You will be faced with a barrage of credit card promotions and offers over the years and it is sometimes overwhelming to deal with them. Certain ones offer desirable interest rates, some have easy acceptance terms, and some offer terrific rewards schemes. How can you make an informed decision? This article will help you understand common credit card offers so you can make a more informed choice.
Speak with the credit card company right after you see a charge on your statement that you did not make. By doing so you give the credit card company the best chance of catching the thief. By doing this you also are less likely to be held responsible for any transactions made from the thief. Fraudulent charges could be reported through a phone call or through email to your card provider.
Interest Rate
Know how closing a credit card will affect you before you do it. Sometimes closing a card can have a negative affect on your credit, so you should avoid doing so. It is also best to keep your oldest cards open as they show that you have a long credit history.
Make sure you know the current interest rate of the credit card you are applying for. You must understand the interest rate before agreeing to accept a credit card. When you don’t know this, you could possibly have a much higher rate than you anticipated. When your interest rate is higher than you expected, paying off the card each month becomes more difficult.
Select a password for your card that’s tough to identify for someone else. It’s a bad idea to use a common password like a middle name or phone number since people could guess these.
If your interest rate does not satisfy you, request that it be changed. If they refuse to do this after you talk with the retention team, then shop around for a better interest rate. When you find one, try to switch over to that company right away.
If you see any suspicious charges to your credit card, call your credit card company right away. This way, they will be more likely to discover the culprit. This also helps absolve you of responsibility when it comes to the charges. You can usually report fraudulent activity through a quick telephone call to your credit company.
Credit Card
One tip for every credit card user is to avoid making payments on your card as soon as you come home from charging something to it. Pay the whole balance instead once your credit card statement comes. Your payment history will look better, and your credit score will improve.
Ask your creditor if they are willing to lower your interest rate. Some issuers will reduce interest rates charged to customers if their credit relationship is in good standing. It is free to ask and can save you a lot of money.
Ensure you pay your payment by the due date to boost your credit score. Paying late will hurt your score and incur extra fees. Automatic payments are a great way to avoid late payments on a credit card.
When consumers open their mailbox, they see many credit card offers. Sorting through these is hard. If you know what you are doing, it is easy to figure out charge cards. Apply what you’ve learned from this article, and make wiser decisions going forward.