You don?t have to have the lifestyle demands of Paris Hilton to need extra money these days. According to Credit Action, the total UK personal debt was 1,122 billion, a growth of about 10.5% over the previous year and in the UK and each adult in the UK has an average of 4.1 credit cards in their wallet.

In their most recent report, Credit Action also recorded 2.3 million personal loan agreements in the second quarter of 2005. Interesting, the national money education charity discovered a gap between the interest rates advertised for loans and the actual interest rates paid by the borrowers.

So, with such volumes of debt, what is the best way forward in managing your money?

1) Prioritise your spending

Decide what you need to buy and when you need it. If it?s not a necessity, put it to the bottom of the list. With Christmas approaching, it?s important that you have an awareness of your budget. Make a list of things you need to buy ? including Christmas presents. Once you have a list, shop around for the cheapest deal ? including some internet research. Thirty minutes of surfing the internet could result in significant savings, which will either reduce outstanding debt or contribute to savings.

2) Prioritise your borrowing

If you borrow money, when do you think you?d be able to pay it back? For example, for smaller amounts of money that could be paid within a shorter period of time ? a credit card might be the most flexible way of borrowing money. Alternatively, if you need to borrow a larger sum of money and wish to make the repayments over a longer period of time ? then a personal loan could be more effective. Do some homework online, sites such as moneynet and moneyfacts provide online financial product guides and price comparison information.

3) Prioritise your requirements

In addition to thinking about how much money you need to borrow and how you want to repay it, you may wish to look at other ways in which your financial products could work for you. Examples include cash-back, reward points, charity donations etc.

4) Never, ever, take out a store card

Whatever the discount the store offers you on the day, remember, it won?t be as a gesture of goodwill. Nearly all store cards carry a vastly inflated rate of interest and they rely on you not being able to pay off the balance in full straight away. There is a strong chance that what you ultimately end up paying ? is far greater than the discount on the actual day.

5) Do you really need it?

As Christmas approaches, it?s easy to spend a little extra on clothes, food and drink and presents. However, if you make a list of what you need and stick to it, you?re likely to save yourself more money this way than if you went out impulse shopping.

Resources:

Credit Card Consumer Information

Personal Loan Information

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About Rachel:

Rachel lives in Scotland and writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ? a mighty personalfinanosaurus who lives in the Scottish hills near Edinburgh. When he?s not writing with Rachel on personal finance issues, Cash (Rich) Zilla sees his girlfriend Nessie ? the Loch Ness Monster.

Visit: http://www.cashzilla.co.uk

Cash rebate credit cards are just one of the many types of credit cards offering rewards. The credit card companies are in great competition for business and by offering rewards they hope people will choose their card over another. Cash rebate cards are considered the best of the reward cars because they actually pay cash as a reward for using them. Everyone loves getting money and the credit card companies have realized that offering cash rebate credit cards are a very good way to lure customers to choose their credit card.

The first cash rebate credit cards were offered by Discover. Discover’s ?Cashback? program rewarded consumers for the purchases made on their Discover card by letting them earn actual money back. Once other companies saw the popularity Discover gained form this program they begin to offer their own cash rebate credit cards.

Cash rebate credit cards work by figuring a percentage of each purchase made into the cash rebate. Of course, the credit card company is not going to give a person back the amount they spent, but rather they figure a percentage and that is the actual rebate. Some cards have teamed up with certain companies so that purchases made form these companies offer a higher cash rebate percentage. This not only benefit?s the credit card company, but also those stores they team up with as people are more likely to shop there because they get more cash back on those purchases.

Cash rebate credit cards seem like a great idea and many people have gotten them simply for the reward. However, they are still a credit card and that fact can sometimes be overlooked. It is often tempting to use the card just to get the reward which can lead to overspending. This is especially true when it comes to partnership between a credit card company and a store. A person may shop at that certain store just to get the higher reward percentage, but they might lose out. For example, a person buys socks from the credit card partner vendor for $4 and they get a higher rebate percentage which equals $1, which make the final cost $3.

