As you browse various websites to learn more about how you can finance a new desktop or laptop PC, some questions may arise if you aren't familiar with how financing works. Is it like paying for a computer with a credit card? Similar, yes, but in this case you are applying for the credit needed to take home one particular item, rather than a card that lets you buy multiple items. Is it like buying a house with a mortgage? Again, yes, only where you may need to offer a down payment on a home, some businesses will let you finance the computer you want for no money down.

Financing is defined as a means of obtaining the resources to purchase an item, then paying back the loan in a set time period for a set monthly or weekly fee. In most cases, people turn to financing when buying a house, a boat, or a car, but there are instances when financing may be needed to purchase other necessities. For example, furniture stores may offer financing plans to people who wish to purchase entire room sets, and yes, there are business that sell computers and accessories with similar plans.

You may be asking yourself now, why not just buy a computer on a credit card? While a convenient method for some, it isn't for everybody. With interest rates as they are, the price of a purchased item on credit will fluctuate as the rate on the card increases - a person will definitely end up paying more than what the item is worth. Also, consider the fact that not everybody will qualify for certain credit cards and rates. You may receive numerous mailings proclaiming that you are prequalified for this or that card, but it is still possible to be turned down for credit, and missed payments on present cards will show up in your credit score. So when you do try to buy a house or a boat and alarms ring when your credit history is brought up, you know you're in trouble!

So how then, you wonder, can one qualify for financing with a smaller business? Smaller businesses take various factors into consideration, of course, as you apply for a loan through them. Most importantly, they look at employment status - do you generate a regular enough income to be able to make monthly payments? If you are in the military, you may find it easier to apply to credit on the basis of your employment. That you are taking in a steady wage from the government tells a business owner that you are good for the money you will need to pay back, and from there a reasonable payment plan can be made so you can enjoy your PC now and pay as time passes. With some businesses, your paystub could be the ticket to owning a nice computer.

If you are interested in learning about financing, living on a budget, and other news of interest to military, you will find a wealth of information on the Internet to that respect. The Computer Connection, for one is proud to offer low financing plans to military personnel looking to buy PC desktops and laptops, and we assist civilian government workers and others as well. Such companies can be beneficial to military and civilian personnel who need a computer for work and leisure, yet need to budget their payments.

If you are annoyed by the constant credit card junk mail that you receive, then you are not alone. People all over the country are receiving literally dozens of credit cards offers every year, most of which are misleading or not applicable to them. If you want to know how to deal with these credit card mail offers, then here are some tips.

Why get so many?

Whether or not you have a lot of credit cards, you get sent so many offers because of your specific credit rating. Whether you have a good or bad credit rating depends upon the types of offers you get, but whatever your rating you are a target for credit card companies to be sent offers. Some people will receive nearly 10 of these offers every month, many of them duplicates.

Bait and switch

Although some of the credit card offers you get might seem tempting, they usually not what they seem. Most of these offers employ the technique known as ‘bait and switch’. This is where you will be offered a great deal in the mail such as ‘ you are pre-approved for a credit card with up to £25,000 limit’, but when you fill in the paperwork and send it back you only get £1,000 at an incredibly high interest rate. This is not illegal because they only said ‘up to’ a limit and so even if they had refused you it would not be against the law. This technique may not be illegal but it is clearly immoral. This is one reason why you should avoid such offers.

Opting out

Although it isn’t the easiest thing to do, you can attempt to opt out of receiving these mail offers. There are companies that you can apply to that will help you to be removed from these mailing lists, although you are still bound to receive some offers. You can always try calling the credit companies themselves and asking them to stop sending you mail, although this usually falls on deaf ears.

Keeping your identity safe

Even if you don’t want to look at any of the offers you get through the post, it is important that you properly dispose of the offers you get. If you simply throw the offers in the bin, then someone could take them and apply to the cards you have decided not to look at. Before you know it you could get a bill in the post for thousands of pounds for a card you didn’t even apply for. Make sure you shred or tear up all credit card mail offers to protect yourself from identity theft.

Don’t dismiss them all

Although most of these offers will not be worth looking at, you shouldn’t simply throw them all in the bin. There really are some genuinely good deals to be had from credit card mail offers. This is especially true if they are from a company which you have a card with, as they might offer you preferential terms. If you are careful with credit card mail offers and can separate the good from the bad then they will be a benefit to you rather than a constant annoyance.

