Prepaid Credit Cards

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Friday 27 February 2009 7:36 am

Not everyone has the kind of good credit rating it takes to qualify for a credit card. If you have past credit problems such as bankruptcies, repossessions, or even divorces, you may not meet the stringent qualifications that credit companies use to determine who receives a line of credit. Even smaller credit blemishes, such as a history of late credit card payment, can result in a denial from a credit card company when you fill out an application. Fortunately, there is a way to get started on a brand new credit road without the best credit history. Try applying for a prepaid credit card.

What is a prepaid credit card?

You can use a prepaid credit card anywhere and any way that you would use a standard credit card. Many people use a credit card payment for utilities, online services, or other scheduled monthly bills. People also commonly complete online purchases, reserve rental cars or hotels, and bid on online auctions using a credit card account. But if you don?t have a standard credit card, you can use a prepaid credit card to do all these things and more. Several lenders offer prepaid MasterCards or Visa cards that look exactly like the regular cards.

A good place to find prepaid card offers is online. Simply enter prepaid credit card into the search box on your search engine page and start exploring your options. You can fill out the lender?s application online and open an account within a matter of days.

As part of the prepaid account, you will be required to deposit a minimum balance to kick start your line of credit. Once your account is open and your application is complete, you can use your card to charge items up to the limit on your account. As long as you make your credit card payment on time and for the minimum balance, you keep your line of credit.

Pros

?A prepaid credit card is relatively easy to get. You do not need to meet any other qualifications than a down payment and the complete application form in most cases. The card offers are available online, but if you do not have internet access that is secure, you can apply also at several retail stores.

?If you want to have a credit limit of five hundred dollars, you can deposit five hundred dollars into your account. If you want a credit limit of one thousands dollars, deposit this amount into your credit card account. Your limit is completely under your control. With the prepaid card, there are no interest charges or annual fees.

?When you use your card, you are not borrowing money from the banking institution that you got your card from. In fact, by making your credit card payment on time, you can drastically improve your credit rating. As long as you pay your balance in full each month and do not accrue any interest, your credit card debt remains stable while your credit score rises.

?You can use your prepaid card anywhere they accept the standard MasterCard or Visa cards and no one will know the difference.

About the Author Matt Yetter is webmaster of http://www.kingcreditcard.com. You can find other articles and information about credit and financing at http://www.kingcreditcard.com/articles

Common Credit Card Terms

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Friday 27 February 2009 3:36 am

Whether you have a credit card or you are thinking of getting one, what ever is the type of credit card, there is a simple credit card jargon that you must be aware of.

Credit Cards: This is a card issued by a financial institution that allows the cardholder to use credit to purchase goods and services up to a predetermined limit. The cardholder gets a monthly statement and then he/she has to pay back. There is an interest on the amount credited.

Credit Limit: This is the maximum amount you are allowed to spend on the credit card. How much credit limit you get depends on you credit history and the type of credit card you own (gold or Platinum Cards).

Credit History or Credit Scoring: This is your track record of how you have paid accounts in the past. It is important from the creditor?s point of view since it determines whether you are likely to pay accounts on time in the future or not.

Gold and Platinum Cards: These are credit cards issued to high-end earners. These have high or no credit limit. They come bundled with a number of services and benefits not available to a standard cardholder.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR): It is the annual interest rate or percentage you pay on the outstanding balance of credit as an interest or fee. It is also called annual interest rate.

Annual Fees: Annual fees is basically a maintenance fee that the credit card issuers charge from the cardholders annually against the costs incurred in maintaining accounts and providing services.

Introductory Period: Credit card market is highly competitive in UK so a number of credit card companies offer a low rate of interest on outstanding balances on your account for an initial period. This initial period is called introductory period, which can last for 6 to 12 months depending on the offer.

Balance Transfers: This is another term that has emerged out of the credit card market competition in UK. Say if you have an outstanding balance in your account on which you are paying interest but you find another market offer that makes your pocket breath easy then you can transfer your outstanding balance to a new account by paying certain percentage of balance transfer. Some credit card companies offer balance transfer as low as 0% in introductory period.

