All About Credit Cards

Some companies advertise that they have a credit report repair Software and also they will teach you credit repair secrets, for a fee of course. There is a lot of free information here, if you know where to look. Before you take a credit repair course or sign up for credit report repair, read the facts and the laws relating to credit repair. In this way you may avoid some disappointment and save some money.

What is credit report repair or software? The best kept "secret" is that creditors and credit reporting agencies (commonly referred to as the credit bureaus) make mistakes. What can you learn in a credit repair course? You can learn the basics of bad credit repair, without paying a penny. If you cannot achieve results on your own, then you may need to hire a credit repair lawyer to help you. If you feel that you have exhausted all of the free options, identify what information that you still need and make sure that the credit repair course or software program that you are considering includes that information.

A secret may be defined as "beyond simple understanding". Using this definition, credit report program is credit report repair that is beyond ordinary understanding. The average person does not understand how credit scores are calculated. Most people do not know what information is on their credit reports. Many people do not know their rights under the law.

Credit repair is a popular subject. It seems that almost everyone wants learn about credit repair. Books and software programs that claim to contain everything you wanted to know about credit repair are being sold on the internet and in retail locations all over the country. There are some questionable credit repair schemes and some companies suggest action which is illegal. Consumers can learn to repair their own credit, but it takes time and patience. The safest bet when hiring someone to do the work for you is to hire a credit repair attorney. In this way, you can be sure that you will achieve results; they know everything there is to know about credit repair. You can also be sure that a credit repair attorney will not advise you to do anything that is illegal. Most of the popular credit repair lawyers do not charge more than the other credit repair companies and some offer money back guarantees.

The Federal Trade Commission regulates credit repair organizations and states that "certain advertising and business practices of some companies engaged in the business of credit repair services have worked a financial hardship upon consumers, particularly those of limited economic means and who are inexperienced in credit matters." Under the laws regulating credit repair organizations, any company that advertises secret credit report repair or credit repair in general must provide the consumer with certain information. These regulations do not apply to companies that offer a credit repair course or seminar. Most of these are simply rehashing information that has been available for years. If you look in the public library, you will see that individuals have been writing books about credit report repair for years.

There was an individual who advertised his informational packages on TV. One of his reports was "how to get AAA credit" or something like that. This was not any spectacular secret credit report repair. It was not a credit repair course. He advised consumers to make a $500 deposit into a savings account at any bank. Then, using the deposit as security, apply for a loan. Repay the loan and according to him, you would have great credit. This may be information that the average person does not know. It is similar to the secured credit card programs that so many companies offer. The thing about credit is that, it is harder to get, if you really need it. If you have $500 to deposit into a savings account or a secured credit card program, if you have the money to pay off the debts that you owe, you can improve your credit score over time.

Companies that advertise quick free credit report repair are banking on the theory that you do not know how to review your credit reports for inaccurate information. If you have inaccurate, obsolete, misleading or unverifiable information on your credit reports, then the credit bureaus must delete the information. You must "dispute" the information. In other words, you must notify the credit bureaus about the negative information that needs to be deleted. This is the credit report repair that is often the subject of a credit repair course.

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Low APR Credit Cards
Enjoying The Best Reward Credit Cards
Doing Business with Business Credit Cards

Credit card companies do face a lot of competition these days - with each bank knowing that they make a lot of money from interest charges, annual fees, late payments, and the like. Because of the stiff competition, however, some of the card features that are now available on reward credit cards can really bring great benefit to you. You do not have to let the bank line their pockets with your hard-earned cash every month. Here are some of the options that will provide some of the greatest benefits.

•0% Interest

The best reward credit cards will start by offering you 0% interest on both your balance transfers and your purchases. If you look at the interest that you pay on your current credit cards, you could save that amount each month by transferring your balance to this kind of card. Before you just sign up, however, try to avoid transfer fees that might apply, some as high as 5% or higher on the transferred amount.

