Credit Card Application

Credit Cards can bankrupt you if you let them run away from you. The various Credit Cards companies are in it for profit so they will not generally alert you to things you can do to save yourself money.

Here are a few secrets that the card companies try to keep to themselves:

Copyright 2005 StartRunGrow
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StartRunGrow (http://www.startrungrow.com) is a global online information organisation that specialises in creating, developing and marketing business help information specifically with the aim of "making business easier" for entrepreneurs around the world. The StartRunGrow objective is to become a dominant player in the business help arena providing end to end solutions for the millions of small and medium businesses worldwide who continue to struggle daily with the difficulties of starting, running and growing a successful business.', 127, '5 Things Your Credit Card Company Keeps Quiet About, Credit, Credit articles, Credit information, about Credit, what is Credit, Credit Information', '5 Things Your Credit Card Company Keeps Quiet About plus articles and information on Credit

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I remember back when I was 18 and completely oblivious to the concept of credit. It seems like eons ago! If only I had known then what I know now about credit. Hopefully, this short guide will be able to give you some ideas on how you can build a solid credit rating... even if you have to do it from scratch!!

Everyone has to start somewhere, whether you are 18 like I was, or even 30, there is no better time than the present to start thinking about your financial future. Chances are, your credit score will come into to play during some point down your financial-life road. And when that time comes, you had better have some concept of credit and how it can help you, or else you might find yourself unable to qualify for much of anything.

First of all, if you are starting from scratch, don''t worry! It will take some time, but eventually you will be able to qualify for the bigger things like a car or a mortgage. The first thing you need to do is establish your credit. The easiest way to do this is to get a credit card issued by your bank. Chances are, the bank already knows you and won''t have as much of a problem with issuing a card to one of it''s current clients. If you don''t already have a checking account, get one! There are a ton of great banks out there that issue free checking accounts with check cards to new customers. But take note! A check card or ATM card isn''t the same as a credit card! With these you are simply withdrawing the money that you already have in your checking or other accounts. A credit card is very different...

A credit card is actually a right given to you by your lender to borrow a set amount of money from them. You might be shocked to find out that the only card you can get when you are first starting out comes with an outrageous interest rate. Sometimes as high as 15-25%. But don''t fret... as long as you pay off your balance every month, those interest rates will be easier to swallow, and you will eventually to be able to qualify for a card with a much lower rate.

A note for the beginner: In order to have a good credit score for life, you need to develop a personal goal... never, EVER make a late payment for anything. I was lucky when I first started building credit to have a mother that ruthlessly instilled in me a healthy respect for the power of paying bills on time. It not only builds your credit quickly, but makes you a good steward of your finances. There were times when I owed money for a credit card bill, and I was so deathly afraid that the creditor would take the bill to collections and ding my credit, that I stooped to borrowing money, just to make sure my credit record stayed clean! I know that seems a little crazy... but trust me, it is extremely important to pay all of your bills on time, even if you have to go out of your way to do it. You will appreciate your diligence down the road.

A warning for the Beginner: Be careful with your spending! It may seem exciting when you first get a credit card with a $1,000 limit, but it can be very dangerous. It is very tempting to pretend that your credit card represents money that you have in the bank. My advice, don''t ever spend more than you can pay off in that same month. And if you aren''t able to pay off your entire balance in a month, pay more than the minimum requirement. This will help give you a slight boost.

Moving on... After you have had your bank issued credit card for a while, and feel that you can handle the responsibility, try moving onto one of the major credit card companies. There are many out there. Try to find one with the lowest interest rate and no annual fee. Don''t apply for too many at once! Each time you apply for a C.C., the company will run your credit to see if you will qualify, and to see what your spending limit should be. One or two should do just fine. If you did well in handling your bank C.C., you should have no problem qualifying. A company I like is Providian; mostly because they give you a brief snapshot of what your credit score is each month, and as a beginner, you will want to start paying attention to what your score is and how it can be effected by your different spending habits.

After a while of responsible spending with your new credit cards, your score will really start to move. You''ll notice multiple credit card offers from many companies mysteriously start showing up in the mail. Your score will probably be somewhere around 600-650. This isn''t a bad credit score, but it could be better. Most likely, it is around this range because of your lack of credit history. As you can see in our Credit overview section, length of credit history accounts for around 15% of of your overall score.

