Low Interest Credit Cards - Make Sure You Have The Cheapest Rate

Filed Under (Best credit card deals) by admin on 21-12-2010

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Making sure that you pay the lowest rate of interest chargeable on your credit card usage is vital if you want to maintain an effective money management scheme. As such, knowing how to make sure you pay the lowest interest rate on your credit card should be viewed as an essential element to deciding which credit card you should select.

As we all know, credit card companies are not in the business of giving away a free service and one of the ways in which they make a big part of their income is charging interest on any balance you carry-over from one payment period to another. Although this interest is charged monthly, interest accrues on interest and consequently credit card companies are required (in most cases by consumer law) to advertise their interest rates not as a monthly sum, for example 1.9%, but rather as annual figure, for example 22%. Because the interest rate advertised is calculated over the period of a year, it is known as the Annual Percentage Rate, or APR for short, and is the quickest way of telling which credit card company charges the lowest rate of interest for using their card.

Having said this, there are a couple of additional things you need to keep in mind when comparing the APR advertised by different card issuers, namely:

Annual Fees

Does the issuer you are considering using charge any annual membership fees? This is an important question because some issuers can ‘hide’ fees payable for using their card in the form of an annual fee. Indirectly this allows them to lower their APR comparable to those issuers who do not charge membership fees. However, when you include the membership fee as part of the interest rate, often the amount you are being charged is higher than if you had decided to use the services of a provider that charged a slightly higher APR, but no annual membership fee.

Credit Rating

Your credit rating will affect the interest rate you pay on nearly all your borrowing and a credit card is no different in this regard. If you have a good credit rating, you should be expecting to pay less APR. Conversely, if you have a bad credit rating, you should not be too surprised if you find that you are being asked to pay a higher APR.

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It would be hard to emphasis how important making at least the minimum repayment on your credit card each month is. If you do not, you will likely find that your provider will increase the rate of interest you are being charged on your account. Sometimes this can occur even though it may not have been your fault that the payment was made late, for example you made the payment but it was received late, and without the provider being required to inform you that this default caused the interest rate on your credit card to change. It is, therefore, imperative that you read the small print of any application form you complete to check and see if the interest rate will change because of any non-payment or late payment and if the issuer will be obligated to inform you that the interest rate has changed.

Of course, the only way to make sure that you pay no APR on your credit card usage is to ensure that you clear your credit card balance each statement payment date. Unfortunately, however, most of us are cannot afford the luxury of paying off our credit balance each statement period and the card issuers know this. So, to make sure you are paying the lowest APR possible, read the fine print of the application form and make sure there are no hidden extra fees or charges and that the rate of interest you are paying really is the card’s advertised APR!

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).

Comparing Business Credit Cards

Filed Under (Abbey credit card) by admin on 20-04-2010

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When talking about business credit cards, you probably often hear that it is better to shop around and compare the different business credit card products. Perhaps you have been wondering what comparing business credit cards really entail. The task of comparing business credit cards involves an examination of all the factors and features and not only the offered rate of interest or the nature of rewards.

The reason that there are so many types of business credit cards on the market – even from within the stable of the same business credit card issuer – is that each of these addresses a different set of needs. Your particular business needs will therefore dictate the type of business credit card you should be applying for.

There are a number of established business credit card brands, each with a distinctive package of benefits that may be markedly similar in some ways, yet discernibly different in terms of their features.

Those who do a lot of traveling may be attracted to American express business credit cards. Bear in mind that you must have good credit ratings when applying for this business credit card brand as their standards for business credit card approvals favor only those with good to excellent credit. In exchange, you gain access to a fine range of travel benefits from a company that has catered for the needs of travelers for decades.

The more generally available business credit cards are Visa and MasterCard, because of the fact that these are issued by a plethora of member banks. These banks are seriously competing for your business, so you are likely to benefit from variations in rates and several rewards programs. The other business credit card brands — Discover and Diners — may not have as many banks issuing them, but they do have attractive features for business credit card holders.

In studying the particular needs of your business situation, you probably will want to look at zero APR business credit cards for balance transfers if you owe some money on your existing cards. Almost all the business credit cards offer the zero APR for balances transferred from other business credit cards within a specified introductory period. This can range from 6 months to 13 months. Those who want to save on interest would probably be inclined to those business credit cards that offer longer introductory periods. You should take note of the prevailing APR once the introductory period expires. Some business credit card issuers may impose higher APR than others.

Those who need to lower the effective cost of their purchases, especially for everyday items like gasoline, office supplies, courier expenses and the like, will probably prefer those business credit cards with favorable rewards and cash back rates. There are many business credit cards that offer 3 percent cash back on these purchases, but a few others will give as much as 5 percent. This could add up to substantial savings. Remember to compare your estimated savings from these cash back business credit cards against the annual fees charged by the business credit card issuer: some cash back business credit cards may have higher annual fees than others.

Those who are still trying to establish (or in some cases, re-establish) credit for their business should look for business credit cards that cater to those with bad credit. These offer special terms that enable you to rebuild your credit. Remember to try establishing your credit reports with business credit bureaus, like Dun & Bradstreet.