Finance Tips

Ever since zero percent introductory annual percentage rate (intro APR) credit cards were introduced to the American market several years ago, they’ve been very popular. All types of consumers have been taking advantage of 0% offers. Most consumers use 0% deals to save money by avoiding interest charges on their credit card debt, while other money-savvy consumers use 0% offers to make money by playing the 0% credit card arbitrage game (also known as “stoozing.”) Many 0% card offers come with a catch: you have to pay a fee for transferring a balance. There are, however, a few select credit card products out there where you don’t have to pay a fee for the first or initial balance transfer.

Feeless, 0% intro APR balance transfer deals — perhaps the most sought-after 0% deals on the Internet — are a dying breed. Dying, but not dead. The pool of banks that offer feeless 0% deals has been shrinking. Why? Because the banks and card companies know that by eliminating the balance transfer transaction fee, a balance transfer “surfer” can transfer a card balance to a card, sit out the interest-free period, then transfer the balance out to a new 0% deal — thus denying the bank any opportunity to make money off the surfer. The balance transfer transaction fee gives a bank the opportunity to get at least something out of the deal.

The Discover More family of credit cards, offered by Discover Financial Services (DFS), has been exceedingly popular for transferring credit card balances. Why? Because, heretofore, with any Discover More card, you could transfer a card balance and pay no interest on the transferred funds for 12 months, with no balance transfer transaction fee. But that’s not all: with Discover More, you could (and still can) get a 0% rate on new credit card purchases for 12 months to boot. Its no wonder that the Discover More family of credit cards has been a top-ranked collection of cards at many top-rated websites.

But DFS recently made a change to the terms and conditions associated with the Discover More family of credit cards: you now have to pay a fee for transferring a balance; the minimum transfer fee is $10. The Discover More group of cards still offers great value, with a 0% intro APR rate on both balance transfers and new purchases for one year, but the nascent balance transfer transaction fee may turn off some folks out there in the market for a hot, 0% card deal.

OK, now for the good news: Bank of America, Washington Mutual (Wamu) and Pulaski Bank still offer consumer credit cards where you can transfer a balance at zero percent for 6 or 12 months (depending on the card) and pay no balance transfer fee. Furthermore, Capital One has business cards that provide an option to transfer balances without assessing a balance transfer transaction fee.

If you plan on hunting (or continuing your hunt) for an attractive 0% card deal after reading this article, remember two things:

In your search for “no transfer fee” 0% deals, you may find articles, blog posts or other website content with claims that feeless 0% deals no longer exist. Don’t buy it. Feeless 0% balance transfer offers can still be found today — even with certain business cards — if you know where to look. Credit card deals are constantly evolving, so if you’re planning on signing up for a specific 0% offer that you’ve had your eye on for a while, try not to drag your heels. The sexy, feeless balance transfer offer you find today may be gone tomorrow. Thankfully, the selection of “no fee” 0% deals is still quite healthy, so you don’t have to panic if the offer you wanted disappears.

It can be hard to only have one type of credit card some of the time, especially because of the different stores where a person needs to shop to have what they require and each one may only accept specific types of credit cards. This can mean a person will need different types of credit cards depending on what store they want to shop at, or even for other reasons. Because of the separate fees and APR you may end up being in more debt then you expected and you could even end up owing more then you used. Some of the time this can make a person feel as though it is not worth it to have a credit card, but then what would you do with the debt that you have accumulated and how would you get rid of it or try to make it easier to pay off.

One of the solutions for a problem such as this one or related to this one is to get a balance transfer credit card. These are credit cards where you can switch the debt from your other cards to these card companies and only have one monthly payment. The best part is that some of these balance transfer credit cards have no annual percentage rate or extra fees. This can help you to pay off your debt faster because it will not be being added to by the company who is taking over your payments. This also mean that you will only need to have one credit card with you and so it will not be nearly as tempting to go over a daily budget if you set one for yourself.

Some people set a limit on their credit cards for how much they are able to spend a day, and if you only have one credit card it can make it much easier to only spend a specific amount or under. Getting your financial life to where it should be can help you relax and your social life be more enjoyable.

There are many sources where you can file a first time credit card application. These include banks, credit companies and other agencies. The Internet is the easiest way to locate your preferred credit card company.

When applying for a credit card, most companies need information such as name, age, address, social security number, any former address of yours, occupation, employer, and annual household income. These details are adequate for the credit company to verify your credit history, which is the major criterion for approval or rejection. Annual percentage rate (APR) often varies with your credit score. That is, a high score will get you a low APR.

Most first credit card application forms contain certain clauses written in fine print. Company salesmen are often outspoken about the advantages of their transactions. But these fine prints often carry conditions that are disadvantageous to you. One important thing to check is the APR. Most credit companies tempt you with a low initial APR score. Remember that it is the long term APR you should weigh most, not the short term.

