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Discover Credit Card
Credit Cards For People With Bad Credit – Guide To Avoid Getting Ripped Off
By Charles Phelan
If you've had credit problems, then you've probably received offers for credit cards aimed at people with bad credit. These offers range from legitimate, to questionable, to outright scams. How can you tell the difference? The answer is to read the fine print, usually to be found in a document called "Terms and Conditions." To show you the difference between "the good, the bad, and the ugly" in the low-end market, let's take a look at the fine print associated with such offers.
We'll start with one of the more popular low-limit "starter" cards available today. These are actual terms published by a major company at the time this article was written. The card comes with a Visa logo on it and looks like a regular credit card, so you can use it as an extra piece of identification when you're booking a hotel room, renting a car, and so on. In the "Terms and Conditions" document, the first thing we see is the annual percentage rate (APR), listed as 19.5%. That's not a particularly attractive rate, but it's not as high as a lot of other cards. A little farther down, we see that the APR for cash advances is higher, 25.5%, which is normal since there is greater risk involved to the company.
Where it really gets interesting is the section that lists the fees associated with the card. In this example, there is an annual fee of $150! There is also a $29 fee to open the account, as well as a monthly "maintenance" fee of $6.50. Whew! That's a lot of fees. But wait! It gets better. Toward the bottom of the document, buried in the fine print, we see something called "Available Credit Limitations." In 8-point typeface (very tough to read on a computer screen or printed page), you are informed that your generous
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Sub Prime Loan Bust Extends To Fair Isaac
Fair Isaac has taken a big hit as many people are pointing the blame for the sub prime loan bust on the FICO credit scoring model. Fair Isaac is also seeing a decline in business due to the current credit crisis that is making the demand for any type of loan product very low. The credit crisis has left many people weary or even unable to get approval for any type of loans which means that less people are having their FICO credit scores checked.
Is Home Loan Forgiveness Worth It?
Many lenders are offering their lendees financial assistance with their home loan by offering home loan forgiveness. For many people who are finding themselves in trouble with paying their bills this may seem like a great idea, but in truth it could be potentially harmful. With home loan forgiveness an amount will be forgiven off the loan itself therefore lowering the payments, but the lender will report the money that is forgiven to the IRS which in return the lendee will have to pay taxes on at the end of the year. A person that is considering home loan forgiveness should carefully determine whether this option is the best for their financial circumstances.
How To Get Out Of Credit Card Debt Faster
It is very easy to swipe a credit card and then find oneself later in a large amount of debt. Many people are unaware that the minimum payment that they are making each month on their credit card is simply not enough and that if they want to get their credit card debt down they need to make higher monthly payments. Another key in getting out of credit card debt is that once the money is paid down on the card it is imperative to not use the credit card and accrue any more debt. If there is a need for financial assistance, using an online payday advance can be more debt friendly than using a credit card.
How Your Credit Card Reflects On Your Credit Report
There are many determining factors that make up a persons credit score and one of the major factors considered is a persons credit card history. Having a credit card or even numerous credit cards is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to how a persons credit score is scored. In fact, a person with credit cards that pays on their cards in a timely manner and keeps a balance of the card can actually gain a higher credit score than a person who completely pays off their credit card.
The Importance Behind Checking Your Credit Report
The accuracy of ones credit score is very important when it comes to the rates in which a person may receive a loan. Since it is very common for human error to occur when data is being entered on a persons credit report is imperative for people to check their credit report for inaccuracies.
Finally A Cut In Interest Rates
The economy has been hindered recently with high rise in home loan defaults and other economic crisis so when the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percent, a sigh was heard across America. The recent cut of interest rates means that home loans and auto loans will be available with lower rates. The recent interest rate cut was one waited for four years and has caused economy to show more activity then it has in the past.
Cash Advance Loans Are Great For Vacations
When the situation arises to where you may be trying to go on vacation, but the only time that you can take off from work falls in between paychecks, online cash advance loans can get you the money you will be receiving with your upcoming payday. Online cash advance loans are loans in which can be applied for online and received via direct deposit. Cash advance loans can get you up to $600 from your upcoming payday and requires no credit checks.