It was one of those extra special Saturdays with a crisp coolness in the air. The sun was shining brightly through the front windshield so much so that the visor had to be lowered. Having left early from his part time job, Travis stopped at a convenience store to pick some beer and food. Three friends were meeting at his house to watch the Notre Dame versus Michigan football game. The wives were coming along later to enjoy a late cook out and to enjoy the newly installed heated spa and pool. Travis and Penny had acted on a promise they had made to themselves when they bought the home four years ago. A primary requirement, beyond the three bedrooms, two baths with a two car garage and large family room, was the need for a large lot that would allow for the construction of a big heated pool and spa. With three children and an active social life this was an important centerpiece of family activities. It was important to complete this mutual promise. It made sense of the hard work and commitment to make this happen.

As a systems engineer at a local company, Travis had not received the anticipated bonuses and pay raises that had been outlined when he hired on right out of school ten years ago. Deciding early on to stay in a smaller city where they grew up and had family with any alternative employment being somewhat limited without a major commute to the nearest active employment center 100 miles away. Penny worked as an outside pharmacy sales representative with one of the big drug companies and ran her regular route between doctor’s offices and clinics. This was the ideal job for Penny as it gave her great flexibility to spend more time with the children who were now all school age. As planned, Travis and Penny had three children in quick order to compress the parenting time into a tighter time frame. When Travis and Penny bought their home the mortgage market was very attractive and they were able to lock up a 5.75% fixed rate on a 30-year mortgage. Travis and Penny justified the expense of putting in the pool by Travis taking a part time job as a security guard at 20 hours per week to meet the payment of the new second mortgage utilized to install the pool and spa. Efforts were made to double the payments of the Home Equity Line of Credit to pay it off early and get down to one payment on the house. That rate was tied to prime and recently had been climbing and the payments were going up. Prime it seemed was going up monthly. Travis and Penny had been very responsible with credit and as a result had good credit scores in the 750 range. Now, with climbing payments on the HELOC Travis and Penny were just able to pay the minimum monthly payment. From time to time, they took advantage of credit card offers as it turns out to a big extent. In a year’s time, they had 12 credit cards with active balances. It just started to creep up on them as they were now just making the minimum payments each month. With their good credit, the credit card rates were good. Travis working the extra time on the part time job some of the bills paying duties were shared with each assuming that the bills were getting handled. In a small alcove of the kitchen was a built in desk area with small cubbyholes and pull out drawers acted as the repository for due bills and the checkbook.

As Travis pulled in the drive way with the goods from the convenience store, as was his practice before unloading, he checked the mailbox. Sure enough he had a fist full of mail. He gathered up the food and beer from the car and carried everything into the kitchen. Upon setting the groceries and such down he headed to the in-kitchen desk to deposit the mail to go over later. However, on top, was a letter from one of their credit card companies. Travis opened it and the communication indicated that they were 30 days late on the credit card payment and that they needed to call immediately to get it handled. Travis and Penny conferred and while ignoring the bagged groceries on the table, began tearing apart the desk looking in all the cubbyholes and crannies, and stuck way in the back crumpled up with another paid invoice was the original bill (now over 30 days late).

Unbeknownst to Travis and Penny, is the “Universal Default” trigger mechanism used by many credit card companies who regularly check your payment history in the bureaus. If they find a 30-day late or other derogatory information the interest rates on ALL the credit cards can be accelerated in many cases to the maximum legal limit. Thus, the sweet heart introductory rates went in some cases from 8.5% to 29.99% to varying degrees. Overnight the minimum monthly credit card payments more than doubled. They were in a real pickle now. The real estate market had pulled back recently and the full value of the pool and spa did not result in a higher appraised value. In looking at their situation, they now had a current balance $165,000 first mortgage at 5.75% with fixed principal and interest payments of $1,021.25/month with little principal pay down since origination.

The taxes and insurance added another $275/month. The second mortgage HELOC was $33,500 with current payments based on prime + at $301.41/month. Then their total monthly housing expense was $1,021.25 + $275 + $301.41 = $1,597.66/month. When they added up the credit card debt it was some $37,500 with an average of 29.99% and minimum payments of now $1,450.00/month. Their total debt was $1,581.69 + $1,450.00= $3,031.69/month. Travis and Penny were stunned. Penny called the mortgage broker who got the original 5.75% purchase money mortgage and shared their pickle and was asking for possible answers short of selling the house or going into a Chapter 13 Wage Earner Bankruptcy Plan. Bob the mortgage broker had worked out a couple of scenarios with one being to sell the house. The market-appraised price didn’t allow for much debt consolidation with the equity available. So Bob suggested either to sell the house or keep the 5.75% first mortgage in place and utilize a 125% Combined Loan To Value (CLTV) mortgage product that would allow the paying off of the HELOC (which had been going up) and payoff all the credit card debt.