The problem is that they could have shopped at a different store and gotten the socks for $3 with a lower rebate percentage which equals $.30, which makes the final cost $2.70. They ended up spending more, even with the higher rebate percentage. This type of shopping for rewards is what leads to problems with this type of card. This is the reason that getting a cash rebate credit card requires good credit. These cards are very selective and a person should have a good credit rating in order to be approved.

Cash rebate credit cards can be a nice way to earn some money back on spending. However, the bottom line is that a person needs to think about how much they are spending, not about how big the reward they get will be. This will help a person to use their cash rebate credit card responsibly.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Cash Rebate Credit Cards including Discover Card Applications. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.findqualitycreditcards.com.

Choosing a credit card for your business can be even more complicated than choosing a card for personal use. Interest rates, grace periods, rewards, credit limits, additional services and annual fees are all important to consider in order to save money and to choose a card that also serves your needs well.

1. Consider your company’s spending and income trends. Do you need money to buy project supplies that are paid for by your clients after a few weeks or months? Do you need to cover high price expenses like entertaining clients that require the convenience of a card but can be paid off within the next billing period? Do you use a credit card only on rare but necessary occasions? Analyzing your business needs with these questions and more can help you to make sure the terms of your new card mesh well with how you do business.

2. Consider the card features that are most important to your company. Is no annual fee or a high credit limit more important? Do your employees travel enough for an airline card to be worthwhile? Narrow your selection by analyzing only the cards that meet your most important criteria. Then you can use the less essential preferences to choose between them.

3. Compare several cards to find the best fit for your company. It can be tempting to just pick a card that seems ok and be done with the search. By carefully comparing several options, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars.

4. Don’t lose sight of what’s important. Once you determine which features serve your company best, avoid getting distracted by special deals or extra features from less satisfactory cards.

5. Check several sources of information. The Federal Reserve publishes a survey of credit card terms every six months, and there are several websites on the Internet that will let you compare credit card offers. You can even check with businesses in similar industries to find out what cards they recommend.

To find and apply for a business credit card, Beth Derkowitz recommends Find Credit Cards.

No need to carry cash anymore to make your payments. With the introduction of credit cards life has become simpler with easy payments and you no longer need to carry a fat wallet when you go shopping.

VISA and MasterCard are the most popular credit card companies throughout the world. Commercial banks in collaboration with these companies help provide credit card services, also known as plastic money. With so many options in the credit card market, it is important to know what features your card provides.

First and foremost is the annual fee that credit card companies charge. The annual fees may range from $25 to more than $100. The fee depends on the type of card you choose. To attract customers banks sometimes waive the first year annual fee and often offer a one-time membership charge. You should also find out beforehand the other type of fees that the company charges – balance transfer fee, over-the-credit-limit fee, credit-limit-increase fee and others.

The grace period to make payments is another important consideration. The grace period is normally a certain number of days from the statement date. Payments not made within the grace period will incur late payment fees.

Most credit cards allow cash advances from ATMs. For cash advances, a cash advance fee is charged, which is normally a percentage of the cash withdrawal made. Most cards do not allow any grace period for cash advances and interest is charged from the day of the cash advance.

Credit cards may be of many types – silver, gold or platinum. The credit limit normally depends on the type of card you choose. The type of card offered depends on your income level. Cards with higher credit limits normally attract higher fees but also come with additional features. Additional features may include discounts on purchases, money back on frequent use, accident insurance etc.

It is important that you carefully read the application form before signing on the dotted line. An application does not imply acceptance by the company. Credit card processing takes time and your personal details will be thoroughly checked before your application is accepted.

It is always advisable to make purchases within your financial limits. However, there are many people who face credit card debt problems. The best way to eliminate these debt is to enroll in a credit card debt consolidation program. Debt consolidation programs help reduce the debt burden and allow repayment with easy monthly installments. Do a thorough research and check the credibility of the company before choosing a debt consolidation plan.

For more on Credit Cards visit get-your-credit-card.info and free-credit-card-offer.info.