Another factor to consider is how long the 0% APR lasts on the particular reward credit cards in question. The 0% APR is only for a specified time, anywhere from 3 months up to 15 months. Also, you will want to check and make sure that the 0% APR is for both balance transfers and for your purchases. Many cards will give you one or the other, but there are some that will offer both.

The Rewards Being Offered

The very best reward credit card offers now offer more and more rewards - which means it is a good time to get one. Here are some of the rewards you can get.

•Air Miles

Travelers can greatly benefit by getting air miles credited to their card. Most reward credit cards give an initial amount of air miles - possibly up to 25,000. Then air miles are earned according to each dollar spent. Some give points per dollar spent, and others give miles per dollar spent - or a similar arrangement. One company even allows family members to pool their air miles together! The best kind of rebate credit cards will allow you to use your air miles with any airline. These kind of cards are issued by banks, rather than the ones offered by the airlines. Watch out for air miles that could expire after a certain amount of time - you don't want to lose them.

•Rebates

Other credit card rebates allow you to earn points for every dollar that you spend. These are often divided into two groups. The one that earns the highest benefits, anywhere from 1% up to 6%, are for your purchases of groceries, gas, and medicine. Most other purchases will fall into a lower category - usually from 1-3%. These points are often redeemable through cash, merchandise, and travel benefits such as hotels and restaurants, or gift certificates.

Some business reward credit cards enable you to get rewards for many of your business purchases, including office supplies, travel expenses, car rentals, and more. Some of these will give an initial 10,000 points after your first purchase. If you have your own business, or use credit cards often for your business, a rebate card could bring you a great way to save on expenses, as well as offer a simple way to keep track of all of your expenses – all on one monthly statement.

Reward credit cards can really be a great tool to save some money throughout the year. Avoid cards with an annual fee, which could be as high as $180.00 and beyond. A single late payment, on most cards, could also take away your benefits and set you into the regular rate of interest – or higher. The maximum benefit that can be derived from any reward credit, however, occurs when the balance is paid off IN FULL each month when the bill is due. Otherwise, finance charges will squash any benefit that you might receive from those reward points.

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Low APR Credit Cards
The Ever Popular Mileage Card
Specific vs. Generic Airline Miles Credit Cards

You have decided that you need a new credit card and you already know that you want a low APR credit card. You have made a good choice, but you probably also know that there are quite a variety of cards available with that option. Here are some tips that will help you make the choice is best for you.

Choose As Low Of An APR As You Can Get

If you have a tendency to allow a balance to remain on the credit card, then you will need to acquire as low of an APR as you can get in a card. This feature alone can save you a lot of money over the life of the card - but will not save you nearly as much if you simply paid it off each month. Low APR credit cards will usually have an introductory offer of either 0% APR for up to 15 months, or, a very low APR for the life of the card.

Look For Balance Transfes Time Limits

In addition to the low APR, try to find a card that will give you 0% interest on balance transfers as well. As you look the various cards over, though, note that the time length on this option may not be the same as for the 0% APR. Some of these credit cards may only give you the benefit of a 3 month balance transfer period at 0% interest, but may give you up to 15 months 0% APR on your purchases, or vice versa. So, if you want to take advantage of both options, read the fine print carefully.

Another thing about balance transfers is that some companies definitely will limit the time as to when you can actually make the transfers. Some will only permit you to make a transfer to your new low APR credit card at the time you apply for the card with all details of what you are planning to transfer on the application itself. Other credit card companies will allow for balance transfers to made over the introductory time period, not making such a restriction.

Consider Your Own Needs

Part of getting the best deal on a low interest credit card depends on how you normally will use it. If you regularly pay off the monthly balance, then the interest rate is not that much of a concern. You will want to focus rather on the other benefits that are available. Here are some of the options that are more commonly offered.

•Travel Benefits

If you are a frequent traveler, then there are two ways you might be able to benefit. If you normally travel by air, then you will want to be able to get air miles benefits on your low APR credit card. These often come with bonus miles, some as high as 25,000, just for signing up and making your first purchase. Some card offers will give you the choice of using those miles to go toward your hotel room, meals, or other options. Other benefits include free gas rebates, a rebate toward the purchase of another car, and rewards if you travel by car.

