Check out our Credit Card Application Blog
When you want to learn more about the ways in which we can help you find credit
card applications that will can you greater financial flexibility and comfort in
your life, you might want to have a
look at our blog page.
The blog is maintained by experts who are knowledgeable in the ways credit cards
can affect consumers' finances and give advice that may be relevant to your particular
needs, and help you determine which will be the best credit card for you.
Visit our Credit Card news page
When you want to learn more about the credit card industry and what deals might
now be available to you, it may be a good idea to take the time to
check out our news page.
Here you will be able to find information on a number of different types of accounts,
including balance transfer credit cards, no annual fee credit cards, and rewards
credit cards. This might help to inform your decision about exactly what kind of
card will be most beneficial for you and your unique financial situation.
Whenever you want to check out a credit card application online, using our credit
card search engine is a great idea. There's no need to fill out dozens of applications.
By plugging in some information about yourself and the type of card you are looking
for, you can find a few targeted offers that make sense for you. This will help
you identify the best options available to you and help you sort through the options
in a clear manner.
Our 'credit card snapshot' view makes it easy to do a side-by-side comparison of
the 'vital signs' to find your best credit card deal.
The Credit CARD Act and what it means for you
In recent years, you've probably heard a lot about the Credit CARD Act in recent
years and wondered what, exactly, was part of that law.
The law - which is actually called the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility
and Disclosure Act - is intended to increase consumer protections when they
try to obtain a new credit card, or even deal with their old accounts. Here is a
fact sheet from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
One of the most impactful changes the law brought about was necessitating that lenders
give 45 days of notice any time the terms of a credit card agreement, such
as interest rates, fees and the like, are increased. Further, ongoing rates cannot
be hiked unless the borrower has missed more than two months of payments in a row.
Similarly, late payment penalty charges, which used to be quite large, were significantly
lowered by the Credit CARD Act. Though the law only called for "reasonable and proportional"
late fees, the Federal Reserve Board later set the limits at $25 for a first-time
offender, and $35 for second missteps within six months of the first. In addition,
late fees cannot be larger than the minimum due on the bill.
Other fees, charged to consumers when they exceeded the limits on their credit cards,
were also limited in a certain way; Consumers now have to opt into programs that
allow them to exceed their limit, rather than have that be automatically applied
to their accounts. These fees are also supposed to be the same as those for late
payments.
Further, whenever you look at a credit card bill these days, you're probably going
to get a lot of data that's clear, easy to read and quite understandable. That,
too, is part of a provision of the Credit CARD Act, which mandated that balances
and obligations, as well as information about interest charges and other fees racked
up over the course of a month, are explained in a clear and concise manner that
the average borrower can understand.
Numerous studies have shown that the Credit CARD Act has been extremely effective
in helping consumers to get their credit card debt under control and generally put
their finances in better order. Thanks to the provisions of this law, you are now
in a better position than ever to find a credit card offer that will be uniquely
beneficial to your personal situation.
The Federal Reserve's credit card information page
It's not always easy to fully understand everything related to your credit cards.
Everything from the terms you receive when you first sign up for the account to
the information on your monthly statements can be a bit confusing even for seasoned
borrowers.
For this reason, the Federal Reserve Board has a website designed specifically to
help you determine exactly what it takes to handle any credit card offer you might
come across, and deal with the ongoing costs the account carries. The site, located
at http://www.federalreserve.gov/creditcard/, details a number of aspects credit
card borrowers deal with regularly, in clear language so that it's easy to understand.
This includes explanations of the various options you might have available to you
when you're reviewing credit card applications to determine which is best for you.
Further, the site also helps to explain the ways interest rates and fees on any
kind of account can affect you and your personal finances over the life of the card.
To that end, the site even has a calculator that will help you determine about how
long it will take to pay off any credit card debt you may have currently based on
your repayment rate, interest, fees and other factors that can alter your balance.
There is also a list of the various credit card protection laws put in place to
help consumers better deal with their debts, a glossary of terms you might encounter
when looking at several credit card offers, and more. All of these tools can be
extremely helpful in allowing you to more fully understand any sort of credit card
application, and help you find the best credit card for you.