This would cut all the debt down to two payments one for the first and then the second mortgage. Bob cautioned them that this is not a cure all. Debt relief was being achieved by extending the term of the debt with a rate in the 14.5% range. Bob went on to explain that they were just buying time and that they had to seriously make an effort to make extra payments and get rid of the second mortgage. Although their credit score had dropped the middle score was still above 650. The 125% Combined Loan To Value had a $75,000 maximum loan limitation. Bob proposed paying off the pool loan and all the credit cards with a new loan of $74,900 with closing costs rolled in. The payment on the 125% loan for a rate of 14.5% and a 20-year term would have a payment of $958.71/month. The savings per month then would be $3,031.69/month versus $1,021.25 P&I on the first + $275 for taxes and insurance and the new payment on the 125% CLTV of $958.71/mo. for a total new housing payment of $2,254.96 for a monthly savings of $3,031.69-$2,254.96 = $776.73/month. The Debt To Income Ratio was below 45% a 125% loan program requirement. Bob cautioned them again that while they would have monthly savings the long-term costs could be higher than before so they must commit to cutting costs and stick to a tight budget. Penny committed to making three more calls per day to boost her income. They went ahead and got the relief and made a long commitment to crawl out behind the eight ball and move ahead.

Putting your business onto a business credit card system is certainly a good way to do business better. This could apply whether you have one employee, or a hundred. Here are a number of reasons why your business can profit by using business credit cards.

Makes Accounting Easier

If you have ever had a problem with employees losing receipts (or maybe you have done it), or forgetting to hand in the receipts until a month or two later, then you can certainly appreciate the ease that business credit cards can give you. This system would enable you to not have to fool around with either needing to have cash on hand, or, of needing to have more than one signature on a check each time you need one. Another great element of using business credit cards is that it saves time and expense on check writing. This way you only need to write one check.

Most business credit card companies will give you the option of putting it all on one monthly statement - if you want it. This shows your accounting department every penny spent through credit card purchases, and single reports enable them to easily verify spending limits, as well as being able to accurately keep the books up to date. Online access to your business credit card account lets you know what transpires on an almost daily basis.

Give Employees A Credit Card

Once again, the purpose here is to make it easier on all concerned. If you have a number of employees that need to travel on a regular or semi-regular basis, then here is a good way to make it easier to keep track of their expenses. Or, you may have employees that are in charge of purchasing items for specific departments - this would sure make it simpler. Each key employee could be given a business credit card of their own for the company, and you could place set limits on individual cards allowing you to have a degree of protection for the company.

One thing that you may need to be aware of though is that the credit level of each person being issued a card will have a credit check made. This could have a negative effect on the interest rates of the card if one or more people that are to receive the business credit cards have low credit ratings. The way to avoid this is to only give cards to those with good ratings.

Earn Business Rewards

If you put all of your business expenses on one business credit card company, then you could earn a lot of business rewards. These rewards will usually come in several forms, including cash back, air miles, free gas, points, etc., which are redeemable at various merchants and can add up to thousands of dollars saved each year. You can even get greater savings by getting your card from a company that is near you - such as a gas station, or a particular airline in your city.

Compare the Other Options

Apart from the other things mentioned, you need to consider whether or not you can make balance transfers, and if there is a charge or not. Many of the credit cards do permit you to make transfers but find out for how long the benefit applies - some cards will allow you to enjoy 0% interest for twelve months or longer. A number of cards will also allow you to get 0% interest on all purchases for one year, too. Of course, the best way is just to pay it off with each month's billing, and then interest never becomes an issue.

One other thing that you will want to make a note of, and that is to see whether or not there is an annual fee for the card. Some business credit card companies may give you 0% interest, but then they will charge you an annual fee. If you're willing to look around, you can easily find some card products that can offer up great benefits for your company.

Learning the steps to improve a credit score and how to keep it up is easier than you think. The first thing you must have is your credit report. You can pull these free in most places once a year.

There are three main credit reporting agencies. They are Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian. It is important to get copies of your current report from all three agencies. All creditors and others providing information dont always give the information to all three agencies. Therefore its possible that you will have three reports that all look different. If you were currently denied credit due to your credit score, you are entitled to a copy of the report that was when you received the denial.

Improve a Credit Score, How To Steps

Trying to quickly improve a credit score or how to insure they look good can depend on how low your score is and thus may take a little time to correct. You can learn to improve a credit score and how to keep it up by doing the following:

If there are any negative items on your credit reports, try to get them reviewed or improved. If there are bills youve paid that are listed as unpaid, all you need is proof of payment submitted to the reporting credit bureau to get it changed.