Stay Up With Vegas With An Online Payday Advance
Going to Vegas is great, but what happens when you run out of money? With an online payday advance the money you need to continue your vacation in style is available up to $600. An online payday advance allows people to have direct access to their payday when they are on vacation and even when they are not on vacation.
Payday Loans Are Great Short Term Loans
When a need for immediate cash arises, payday loans are the quickest way in which one can acquire the money that they need. Payday loans are loans which can be applied for online and can be used for any financial situation one may have in their life. Payday loans are quick and easy to acquire and allow people to avoid the embarrassment of being turned down for a loan from a bank or family and friends.
Stay On Track With Payday Loans
Payday loans are the perfect answer for any person with any credit situation to get the money they need to handle their finances. When a person needs extra money, the money can easily be attained by simply going online and filling out a quick application for a payday loan. The funds from the approved payday loan are deposited directly into the applicants bank account and repaid in the same manner.
initial credit limit will be a whopping $300. On your very first statement, you will be billed for the $150 annual fee, plus the $29 setup fee. The $6.50 monthly fees will start appearing after you make your first purchase on the card.
Let's take a closer look at the math here. It will cost you $179 up front, plus $78 per year, to obtain $300 worth of credit. Your total cost for the first year is $257, assuming you pay off the balance each month and don't incur any regular interest charges. Sound like a good deal? Does it make any sense at all to pay $257 to obtain $300 worth of credit? That's 85.6% in effective interest! If you keep a running balance of $300 on the card, and just make the minimum payments every month, your effective interest rate will be 105.2% for the first year, and 95.5 % for subsequent years. That's some pretty expensive credit! This offer, while legal, still counts as a total rip-off.
As bad as the above sounds, it still only qualifies as "questionable" rather than being a full-on scam. There are much worse offers floating around out there. I've even seen some "deals" where the fees are so stiff you start out above the credit limit before receiving the card in the mail! In the bogus category I'd also include cards where you are forced to pay an advance fee prior to receiving the "guaranteed" credit card, which of course never arrives. There are also "catalog cards," where you supposedly build credit by purchasing items through a card tied to one particular company and their catalog of goods. The problem is that the catalogs usually consist of grossly overpriced junk.
So what constitutes a good offer for someone who's experienced serious credit problems and wants to take action toward rebuilding his or her credit? At the risk of annoying the big marketing companies who target the "sub-prime" market (consumers with bad credit histories), my advice is to completely avoid any offer that comes to you unsolicited. Instead, do the research on your own. Check out www.bankrate.com for current offers by legitimate companies. Shop and compare before you apply. Remember, the APR is only one aspect of your decision, and not necessarily the most important. What you want to look at very carefully are the annual fees, setup fees, and monthly fees.
It's important to realize that you may not be able to obtain an unsecured when you're just starting to rebuild your credit. Instead of paying $257 to obtain $300 in credit, you'd be far better off placing $250 as a deposit toward a good SECURED from a reputable major bank. In this real-world example, the annual fee is only $29, the APR is 19.99%, and there are no setup fees or monthly maintenance charges. Your $250 deposit will net you $250 worth of credit (less the $29 annual fee), and you'll build positive credit history just as quickly as with the ridiculously expensive offer discussed above. Plus that original $250 deposit is still YOUR money. After you've been granted unsecured credit again, and you've paid off any outstanding balance on the secured card, you can get your deposit back.
One final tip. If you have the opportunity to join a credit union, you should consider checking out their offers for low-limit unsecured and secured credit cards. Credit unions frequently offer much better terms than regular commercial banks. Through credit unions, you can often find credit cards with no annual fees, lower interest rates, and more flexibility. Be sure, however, to confirm that the credit union reports account activity to the credit bureaus. Otherwise, your positive payment history on the new won't lift your credit score. And remember, no matter what card offer you're considering, be sure to read that fine print!
About The Author: Charles J. Phelan has been helping people become debt-free without bankruptcy since 1997. A former executive in the debt settlement industry, he teaches the do-it-yourself method of debt negotiation. Audio-CD training plus expert personal coaching helps consumers achieve professional results at a fraction of the cost. http://www.zipdebt.com
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