Reward Program: It is a point-accumulating program based on purchases or transactions made on your card. You can redeem your reward point against cash back, discounts or free air miles according to the program you enroll for.

PIN (Personal Identification Number): It is the secret code chosen by you for your card. You can access your money and perform banking transactions through the ATM or make purchases without signing a sales receipt at merchants that have PIN pads, using this code. Don’t share your PIN with anyone.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the credit card comparison sites http://www.credit-cards-info.com/ and also http://www.smartcreditcards.co.uk/

No Bank Account Credit Cards

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Thursday 26 February 2009 11:36 pm

Unfortunately, the options to get a new credit card are severely limited for people with less-than-desirable credit histories. The restrictions are so stern, in fact, that many consumers with bad credit are unable to buy simple consumer goods, or are slapped with very high interest rates.

There is good news, however, and it comes in the form of ?no bank account? credit cards. These cards allow people with low credit ratings and no bank accounts to enjoy the purchasing power of a credit card.

?No bank account? credit cards are usually pre-funded, meaning the cardholder ?reloads? it with money in order to use it. This arrangement is perfect for people who want to control their spending and limit themselves only to what they can afford. Most individuals recovering from bankruptcy use this type of card. It not only reestablishes credit history and demonstrates financial responsibility to creditors ? it also affords users the convenience of a fully-functional credit card while living within their income.

If you are thinking about getting a ?no bank account? credit card, do not hurry ? you should first shop around for the best deals.

The best ?no bank account? cards offer the same benefits as a regular credit card, such as rewards programs and online access and management. The card should be accepted in millions of locations around the world, and have ATM access for easy cash withdrawals, and other such convenient features.

You should also find a credit card provider that does not ask for annual fees or transaction fees, and offers free customer support either via the telephone or online. Some companies even go so far as to provide ?wireless alerts? to ?no bank account? credit cardholders ? such a service will enable you to easily keep an eye on your account via text messages (SMS). The added features will certainly help you budget your finances even more effectively.

Bank Credit Cards provides detailed information on Bank Credit Cards, Bank Secured Credit Cards, Bank Student Credit Cards, No Bank Account Credit Cards and more. Bank Credit Cards is affiliated with Banking Services.

Balance Transfer Credit Cards And Their Rewards

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Thursday 26 February 2009 7:36 pm

If you haven’t been credit card shopping recently, you’d be amazed at the variety offered today. In addition to the different interest rates, the extent of rewards or perks offered is vast. There are cards offered to fit everyone’s needs. Good credit, bad credit, in between, 0% APR introductory offers, sky miles, cash back,… just to name a few.

Of course the financial experts would tell you to watch that credit card debt, pay off the balance every month so you don’t have to pay interest. If you do have high balances the experts would also tell you to take out a loan on your home so you could get a lower interest rate and tax advantage too. But that’s not always realistic or possible for some. Perhaps they just bought their first home and the equity is limited. There could be a number of reasons why the professional financial advice just won’t work. So what to do?

What if you just purchased your first home and your credit cards had balances with interest being accrued each month? Then say you like to travel, but you have these bills. Could you plan a trip in the not too distant future? I believe you could.

Most of the credit card companies today have 0% APR introductory offers. This rate is good for six to twelve months and many times is valid for balance transfers and purchases. In addition, many offer rewards such as air miles.

First figure out the most you could pay each month on these accounts combined. Apply for a card that offers 0% APR for twelve months and transfer the balances that are accruing interest to this new account. Now remember, you’re saving interest each month. Then you could use the credit card as much as possible for daily expenses, keeping track of and setting that amount aside each day. At the end of the month, you should pay the amount determined which you could afford on the balance transferred and then pay the entire amount charged for the monthly expenses.