•Cash Back Or Rewards

Some of the low APR credit cards currently available will provide a system where you can get a refund of a percentage of your purchases. These rewards allow you to get as much as a 5% reward for various types of purchases. The highest percentage cash back is typically for your purchases at the food, gas, and pharmacy stores. Most cards will offer a 1% up to 3% reward on all other purchases.

Another thing you need to look for is whether or not there are any annual fees. These vary from card to card but could go as high as $150 or more. If you do carry a balance on your credit card, this kind of fee could render the other potential benefits almost meaningless.

Doing Business with Business Credit Cards
The Ever Popular Mileage Card
Specific vs. Generic Airline Miles Credit Cards

Putting your business onto a business credit card system is certainly a good way to do business better. This could apply whether you have one employee, or a hundred. Here are a number of reasons why your business can profit by using business credit cards.

Makes Accounting Easier

If you have ever had a problem with employees losing receipts (or maybe you have done it), or forgetting to hand in the receipts until a month or two later, then you can certainly appreciate the ease that business credit cards can give you. This system would enable you to not have to fool around with either needing to have cash on hand, or, of needing to have more than one signature on a check each time you need one. Another great element of using business credit cards is that it saves time and expense on check writing. This way you only need to write one check.

Most business credit card companies will give you the option of putting it all on one monthly statement - if you want it. This shows your accounting department every penny spent through credit card purchases, and single reports enable them to easily verify spending limits, as well as being able to accurately keep the books up to date. Online access to your business credit card account lets you know what transpires on an almost daily basis.

Give Employees A Credit Card

Once again, the purpose here is to make it easier on all concerned. If you have a number of employees that need to travel on a regular or semi-regular basis, then here is a good way to make it easier to keep track of their expenses. Or, you may have employees that are in charge of purchasing items for specific departments - this would sure make it simpler. Each key employee could be given a business credit card of their own for the company, and you could place set limits on individual cards allowing you to have a degree of protection for the company.

One thing that you may need to be aware of though is that the credit level of each person being issued a card will have a credit check made. This could have a negative effect on the interest rates of the card if one or more people that are to receive the business credit cards have low credit ratings. The way to avoid this is to only give cards to those with good ratings.

Earn Business Rewards

If you put all of your business expenses on one business credit card company, then you could earn a lot of business rewards. These rewards will usually come in several forms, including cash back, air miles, free gas, points, etc., which are redeemable at various merchants and can add up to thousands of dollars saved each year. You can even get greater savings by getting your card from a company that is near you - such as a gas station, or a particular airline in your city.

Compare the Other Options

Apart from the other things mentioned, you need to consider whether or not you can make balance transfers, and if there is a charge or not. Many of the credit cards do permit you to make transfers but find out for how long the benefit applies - some cards will allow you to enjoy 0% interest for twelve months or longer. A number of cards will also allow you to get 0% interest on all purchases for one year, too. Of course, the best way is just to pay it off with each month's billing, and then interest never becomes an issue.

One other thing that you will want to make a note of, and that is to see whether or not there is an annual fee for the card. Some business credit card companies may give you 0% interest, but then they will charge you an annual fee. If you're willing to look around, you can easily find some card products that can offer up great benefits for your company.
Getting The Most Cash Back From Cash Back Credit Cards
The Ever Popular Mileage Card
Specific vs. Generic Airline Miles Credit Cards

Many potential cardholders are confused about the differences between the variety of airline miles credit cards available today. Miles credit cards can be divided into two mostly neat categories: airline-specific cards and generic cards. Each set has its own advantages, but it's often advisable for a frequent traveler to go with a specific card, and a less-frequent traveler to go with a generic card, in order to minimize interest fees and to maximize earned mileage of the former, and in the latter case to have the flexibility to search for the least expensive flights while still earning rewards.