A US citizen who is 18 years of age or older (the limit is lower in some states) has the legal right to demand a credit card with any US bank. Generally, credit card providers do not want a bank account to get a card. It is also possible to request many credit cards at a time. But multiple applications can affect the credit score negatively.

With great competition existing in the credit card market, most credit card providers look for an easy means to attract new businesses. They provide special gifts on many occasions such as Christmas and holiday shopping seasons.

Business owners know that they can rely on Chase credit cards to offer them not only a high limit business credit card but also a low interest business credit card suitable for their critical business transactions. By keeping business expenses on one card, it is a simple matter to keep track of when it comes time to file tax reports. Chase credit cards also offer benefits and discounts that will help your business grow and thrive.

Several Chase credit cards offer a long introductory grace period of one full year at zero percent annual percentage rate when you make purchases or transfer balances from another credit card. In addition, they supply this service with no annual fee, unlike many other business credit card companies. The low interest business credit card can be particularly beneficial to businesses seeking to keep fee payments to a minimum in the long run as well.

Keeping track of business expenses for tax purposes is often a full-time job in itself. It is much easier when you use Chase credit cards, and restrict use of the card for business purposes solely. Chase makes tracking purchase records even easier for you because with certain business card offers they will make free quarterly reports available online. This means that anytime of the day or night, you can check in online and see exactly what your business is spending and for what purpose. In addition to taxes, this information is greatly helpful for making projections and budgets.

If you do a considerable amount of business travel, using Chase credit cards can ease worries during your trips. Many of the business cards come with emergency assistance and accident insurance for times when you are traveling, so you know that you are always covered even if you are away from your home business base.

A high limit business credit card [http://www.consumercreditoutlet.com/card/businesscreditcardoffers.html] from Chase also comes with other advantages. Ordinary business expenses for items such as office supplies and computer equipment are offered at deep discounts when you purchase them using your Chase credit card. These cards truly focus on the needs of business owners and provide the types of savings that will most benefit your company. Some Chase credit cards also offer cash back when you make business purchases at selected restaurants, gas stations, and hardware stores. Other cards offer points which can be turned in for rewards on any item that is purchased using the high limit business credit card. In addition, there are no restrictions on these rewards. All of these different types of Chase credit cards provide monetary benefits advantageous for any business.

There are actually large numbers of credit cardholders who do regularly use their cards without any understanding of the different fees involved, let alone what the APR is and how it functions. The APR or annual percentage rate determines what cards many new users will choose as well. Of course, either way, a credit card’s annual percentage rate will have an impact on what the costs associated with card use will be year after year. The APR’s role in this may be overlooked or not fully realized by cardholders.

The first question for many cardholders is what exactly this annual percentage rate or APR is and it works. Essentially, this term describes the amount or rate of interest that you will end up paying for any carryover balances on your card’s account. Moreover, the APR is also affected by the use of added features like cash advances and balance transfers.

A typical APR is calculated on a yearly basis. Each month’s balance and the amount that is carried over from month to month through the year are factored into the APR will different significantly at times and make the amounts you pay differ as well.

Multiple APRs

As you become more aware of APR another fact quickly comes to your attention, particularly if you have not applied for a card yet but you’ve been looking around at various offers. It is not unusual to find cards that carry more than one APR. There about four distinct types of APRs. Each one is connected to specific finance and account situations. As a result, there will be clear differences between the ways each of these APRs is used by different credit card companies (if they even have all types in use on their cards).



Here is a short list of APRs that are implemented by many credit card providers:

Most cards have separate annual percentage rates for basic purchases, balance transfers, and cash advances. In most cases, you will have to pay more for the extra services each year than you would have to pay in interest for your normal charges.

The introductory APR is what it says it is. You actually pay this rate for a limited period established by the card issuer immediately after you are approved for your card. Later, after whatever grace or no-interest period concludes, your normal APR will go into effect.

Tiered APRs are a type of APR that operates at different levels based upon your current outstanding balance. A different rate is charged at one dollar amount versus another, making the rate variable over time.

Your card may include an adjustable APR called a penalty APR. This type of APR is activated when you, as the cardholder, habitually make late payments, or fail to adhere to some other terms outlined in your credit card policy.

The Difference Between ‘Fixed’ and ‘Variable’

Another distinction made between one APR and another involves whether it is a “fixed” or “variable” APR. With the former, you will find that the rate remains at a generally constant level. The only exception to this is when the credit card issuer makes changes to your card’s APR policy. Of course, these changes are not made without written notification to the cardholder. Variable APRs, by definition, will vary. The rate will change based upon other factors such as the prime rate or fluctuations in Treasury bill interest rates, etc.

Not knowing that much about your APR is nothing to be ashamed of, but you can seriously benefit from having at least a working knowledge of your APR including what type you have. With this information, you will be better informed. Also, you will be able to make better decisions about your future card use-and save yourself some money in the process!