Friday, June 25, 2010

Things to be Considered before Applying for a Credit Card

Credit cards have become one of the most powerful financial tools in today’s world. It stands for a symbol of status. Most of us today prefer carrying a simple plastic credit card to cash, as it is far more convenient and secure. With the kind of offers and schemes available in the market today we often get confused in choosing the right kind of card for us. Today let’s look into the aspects of what to look for when researching credit cards.

Things to be considered while applying for a credit card:

  • Research on company you intend to receive the credit card from. Know the company status, present interest rates, annual percentage rate, terms and conditions and so forth. You can do so by directly visiting your local bank, by reading the financial magazines, by researching on the internet and the most important and convenient way is to talk to your family and friends who own a card themselves. This way you will be able to know about a couple of good offers and chose the best among them depending upon your needs.

If you intend to apply for a zero interest credit card then look into the following aspects:

  1. Find out how long the introductory period last.
  2. Interest rates beyond the offer period.
  3. Check if the interest free offer is on both balance transfers and new purchases or just on one or the other.
  4. The annual percentage rate and the occurrence of APR i.e. is it just once in a year you need to pay it or more than that.
  5. Check the terms and conditions thoroughly before signing in for any card as such.

Most of the companies offer less interest rate depending on your past credit ratings. So it’s a wise decision to have some temporary savings than end up using your credit card and then failing to pay back the amount. This way you are able to avail low interest credit card as well as enjoy all the benefits and goodies that these companies offer to its customers on timely payment of the bills.

Thus, consider these small tips while applying for a credit card will help you reap better financial benefits. This in turn will make you financially free and secured.

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