If debt load is holding your credit score down, its best to attach the problem one bill at a time. For example, if you have several credit cards, begin with the one that has the lowest balance. Set a budget to pay more than the minimum each month on that card. Continue to do so until its paid and then move on to the next card.

The next steps to improve a credit score or how to make them look better are simple. Pay all current bills on time. Slow payments and severely late payment will lower your credit score.

Sometimes, your credit score may be low because you dont have any established credit. One way to establish credit is by getting a secured credit card. Make sure you use, it and pay the balance in full every month. Other options to establish credit is to borrow money from a financial institution. Since you dont have established credit this may require a co-signer.

Here are the basic steps to improve your credit score:

* Clean up your credit report ( get incorrect information removed, pay past due or forgotten bills, and dispute any false claims)

* Pay your bills on time

* Establish credit

* Check your credit reports at least once a year

Improving your credit score and how to do it is not a quick task. It takes time and effort. Dont be scammed by those offering to immediately get you all the credit you want. It doesnt work. Most often theyll just take your money, and youll be no better off even worse.therell be less money in your bank account.

A number of people have taken advantage of the rewards that automotive credit cards offer. These credit cards pair a major credit card company with automotive manufacturers. A person will earn rewards if he or she uses these credit cards to purchase a new vehicle or any products from a manufacturer that is associated with a credit card company.

If someone is not satisfied with a particular manufacturer, he can shop around to find automotive credit cards that have deals with a more suitable manufacturer. Some cards have rewards that can work for any manufacturer. Persons who are unsure of the type of vehicle they want to purchase can find these types of automotive credit cards useful. However, there are also some credit cards that do not include vehicle purchases on their rewards program; instead they offer rewards for auto parts and services.

It is also important to understand the credit cards rewards systems and how it can be redeemed. People should always remember that automotive credit cards have fees and interest rates as well. An individual who has a card with a high interest rate can end up spending more rather than save on a vehicle purchase. People should try to avoid being carried away with charging items that they don’t need just to earn reward points.

Those who are interested in reward points must realize that you cannot buy a car with it. The rewards points are only for discounts that range from $1000 to $3000. The manufacturers also choose particular car models that are included in the rewards system. Since the rewards systems do not usually include used cars, the card holder may need to buy a new vehicle in order to enjoy automotive credit cards rewards.

People can benefit from automotive credit cards if they are sure about the vehicle they wish to purchase. It will be easy for them to choose the credit card that will suit their needs. The reward points that can be earned will expire, so using the credit card a lot will not guarantee any significant benefits. However, if an individual can manage a credit card carefully, a big amount of money can be saved on the next vehicle purchase.

Many potential cardholders are confused about the differences between the variety of airline miles credit cards available today. Miles credit cards can be divided into two mostly neat categories: airline-specific cards and generic cards. Each set has its own advantages, but it's often advisable for a frequent traveler to go with a specific card, and a less-frequent traveler to go with a generic card, in order to minimize interest fees and to maximize earned mileage of the former, and in the latter case to have the flexibility to search for the least expensive flights while still earning rewards.

Anyone who's ever considered getting an airline mileage credit card has probably balked, at least once, at the massive number of options out there. Additionally confusing is the dual terminology at work in the airline industry: there are frequent-flier miles, yes, but how do those relate to miles credit cards? And where do "points" come in to the equation? It's a bewildering array of terms, few of whose definitions are readily available, and the lack of clear explanations cause many people to just give up on mileage cards altogether. Which is a shame, because mileage cards--assuming that they're properly and carefully used--can be an easy way to save money on travel expenses, up to and including free flights around the globe.

Most of the differences between the varieties of miles credit cards boil down to two basic categories: airline-specific mileage cards and generic mileage cards. The airline-specific mileage cards allow you to accrue mileage that often applies directly to a specific airline's frequent flier program mileage (for example, American Airlines' AAdvantage Cards from Citi apply miles directly to your AAdvantage account, one mile for every dollar spent), miles which can then be turned around into actual airline seats and in some cases a discount or outright free travel. The advantage of these is that occasionally flights can be cheaper through a "loyalty" miles card than without. JetBlue, in particular, offers the standard deal of about 25,000 Award Dollars (points) for one plane ticket, but offers a 3:1 point to dollars ratio when making travel arrangements exclusively with JetBlue, which is an extremely good deal in the mileage card world, assuming that you fly JetBlue on an exclusive basis.