If you are looking for a new credit card that will allow you to pay the best possible
rates whenever you carry a balance, there are many available options.
However, one thing you should always keep in mind whenever you're reviewing a number
of credit card applications is that what constitutes the best credit card deal will
vary from one person to another. Typically, the lowest interest rates are available
only to consumers who have the best possible credit scores, and the lower your rating
is, the higher your rates will be.
Unsure what makes up your credit score? Check out
this breakdown at myFICO.com.
If you have your own small business and are looking to avoid annual fees on a business
credit card for your company, you may want to research the various credit card offers
available to you.
You should also be aware that these cards typically carry higher interest rates,
and consequently carrying a balance might end up costing you more. However, as long
as you stay on top of your payments, having a credit card can help your company grow.
Did you know your business should have a separate credit report? Here's some information
on business credit from
Experian.
If you have a large amount of credit card debt spread across a few different accounts,
and want to get out from under those obligations as quickly as possible,
then balance transfer credit cards might be the best way to do it.
You've probably heard of this kind of account before; It allows you to move a number
of different balances to just one card, and gives you several months or more of
no interest. During that initial period, which can range anywhere from three
to 24 months but typically falls between six and 18, you will be able to make regular
payments into the balance you transferred from other accounts without facing any
interest charges.
This will serve to reduce the amount you pay on that debt significantly during the
introductory period, cutting deeply into the principal and, in ideal scenarios,
reducing it to zero.
However, there are some things you'll want to watch out for. First, you'll almost
certainly be required to pay a balance transfer fee, which usually total
about 3 percent of the total amount being moved to the new account. While this may
not seem like a lot, if you're moving a few thousand dollars, it can quickly run
into the hundreds of dollars. Luckily, even that amount will likely be less than
you would have paid in interest charges on your older accounts.
Further, many balance transfer accounts do not apply the 0 percent interest rate
to purchases, meaning that if you buy something using the card during the introductory
period, you will add to your debt and be assessed charges for carrying that total
over from one month to the next.
Similarly, if you don't succeed in reducing your balance to zero on the new account
within the introductory period, you will likely have to pay retroactive interest
on the amount remaining, and this can be quite costly. For this reason,
you should try to find a card that will give you as much time as you'll need to
pay back your entire debt based on your past repayment habits.
Overall, this kind of card is a great way to get your finances and credit back under
control, and using our credit card search engine will help you find the best credit
card for you.
When you have a fair credit rating, it usually means you've been a good borrower
but made some mistakes along the way. Maybe your credit card debt grew too large,
or you missed a payment or two. On the other hand, you might have been trying to
rebuild your standing after it was damaged more significantly in one way or another.
Fortunately, there are a number of credit card offers available to those with fair
credit that can be a benefit both now and in the future.
Credit card applications for fair credit borrowers include those for accounts with
low interest rates, no annual fees and in some cases, even reward accounts.
There is, technically, no such thing as a bad credit card. But if you have a poor
credit history - for whatever reason - you probably won't qualify for the best credit
cards out there.
While the terms and conditions for these cards might not be the most favorable,
they can help you get back on the right track with your payment habits. Eventually,
you will be able to graduate to some better offers.
Want to know some more tips on how to improve your score?
Hear what FICO has to say.
Capital One credit cards are designed to serve a wide variety of consumers with
all sorts of credit ratings.
In particular, Capital One offers an outstanding range of credit card applications
for fair credit. The include no annual fee cards, rewards credit cards and 0 interest
credit cards.
Numerous studies have shown that Chase often has some of the most beneficial rewards
accounts available, and it can be easy to search for them online.
Carefully reviewing a few credit card application forms from this lender will help
you find the best account available to you.
Discover is another one of the most popular lenders in the U.S., and it might be
wise to look at their credit card offers when you are searching for a new card.
But as always, there's no magic bullet. Comparing a few different accounts of the
type you want will help you find the best one for you.