Anyone who's ever considered getting an airline mileage credit card has probably balked, at least once, at the massive number of options out there. Additionally confusing is the dual terminology at work in the airline industry: there are frequent-flier miles, yes, but how do those relate to miles credit cards? And where do "points" come in to the equation? It's a bewildering array of terms, few of whose definitions are readily available, and the lack of clear explanations cause many people to just give up on mileage cards altogether. Which is a shame, because mileage cards--assuming that they're properly and carefully used--can be an easy way to save money on travel expenses, up to and including free flights around the globe.

Most of the differences between the varieties of miles credit cards boil down to two basic categories: airline-specific mileage cards and generic mileage cards. The airline-specific mileage cards allow you to accrue mileage that often applies directly to a specific airline's frequent flier program mileage (for example, American Airlines' AAdvantage Cards from Citi apply miles directly to your AAdvantage account, one mile for every dollar spent), miles which can then be turned around into actual airline seats and in some cases a discount or outright free travel. The advantage of these is that occasionally flights can be cheaper through a "loyalty" miles card than without. JetBlue, in particular, offers the standard deal of about 25,000 Award Dollars (points) for one plane ticket, but offers a 3:1 point to dollars ratio when making travel arrangements exclusively with JetBlue, which is an extremely good deal in the mileage card world, assuming that you fly JetBlue on an exclusive basis.

The generic mileage cards, by contrast, allow you to redeem your miles on whatever airline you choose (assuming that they participate in that mileage card's specific rewards program.) You won't usually find loyalty deals here, but there are some additional benefits. For one, in some cases a generic mileage card can offer the cardholder a much wider array of hotels to stay at to accrue additional mileage points (another key in the miles credit card world.)

Knowing a little bit about the airline dynamics in your region is also helpful in making your decision, such as the predominate carrier in your region and the availability of domestic and international flights from your local airports. Even still, it may be a difficult choice. To help make that decision, consider the following. As a rule (and there are exceptions), airline-specific cards generally will charge cardholders a pretty hefty annual fee and tend to have a higher ongoing APR. Generic miles credit cards typically won't stick you with an annual fee but also tend to have higher ongoing APR's than traditional non-reward credit card offers.

So really, to ask which mileage card is right for you is to ask how frequently you travel, and how many travel expenses will start to show up on your budget. If you do a great deal of traveling, consider an airline-specific card. The annual fee is fixed, and as long as you pay down your balances every month, should not be much of a consideration because of the benefits that you will derive from the reward program. But if you're a more infrequent traveler, go for the generic mileage card and shop around to find the best flight from whatever airline offers it. Chances are that if you take just one or two flights a year, the generic card offer is the better bet for you. You can plan ahead to find some excellent discount flights in advance while enjoying all of the potential travel rewards that airline miles credit cards have to offer.

Getting The Most Cash Back From Cash Back Credit Cards
The Ever Popular Mileage Card
Doing The Math on Credit Card Rewards

These days many of us are feeling the financial pinch. From rising inflation to sky-rocketing gas prices, everyone has been effected. If you are looking for another way to save some money, you can do it with cash back credit cards. Here are some things you need to look for when you apply for your card.

Not All Cards Are Equal

Credit card companies have a policy to always advertise only the best features in their ads, which is typical of most people selling anything from used cars to bridges in Brooklyn. The problem is not usually in what is out in the open, but it is what is in the small print that matters. Just because you see a 0% interest on their ad does not mean that everything is good with the rest of the card offer. Look it over carefully - or you may not be getting quite the deal you think.

0% Interest

This feature contains three things that you need to look into. First, there are the balance transfers. If you are serious about saving money, and you have credit card debt, then you need to know what you can transfer and for how long can you transfer it. Some credit cards will only give you this option if you make the transfer when you apply for the card - any other transfers do not get the same 0% treatment. A good cash back credit card will enable you to receive 0% balance transfers for up to one year after you get the card. Also, check whether or not there are any balance transfer fees, since some cards can charge up to 4%.

Another thing you should look at is to determine what it is that comes under the 0% APR. For some cards it applies only to balance transfers, and for others (the better ones), it applies to both balance transfers and purchases.

