A miles card is one of the many credit card options available for the discerning big spenders of today. A miles card definitely amounts to rewards, if utilized in the right way, but more often than not the customer ends up paying out more in finance charges and fees than they would have with a traditional card.

Ever tried figuring out the cost per mile on your miles credit card? Or does that sound like too much work? The bottom line is that you need to earn enough miles on a miles card in a year to ensure that you are not overpaying for the miles. That being the case, you would be better off utilizing a credit card that doesn?t charge you an annual fee instead of those cards that come with hefty annual fees.

Know Your Miles Card

Knowing a mile?s value on your miles card will help you in ways more than you can imagine, so don?t ignore it! There is definitely no point in sticking with a program that offers you rewards of less than 1 mile earned per dollar purchased using the card. You also wouldn not want to fritter away any miles that you earn on your miles card for products or services that give you much less value for your money, but if your reward points are about to expire on the card then, of course, you have no choice but to use them or risk losing them.

Using the Miles on your Miles Credit Card

The first rule of the ?miles? game is to accumulate miles aggressively on your miles credit card. The second is obviously to utilize the miles accumulated on your miles credit card before the expiration date. If you cannot help the soon-to-expire miles on your miles credit card then get them converted into an award certificate, which will extend your decision time by about a year.

Miles Credit Cards? Double the Pleasure

Sometimes, miles credit cards can earn you double miles for a single transaction. For example, there might be a rewards network affiliated to the miles credit card that you are using, such as the American Express Membership Rewards program. By utilizing merchants or vendors within the affiliated network, you can earn extra miles every time you shop or dine at a merchant within the network.

If you?re accumulating miles aggressively by utilizing the card for as many purchase items as possible, whether it be large expense items or incidental ones, and then of course paying off those monthly card balances diligently every month, you can maximize the return on your use of miles credit cards. The strategies mentioned above should significantly aid you in this endeavor. Treat your miles like your money, and you are sure to reap the benefits.

For more information on the benefits of a miles card, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com

Shop till you drop is a well quoted phrase especially used to promote the shopping facilities of some cities around the world. Let’s accept the fact that shopping is a pleasure for most people and a way of life for some. The presence of credit cards makes it a whole lot easier but for some people it is the start of a living hell once they become snowed under with debt and repayments. If you are not in this situation then good for you but read on so that you will recognise the signs of the slippery slope to credit card debt.

1. Know your credit card limit and stick to it. This limit has been set by the credit card copmpany for your protection. Once you go over this limit it is hard to get back.

2. Set your own limit well within that set by the credit card company, two thirds of their limit would be better for you to work to.

3. Keep all receipts and more importantly keep your own accounts by recording all the receipts. As you add each receipt keep a running total of the balance. You might be surprised how quickly it adds up.

4. Make a note with each entry as to why you made that purchase. It might be helpful later on when you are reflecting on where your money has gone. You might be thinking Did I really buy that, what a waste Hopefully you will be wiser next time round.

5. Avoid impulsive purchases, don’t become seduced by smart advertising techniques designed to part you from you money and to make you feel ’smarter, cleverer, special, sexier’ etc. Likewise, don’t be seduced by ’special offers’, ‘buy now and pay next year’ offers. You will still have to pay and by the time the payment day arrives you might have forgotten about it. Of course there are bargains to be had, just be careful and work out what you can afford to spend.

6. Following on from number 5, do not buy the first time you see something new. Go home and sleep on it and ask yourself if you really need it. If you decide to go ahead write it down on you account sheet so that you cans see how your debt will be increased before you make the purchase.

7. Withdraw cash from your account to spend and leave the credit cards at home. You will have a more realistic feel for what you are spending. This will leave ‘a hole in your pocket’ but will not land you in credit card debt. It should also make you more resistant to impulsive purchases.

8. Recognise the signs that you are over spending. Your balance is getting close to your limit, you are having difficulty meeting your payments or you are worrying about your debt. These are ‘danger signals’ and must be heeded. Stop now and review your situation. Get off that slippery slope before you drown.

These are some ideas on how to avoid overspending with your credit cards, I hope they might be useful. Credit cards when used carefully and sesibly are convenient, useful and essential at times. But when abused they can have a negative affect on your life for many years.

