the due date.
There are two kinds of gas station credit card. The first type is a gas station or an oil company credit card. These will carry a Visa or a Master Card logo and is accepted everywhere, and you will receive a discount on gas purchased from that specific station that has issued the card only.
The second types of cards are available from major credit card companies and they offer a discount on fuel at any gas station, as well as rebates on other purchases at supermarkets, drug stores or restaurants.
More information on Gas Cards can be found at the author’s website at http://www.gas-cards.info
09.09.07
Conventional thinking leads us to understand that school and college going children do not have any special usage of the credit card, other than downloading the latest chartbuster or purchasing an occasional gift item. However in practicality, children today have gone overboard to such an extent with credit card spending, that they have plunged themselves into credit card debt.
Once the child reaches the college, he is inundated with credit card offers galore. According to a 2001 Nellie Mae observation, it has been noticed that about 84 percent of undergraduate students have atleast have one credit card with an average balance of $2300. Close to 50 percent of students sign up for a credit card in their first year at college. Credit card companies are on a roll promoting students’ credit card on campus and through the internet. Students are lured by fascinating offers, discounts to pubs and clubs, freebies, extra airline mines and low introductory rates.
The entire gamut of offers sounds and looks irresistible to your child and he can’t help but reach out to a credit card. The ‘I will pay later’ syndrome catches on the child and then he finds himself trapped in debt, if he cannot control his expenses. Some of the children end up as college drop outs because they have to work full-time to pay their credit card bills. Reality hits them hard when they know that their inability to pay affects their credit rating and subsequently their ability to afford a home, insurance and even get a job. It is sad to know that a person cannot get a job after his college just because he could not pay his credit card bills. The whole cycle takes a bad toll on the health of the child and affects his relationship with his parents and loved ones. It drives him into depression and at times he may even contemplate suicide. All of this can happen because of giving into a double edged temptation-overspending and mis-management of finance.
Before the depression of 1991, credit cards were not offered to college students. The cards were given to them only if they were co-signed by their parents. The credit limits were also less and manageable. However post 1991; the credit card issuing companies began to find a potential goldmine in the student market. They began to advertise and change their market strategy to suit the needs of children. They began to market on the ‘independent child’ concept and began to show them how they can live and take care of their expenses without being a strain on their parents. The credit limits were raised and the co-signing procedure was removed.
When a child has reached an appropriate level of maturity and understanding of personal finances, co-signing a credit card can be very beneficial. Educate your child about how finance charges are applied on the account. Show him how the concept of minimum due works. Show him how he can devise a plan to pay the balance in full. Educate him about the inside story of reward cards and balance transfer cards. Let him know about the introductory rate of interest and how it can change once the promotional period is over. Inform him that cash advances have a higher interest rate compared to the purchases.
Children have to be educated properly about credit card spending. Credit cards are a good financial tool if utilized properly. In today’s world financial knowledge is extremely important for everybody, not just adults. Any body that ignores the know-hows of financial tools is just hurting themselves. As parents, make sure that your child is educated in the field of credit card management. Children should be enrolled into a personal finance class. You can create a habit among your children to read financial newspapers and read online material as to how one can avoid credit card debt and take care of personal finance. When you buy a credit card for him, show him how he should compare the advantages and minus points before making a choice. Choose the one that has no annual fee and less credit limit.
Your child should be educated about things like penalties and fees for going over the limit and making a late payment. Make him aware about how the three major credit bureaus in the country work and make him known about the importance of the credit rating. Sit with him and review his personal expenses every month. Show him how if there is an outstanding balances on two credit cards or more, one should always pay the one which carries the highest rate first. Be a good credit card user yourself so that your good habits rub off on your child as well.
Daniel Cohen recommends Find Credit Cards for finding a Chase reward credit card.