Credit cards are here to stay for the multiple benefits associated with them. We already know that credit cards act as a convenient payment mode for shopping, they are safer to carry as compared to cash, they help build a credit rating which can be used for getting fast approval on loans etc, and they are there to help when you need credit. However, there are other benefits too which one should be aware of as well. Let?s check what these other benefits are:

1. Travel Insurance

A lot of credit cards have travel insurance built into them as an inherent feature. So if you are one of those who travel frequently, this benefit could be a real boon. However, you should always check if this travel insurance is enough for you. Also check the terms and conditions associated with such insurance. Loss of baggage is something which is almost invariably covered with such insurance.

2. Discounts for travelers

A number of credit card companies have tie-ups or association with various hotel chains, car rental agencies and airlines etc. For frequent travelers, this is sometimes one of the main criterion or deciding factor in choosing a credit card. These discounts are sometimes pretty attractive and your credit card may become a cash saver for you. Sometimes an airline might offer a credit card too (a co-branded credit card for example) where-in the benefits would be more travel oriented than other cards. This could include things like earning additional miles for payments made using their credit card or some kind of preferential treatment etc.

3. Discount for shoppers

If you are one of those who likes to shop at some particular shops (retail chains) which are your favorites, then you might like to check if you have some additional benefits available on your credit card. These could be there as a result of partnership or affiliation links with the retail chain. Whenever you pay for your purchases using your credit card, you either get a discount or additional membership rewards points. Some of the retail chains float their own co-branded credit cards too and it could be good to consider them too.

4. Membership Rewards

Most of the credit card suppliers run membership rewards programs too. Some of these are free to join whereas others might have a small fee associated with them. The ones with fee obviously offer more attractive rewards as compared to the free ones. So once you subscribe to a membership program (either explicitly or implicitly) you start earning reward points on whatever payments you make using your credit card. As you accumulate points, you become eligible for rewards which are based on the number of membership reward points you hold on your credit card. You can barter these points for attractive gifts. If you are a heavy user of your credit card, you will accumulate the points faster. Watches, bags, wine and a whole lot of good stuff can be bought using these reward points. So keep track of your reward points.

5. Cash back

Some credit card companies provide you with cash back option too where-in you might get a certain percentage of money back, if you spend more than a certain amount on your credit card. These are really good offers. Nothing can match a thing like cash back.

So, read all the benefits being offered on your credit card. You never know when one could become handy.

Rudy Hadisentosa: CCN.com is a free online credit cards review and application website. We offer credit cards selection from visa,master cards, discover, american express and many others. We have quite some categories and hundreds of credit cards selection to fit your need. Apply for a credit card at CCN.com.

The competition to get your credit card business has heated up so extensively that banks are literally paying you to take a credit card from them. Nearly every major issuing bank now offers a credit card that gives you bonuses for using their card. Consider the following offers you can find today on Internet sites where you can apply for a card online.

Cash Back Credit Cards

These cards return money to you in the form of checks. Many of the cards offer deals like 5% cash back on purchases at grocery stores, drug stores, and gas stations. In most cases, the stores are the major chains where you probably shop anyway. On top of that, these cash back cards usually offer 1% cash back on all other purchases. Some cards offer even higher cash back percentages for specific gas stations or for buying specific grocery or drug store products.

A quick bit of math will prove how valuable this cash back proposition can be. Let?s say you?re a family of four with two cars. You spend $600 a month at grocery stores, $100 at drug stores, and $200 at gas stations. If you pay for these purchases using your credit card instead of cash or a paper check, that?s $900 per month on which you get 5% cash back. That comes out to $45 per month returned to you. Let?s say that in addition, you use your card to make another $500 in other purchases that qualify for 1% back; that adds another $5 to your coffers, for a total of $50 per month, or $600 per year back to you. Not too shabby for just using a credit card.

Rewards Credit Cards

Some credit cards offer you rewards such as bonus points that count toward gift certificates redeemable at top name stores, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, and Macy?s. Other cards offer you rewards in the form of Frequent Flyer Miles to use on any airline.