By doing this, you would be paying off the older balance with a 0% interest rate and earning rewards at the same time. At the end of the twelve months you may very well have enough points to take that planned trip. Your credit card balance should be paid off almost completely.

When things seem out of reach, you can achieve them, as long as you have a plan.

About the Author: Bradley Carson is the owner of Apply Online For A Credit Card at http://www.cards-king.com where he invites you to review and compare the latest credit card offers from premier financial institutions.

Cash Back Vs. Rewards Credit Cards

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Thursday 26 February 2009 3:36 pm

Ah, the sweet rewards of using credit!

Not only do you get immediate gratification with the buy now-pay later plastic, but now, many credit cards offer rewards and incentives for using their card to make purchases. You can get cash back, or gift cards, or ?reward points? that you can spend on merchandise or services from various merchants. There are also cards that allow you to designate your ?cash back? points to a charity ? sometimes called affinity cards ? and those that put your cash back into a special savings account for college.

Great deal, right? You spend your money and get something in return. The catch is, of course, that you?re paying interest and card fees to get your cash back rewards. But if you?re going to be using the credit card anyway, you might as well get something back out of it, right?

Most cash-back cards give you 1-2% cash back on most of your purchases. You?ll get a check at specified periods for the amount of your ?rewards cash?. You can cash the check and spend the money on anything you want.

Reward cards give you 1-5 reward points for every dollar that you spend at different merchants and types of merchants. Most pay you 5 reward points for purchases made at their ?Merchant Thank You? network, and for purchases made at gas stations, drug stores and supermarkets. You?ll get 1 reward point for every dollar that you spend at other merchants. You can then redeem your reward points for particular items from the merchants that belong to the credit card?s merchant network.

Which is the better choice?

Each kind of credit card reward has its own pros and cons, and the better choice depends on what?s most important to you.

Cash-back Rewards ? Pros

Cash can be used anywhere, for any kind of purchase. Gives 1% – 2% cash back on all purchases.

Cash-back Rewards ? Cons

Rewards points cards may give rewards of higher value, particularly for purchases at merchant networks stores, gas stations and supermarkets. Cash-back can only be used when a check is issued.

Rewards Points ? Pros

Rewards points are often higher value than cash-back. If you use the credit card for purchases made within the merchant member network, you can get as much as 5% value back when you spend your reward points.

Reward points are available to use on a rolling basis. Some card companies may require you to accumulate a certain number of rewards points before redeeming them, but reward point rewards are often more easily available than cash-back rewards. Reward points can be used for cash rewards in some circumstances.

Reward Points ? Cons

Reward points can only be redeemed from particular merchants and/or on particular merchandise.

Whichever your choice, it makes good sense to get something back when you choose to use credit. If you?re a frequent credit card user, the rewards can certainly add up. Among the merchants that belong to various Merchant Member networks are such well-known companies as airlines, Saks Fifth Avenue, Evelyn & Crabtree and Smarter Edge.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the credit card comparison sites Credit Cards Info and also Credit Cards 121

Deciding On The Chase Credit Card

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Thursday 26 February 2009 11:36 am

The first credit card I ever had was cosigned by my parents. My father picked it out for me and did the bulk of the paper work, and I can only assume the card was issued through his regular bank. The Chase credit card I use now is the first one I signed up for myself. I got it after a long research process where I discovered that shopping for credit cards isn?t as easy as I used to assume.

When I set out to get a card under my own name and before I settled on a Chase credit card, I didn?t realize that there was anything more to think about then MasterCard or Visa. The first thing I looked at, therefore, was what kind of acceptance those, and a few other, cards had at the kind of places I shopped. It turned out to be a pretty much equal spread for the most part. Then when I got into looking at rates and found out all the different perks and payment options that were available I realized that I was getting in a bit over my head.

At the time I didn?t have a specific bank that I used because I didn?t have a lot of money to require a lot of banking services. So there was an account in one bank that I opened with my first job and one in another that I opened after moving to the city. When I learned that so many of the options and savings one card could give you depended on what bank you got it from, I had a lot more questions to ask. When I opted for a Chase credit card it was because they were not only the most helpful to be but offered a lot of the best benefits.