The generic mileage cards, by contrast, allow you to redeem your miles on whatever airline you choose (assuming that they participate in that mileage card's specific rewards program.) You won't usually find loyalty deals here, but there are some additional benefits. For one, in some cases a generic mileage card can offer the cardholder a much wider array of hotels to stay at to accrue additional mileage points (another key in the miles credit card world.)

Knowing a little bit about the airline dynamics in your region is also helpful in making your decision, such as the predominate carrier in your region and the availability of domestic and international flights from your local airports. Even still, it may be a difficult choice. To help make that decision, consider the following. As a rule (and there are exceptions), airline-specific cards generally will charge cardholders a pretty hefty annual fee and tend to have a higher ongoing APR. Generic miles credit cards typically won't stick you with an annual fee but also tend to have higher ongoing APR's than traditional non-reward credit card offers.

So really, to ask which mileage card is right for you is to ask how frequently you travel, and how many travel expenses will start to show up on your budget. If you do a great deal of traveling, consider an airline-specific card. The annual fee is fixed, and as long as you pay down your balances every month, should not be much of a consideration because of the benefits that you will derive from the reward program. But if you're a more infrequent traveler, go for the generic mileage card and shop around to find the best flight from whatever airline offers it. Chances are that if you take just one or two flights a year, the generic card offer is the better bet for you. You can plan ahead to find some excellent discount flights in advance while enjoying all of the potential travel rewards that airline miles credit cards have to offer.

Credit card rewards have been around for quite some time now and they are quite popular. There are many to choose from and one of the newest is automotive credit cards. These cards pair automotive manufacturers with a major credit card company. A person earns rewards towards the purchase of their next vehicle or other products from the manufacturer by using their automotive credit card.

Each automotive credit card is different and their reward programs work differently. So if a person does not have their heart set on a particular manufacturer they are best to shop around. There are also cards that now have rewards that work for any manufacturer, which may be best for an indecisive person or someone who is not sure what make of vehicle they would like to buy. Some automotive credit cards do not offer rewards towards vehicle purchases, instead they offer rewards towards the purchase of auto parts and service.

The most important thing for a person to remember about automotive credit cards is that person can not buy a car completely with reward points. The reward points are for a discount only. The discount usually ranges from $1000 to $3000. The vehicles a person can choose from vary as well. Each manufacturer chooses the particular models the rewards can be used towards purchasing. Used cars are usually not included as an eligible vehicle for the use of reward points and the cardholder is required to buy a vehicle that is new or leased.

When choosing an automotive credit card a person really needs to understand the rewards system and how it can be redeemed. They should also not forget this is a credit card and look at fees and interest rates, as well. Choosing a high interest rate card may actually end up costing the person more then they end up saving on their vehicle purchase. It is also important for a person not to get carried away and charge items they normally would not just to earn he points or, again, they could end up spending more than they save.

Automotive credit cards are great for someone who knows what vehicle they wish to purchase. They can then choose the card that suits this need. Automotive credit cards have a limit on how long points earned are good, so a person who does not use their credit card a lot may never see a good benefit. However, if a person is very careful and manages their automotive credit card they can end up saving a nice chunk of money off their next vehicle purchase.

Do you use credit cards? Almost everyone these days do. Using them can be really convenient, especially if you’re not comfortable with carrying a lot of cash. The modern world can be quite dangerous and there are a lot of criminals out there who want easy money. Having a credit card can protect you from losing money through robberies and pickpockets. However, credit cards also have disadvantages. Credit card rates can change unpredictably and can cost you a lot of money, especially if you’re not careful.

Credit card companies usually send offers through the mail. You can usually receive offers to get credit cards like MasterCard, American Express, Discover card, and Visa. These offers usually encourage you to take advantages of the rebates, low credit card rates, and other benefits of a particular credit card. Credit cards companies nowadays are not shy about advertising. Many people are annoyed at the constant credit card offers that they receive in their mail every day.

Most companies offer an initial credit card rates of 0 percent on all balance transfers. The problem is they are not as generous when it comes to purchases. These companies are aware of the spending habits of the everyday shopper and use a number of methods to take advantage of the amount of money they spend on a daily basis. They offer shoppers a 0 percent credit card rates on balance transfer to entice them to transfer any large amount that they are paying too much interest on. Many people can’t resist the temptation of having a 0 APR. If you have problems with high credit card rates, you should look for ways to transfer that nasty balance on another credit card.

If you are trying to find a good credit card, but aren’t sure about current credit card rates, then you should hop on the World-Wide-Web. Online sites can provide you with information about companies that have the best offers at this time. It will be more convenient to find those ideal credit card rates if you go through the Internet.