Credit Card APR - What exaclty is APR?

Filed Under (Abbey credit card) by admin on 03-06-2010

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APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate. APR attempts to create a single figure of interest allowing the consumer to compare like with like when selecting the best product for their lifestyle.

Without APR it would be literally impossible to make this kind of quick comparison because the credit card companies use different calculations to compute their interest and other charges. Without APR it would be possible for a card bearing an ‘advertised’ interest rate of 12% (not APR) to be more expensive than one charging 16%.

Financial Regulators (such as the the UK’s FSA) have recognized this and as such have attempted to put in some safeguards to protect the consumer, making sure that there is at least some standard information allowing comparison between interest rates and other associated charges.

The main thing to remember is that APR takes into account not only the interest charges levied, but also any other costs that are also included. Credit card companies use different calculations to compute their interest and other charges, so APR makes it easier to make a good
credit card comparison between products. Generally speaking, the lower the APR, the less money you will end up paying back in interest to the credit card provider. It is very important to make sure you compare the APR of different credit cards when deciding which credit card to take out, as card issuers may offer a low rate of interest for an initial period but this will increase at the end of this period.

Any credit card deal will take the following items into consideration :
- the interest rate you must pay
- how you repay the loan
- length of the loan agreement (or term)
- frequency and timing of instalment payments
- amount of each payment
- fees associated with the product
- premiums for payment protection insurance (the lender may choose to make this compulsory)

Remember; if you are looking around for a credit card, you should try and get as low an APR rate as possible. However, be on the lookout for other costs; administration fees, legal fees or penalties you may encur for late charges. It is always wise to shop around for any deal involving finance, making sure that you consider all the options before signing on the dotted line. There are many ways to do this online, with many compenies offering comparison tables on each deal offered. These days you have no excuse not to, the information is freely available.

The law that covers credit agreements in the UK is the Consumer Credit Act (1974).

Credit Card APR - What exaclty is APR?

Filed Under (Abbey credit card) by admin on 28-05-2010

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APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate. APR attempts to create a single figure of interest allowing the consumer to compare like with like when selecting the best product for their lifestyle.

Without APR it would be literally impossible to make this kind of quick comparison because the credit card companies use different calculations to compute their interest and other charges. Without APR it would be possible for a card bearing an ‘advertised’ interest rate of 12% (not APR) to be more expensive than one charging 16%.

Financial Regulators (such as the the UK’s FSA) have recognized this and as such have attempted to put in some safeguards to protect the consumer, making sure that there is at least some standard information allowing comparison between interest rates and other associated charges.

The main thing to remember is that APR takes into account not only the interest charges levied, but also any other costs that are also included. Credit card companies use different calculations to compute their interest and other charges, so APR makes it easier to make a good
credit card comparison between products. Generally speaking, the lower the APR, the less money you will end up paying back in interest to the credit card provider. It is very important to make sure you compare the APR of different credit cards when deciding which credit card to take out, as card issuers may offer a low rate of interest for an initial period but this will increase at the end of this period.

Any credit card deal will take the following items into consideration :
- the interest rate you must pay
- how you repay the loan
- length of the loan agreement (or term)
- frequency and timing of instalment payments
- amount of each payment
- fees associated with the product
- premiums for payment protection insurance (the lender may choose to make this compulsory)

Remember; if you are looking around for a credit card, you should try and get as low an APR rate as possible. However, be on the lookout for other costs; administration fees, legal fees or penalties you may encur for late charges. It is always wise to shop around for any deal involving finance, making sure that you consider all the options before signing on the dotted line. There are many ways to do this online, with many compenies offering comparison tables on each deal offered. These days you have no excuse not to, the information is freely available.

The law that covers credit agreements in the UK is the Consumer Credit Act (1974).

Business Credit Cards Guide

Filed Under (Uncategorized) by admin on 19-10-2009

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Business credit cards are a helping hand for those entrepreneurs who are running their own businesses. A business credit card not only acts as a line of credit but can also help to provide you enough control in managing your companys finances and cash.  When business credit cards were first introduced it was mainly aimed towards corporate executives. However, this trend has changed and nowadays even small business owners can acquire business credit cards fairly easily. Business credit cards have become a versatile tool which allows business owners to utilize effectively over time as their business needs change.