Another factor that comes into play with your score is the type of credit you have been issued; approx.10% of your score relies on it. You can only build so much credit with your credit cards. Eventually lenders will like to see some other forms of proof that you are able to be responsible with monies borrowed. This is where a personal loan, or a car loan can be helpful. Lenders view this as a different kind of borrowing than from the credit card companies. In terms of building your credit, these types of loans are great.

After that, you should see a significant leap in your credit score, and should be able to move onto bigger and better things like a home mortgage loan! Just always make sure you remember the fundamentals: always pay your bills on time, and never spend beyond your means. With these tips in mind, you will be on your way to making sound financial decisions for life.

Justin Smith is the President of the Christian Real Estate Network -- http://www.Hismove.com', 127, 'Beginners Guide to Credit, Credit, Credit articles, Credit information, about Credit, what is Credit, Credit Information', 'Beginners Guide to Credit plus articles and information on Credit

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Credit card companies make their money on the 85% of us who fail to pay the outstanding balance each month. Even if you are not in a position to pay the balance each month you can still save some money if use your card wisely.

The first and most obvious way to save money is to pay the balance each month. However if this is not possible then there are ways to save money. Moving money from credit card to credit card to take advantage of interest free balance transfers and effectively borrowing money for free. Be sure to read the terms and conditions on each card before you transfer.

Pay your credit card bill on time and avoid late fees which can cost you up to $40 each time. Check the payment option and guidelines on your bill. The best method of avoiding late fees is to setup a direct debit for the minimum payment each month.

Keep a close eye on your fees and charges and manage them very closely. Check you balance statement every month. Avoid withdrawing cash from your credit card. These services will cost you from 2% upwards of the amount drawn.

So the bottom line is by using your credit cards wisely you can reduce adverse effects of credit cards and maximize the benefits by spending wisely, using self-discipline, and paying off your balance as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary fees. Credit Card Tips

(c) Noel Hynes, 2005. Reprint rights granted to copy and publish this article as long as the article and by-line are reprinted intact. ', 127, 'How to Save Money on Your Credit Cards, Credit, Credit articles, Credit information, about Credit, what is Credit, Credit Information', 'How to Save Money on Your Credit Cards plus articles and information on Credit

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Paying a credit card late fee is the same as throwing your money away. Late credit card payments can also hurt your credit score. The payment tips and strategies here will show you how to prevent these costly fees.

When credit card companies process credit card payments, every single detail is extremely important. Get even one of these small details wrong and you will have to pay credit card late fees.

The Fair Credit Billing Act requires credit card companies to credit payments the day they are received. However, this law also allows each credit card issuer to set their own specific payment guidelines. If any of these guidelines are not met, the credit card company can take as much as five days to credit the payment.

That means you can get your payment to your credit card company on time and it could become late during that five-day period. The credit card company could legally charge you credit card late fees. So it''s in your best interest to follow their payment guidelines carefully. The payment guidelines are usually on the back of your credit card bill.

Here is the five best ways to prevent credit card late fees.

1. Follow Credit Card Payment Guidelines Carefully

This includes everything from a specific payment address to the time of day the payment has to be received to be credited that day. Some companies even require that payments arrive in their preprinted envelope they sent you with your bill. To be safe, always use the preprinted envelope provided by a credit card company.

Include the billing coupon, and write the amount you are paying in the box provided. Make your check legible, don''t forget to sign it and double check that the payment amount is correct. Write your credit card account number on your check and send the payment with the proper postage to the payment address requested by the credit card company.

2 Pay The Minimum Payment Immediately

The best way to prevent paying a credit card late fee is to pay your bill as soon as it arrives. Even if you can only make the minimum payment, it''s better than paying a late credit card payment. You can always make additional payments later to keep your interest costs down.

3 Change Your Due Date

Most major credit card companies allow you set your own due date by just asking. Set your due date so your credit card bill arrives right after you get paid.

4 Automatic Online Payments

Paying bills online is also another good way to avoid paying a credit card late fee. Most major credit card companies are accepting credit card payments online. Just sign up for the service on the card company''s web site. Make sure to choose a payment amount that automatically covers the minimum amount due on your credit card each month. You can always make additional payments later to keep your interest costs down.