Bruce Walls is the Web Master at http://www.usa-credit-card-guide.com the best site to apply for a credit card online

It is one of the joys of the credit industry that prices of credit, and in particular of credit cards, have continued to fall over the past number of years. Today you can get zero per cent on balance transfers, and even zero per cent on purchases, offers that were simply unimaginable just a couple of years ago. This is all the result of increasing competition in the market place from alternative lenders and banks from abroad, particularly US banks. However, there are still many charges out there and it takes some care and consideration to make sure that you don?t end up paying far more than you should for your credit cards.

The main charge associated with credit cards continues to be interest charged on outstanding balances. This is traditionally how credit card providers have managed to rake in the massive profits that they have become associated with. It doesn?t take much research to discover that the interest rates on credit cards are among the highest on the market. While mortgage rates and personal loan rates can easily be as low five or six per cent, credit cards rates are easily over twenty five per cent. This is due mainly to the convenience and flexibility of credit cards as a source of needed money. If you find that you are carrying over large credit card balances from one month to the next, you are probably paying far more than you need to for your credit. The best way to remedy such a situation is to consolidate this credit.

Debt consolidation loans, typically secured over your home, offer far lower rates of interest. You can then reduce your outgoings to a single monthly figure that allows you to pay off the debt at a reasonable rate.

Another way to avoid credit card interest rates is to take advantage of zero per cent balance transfers. These can be great opportunities and are offered by credit card providers who are ever more eager to increase their market share and add you as a customer. You will benefit from low or zero per cent rates on any balances that you transfer over to the new card from other credit cards. A word of advice however is to make sure you close the original account. This avoids the temptation of racking up further spending and improves your credit rating by reducing the over all amount of credit available to you.

Other charges such as subscription fees are by and large a thing of the past. Some credit cards still charge annual fees on the basis that they offer other rewards or are more exclusive cards but the general advice these days is that you can get just as good results on cards that do not charge these fees so if you are paying a fee, perhaps you will want to switch to a card that is free in this sense.

Late payment fees and other penalties are incurred if you fail to keep up with your repayment obligations and you should make every effort to avoid these as they are completely unnecessary.

Joseph Kenny writes http://www.CardGuide.co.uk, which offers some of the best credit cards in the UK. Also included in the site are more credit card articles.

Credit cards are very convenient. There?s no need to carry any cash; you can just take a credit card with you to the shop and charge for your shopping.

When you shop on the Internet or over the phone, it?s the only good way to make purchases online. This is more convenient than posting a cheque for payment. Like anything convenient, though, having credit cards have its cons.

Not Keeping Track of Your Shopping Charges May Land You in Trouble.

When you walk into that shop and hand over the card, you don?t pay cash rightaway. This can mean that as you do not see less money in your purse or wallet, you may lose track of how much you?ve spent.

Everyone has a tendency to underestimate what they spend, and smaller amounts can add up quickly on a credit card without you even noticing. It?s like taking the way phone bills work and applying it to everything you buy ? and that can?t be a good idea.

Also, imagine the scenario if you have more than one credit card. You will have to consolidate your charges on all of them as well as those on your debit cards to derive your total spending for the month.

You May Pay More Interest than Earn Interest.

The moment you run an outstanding balance, you?re paying the credit card company interest. You?re also paying your credit card bill as soon as you get your wages, so you may not have the chance to earn any interest from your bank balances.

You Charge More to Your Credit Cards to Earn More Reward Points.

The more debt you show you can pay back, the more credit card companies will offer to you in terms of limit and cash advances. The offers are so attractive that sometimes, it?s tempting to apply for more than one credit card. Credit card companies also try to make you charge more to credit card by awarding you reward points. The result is that you end up spending more as you get enticed by lucky draws, discounts for shopping, etc.

But Credit Cards If Used Wisely Can Be Useful.
When you need money in an emergency and you just don?t have any, there?s no doubt that credit cards can be useful. They are also a very useful way of proving to credit rating agencies that you can handle debt, and this may be taken into consideration when you apply for car loans or a mortgage.

Just remember that whenever you handle credit cards, you?ve got to learn how to manage your finances. Keep your loans to a minimum, and you will be in greater financial health.

Elaine Lim used to be a research analyst from a bank and now hopes to share her expertise through publishing information on consumer credit. She aims to help others in their financial planning, debt management and credit repair. For more free tips, articles and resources, please visit http://www.credit-cards-eguide.com.