Let?s say you use your card to charge $1000 per month on items that you normally would pay cash for. Rather than simply spending your money, now you also get gift certificates to buy merchandise, or frequent flyer miles to tune of 12,000 per year. And some of the cards also offer you a bonus the first time you use the card ? so in the case of miles, you can get an extra 15,000 miles, for a grand total of 27,000 miles in one year — enough for a free ticket to anywhere in the US.

Maximizing Your Card Usage

Of course, the key to taking advantage of such cards begins with choosing the one that best fits your normal purchasing habits. Compare online credit card offers and find the offer that makes sense for your lifestyle. If you have a large family and buy lots of groceries, maybe the 5% cash back cards are the best. If you fly often and can benefit from the frequent flier miles, apply for those cards.

Then be sure you maximize your card usage to boost your returns. Use your card everywhere you can. Arrange to pay your regular bills using your credit card, such as your gas and electric utility bills, your doctor and dentist bills — as many regular monthly bills as possible using your credit card.

Still More Amazing — Sign Up Perks

What?s truly mind-boggling is that many banks are also offering great incentives to sign up for their card. You can find offers where you not only will you get cash back and/or rewards, but the bank also has 0% APR financing for 12 months on new purchases and sometimes on balance transfers, and to boot, no annual fee.

All in all, today?s credit card issuing banks are hungry for your business and have become highly competitive in creating promotions to attract you to apply for their card. It is truly impossible to imagine why anyone would not apply to get one of these cash back or rewards credit cards when you have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

Copyright 2005 Ed Vegliante. Free reprints of this article is allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.credit-card-surplus.com.

Ed Vegliante runs the web site http://www.credit-card-surplus.com , a popular, well organized credit card directory enabling the consumer to compare and apply for a variety of credit card offers including Cash Back Credit Card Offers. Find Links to secure online credit card applications.

Saving cash on your credit card is not something that is usually at the top of your agenda, as most of us trudge from day to day with our credit cards and do not give it a second thought when we make a purchase.

This may be a good thing as you could be comfortable with your spending levels and have no worries about meeting your monthly statement. Your credit card is not giving you any problems, as to make you think about your financial position.

Though, to go to the other extreme, if you do not give your credit card a second thought, but feel that because you can at least pay the minimum payment each month, thinking that you are paying your debt, then you should start thinking about where your credit card is taking you.

No matter which of the two positions that you find yourself in, the fact of the matter is that we should all be trying to save our hard earned for ourselves and not to be handing over more than we should.

With interest rates being as low as they have ever been and the credit card lenders who have either a 0% balance transfer facility, a 0% purchases facility or both on the one credit card, then the tools are in place for you save cash. Even if you feel that the APR on these types of offers, revert to one that is higher than the one that you have currently, then looking for a credit card that has a better fixed APR than the one that you have now, cannot be such a bad idea can it?

If you are unsure about how a balance transfer works, it is quite simple really and all it involves is finding the best 0% credit card deal that suits you and once you have been accepted for the card, you then move your existing balance from your old card to the new one, that?s it.

If you have a new credit card issuer who is offering a longer term 0% deal, then the more money there is to be saved on interest payments. There is one word of warning, if you have a new credit card that is only giving you 0% on a balance transfer, then spending on this card will only mean that the interest will add up on any new purchases that you make. As payments that you make will be put towards paying off the balance transfer debt first. So if you wish to continue spending, your best bet would be to get a new card that will give you 0% on purchases as well as balance transfers, if not then it would be a good idea not to close the account of your previous credit card, so that when you spend you know that when you make a payment to this card the money is going to paying back the new purchases.

So while this is going on you will not be spending on the new credit card, but you will be safe in the knowledge that you are saving the interest payments on the old debt.

Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about credit cards, please visit us at http://www.creditcards-gb.co.uk and http://www.creditcards2go4.com

Anywhere you go online nowadays, you will see a multitude of ads for credit cards. Some offer low interest rate for an introductory period, or bonus frequent flyer miles while others offer real discounts on new vehicles and equipment. Trying to find one that suits your needs and lifestyle can be a little overwhelming.

