"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."Ralph Waldo Emerson
|
| |
Credit Cards for Small Business
When you decide to start a small business, you find out pretty quickly that it takes more than skills and dedication in your respective area of work. Besides being good at what you want to do, you also need to known your accounting and financing issues, ...
Grace Period Credit Cards
Any credit card you apply for has a grace period. Grace periods on most cards extend up to 25 days, while other cards have less timeframe for grace period. The grace period is important since if you go over the cycle you are subject to penalties, fees, ...
Types of Business Credit Cards Accounts
There are many types of credit cards available. The cards are customized to fit a variety of needs, including high-risk, batch cards, business cards, restaurant and so much more. Batch The "Batch Credit Cards" are proposed to business owners that deal ...
|
|
|
| |
Are you one of the many credit card holders who signed up for a credit account with an 8.9% interest rate and then later had your interest rate inflated to 27.4%? Have you read the fine print in your latest statement? Do you know that a little clause in the fine print of the credit card terms and agreements, called the "Universal Default Clause" may mean that you're paying a higher interest rate than when you applied for the credit card? What does this sneaky little clause mean to you?
If your credit score goes down or one of your other credit qualifications changes, then your interest rate increases, sometimes more than 10 points. This doesn't mean only new charges you make to this particular credit card account: the higher rate gets charged to the entire balance. Yes, you get charged more on items you purchased beforehand, while believing that your interest rate would remain the same.
Credit grantors periodically review their customers' credit reports. About half of all credit card companies take advantage of you if you're perceived as a high-risk borrower. The fine print in your account statement may include the universal default penalty, which allows your credit card company to increase your interest rate if they discover these conditions:
1. You have just one late payment on any credit account. They don't care if you've never made a late payment to that particular company.
2. You go over your credit limit on any account. Even if you unknowingly charge a small amount over the credit limit (which many credit card issuers let you do without notice), your interest rate can be raised.
3. Your credit score drops. Just one late payment can hurt your credit score. Experian reports that people with no late or missed payments in the last year enjoyed an average credit score of 759; consumers with one or more late payments in the past year dealt with an average score of 598.
4. You charge up too much on one account or many credit cards. If you charge up your credit card near the limit, or even charge up some of your credit cards over the preferred proportional amounts owed, you could pay extra interest. The amount owed on a credit line compared to the available credit is termed the proportional amount owed. Owing less than ten percent of the available balance gives you the best possible rating. On the other hand, owing over $4,500 on an account with a limit of $5,000 lowers your score considerably, especially if you have too many credit cards and other loans with high balances compared to available balances.
5. You open new accounts or your charge activities indicate a high debt-to-income ratio. Opening new credit lines, especially consumer finance accounts, lowers your credit score and adds notations like "Too many consumer accounts" to your credit report. If your credit card issuer sees that you've made many new charges on existing accounts and believes that you're getting in over your head, they may raise your interest rate. Even if this is a temporary situation, like new home owners who make many purchases in a single month, the companies take advantage of the unsuspecting credit card holder.
If they find any of the above conditions listed on your latest credit report, your credit card account that started with a low interest rate can jump to interest rates as high as 29.99%, Check your credit card statements closely; look to see if your creditor raised your interest rates. If you find that you're paying more than you agreed to, call your creditor and ask the reason. Once you determine the cause, you can work on your credit issue. After you've fixed the problem, call back and ask for a reduction in your interest rate.
Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Discover CFO: Interested In Private-Label Card BusinessWall Street JournalBy Andrew R. Johnson Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Discover Financial Services (DFS) is interested in getting into the private-label credit-card business, Chief Financial Officer Mark Graf said, noting the lender "took a look" at HSBC ...and more » |
|
Moody's: US Credit Card Charge-Offs Rose In AprilWall Street JournalThe charge-off rate for US credit cards rose in April, mostly caused by a significant increase in charge-offs from the Citibank trust, Moody's Investors Service said. Charge-offs, or loans that lenders don't expect they will be able to collect, ... |
|
Stay at Home Moms Face Credit Card ChallengesForbesA 2009 credit card law, the Card Act, made changes to how people can qualify for credit cards. Under the act, a person can only qualify for a credit card based on their own income, not the household income. This was designed to prevent people from ... |
|
