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Credit Card Primer
By: Jamie Ratliff
Financial Gurus will tell you to do the same kind of comparison shopping for a
credit card that you do when you're looking for a mortgage or a car loan. This
is a good idea because the choices you make can save you money. The process is
comparable to a standard loan, just with a few considerations to keep in mind.
Credit Card Guide - There are many online guides that show you great credit card
offers. Our Low APR Credit Cards Directory is sorted by APR (interest rate) so
you can easily find the best card for you. There are many cards that feature 0%
interest for anywhere from 30 days to 12 months. These cards can save you some
money fast if you transfer over balances from other cards.
You might also check a credit union. Credit unions are non-profit, and they have
lower overhead so they can charge lower interest rates. Credit unions are newer
to the credit industry so they are eager to generate credit-card loans. However,
you'll probably be required to open a share account or savings account to join.
If you always pay your monthly bill in full, the best type of card is one that
has no annual fee and offers a grace period for paying your bill before a
finance charge kicks in. If you don't always pay off your balance each month
(like most of us), be sure to look at the periodic rate that will be used to
calculate the finance charge.
Some credit cards, such as American Express, require you to pay off all of your
charges each month. As a benefit, they usually have no finance charge, and
sometimes no maximum limit. Most cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and
Optima, offer what is known as revolving credit. This means they let you carry a
balance, on which they charge interest (finance charges), and they require you
to make a minimum payment. The minimum payment is usually about 5 percent of
your current balance or $10 -- whichever is more.
Transferring balances from one card to another to take advantage of low
introductory rates is a common practice among U.S. cardholders. Low introductory
rates can be very helpful in your quest to become free of credit-card debt. You
should look for credit cards that offer a low intro rate (usually for six
months), and transfer the balance from your previous credit card to that credit
card.
Low APR Credit Cards Directory is sorted by APR (interest rate) so you can
easily find the best card for you.
About the Author:
Learn more about Low Apr Credit Cards at www.low-aprcreditcards.com. |