Affinity credit cards are the fastest growing segment of the credit card market. An affinity credit card is just like a standard credit card ? with one important difference. Every time you use it, you?re making a donation to your favorite charity. By making an affinity card your major credit card, you can help make substantial donations to worthwhile charities just by using your credit card as you normally would.

Most people are familiar with the idea behind credit cards rewards programs. In order to convince buyers to use their credit cards to pay for purchases instead of cash, many credit card companies offer cards with built-in rewards. Those rewards may be cash back, or free miles with airlines, or discounts at the petrol station. When you choose an affinity card, the reward is in the form of a donation to the charity represented on the face of the card.

Affinity credit cards have been around since the mid-1980s, but they?ve only recently begun to become popular in the UK. By 1999, a major research firm in the UK reported that there were over 1500 different kinds of affinity cards currently in issue throughout the UK. Affinity card spending in that year topped 4.43 million pounds. At the usual rate of contribution (.25% of each transaction), that means that affinity credit card transactions were responsible for 1.1 million pounds donated to various charities.

When it comes to credit cards UK consumers have the choice of supporting cancer research, their local football club, a children?s charity or just about any other sort of charity imaginable. Most affinity credit cards don?t offer special rewards aside from the knowledge that you?re supporting a worthy cause ? but there are some exceptions. One affinity credit card linked to Christian Aid, for example, offers no balance transfer fee and 1.9% introductory interest rate on new purchases for six months.

Based on their use of affinity credit cards UK consumers are a goodhearted lot. According to one market survey completed in 2001, nearly 1 of every 4 adults in the UK carries an affinity card. That?s a lot of charity going around ? and why not? Using an affinity card lets people support their pet charities painlessly ? without it costing them a single penny.

While charity cards are the most popular affinity cards, there are many other types of affinity credit cards as well. The labour unions were the first in the UK to offer their own affinity cards, co-branded with major national banks. Football clubs around the UK have partnered with banks so that you can choose a credit card that displays the logo of your favorite football club. You can choose an affinity credit card that will donate a portion of your purchases to your political affiliation, or support the local theater. More and more banks and financial institutions are making it easy for non-profit agencies to partner with them and offer an affinity card bearing their logo.

At www.moneyeverything.com/affinitycards you?ll find the best credit card UK deals, including affinity cards for various charities and causes that are near to your heart.

About The Author
Jon Francis has been involved with various areas in the world of finance and has a keen eye for a bargin! He has an in-depth knowledge of the UK credit card market and now helps others get the best from their credit cards. View their website at: http://www.moneyeverything.com/cards

Rewards credit cards have become very popular with all the major credit card companies. Reward programs help credit card companies remain competitive. The credit card companies are constantly competing for business. They offer special interest rates, lower fees and now reward programs all in the hopes a person will choose their card over another.

There are many different types of reward credit cards. They range from airline miles to free gas. Each type of card is targeted at a certain market. Reward credit cards all work in the same general way. A person earns rewards for the amount of money they charge to the card. There are slight variations between programs, but generally the more a person charges the more rewards they earn. Airline mile cards are one of the most popular reward cards.

With an airline miles card a person earns free air travel. Usually for every dollar spent the person earns a mile of air travel. Cash rebate cards are another sought after reward card. These cards actually let a person earn a cash reward for every purchase they make. A percentage of each dollar spent is paid back to the person. The rewards earned can be great, but there are also some things about these rewards credits cards a person must know so they do not end up with problems.

Reward programs have a tendency to cause major debt problems. Many times the credit company makes deals with certain other companies so when a consumer uses their card at the retailer they earn more rewards than usual. This can lead to a person shopping at more expensive stores just to get more rewards. Before doing this a person should try to calculate how much they are spending verses how much reward they are getting.

Many times a person will find out that even figuring in the reward they are spending more overall than if they shopped elsewhere. This is a bad side of reward cards that can lead to credit problems for the consumer. Additionally, many reward credit cards have high annual fees or interest. When figuring this in a person may find they are actually spending more money just by having this card verses another card.

Reward credit cards are best for a person who has good credit. People who pay their balance off or carry a low balance will find these cards to work the best. Someone who carries a high balance or often only pays the minimum amount due will most likely have problems with this type of card.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Rewards Credit Cards including Bank of America Credit Cards Online.

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.

For more free information on business credit cards, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com

The Continental Airlines World MasterCard from Chase is one of the few cards that truly benefit its cardholders. As long as the applicant has a good credit rating and does not mind an annual fee, they will surely enjoy being a customer of the Continental Airlines credit card. Card users are able to accumulate a great number of points at a faster rate through the use of this credit card as compared to any other travel rewards credit card in the market.