Before you dive on in, ask yourself some key questions about your needs:

1. What is my credit history situation?

The first and foremost question when applying for a credit card is going to be your credit rating. Have you had credit opportunities in the past, and if so, how have you handled them? Did you pay off the balances with timely payments, or did you fall behind? These are situations that your rating will be based on, so plan ahead and you’ll be able to get the best credit card offer that you deserve.

2. What are my plans for the credit card?

If you plan to use your new credit card instead of cash (which is possible in todays world), you might want to look for one with a low ongoing interest rate (APR). This way, in case you don’t pay off the balance within the interest free grace period, you aren’t taxed too heavily with interest fees on the balance.

Or, maybe you only want to use the card in emergencies or special situations. In this case, look for a credit offer without an annual fee or membership dues. This way, you can stash the credit card away and not have to worry about missing any recurring ‘administrative’ fees.

3. Can my lifestyle or hobbies benefit my credit card search?

There are many credit card issuers teaming up with retailers and other businesses in the service industry. The benefit to you is that you earn rebates and discounts towards merchandise, products and services with each use of these rewards type credit cards.

For instance, travelers and vacationers might want to get an airline reward credit card that rewards use of the card with frequent flyer miles to use towards free flights and other guest services, or maybe a student might want a credit card that offers free school merchandise and athletic gear.

4. Can I reduce any debts with my new credit card?

Many credit cards offer great balance transfer benefits that allow you to bring most balances over and pay a fixed, low APR until the balance is paid off. These are great because you can consolidate most bills into one payment, saving you alot of money in interest fees.

5. Should I get a copy of my credit report, and if so, should I be paying for it?

This is a big issue going on in the news today. Identity theft and inaccurate credit reporting is a hot button that is circulating around the media and today’s society. Keeping tabs and consistently monitoring your credit report is a smart idea in preventing fraud.

There are many offers on the web to get a copy of your credit report for free. It’s important to read all the information before signing up for anything and make certain to check the company that is issuing the offer. There are only 3 credit reporting agencies in the United States; Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You can contact and order your credit report from each one individually ($), or go with a reputable company that will get all 3 for you in one report.

In conclusion, remember that part of finding the right credit card for you is analyzing the situation you’re currently in. With so many credit offers out there, you’re sure to find one that can improve your lifestyle or benefit you in other ways. Always read all the information involved and make sure that the website you’re exchanging private information with has a secure certificate (the gold lock) located on the bottom of your browser window.

Good luck finding the best credit card deal.

This articles was written by Gus Garcia, owner of http://www.creditcardChoices.com, a free online service offering information about various credit card offers as well as links to credit card applications.

Click here to see all credit card offers available at creditcardChoices.com.

Credit card debt can often be crippling and lead to a lot of stress. Even students are not immune as people are getting credit cards at an earlier age and falling into debt. With the increased use of credit cards, more and more people are falling into debt. With hassling creditors, a ruined credit report and a threat of looming bankruptcy, it becomes extremely urgent to find a way out.

While credit card debt is fairly easy to get into, getting out is a hard and long process. No agency or system will get you debt free in one day. It will take time to bring your debt under control and to start rebuilding your credit.

One of the best defenses against credit card debt is to get properly educated in financial matters of credit, and money management. Often it is good to prevent getting into debt by creating budgets and saving plans. Sticking to your plan can help you avoid overspending.

Get rid of any excess cards you have lying around, especially high interest department store cards. You can also try credit card debt consolidation where you take out one low interest loan to pay off all your other loans. For example you can use a low interest home equity loan to pay off your credit card debt. This way you will only have one low monthly payment to make.

Remember to pay more than the minimum of your monthly credit card payments. If you continue to make only the minimum payments you might end up paying only the interest, which would lead to lifelong credit card debt. Each month you should be paying a part of the principal payment with the interest payments so that your debt slowly starts to shrink and your monthly payments get reduced each month.

There are many non-profit debt management agencies and consolidation services to help you in your fight against credit card debt. You can seek them out for counseling and financial advice. They can also help you get a consolidation loan and find other ways to get you credit card debt free.

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.

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