Don’t Go Paperless if you Can’t Keep Track

Many credit card companies are offering benefits to credit card owners that choose to receive their bill electronically rather than a paper bill in the mail. While this is obviously a “green” alternative to receiving your bill, for many consumers it turns into a disaster.

Keeping Track of your Spending

When you are not receiving a paper bill, you do not have a hard copy of your spending. This could lead to consumers over spending because they don’t truly know what they have spent. A few days after you make a purchase, you likely forget about it. Then you find yourself charging something again and again. Before you know if you’ve reached your limit and you have a very large monthly payment.

Paper is Better

For many consumers, a paper bill is a better option. It allows them to see their spending habits and enables them to see just how much they need to pay on their best credit card in order to pay it down. In addition, seeing the paper bill makes consumers truly see the interest rate they are paying and any fees that they are being charged. For many people that piece of paper is a vital piece of information as it holds the key to their financial future.

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Staying on Budget with your Credit Cards

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By Erin Landstrom

There are experts that say that credit card spending is evil. It really isn’t as long as you know how to use it. If you spend recklessly and don’t keep track of your spending or figure out a way to pay it off, then it can seem evil. If you plan accordingly, however, credit cards, especially those that offer rewards, can be quite effective.

  • Keep a Budget – If you only spend the amount of money you already budgeted for each month, then you are using your best credit cards wisely. When you reap the rewards of the cards, you are actually saving in other areas of your life, while still making the same payments that you would make without the credit card.
  • Keep Track – Always track your spending because it is easy to get lost in what you spend without keeping track of your receipts. Either start a spreadsheet or track your spending daily online in order to know where you stand at all times.
  • Use for Large Purchases – Large purchases such as furniture or paying for airline tickets or other travel arrangements should also be paid with a credit card if for nothing else than the protection that the credit card company provides for these purchases.

When you learn to use credit cards wisely, you can make the most of your rewards and avoid going over your budget while gaining the protection of the credit card company.

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Consolidate your rewards programs

Most people want to maximize the rewards that they receive from their credit cards. Many people even have several cards that offer rewards. While this might seem like a good idea at the time, what happens when you start to lose track of those rewards? When the cards become too much and you have no idea which card has which rewards? Suddenly those so-called rewards become burdensome. The best way to avoid this from occurring is to choose the best rewards credit card out of all of your cards and stick with it.

One Card Equals More Redeeming

When you have one credit card that has all of your points on it, chances are you will have an easier time keeping track of them. They show up on your statement and each month you can determine if it is time to redeem them. If you decide to wait and let them accumulate, it is less likely that you will flat out forget about them because you will only have one card to deal with, not dozens of cards to juggle. That one card turns into many rewards.

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The Unknown Perks of a Credit Card

As a credit card owner, you are likely aware of the cashback awards and other reward points that you can accumulate when you find the best rewards credit card. There are also other perks that many people are not aware of, leaving some of the major benefits of having a credit card untouched.

Discounted Tickets

Many credit cards offer free admissions or discounted tickets to museums or amusement parks. It pays to read the websites or notices on your credit card statements to see what types of perks your best credit cards can obtain for you.

Travel Deals

Aside from your standard rewards that you earn, there are certain cards that offer the ability to upgrade your flight perks, upgrade your hotel room or get special travel deals that others are not privy to.

Free Shipping or Discounts

Certain retailers offer special deals including percentages off of total purchases as well as free shipping deals. These deals will likely change often, making it necessary to check with your credit card company to determine what latest perks are available.

The only way to determine what your credit card company offers its members is to contact customer service or read the details online. You might be surprised to find some of the deals that are available for you.

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Why a Store Credit Card is not the Right Choice

You are in the store and the clerk asks if you would like to save 5 percent on your purchase by applying for a store credit card. While it might be tempting, your answer should be no for a variety of reasons.

  • The store card can only be used at the store that owns the card. This means that you cannot gain or use rewards anywhere else.
  • The rewards are not typically as good as the rewards you could gain from other credit cards.
  • Even if you pay your balance in full, the 5 percent savings that you gain during your initial purchase on a store card typically don’t compare to the overall rewards that you can obtain over time when using a regular credit card.

When you are looking for the best rewards credit card, it is important to look at all aspects of the card to determine which one has the best interest rate combined with the best rewards to provide you with the most benefits from using a credit card.

Save Money Building a Wardrobe

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As the seasons change, it is normal for you to want to change your wardrobe. While there might be some pieces that you can make do with from last year, there are likely many more that you want to buy as well. Before you jump at the first chance at shopping, maxing out your best credit card, take a moment to think about out to save money while building your wardrobe.

Shop End of Season Sales

One of the easiest ways to save on wardrobe staples or even special extras are to shop off season. At the end of any season, most stores offer clearance sales on the clothing and accessories that are left. If there was a look you really wanted and were strong enough to hold off until the clearance sales started, you could save a significant amount of money and have the look for next year.

Shop Sales

Every store has sales; you just need to know when they are. Follow your favorite stores online or in social media to determine exactly when they are having sales. Many stores offer flash sales or web exclusive sales, making following them online important.

Use your Best Rewards Credit Card

In addition to shopping early or shopping the sales, if you use one of the better rewards credit cards you’ll save even more money. Pay close attention to when your credit card is offering rewards for the stores that you shop at and make sure that you shop during those times to maximize your savings.

At CreditCardApplications.com out #1 priority is finding Your best credit card applications on line.

Understanding How to Qualify on the Best Credit Card Applications

by Erin Landstrom

Even if the best credit card applications have you feeling flustered or as if you will never get approved, there are a few simple steps you can follow to increase your likelihood of getting approved before you even fill out your name.

Look at your Finances

The first place you need to start is by looking at your finances. If your credit history is rather blemished with missing or late payments, take the time to get it back in order before applying for the best rewards credit card. You might find that there are other cards that you can apply for, but if you have your heart set on obtaining a credit card that offers lucrative rewards, you need to get your credit history in shape. Luckily this does not take forever and the credit card companies typically look at your most recent history and how you have improved yourself.

Don’t Use all of your Credit

While it might be tempting to rack up your credit cards, the credit card companies don’t want you to do that. If you want to show responsible use of your credit, use a fraction of it, but not all of it. This shows responsible use of your credit lines in addition to your ability to pay them on time.

Don’t Apply too Much

Some people get trigger happy and fill out multiple credit card applications online without hesitation. This can work against you, disqualifying you from the best rewards credit card that you really wanted. Take your time, read through all of the rewards and terms of the various credit cards and choose one or two credit card applications to fill out to increase your likelihood of getting approved.

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Get the Best Credit Card to Build Credit

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If your credit history is nonexistent, you might find it rather difficult to obtain an auto loan or home mortgage. If you do not have any debt, then you cannot have a credit score, which to some lenders does not qualify you for a loan. While it seems odd that you need to have debt in order to have a good credit score; it is true. For a beginner with no credit, you should look for the best credit card for those with no credit history.

Getting Credit

If you anticipate needing a loan in the near future, even a year or so down the road, you should start building up your credit history now. While you might not be able to take advantage of the big frills you see on the commercials such as cash back or airline miles; you can work your way up to that point by following a few simple rules:

  • Don’t go over your credit limit
  • Pay your bill on time
  • Don’t pay the entire bill if your goal is to build credit
  • If you do pay the entire bill, charge something monthly and always pay it off to show a good credit history

In addition to timely payments, you should ensure that the company that you are filling out an application for a credit card for definitely reports to all three credit bureaus in order to ensure that you build up the solid credit history that you need.