17.08.07
If you are fed up with one of your credit cards or simply don’t use it, then perhaps is the right time to cancel that card. However, cancelling a card can be tricky, as the company obviously wants you to stay with them. If you follow these simple steps then cancelling a card can be hassle free and will not affect your credit rating:
Pay it off
Obviously, the first thing you need to do before you can cancel a card is to pay off the balance. Although it can be hard to stop spending on the card, it is best to pay off the balance first. This will make it much easier to cancel and you won’t incur any penalties when you do so. If you try to cancel the card whilst you still have a balance, the credit card company could put your interest rate up to the maximum whilst you pay the balance off.
Phone the credit company
After you have paid off the balance, the first step in cancelling your card is to notify the credit card company by phone of your desire to cancel. The number for your card issuer is usually located on your statement or the back of your card. When you call to cancel, expect the company to try and convince you otherwise.
Listen to their offer
When you cancel your card, the credit company might well offer you a new deal in order to keep you as a customer. They might offer you a lower interest rate or some other perks such as an upgrade to a platinum card. If the offer is good, then think about whether you should cancel. If you are trying to get rid of cards, then maybe you can get rid of another one. However, if the offer is not forthcoming then cancel your card without hesitation. If you have really set your mind to cancelling that card for whatever reason, then do so.
Write a letter
After you have cancelled your card, you should write to the credit card company and inform them that you want your credit report to show you cancelled the card voluntarily. If your credit report just shows you have had an account closed, other lenders might think the company closed it, and this will harm your credit score.
Check your report
Wait about a month after sending the letter, and then request a copy of your credit report. You want it to show that you cancelled the account. If the report says ‘closed by creditor’, then you need to do something about it because this will reflect badly on you. Call the credit card company again to let them know the mistake and follow up with another letter, along with a copy of the original letter. You need to do this because it is your responsibility to make sure your report is correct
When not to cancel
If you are trying to improve your credit score, then it might be a bad idea to close accounts. If you have unused credit this looks better than having used most of your credit. For example, if you have £5,000 used credit and £8,000 total credit, getting rid of one £2,000 card means you are using £5,000 out of £6,000 credit. This looks like you are more in debt than when you have free credit. However, if you know you need to close the account to avoid spending it, then cancelling a card is a good option.
Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb
For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about credit cards, please visit us at Credit Cards and Credit Cards
www.creditcards-gb.co.uk
04.08.07
In this age of instant gratification, credit cards occupy their own unique status. Actually, so important has plastic money become, that money transactions are perceived as almost impossible without this new age tool. One of the most inviting features of a credit card is the ease with which it can be used and the convenience it lends to your monetary transactions.
Instead of carrying that purse full of cash everywhere, you can now finance all your shopping with just a plastic card. Just swipe the card and take home all the goodies. There is a huge array of credit cards available today ranging from affinity and business to store and bank credit cards.
Just about every bank in the UK offers its consumers credit cards. In some cases they also give you various benefits like 0% p.a. interest on balance transfers for the introductory period. There are various banks that also offer great rewards schemes like free air miles on their credit cards. If you are worried about identity thefts, don’t be. The new chip and pin technology offers absolute security to your personal information. Under this system your card will contain a computer chip that may be used for identification. Only a PIN and not a signature will authorise a transaction with this card.
With a whole gamut of banks vying for your business with lucrative offers, it can become quite a daunting task to choose the one credit card that you will ultimately use. Before you actually sign up with a bank for a credit card, just run a check on the following points:
What is the time period for which you are offered interest free credit?
What is your card’s credit limit?
Does your card levy an annual fee?
What are the penalty charges if you miss a payment?
Is the interest charged from the statement date or the date of purchase?
Are there any reward points attached to your credit cards?
It is only natural for you to go in for a credit card that is issued by the bank that you trust. However, you must not overlook the fact that if this bank also has your mortgage and other finances, then you may end up facing far reaching consequences if you default on your credit card payments.
While credit cards are a great money management tool that have made borrowing so much more convenient, yet one cannot brush aside the fact that they also bring with them a huge risk of creating debts. As is the case with just about every form of credit, one must always observe caution when using credit cards for spending.
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