Then, be sure to look at the time period that applies for the 0% interest. Some companies make this a real short teaser offer knowing that people will either not read the fine print, or not compare cards. For some cards, this period of time can be as short as 90 days. The best cash back credit cards, however, will allow you to enjoy that benefit for between 12 and 15 months.

Cash Back Rewards

Once again, there is quite a variety in what is offered in cash back rewards. The percentage of what is offered as cash back can vary between 1% on the low side to upwards of 6% on the high side. Almost no card will give you 6% on all purchases, but will differentiate between the types of purchases. Nearly all cash back credit cards will give you a better percentage for your purchases made at gas stations, grocery stores, and drugstores. Lower percentages, usually 1% to 3%, apply to all other purchases. You need to know, however, that some cards will require you to maintain a balance, or to make a certain amount of purchases before you get the benefit.

Reward Options

You have a number of ways that you get to use your cash back rewards. They can come to you either as discounts, points which can be used toward purchases at select stores (selected by the card company), or air miles. Some travel cards will also reward you with free hotel stays, discounts toward car rentals, and even credit toward buying a new car.

Interest Rate

For some, this may be the most important consideration. Your cash back credit card will give you special benefits for up to one year – after that, the regular rate kicks in. You will want to choose a card that has as low an interest rate as possible – for as long as possible. After that, you may want to get a new card.

Weigh your options carefully when comparing each particular offer. Cash back credit cards usually have a little higher interest in order to offset the freebies the company gives to you. If you are a traveler, then you certainly want either a card that gives you air miles, or rebates on your gas purchases – depending on which you use the most. Watch out for late payments, too, as this can kick your intro APR back up to the regular rate of interest – early.

The Ever Popular Mileage Card
Mileage Cards – Pluses and Minuses
Preparing For Life With Credit Cards For College Students

Who doesn’t like freebies anyways? Mileage cards are growing in number by each passing day. The use of these cards seems to be getting more and more attention with consumers of late. The simple fact is that consumers can derive significant benefit from mileage cards by using them judiciously with every day purchases.

The cards have some significant travel rewards and perks, offering the most obvious benefit that comes wit mileage card use. These are available through different sources and one of the best such sources are the financial institutions themselves.

More about Mileage Cards

There is no dearth of credit cards in the market these days. The only difference is in the services offered that vary from card issuer to card issuer. Not surprisingly, such cards are ideal card options for frequent flyers. People who travel a lot by air can derive superior benefits from this type of card offer.

While these miles are a definite potential perk for the owner, proper use of the card is required. The time period for redeeming the point earned from such cards is generally unlimited with continued use of the card but some companies have a point use limit of 2-3 years. Points are collected for travel purchases as well as regular card purchases and they are tallied up on an ongoing basis for the cardholder.

Personal Mileage Card

Anyone who travels often can use what is known as a personal mileage card. It is literally the same as a traditional credit card but the free travel is just considered an added benefit, not the primary benefit of the card. All that one needs to do is find the card offers from the wide variety of resources available online and narrow down your selection to those cards that offer a redeemable miles reward program. There is a huge number of these cards available in the marketplace. Virtually every airline has a corresponding credit card from which you can derive benefits, not to mention the wide variety of general rewards cards that offer miles as an additional benefit to their reward program. And for all of you international travelers, these cards are generally accepted by most of the international airlines.

The Right Mileage Credit Card

A mileage credit card should be thoroughly researched before cardholders consider applying for any card offer. You can be easily fooled by many of these offers if you do not apply due diligence to the research process. The secret is thorough research and an understanding of how these cards work.

A Mileage Card – For Your Dream Destination

The airlines industry knows the need of the travelers these days. With this is mind, mileage cards were devised and have found their distinct niche with consumers. While the mileage card has been available for years now and is growing in popularity, counter to many of the advertising and marketing campaigns that you see for this type of financial vehicle, mileage credit cards are not a good bet for everyone.

Preparing For Life With Credit Cards For College Students
Mileage Cards – Pluses and Minuses
Doing The Math on Credit Card Rewards