5 Make Your Payment By Phone

Most major credit card companies will accept payments by phone. Some of them will charge fees, ranging from $5 to $15 for the service. But credit card late fees cost you much more so it''s better to pay the small fee than a late credit card payment fee. Call the toll-free number on the back of your credit card. They will ask you for a check number and the bank routing number, which is printed at the bottom of every check.

If you do get hit with a credit card late fee, try calling the credit card company and ask if they will waive it. Many credit card companies will waive late credit card payment fees as a courtesy to customers with good payment records.

Copyright © 2005 Credit Repair Facts.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by http://www.credit-repair-facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles like these go to: http://www.credit-repair-facts.com/articles_1.html', 127, '5 Ways To Prevent Credit Card Late Fees, Credit, Credit articles, Credit information, about Credit, what is Credit, Credit Information', '5 Ways To Prevent Credit Card Late Fees plus articles and information on Credit

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A credit score is most commonly known as a FICO score. FICO stands for Fair Isaacs Corporation. It''s a company that developed the credit scoring software used to evaluate your credit worthiness.

Most lenders use the FICO score to determine whether they should extend to you a mortgage, car loan, credit cards and any other type of credit. The higher your score, the more credit worthy you are. Lenders will know that more than likely, you pay your bills on time. The lower your score, the more risk the lender takes on, guessing that you might not pay the loan on time.

The FICO score ranges from 300 to 850. More than likely, you''ll end up paying a larger monthly payment on your mortgage if your score is below 650. Your credit score, according to MyFico.com, is determined by:

If you don''t have any credit, your credit score can be lower than someone who has had a credit history for several years. When you personally check your credit often, this will not affect your credit score. When existing creditors review your credit, these inquiries are not counted in your score.

Since payment history is 35% of your score, you want to make sure you don''t have a history of late payments on your credit report. The longer your credit history, the better. Having too many new credit accounts open can affect your score negatively.

The bottom line is that a higher FICO score means you are more credit worthy to potential lenders. The lower your score, the greater a risk you are to lenders and therefore, your monthly payments might be higher.

Michelle Roebuck provides mortgage and home buying advice for people with bad credit at http://www.find-bad-credit-mortgage-loans.com. Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.find-bad-credit-mortgage-loans.com/newsletter.html.', 127, 'What Is A FICO Score?, Credit, Credit articles, Credit information, about Credit, what is Credit, Credit Information', 'What Is A FICO Score? plus articles and information on Credit

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Credit card debt elimination can be done with a good plan and a little patience. The important thing is to find what works best for you and stick to your plan. The rewards are well worth it and you''ll save yourself a lot of money in the process.

You can choose to either start paying off the credit card with the highest interest rate first or you can get rid of the credit cards with the smallest balance first. The important thing is to know exactly how you are going to approach your credit card debt elimination before you begin.

First, set a realistic budget for yourself to lower your spending in all areas and stick to it. Living by your budget will help you pool your available cash for your credit card debt elimination plan.

The most important you must do immediately is eliminate your credit card spending. You can never succeed with credit card debt elimination if you continue to add to the outstanding balance. The interest on that debt added with a climbing balance will make credit card debt elimination impossible.

It''s important to pay your credit card bills on time and always pay more than the minimum payment on the bills you want paid off first. Paying the minimum payment doesn''t eliminate that high credit card interest rate. That''s exactly what the credit card companies want because they are making a killing off of that interest.

If you are concentrating your bill paying efforts on one bill at a time, then you should still pay at least the minimum on the others. Once each bill is paid redirect your resources to the next bill so your credit card debt elimination can become a reality.

A tip that some have been successful with is contacting creditors to ask for a lower interest rate. Even if most creditors say no what if some of them say yes? The interest savings to you will multiply your credit card debt elimination efforts and save you money. It''s worth a few phone calls and your time to try this.

One last tip is, if you choose to close your credit card accounts, do not close them until after the bill has been paid. Some credit card companies often will penalize you by raising interest rates if you close an account that carries an outstanding balance.

