Author Login | Popular Articles | RSS Feeds | Sitemap

Home | Finance


How To Make Sure You're Getting the Best Credit Card Rates

By: Max Anderson

Are you getting the best credit card rates possible? You'd better hope so. If you're not, you could be throwing thousands of dollars down the drain without even realizing it. Want to know how to make sure the best credit card rates are on your monthly statements? Here are four tips that will help you do just that.

1. Watch Those Payments

The first and most critical step towards getting the best credit card rates is making each and every one of your credit card payments on time. One late payment and it's like a credit card domino effect. The card you paid late experiences a rate increase and then your other cards' interest rates are jacked up too.

How exactly does one credit card payment affect a totally different credit card? Welcome to the world of the Universal Default Agreement. When you default on one credit card, your other credit cards are given license to act as if you defaulted on those as well. As a result, your rates begin to jump. At this point, even the best credit card rates can soar to 20-percent or more.

Do yourself a favor -- if you want the best credit card rates, make on-time payments priority number one.

2. Don't Be Afraid To Ask

Sometimes getting the best credit card rates is as easy as asking. Think your credit card company is charging too much? Tell them you want a rate decrease. If you're a good customer who makes on-time payments each and every month (and you're not already enjoying the lowest rate they can offer) your credit card company may be willing to reduce your rate to keep you as a customer.

If, at first, the person on the phone balks, tell them you want to talk to the manager. Explain to the manager that you can get a lower rate elsewhere (and will) if your needs are not accommodated. If it's at all possible to lower your rate, they usually will.

3. Transfer Your Balances

If your current credit card company isn't willing to lower your rates, don't be afraid to jump ship. There are many companies out there that offer the best credit card rates and if your credit is up to par, they'll be happy to transfer your balance over to a new account.

When transferring balances, just make sure you don't get sucked in by a "teaser" rate. If the low rate jumps up six months from now, you'll be back to square one. The best credit card rates are fixed rates -- not limited-time offers.

4. Don't Balk at Annual Fees

Sometimes getting the best credit card rates requires paying an annual fee -- especially if you have less-than-perfect credit. If your credit situation isn't exactly ideal, don't balk at paying a low annual fee in exchange for getting the best credit card rates. If you have high balances and a lower rate allows you to pay your debt off for less, the annual fee can pay for itself.

The best credit card rates aren't just a pipe dream. They're there for the taking if you know how to get them. Don't overpay for finance charges. Use the above four tips to make sure you're getting the best credit card rates possible.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
For more tips on credit cards, saving money and avoiding getting taken, check out CreditCardTipsEtc.com, a website that specializes in providing credit card tips, advice and resources.

| Print | Ezine Ready | |

Recent Finance Articles

  • Unsecured loans: way to avail finance without pledging collateral By: Kara Wade - While applying for any external financial aid, it is on the basis of your financial requirement that you decide which loans to avail. If you are in need of smaller amount, there is no point of availing loans by pledging collateral. To raise the funds, you can prefer the unsecured loans. These loans offer limited amount for a short term period and that too without the need of pledging any collateral.
  • Why Honesty Counts When Requesting Auto Insurance Quotes By: Jim Jenkins - There are many auto insurance companies around the country that have begun offering incentives for choosing to take out a policy with them. With the increasing amount of online insurance quotes that are being viewed, it is wise to know how accurate these quotes that you receive on the internet are. Here are some good tips for having a more complete understanding of car insurance online quotes, as well as making good decisions on policy purchases.
  • Find Stocks Which WILL Double Your Money By: Matthew Bettison - It's an investor's dream: A stock with the potential to double in price. Finding these stock market jewels before they double is difficult but not impossible. According to data provider Capital IQ, there are almost 6,700 stocks that trade on major U.S. exchanges, and less than 100, or 1.4%, have doubled in the past year. Still, this rare find is worth hunting.
  • Top Academic and Admission Strategies for Colleges By: Karen Bolton - With the rising cost of college, it is important to utilize as many cost cutting strategies as possible. Let's explore some top academic and admission strategies to help reduce the cost of college. 1.Career Planning Career planning is often overlooked during the college planning process. However, this is one of the most important decisions that students will make. Without proper career planning, many students take 5-6 years to complete a degree.
  • Thailand real estate By: Forbest Forbest - Buying a house in Bangkok Buying a house / property in Bangkok is easy. Those who are planning to buy properties in Bangkok need not look further than Forbest Property, Thailands number one real estate agent company. The company has the largest real estate database in Thailand that includes listings of both affordable and luxurious properties for sale in Bangkok.
  • Picking A Quality Forex Expert Advisor By: Tim Rohrer - There are a ton of Forex expert advisors on the internet today, in fact hundreds of them. It almost makes it impossible to identify the expert advisors that actually work. With so many choices and so many different Forex trading systems on multiple currency pairs there has to be a solution to identifying the right trading robot.
  • Fitting your home office into a small space By: Directline - Not everyone has space for a large home office, but even a small space can become home to a comfortable compact home office. A “pocket office” can be easy to set up and need not take up space or lead to a major remodel. One underutilised space which could double as the perfect office is the typical built-in cupboard.
  • First time wallpapering tips By: Directline - Hanging wallpaper is not as difficult as it looks, as long as you have some help and follow the basic guidelines, and the effect is well worth the effort. Taking proper precautions before you start will avoid the need to phone up the professionals to fix a botched job, or worse a call to your home insurance providers with a sad tale of fallen ladders, smashed windows, glued filled carpets and so on...
  • Fireplace decor suggestions By: Directline - If you find your fireplace is a hassle, a messy and unnecessary addition to your living room or kitchen, then consider using it in one of these innovative ways, keeping your home clean from ash and dust. If you decide to completely close up, or remodel, your fireplace, alert your home insurance providers to any changes, so they can adjust your policy accordingly.
  • Tips For How A Property Manager Can Set The Price When Renting A Condo Unit By: Christine OKelly - While it is easy to pick a random number out of the air, add a few zeros, and set that as the price for renting a condo unit, it isn't the most profitable strategy. If a property manager or owner prices a condo rental too high, it will be difficult to find renters. Pricing it too low will also cause problems because the owner can end up losing money, essentially paying the renter to live in the condo.

Search Ebay

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!


Submit Your link to the Open Link Directory Project

Copyright 2005-2008 MJE Sales, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Proud member of the ArticleCkr Search Network Search Network!
ArticleSnatch.com is free for both publishers and authors to use and is supported entirely from advertising revenue.
Use of our service is protected by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.