The Chase credit card options start out with the basic question of issuers. This would be MasterCard or Visa. From there things get tricky. There are cards that are good for gas and cards that help with traveling. There are Chase credit cards that are designed to support certain organizations and others that offer perks to specific retailers. It was tempting at first to dive into a credit card based solely on silly temptations. Loving musicals I wanted to get a Broadway Card that would have given me points to get free theater tickets. There were similar temptations when looking at cards that offered points towards electronics, theme park vacations and books.

If this is all new to you as well then explore the chase credit card website and take a look. There are dozens of brand names, clubs and charities that associate themselves with credit cards to earn more business. The list is staggering.

In the end what I discovered was that it was best to look beyond all those things for the time being. The most important features I needed given my current position were things like low interest rates and no annual fees. If I ever get another Chase credit card though I?m going with the Disney Card.

Christopher M. Luck has an extensive background in working exclusively with the Chase credit card company and is now offering his free professional credit card advice to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher’s personal finance advice, tips, or secrets, you can visit his finance blog

6 Benefits To Financing A Small Business With A Credit Card

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Thursday 26 February 2009 7:36 am

Starting a small business without the aid of a credit card can be quite stressful. Since business expenditures can be add-up to significant tax deductions, it is imperative to separate personal expenses from work-related charges. Aside from the tax savings, a business credit card represents expanded options; particularly with the right card.

As with any financial product, not all business credit cards are the same. An annual statement is a popular feature of most business credit cards. Tallying up business related products and services are made simple with the convenience of recorded statements. Nevertheless, a good business credit card should have other features besides a balance sheet. Here are other features, to look for in a small business credit card:

? An exceptional credit line

? A low preferred business APR

? Extra business credit cards for employees

? Customizable business checks

? Custom cards with your business name

? Complimentary online account management

All of the above features can be mission critical to starting and conducting business. Review the following six benefits to finance a new company on a business credit card:

1.Easy Expenditure Tracking

Depending on the credit card company, a record of all transactions may be available annually or by request only. Small business credit cards offering free online account management is an important feature. The ability to check transactions and manage online payments simplifies bookkeeping. The same record can be used during tax-time to calculate profits and earnings.

2.Finance Business Needs With a Low APR

A low preferred business APR can ease the transition of being paid by new clients and covering unforeseen expenses. The financial stresses of starting a new small business can hinder productivity. Be it the cost of renting or buying new equipment, immediate expenditures can wreak costly distress on any business. A business credit card with a low APR can help offset the pangs of paying a balance over time versus right away. The best business credit cards offer a 0% introductory APR.

3.Control Employee Spending

To ensure that employees are conscientious about the company budget, additional business credit cards may control their spending. A business credit card with online management and additional credit cards enables a small business owner to track spending, maintain records and receipts. During conventions, Bill Amato?s sales representatives put in long hours. To compensate and track their meals, each of his employees has a company credit card. Bill uses Advanta business cards because it allows him the ability to control employee expenditures by tracking their spending transactions online.

4.Manage Client Expenses

For simple account management, small business owners can pay for products and services using a business credit card check. For instance, Jane Brody, proprietor of an event management company uses business credit card checks to pay for additional client expenditures. Since the checks are customized to her business and then made payable to the supplier for a specified job and client, she is able to track and tack on any additional fees to each customer?s invoice. Not to mention, each client is billed for late payment transaction fees.

5.Ensure Business Productivity

An exceptional credit line is useful for the fast growing small business that has to cover travel, new technology and other expenditures. A robust credit line can be the difference between staying in business and going out of business. The inability to access a line of credit without depending on a small business loan, can bring a growing company to a screeching halt.

In the case of new franchise owner, Jim Denko his new small business was just beginning to return an investment. On the down side, Jim required a line of credit so that he did not have to dip into the family?s money market account and emergency reserve. Because Jim was qualified for a small business credit card, he was approved with a generous line of credit. The availability allowed him the freedom to test out new inventory for his franchise.