A majority of the business credit cards come with a wide range of features including cash advances, cash rewards, airline miles, one-call emergency service, and insurance coverage. The features included in a business credit card vary from one card provider to the other, but most of the credit card companies offer an attractive introductory rate for the first few months from the date of opening your account.  After that initial period the customer will be required to pay a higher ongoing APR and the card also might require an annual membership fee.

One of the major advantages of a business credit card is that it provides a significant increase in financial control. The cards allow you to simplify and manage your business expenses well, eliminating the need to use a personal credit card for business expenses. Another most important feature of a business credit card is that small business owners can make use of these little pieces of plastic to provide financing or emergency “bridge loans” for their business when stuck in cash flow shortages. And even thought it is not explicitly stated in the business card features, business owners have made use of business credit cards for start-up funding as well.

Nowadays, there are myriad small and medium sized companies which make use of business credit cards as an efficient financing tool. There is a wide variety of credit card issuers that offer business credit cards with various schemes and features. Because of the many opportunities available, it is highly recommended to thoroughly contrast and compare business credit cards to select the ideal card best suited to your specific business needs.

Tips for Choosing a Business Credit Card

Before you apply for a credit limit on a business credit, make an estimate of your monthly business expenses and your history of repayment. Make sure that you apply for a credit limit that you know is within the bounds of your expense limitations, but equally important, will also take into account the growing needs of your business.

If you have several employees working under you, you need to determine how many cards your business may need and which employees will require cards for business expenses. Obviously, before you issue cards to any employees make absolutely sure that they are trustworthy.

Also, make sure that during this process that you determine your business requirements for ancillary services. That is, if you or your employee has to travel regularly for business needs, then it is a good idea to find out those business credit card issuers who offer free air miles, travel insurance, and hotel discounts.

Be careful about the introductory interest rates offered by business credit card issuers. Most of these offers are designed to entice new customers and after an initial period of six months to one year, the interest rates will increase substantially. So when comparing business credit cards, one of the most important things to check is the regular interest rate versus the introductory APR and which card compares favorably in that regard.

So if you are planning to start a new business venture, try to utilize the entire suite of benefits that a business credit card offers that can fund, track and reward your business activities.

Bad Debt Credit Card What is That?

Filed Under (Bad Debt Credit Card) by admin on 28-06-2009

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Bad debt credit card is basically a credit card that the credit card suppliers offer to the people who have bad debt. Did that astonish you? Well, don’t let your thoughts run just yet.

You can classify bad debt credit cards into 2 categories based on what you understand by bad debt credit card. The first category of bad debt credit cards is those credit cards that are secured (and are also known as secured credit cards). These bad debt credit cards require a security i.e. you have to open (and maintain) a bank account with the bad debt credit card supplier. The credit limit on your bad debt credit card is calculated as a percentage of the balance you hold in the bank account you have opened with bad debt credit card supplier. Generally, this is 50-100% of your bank account balance. So, this bad debt credit card enables you to spend the amount you hold in your bank account; only the way you spend it changes (i.e. instead of spending that as cash you spend it using your bad debt credit card). So bad debt credit card lets you enjoy the convenience and other benefits that are associated with credit cards, even with a bad debt. This security is as such important for the bad debt credit card supplier; after all how can you trust someone who has a bad credit rating.

The other category of bad debt credit cards are nothing unusual, they are the same cards that we know of most commonly; the only difference is in the way you get them and the objective behind getting them. Here, we are talking about the credit cards that you use as a debt consolidation mechanism i.e. consolidating bad debt (as such any debt is bad). So we can call them bad debt credit cards too. These operate by transferring of the balance you owe on your current, high interest credit cards to these bad debt credit cards that have a lower APR (at least for some initial period). Hence, these bad debt credit cards help you in consolidating your debt and getting some relief from the higher APR that you were experiencing on your current card.

Some people accept both of the above categories of credit cards as bad debt credit cards while others tend to go with one or the other. So, what you regard as a bad debt credit card is really a matter of personal choice.