For one thing, you are credited with reward points for just about anything you do with the card. In fact, upon approval of your card and your first purchase, you will receive a 15,000 OnePass miles credited directly into your account within 2 months of your purchase. Apart from that, you will also receive points just for paying your annual fee – 10,000 OnePass Miles for an $85 fee. Plus, you will be able awarded two miles for every dollar that you charge to your Continental Airlines credit card when you dine at any of the 10,000 selected restaurants worldwide.

In addition to point rewards, the Continental Airlines credit card also helps card holders save on their air fares. There is an automatic discount of 5% on all Continental airfares purchased from their online website within the first year of attaining the card. In addition to that, the card also entitles you to a $99 companion ticket once you have made $5,000 worth of purchases. Other features worth mentioning are the introductory APR of 7.99% for the first half a year and also no spending limit imposed.

All in all, this card has great benefits for a card user who intends to keep it for only the first year. Sadly, this credit card company makes no attempt to retain their customers after the first year despite the high annual fees year after year.

For more information or to apply for the Continental Airlines Credit Card, Eric Wasselman recommends Find Credit Cards.

Consumer credit refers to credit in some form given to the consumers. It is a way of financing a client on condition of a deferred payment, at a later date or within a particular period of time.

The businesses that provide consumer credit facilities need to comply with some regulations as lay down by the laws of the state. It is equally applicable to specialist credit businesses like credit card providers and money lenders to mail-order businesses or shops that permit the customers to buy on credit or lease out or hires goods. That is, the enterprises that give consumer credit facilities have to have a valid consumer credit license from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It is a mark of assurance to the customer that the business firm certified by OFT is fit for serve the customers.

Let us see which all businesses require a consumer credit license as a mandatory requirement by the law. The businesses that sells on credit, leases out or hires goods for over a period of 3 months, lends dollars, involved in credit card selling, arranges credit for others, provides hire/purchase commodities, collects debts, and give advise on others credit standing come under the purview of a consumer credit license.

But those lends amounts or hire goods for a cost more than a fixed amount, those deal only with limited companies and those allow the clients to pay back the amount in four or lesser installments are exempted from the consumer credit license.

Ideally one should check the guidelines from the OFT website to find out clearly which all businesses need a consumer credit license. Remember, to trade without a consumer credit license when you are required to earn one is a crime that invites fine or prison term or both.

Consumer credit license is valid for a fixed time period (5 years or so) and is required by the business to renew it after its expiry. However, the OFT can revoke, suspend or change the license at any point of time. The decision to do so is at the exclusive discretion of the authority. All the consumer credit license holders will be listed in the Consumer Credit Register, which is given free of cost for the public.

If the business consists of many companies, each trading in any of the categories, then each of the firms requires a separate license. Also, the OFT has laid down rules regarding advertising credit and credit agreements. All these details are furnished in the OFT website.

The government and the regulatory body assume that it is the duty of the business to keep themselves informed about the rules and regulations that govern their enterprises. Any breach of conduct can result in hefty fines and prison terms. It is all about being law-obedient and straight.

About The Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

A Business Credit Card

Every major credit card company provides business credit cards. Amex, Visa, Advanta, MasterCard, Chase Manhattan Bank, Citibank, HSBC Bank, Discover, etc are some of the companies that provide business credit card products.

Business credit cards are primarily used to separate business and personal expenses. Business cards also help organizations cap employee spending unto pre-specified limits. They also help organizations optimize benefits for employees. For example, if a large number of employees shop at a particular retail store, the organization can negotiate a group rate discount on purchases made by their employees, and the benefits can be passed on to all the stakeholders, via credit cards. The credit card company can also generate itemized records of spending by all the employees, which can ease the tracking of employee spending.

Business credit cards also help extend the cash flow of small businesses that have fixed billing cycles and payout timelines. You can pay out cash to suppliers, business associates, vendors etc via credit card instead of using you cash account, and use the credit card billing cycle to pay the money back, after you have been repaid.

Flexible credit limits offered by business credit cards help small businesses ward off significant spikes due to increase in input costs, expenses towards unseen events, etc.

Business credit cards have two types of credit limits:

The Author is the webmaster of http://www.smallbusiness-creditcard.com This website lists the most popular business credit cards for you to compare and apply online.