6.Take Advantage of Extras

The ultimate business credit card can be found in the ?extras.? For instance, certain business credit cards come with amazing discounts and special incentives. These advantages can add up to savings. Perfect example, Advanta business credit cards, not only come with a healthy credit line, the credit card is devised for small business owners to be successful. Many popular business credit cards feature generous cash back and travel rewards.

Small Business Advice: To minimize confusing your personal cost with the costs of starting a new business, apply for a business credit card that provides you with the tools to run a profitable business.

Copyright Ed Vegliante. Free online reprints of this article are allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.credit-card-surplus.com .

Please click here to find offers for Small Business Credit Cards.

Ed Vegliante runs the website http://www.Credit-Card-Surplus.com , a well organized credit card directory enabling the consumer to compare and apply for a variety of credit card offers. View more Credit Card Articles.

Are You Liable For Credit Card Payments If Your Card Is Stolen?

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Thursday 26 February 2009 3:36 am

Despite all your care, your credit card has been stolen, and now there are charges outstanding on it that you never authorised. Are you liable for those charges?

That all depends on the organisation that issued your credit card. If that organisation subscribes to the Banking Code, there are very definite limits to your liability if your card is stolen. The Banking Code Standards Board is an organisation whose mission it is to ensure that banks and building societies adhere to certain rules in dealing with their account holders. Membership in the BCSB is voluntary, but banks and building societies who are members promise to abide by certain rules in the way that they conduct business and treat their customers. These rules include rules on how to deal with lost or stolen credit cards.

According to the Banking Code, section 12:

Liability for losses

12.11 If you act fraudulently, you will be responsible for all losses on your account. If you act without reasonable care, and this causes losses, you may be responsible for them.

As long as you have not acted with complete recklessness, or participated in fraud, you are protected by the following section of the Banking Code.

12.12 Unless we can show that you have acted fraudulently or without reasonable care, your liability for the misuse of your card will be limited as follows.

  • If someone else uses your card, before you tell us it has been lost or stolen or that someone else knows your PIN, the most you will have to pay is ?50.Your liability for charges made to your lost or stolen card is ?50 per card. In many cases, credit card issuers will even waive that first ?50 if you report your card stolen within a reasonable amount of time.
  • If someone else uses your card details without your permission, and your card has not been lost or stolen, you will not have to pay anything.
  • If someone else uses your card details without your permission for a transaction where the cardholder does not need to be present, you will not have to pay anything.
  • If your card is used before you have received it, you will not have to pay anything.

Under the above conditions, you are not liable for any charges made to your card without your permission. If your card is still in your possession and someone else uses your credit card details, you won’t have to pay any of those charges. If someone uses your credit card for ‘card not present’ transactions – for instance, to make online purchases – you don’t have to pay any of those charges. If someone makes charges to your account before you receive your credit card UK Banking Code specifies that you won’t have to pay anything.

Of course, you are still liable for any charges that YOU made to your card. However, if your card is lost or stolen, and you report the loss, the most that you will be liable for on those charges is ?50 per card. It is in your best interest to find out before you apply for a credit card whether the issuing organisation subscribes to the UK Banking Code. When you apply for a credit card through moneyeverything.com, you can easily check each credit card UK issuer to research whether they subscribe to the UK Banking Code.

Jon Francis has been involved in various areas with the world of finance and has a keen eye for a bargin! He has an in-depth knowledge of the credit card UK market and now helps others get the best from a credit card. For more information visit http://www.moneyeverything.com.

