Posts tagged: credit_card_offers

Credit Card Offers

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Millions of credit card deals are offered to people everyday through email, letter mail, television, radio, magazines, and even the newspaper. Credit cards have become such a dominant part of our financial life that we often fail to realize both the dangers and benefits of these offers.

Credit card companies know that many people in today’s society are very naïve and accepting of credit card advertisements that seem too good to be true, which they really are. The marketing teams of the credit card companies create credit card ads that are very appealing and attractive to the eyes of people who do not know any better. A few of the following simple pointers should help prevent people from becoming victims to ads that would normally cause many unfortunate problems.

Too Good To Be True

If a credit card ad seems too good to be true, it probably is. Whenever a credit card ad offers big prizes or incentives to people who sign up for the credit card, this should be a big red flag and the person should immediately stay away from the ad. Companies only offer large incentives because they are able to make up for it with excessive credit card fees and charges.

Initial Low Rates

Sometimes credit card companies try to trap people by offering very low initial rates. What people don’t understand is that the rates only last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. After this initial time period is over, the credit card rates dramatically increase and customers find themselves financially trapped.

Fine Print

People must beware of the fine print of these credit card offers. Obviously, all the incentives, low rates, and attractive aspects of the offer are printed in a large format, whereas the extremely high rates, catches, and real information is printed in a very tiny format in order to hide them from careless customers. A person must remember to read the fine print and acquire the necessary offer details in order to prevent them from becoming trapped by credit cards

Junk Mail

Whenever people receive emails concerning credit card offers, it usually is not a good offer. People call these emails junk mail, and that is exactly what these emails are. Get rid of the junk, and you will ultimately get rid of many potential financial problems.

The smartest way a person can sign up for a credit card is to go directly to the credit card companies for information. Forget the ads and marketing schemes because they are specially designed to entrap and snag unknowing victims. People should obtain as much information about the credit cards as possible by asking the credit card company representatives detailed and compulsive questions.

People should also seek to obtain information about all the many different options that credit card companies offer. Rewards cards can be a great option for potential credit card users if the necessary information is obtained. These types of offers and incentive are real and can provide a very successful financial future for customers who know how to correctly use the credit card.

Secured Credit Cards in the UK

Safe to say that people are people right? I mean, whether you’re talking about folks in the USA or the UK, we all have characteristics in common. One trait we all seem to share is impatience. You know, the desire for instant gratification. We’ve al heard the saying “Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” How about the 21st century edition of that saying: “Why save up for the things you can buy with credit cards today.”

I’m kidding, but only a little. People around the world are able to satisfy their appetite for NOW because of the proliferation of credit cards. It’s no different in the United Kingdom than anywhere else. You’re going to find people looking for secured credit cards in the UK as much, or more, as you do in the United States.

Credit card offers and terms in the UK are very similar to those in the US. They’ve legislated laws to ensure that credit issuers are completely truthful in explaining the terms of their credit agreements. Interest rate and annual fees will also be similar, and so will credit limits.

Unfortunately for some, credit card companies in the UK are just as careful about who they extend credit to. If you’ve committed financial sins in the past, or if you haven’t established much credit history, you probably won’t be able to get a normal credit card. For you, the best way to go will be no fee secured credit cards in the UK.

There are plenty of companies in the UK offering secured credit cards. Here’s a short list:

  • Capital One
  • FirstPlus
  • Vanquis
  • Aqua Card
  • Cash Plus Mastercard

These cards won’t be dissimilar form those in the US. You’ll have to secure your credit line with a cash deposit, you’ll probably pay a fee to keep the account open, and you the interest rate will be high. Hang in there though. Over time your credit rating and history will improve to the point that you’ll be able to get a normal credit card and my research tells me that’s not such a bad thing. For starters a lot of the UK credit cards I’ve searched for seem to have an initial 56 day grace period (as opposed to 25-30 on cards in the US). Not a bad deal at all. I’m sure we’ll talk more about that in the future.

Fixed Rate Student Credit Cards (That Even Allow Balance Transfers!)

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Before we talk about fixed rate student credit cards, we should talk about fixed rate credit cards in general. A fixed rate credit card isn’t such a common thing. Why?

Because interest rates change, that’s why. Think about it – every so often you hear an announcement that the Fed is raising or lowering interest rates. When they do that, all interest rates change with the ripple effect. It’s a good thing and a bad thing for all of us that use the financial institutions (which is pretty much everybody).

For example, when rates go up theirs an upside and a downside. On the downside, it gets more expensive to borrow money. Auto loans, mortgages and credit cards all hike their rates to reflect what the Fed did. On the upside banks will usually pay more interest on savings accounts and other deposits. Any of you that have an ING Direct savings account know what I’m talking about. As interest rates have climbed, I’ve seen them raise the rate they pay on my online savings account to over 5%. Not a bad deal.

Now, in some cases credit card companies will offer a fixed rate on a credit card for as long as you have the card open (for example: Prime + 3.99%). They do it to entice people who don’t like the idea of having a credit card at 18% or 21%. If you’re going to get a fixed rate credit card, though, you probably need a pretty good credit score and some credit history.

So What About Fixed Rate Student Credit Cards?

I found IndexCreditCards.com, which gives a long list of student credit card offers. Only two on the list mentioned a fixed interest rate:

  • AmTrust Bank (formerly Ohio Savings Bank) Student Credit Card – offers a fixed rate of 7.9% or 13.99%, depending on your credit worthiness.
  • Sovereign Bank Student Credit Card – 9.9% or 15.99%, also based on credit worthiness.

The reality is it’s tough for students to get fixed rate credit cards because they’re still a risk to the credit card company. If you can’t get one of the two I’ve listed above you may have to use a variable (high) rate card until you’ve proven you can handle a credit card.

Student Major Credit Cards

The major credit cards for students can be some of the best choices and honestly will probably be the most comfortable for you. For many of you, you are just like me…sheepish. I like to go with a well known brand name because I have heard of them. I know they exist and that many people use them, so the chances of them scamming me tend to be less even though they have more customers. We all figure that they have gotten these customers because they have built a reputation with giving out good credit card offers and they don’t intend to bomb you with high interest rates, an enormous amount of fees, and all of these hidden and misleading charges in the Terms and Conditions…all things you’re not really thinking about when you start to apply for student credit cards.

The American consumer society has become used to not trusting businesses and having to do a lot of research because of the tactics of careless companies. This is warranted because they want to make sure that you truly can provide them with solid value and at the same time it goes too far. That is why it is so important for companies to brand themselves excessively to drill themselves into your mind.

How many Capital One commercials have you seen with their funny skits ending with a simple question, “What is in your wallet?” How many priceless MasterCard commercials have you seen that have made you all warm and fuzzy inside when you realize it is all about making people happy, no matter what goes on the card. This is the beauty of credit cards. They are trying so badly to warm up with you to get your business, but everyone does this.

Obviously for them to spend millions on ads, they have gotten somewhere to do so. It just didn’t happen and surely not by destroying trust with millions of customers. If they did then the government would shut them down. Instead, they have solid systems in place. They take good care of their customers and are willing to resolve issues with you to keep your business. You have to build their trust too in this relationship because it is their money that you are using, no matter what you want to think. So if you build that trust then it should not matter.

So for a college student it doesn’t matter if it is Capital One, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or whomever. They are all good. You just need to be fair to yourself and see what they all have to offer. Don’t go and apply for a boat load of cards or pick your favorite card based on your favorite commercial. Do your research first before your apply. Start with one card and build a good credit history and then you can move on to other lines of credit as you build a stronger income in your life and establish a household.