Saturday, April 28, 2007

The Credit Card Debt Game - Are You Playing The Credit Card Debt Game to Win?

Credit card companies earn profit from your debts: the more you owe them, the more they benefit. Makes sense, right? Of course it does and it is a game that is tilted in their favor, not yours, because they set it up.

The only situation where they lose is if you file for bankruptcy, and that is not chosen as a promising solution for paying off the debts unless you find yourself in a totally miserable debt conditions.

But there are some quick and easy things you can do to win the Credit Card Debt Game. Let's cover them right now...

Which Credit Cards Are Best?

You may choose your weapon of choice (credit cards) for the credit card game by searching through a variety of different cards. There are hundreds of companies that offer credit cards, and the their interest rates vary from the lowest (may be a zero percent) to as high as 40%.

Credit Card Late Fees and Service Charges

A similar option exists with regards to the late fee and the service charges on the credit cards. The late fee for the most common credit cards vary from the lowest $15 to the highest $39.

If you keep a regular watch on the offers from various companies, you will notice that there are many attractive offers from most of them that will help you save a significant amount of money over the long haul.

Ask For a Better Deal

It is not necessary that you change your bank or credit card company for getting a bargain on your credit card debts. You may simply call them up and talk to them as an educated person who is aware of the trends in the market.

Express your concerns to them about the higher interests you are paying them in spite of being an old customer of their bank or institution. If you are a regular user of the credit card and have been paying on time, it should not be that difficult to get a good deal.

They will rather give you a break on the Annual Percentage Rate than give up a good-paying customer. In such cases, you will not only get your interest reduced significantly without getting into another complicated procedure of getting a new card, but also will get a good deal on a potential increased credit limit.

Say NO to Annual Fees

There are many credit cards that offer zero annual fees. Wherever possible, you should hunt for and bargain for a card with zero annual fees.

However, if you wish to get some special benefits such as the frequent flyer programs and other privileges, you may have to pay the annual fee.

Watch Out for the Zero Percent Transfer Trap

Beware of their zero-percent interest offers. It can be a trap if you do not read the fine print. You alway shave to read between the lines of the clauses in the agreement.

Most of these zero-percent cards charge a much heavier interest if you delay your payment or after a certain amount of months - most give you the zero-percent rate for six months to a year. After this time is up, they raise the interest rates dramatically...and you fall into their trap.

You can win the Credit Card Debt Game just by playing smarter with your credit. It all comes down to a few critical steps, which are easy enough to learn.

Again, the steps are: Choose the Best Cards, Watch Out for Late Fees and Service Charges, Ask for Better Deals, Say No to Fees and Watch Out for the Zero Percent Transfer Trap.

If you do these few steps correctly, you should be on the right path to paying off your debt and winning the Credit Card Debt Game!
Credit card companies earn profit from your debts: the more you owe them, the more they benefit. Makes sense, right? Of course it does and it is a game that is tilted in their favor, not yours, because they set it up.

The only situation where they lose is if you file for bankruptcy, and that is not chosen as a promising solution for paying off the debts unless you find yourself in a totally miserable debt conditions.

But there are some quick and easy things you can do to win the Credit Card Debt Game. Let's cover them right now...

Which Credit Cards Are Best?

You may choose your weapon of choice (credit cards) for the credit card game by searching through a variety of different cards. There are hundreds of companies that offer credit cards, and the their interest rates vary from the lowest (may be a zero percent) to as high as 40%.

Credit Card Late Fees and Service Charges

A similar option exists with regards to the late fee and the service charges on the credit cards. The late fee for the most common credit cards vary from the lowest $15 to the highest $39.

If you keep a regular watch on the offers from various companies, you will notice that there are many attractive offers from most of them that will help you save a significant amount of money over the long haul.

Ask For a Better Deal

It is not necessary that you change your bank or credit card company for getting a bargain on your credit card debts. You may simply call them up and talk to them as an educated person who is aware of the trends in the market.

Express your concerns to them about the higher interests you are paying them in spite of being an old customer of their bank or institution. If you are a regular user of the credit card and have been paying on time, it should not be that difficult to get a good deal.

They will rather give you a break on the Annual Percentage Rate than give up a good-paying customer. In such cases, you will not only get your interest reduced significantly without getting into another complicated procedure of getting a new card, but also will get a good deal on a potential increased credit limit.

Say NO to Annual Fees

There are many credit cards that offer zero annual fees. Wherever possible, you should hunt for and bargain for a card with zero annual fees.

However, if you wish to get some special benefits such as the frequent flyer programs and other privileges, you may have to pay the annual fee.

Watch Out for the Zero Percent Transfer Trap

Beware of their zero-percent interest offers. It can be a trap if you do not read the fine print. You alway shave to read between the lines of the clauses in the agreement.

Most of these zero-percent cards charge a much heavier interest if you delay your payment or after a certain amount of months - most give you the zero-percent rate for six months to a year. After this time is up, they raise the interest rates dramatically...and you fall into their trap.

You can win the Credit Card Debt Game just by playing smarter with your credit. It all comes down to a few critical steps, which are easy enough to learn.

Again, the steps are: Choose the Best Cards, Watch Out for Late Fees and Service Charges, Ask for Better Deals, Say No to Fees and Watch Out for the Zero Percent Transfer Trap.

If you do these few steps correctly, you should be on the right path to paying off your debt and winning the Credit Card Debt Game!