Credit Card Creep Universal Default 125%

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Wednesday 25 February 2009 11:36 pm

It was one of those extra special Saturdays with a crisp coolness in the air. The sun was shining brightly through the front windshield so much so that the visor had to be lowered. Having left early from his part time job, Travis stopped at a convenience store to pick some beer and food. Three friends were meeting at his house to watch the Notre Dame versus Michigan football game. The wives were coming along later to enjoy a late cook out and to enjoy the newly installed heated spa and pool. Travis and Penny had acted on a promise they had made to themselves when they bought the home four years ago. A primary requirement, beyond the three bedrooms, two baths with a two car garage and large family room, was the need for a large lot that would allow for the construction of a big heated pool and spa. With three children and an active social life this was an important centerpiece of family activities. It was important to complete this mutual promise. It made sense of the hard work and commitment to make this happen.

As a systems engineer at a local company, Travis had not received the anticipated bonuses and pay raises that had been outlined when he hired on right out of school ten years ago. Deciding early on to stay in a smaller city where they grew up and had family with any alternative employment being somewhat limited without a major commute to the nearest active employment center 100 miles away. Penny worked as an outside pharmacy sales representative with one of the big drug companies and ran her regular route between doctor?s offices and clinics. This was the ideal job for Penny as it gave her great flexibility to spend more time with the children who were now all school age. As planned, Travis and Penny had three children in quick order to compress the parenting time into a tighter time frame. When Travis and Penny bought their home the mortgage market was very attractive and they were able to lock up a 5.75% fixed rate on a 30-year mortgage. Travis and Penny justified the expense of putting in the pool by Travis taking a part time job as a security guard at 20 hours per week to meet the payment of the new second mortgage utilized to install the pool and spa. Efforts were made to double the payments of the Home Equity Line of Credit to pay it off early and get down to one payment on the house. That rate was tied to prime and recently had been climbing and the payments were going up. Prime it seemed was going up monthly. Travis and Penny had been very responsible with credit and as a result had good credit scores in the 750 range. Now, with climbing payments on the HELOC Travis and Penny were just able to pay the minimum monthly payment. From time to time, they took advantage of credit card offers as it turns out to a big extent. In a year?s time, they had 12 credit cards with active balances. It just started to creep up on them as they were now just making the minimum payments each month. With their good credit, the credit card rates were good. Travis working the extra time on the part time job some of the bills paying duties were shared with each assuming that the bills were getting handled. In a small alcove of the kitchen was a built in desk area with small cubbyholes and pull out drawers acted as the repository for due bills and the checkbook.

As Travis pulled in the drive way with the goods from the convenience store, as was his practice before unloading, he checked the mailbox. Sure enough he had a fist full of mail. He gathered up the food and beer from the car and carried everything into the kitchen. Upon setting the groceries and such down he headed to the in-kitchen desk to deposit the mail to go over later. However, on top, was a letter from one of their credit card companies. Travis opened it and the communication indicated that they were 30 days late on the credit card payment and that they needed to call immediately to get it handled. Travis and Penny conferred and while ignoring the bagged groceries on the table, began tearing apart the desk looking in all the cubbyholes and crannies, and stuck way in the back crumpled up with another paid invoice was the original bill (now over 30 days late).

Unbeknownst to Travis and Penny, is the ?Universal Default? trigger mechanism used by many credit card companies who regularly check your payment history in the bureaus. If they find a 30-day late or other derogatory information the interest rates on ALL the credit cards can be accelerated in many cases to the maximum legal limit. Thus, the sweet heart introductory rates went in some cases from 8.5% to 29.99% to varying degrees. Overnight the minimum monthly credit card payments more than doubled. They were in a real pickle now. The real estate market had pulled back recently and the full value of the pool and spa did not result in a higher appraised value. In looking at their situation, they now had a current balance $165,000 first mortgage at 5.75% with fixed principal and interest payments of $1,021.25/month with little principal pay down since origination.