The most important thing to remember is to begin your plan right now. Think of how you will feel when you are finally free of high credit card interest. The sooner you start, the sooner your ultimate goal of credit card debt elimination can be accomplished.

This article is supplied by http://www.credit-repair-facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles go to: http://www.credit-repair-facts.com/articles_1.html', 134, 'Credit Card Debt Elimination, Debt-Relief, Debt-Relief articles, Debt-Relief information, about Debt-Relief, what is Debt-Relief, Debt Relief Information', 'Credit Card Debt Elimination plus articles and information on Debt-Relief

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It is possible for creditors and third-party collection agencies to use legal means as a way to collect debts. The likelihood of being sued or having your wages garnished depends largely on the creditor that is owed money. It has been my experience that certain creditors are more prone to legal action than others.

Traditionally, creditors seek legal action only if there is a considerable lack of contact with regard to the account or if they feel that a consumer could simply be trying to escape their financial obligations. If the debtor currently earns a respectable salary, owns a home that has a sizable amount of equity, or can most likely afford to repay your current debts without the use of credit counseling, debt settlement, or bankruptcy, then there is a possibility that a judgment may be filed against you if begin to miss your monthly payments.

Additionally, for legal action to proceed, third-party creditors and collection agencies must retain the services of an attorney that is LICENSED in the state in which you live.

Even if legal action is pursued, a wage garnishment can take a considerable amount of time and depends upon your current employment. Many states have laws that stop creditors from being able to use wage garnishment as a means to collect debts.

Further, it is illegal for Debt Collectors to do any of the following:

Suggest that failure to pay your debts could result in arrest, jailtime, or wage garnishment

Contact consumers at their place of employment if they know the consumers employers prohibited such calls

Talk with third parties, including family, neighbors, children, and employers, for purposes other than acquiring location information about consumers, without consumers consent

Engaged a person in telephone conversations, repeatedly or continuously, with the intent to annoy, abuse, or harass a the person

Threaten to take action with regard to filing a lawsuit when they do not intend to do so

Call consumers at times or places that they know or should have known were not appropriate

Fail to inform consumers of their legal right to dispute and obtain validation of their debts, and to obtain the name of the original creditor

Continue to try to collect debts after consumers have formally disputed them in writing, and before verifying the debts

Use obscene or profane language with the intent to offend

If you wish to stop creditor harassment, you must also send a Cease and Desist letter to stop the communication.

Make sure you send it via certified mail with a return receipt request.

Alan Barnes
IAPDA Certified Debt Arbitrator
President and CEO of Debt Regret
http://www.debtregret.com', 134, 'Is It Possible to Be Sued For My Debts?, Debt-Relief, Debt-Relief articles, Debt-Relief information, about Debt-Relief, what is Debt-Relief, Debt Relief Information', 'Is It Possible to Be Sued For My Debts? plus articles and information on Debt-Relief

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For most Americans, credit card debt is a dangerous and growing problem. The average American family has more than $8000.00 in credit card debt and spends more than they earn on a annual basis. Credit cards can be useful tools when they used properly, but more and more Americans are getting in over their heads and threatening their financial futures. It is important to realize that just because you can pay your minimum payments each month doesn''t mean you don''t have a credit problem. Low minimum payments benefit the credit card company, not the consumer. The following are some of the warning signs that you have credit or debt problems:

* You are unable to put any money in savings

* You make only the minimum payments on your credit cards

* You use increasing amounts of your total income to pay off your credit card debts

* You use credit cards for things you should buy with cash, such as groceries

*You have more than two or three major credit cards and have balances on all of them

* You''re at or near your credit limit on most if not all of your credit cards

* You''re unsure of the total amount you owe on your credit cards

* You''ve taken out cash advances on credit card to pay other bills

* You''ve been denied credit due to your debt to income ratio

* You get calls from collectors about your credit cards

Alan Barnes
IAPDA Certified Debt Arbitrator
President and CEO of Debt Regret
http://www.debtregret.com', 134, 'Is My Credit Card Debt A Problem?, Debt-Relief, Debt-Relief articles, Debt-Relief information, about Debt-Relief, what is Debt-Relief, Debt Relief Information', 'Is My Credit Card Debt A Problem? plus articles and information on Debt-Relief

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