The taxes and insurance added another $275/month. The second mortgage HELOC was $33,500 with current payments based on prime at $301.41/month. Then their total monthly housing expense was $1,021.25 $275 $301.41 = $1,597.66/month. When they added up the credit card debt it was some $37,500 with an average of 29.99% and minimum payments of now $1,450.00/month. Their total debt was $1,581.69 $1,450.00= $3,031.69/month. Travis and Penny were stunned. Penny called the mortgage broker who got the original 5.75% purchase money mortgage and shared their pickle and was asking for possible answers short of selling the house or going into a Chapter 13 Wage Earner Bankruptcy Plan. Bob the mortgage broker had worked out a couple of scenarios with one being to sell the house. The market-appraised price didn?t allow for much debt consolidation with the equity available. So Bob suggested either to sell the house or keep the 5.75% first mortgage in place and utilize a 125% Combined Loan To Value (CLTV) mortgage product that would allow the paying off of the HELOC (which had been going up) and payoff all the credit card debt.

This would cut all the debt down to two payments one for the first and then the second mortgage. Bob cautioned them that this is not a cure all. Debt relief was being achieved by extending the term of the debt with a rate in the 14.5% range. Bob went on to explain that they were just buying time and that they had to seriously make an effort to make extra payments and get rid of the second mortgage. Although their credit score had dropped the middle score was still above 650. The 125% Combined Loan To Value had a $75,000 maximum loan limitation. Bob proposed paying off the pool loan and all the credit cards with a new loan of $74,900 with closing costs rolled in. The payment on the 125% loan for a rate of 14.5% and a 20-year term would have a payment of $958.71/month. The savings per month then would be $3,031.69/month versus $1,021.25 P&I on the first $275 for taxes and insurance and the new payment on the 125% CLTV of $958.71/mo. for a total new housing payment of $2,254.96 for a monthly savings of $3,031.69-$2,254.96 = $776.73/month. The Debt To Income Ratio was below 45% a 125% loan program requirement. Bob cautioned them again that while they would have monthly savings the long-term costs could be higher than before so they must commit to cutting costs and stick to a tight budget. Penny committed to making three more calls per day to boost her income. They went ahead and got the relief and made a long commitment to crawl out behind the eight ball and move ahead.

Dale Rogers www.brokencredit.com

Dale Rogers is a thirty-year mortgage veteran and frequent contributor to the Broken Credit Blog The BCB is a free website created to assist the general public with information about credit repair and responsible mortgage lending.

www.BrokenCredit.com

First Time Credit Card Users Tips

Posted by Credit Card Man | Credit Card | Wednesday 25 February 2009 7:36 pm

Credit cards have become a part of our society. In fact people who apply for a credit card seem to be getting younger and younger. People start to get their 1st cards when they are in their senior year at high school or freshman year at college.

That creates problems for some. Since it will be their first time getting a credit card they will have little or no credit history at all. When the 1st time credit card applicant has no credit history, the process even becomes harder.

People who also apply at that age for a card are naturally more irresponsible in managing the account. They forget to remember that the bad credit they build will eventually affect future endeavors such as getting a job or a loan.

People who get a credit card for the 1st time who experience problems with their credit history can actually look for a card that has special offers. There are some card issuers that are willing to issue cards for people with little or no credit histories. At first they will not give you an extended credit line. You will have to earn it first by proving to them that you are an excellent customer that pays the bills on time.

Another thing you can do is build your own credit history. This might take a little longer. Get yourself a gas card or certain cards that some establishments provide when you shop at their stores. When you own a card, make sure to balance it properly and then after a few months, you can apply for the bank credit card.

For 1st time credit card users, it is much more important to take into consideration how to use the credit card wisely rather than how to obtain one. Don’t be trigger happy with your credit card by shopping a lot since you now have a card. Try to learn how much are you capable of paying back hen the bill arrives.

Also try to own only one credit card first. Having one credit card could already be tempting and hard to manage, just imagine how much worse it could be when you are managing 2 or 3 when you are still new at it.

Try to remember that this is important because you will build up a bad credit score. Having a bad credit score means that you will have trouble applying for loans and jobs in the future. Being young doesn’t give you an excuse for being reckless.

Bottom-line, don’t be greedy and over shop with your credit card. Learn to use for important situations only.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

« Previous PageNext Page »