Credit Card Rewards In Close Scrutiny

Writen by Morgan Hamilton

It is not everyday that people get something for free. That is why whenever there are some freebies or rewards, the common tendency is to grab the opportunity.

This is particularly regular in the credit card industry. In fact, it is for this reason why most credit card companies offer different credit card rewards. They know that people will be enticed to sign up for a credit card not just because they need it but also because they want the rewards.

Credit card rewards are already accepted by the public as part of the credit cards. It is, basically, the greatest marketing tool of every credit card company in order to entice people to sign up.

With a growing fierce competition among the card businesses, offering some rewards is the only way to persuade a consumer to use a particular credit card instead of the other one.

In turn, there are many rewards as there are many credit cards in the market today that people do not even realize that many of them are not actually necessary.

Hence, it is important to analyze first the rewards being offered by the card company before signing up. The problem with most people is that just because a particular credit card offers many rewards they tend to get one even if they had enough.

No wonder why the average American household had been reported to have 7 to 10 credit cards in a 2002 survey.

Indeed, nobody can ever question the proliferation of rewards in the credit card industry. It is the credit card company's way of getting a sale, so it should be left that way.

What should be done is for the consumers to know and analyze the kind of rewards they really need. Here is a list of some rewards that people should learn to evaluate if they really need them on their credit cards.

1. Cash back rewards

Many credit card companies offer cash back rewards. These companies insist that they can give their costumers free cash just by using their credit cards every time the customers purchase something.

It sounds like a good idea, but one should bear in mind that most credit card companies could only give "1% cash back."

In addition, not all purchases have cash backs. In reality, the company will only give cash back to some particular transactions, not all.

What is even worse, some companies give the rewards annually, usually within the date the card has been activated. That would mean a long time to wait for incentives.

2. Freebies

Most credit card companies will offer freebies to their customers. These freebies are usually redeemed once the user was able to accumulate the necessary points. These points are accrued every time the consumers use their credit card for purchases.

After building up some points, the consumers can exchange these for some free items. These things can be pretty useful especially if a person has some need for the item he or she had received.

However, people should keep in mind that freebies and reward points may vary from company to the other. Hence, it is important to evaluate this kind of reward as well.

3. Airline Miles

Some credit card companies offer "airline miles" every time the credit card holder makes a purchase. Accumulated airline miles can be exchanged for some airline tickets.

This kind of reward can be very useful especially if the credit card holder travels a lot. Otherwise, it would not do anything much as a reward.

These are just a few of the many rewards that credit cards offer. All of them can be very beneficial; there is no doubt about it. The only drawback is when the customer has no use for it.

Therefore, it can be concluded that credit card rewards are only true to those who can benefit from it. Otherwise, rewards are not rewards but plain marketing strategy on the run.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Credit Card Rewards

Amadeo Peter Giannini The Worlds Bigger Banker Part 2 Of 2

Writen by Guido Crapanzano

This is the second part of the story of Amadeo Peter Giannini, an Italian emigrant who arrived in America still in his mother's womb. Amadeo was born in 1870 in San José California, and starting without anything, in just 40 years he was able to create the world's biggest bank. At that time a socially liberal vision like this was common in the USA, where Ford, increased salaries of his employees, transforming them into potential buyers of his cars. And also in Italy, some illuminated industrials built houses for their own employees and subsidized schooling for their children.

The more that the deposits grew, the more Giannini offered loans and subsidies. And the incredible increase in deposits demonstrated that he was right which reached $700,000 in one year. But for the other bankers in San Francisco liberal ethically innovative strategy seemed not only revolutionary but also dangerous and so they declared war on him. There were rumors that The Bank of Italy had difficulties and a lot of their clients went as low as to take their savings out of the bank. Amadeo who had also anticipated more difficult moments and had accumulated huge gold reserves, so he immediately put big tables outside the bank where he put the gold reserves and stacks of banknotes and the clients were then ashamed, in front of all the richness, to ask for their savings back.

In April 1906 the deposits surmounted a million dollars. And that was when the tragedy occurred. On the 18th of April 1906 an earthquake of biblical proportions destroyed San Francisco. There were aftershocks that transformed the city into a mass of smouldering ruins. The ones who survived the earthquake walked around the streets like ghosts, crying, praying and looting. Giannini, along with his partners, used his step father's fruit carts to transport Bank of Italy's money and gold to a safe place which he hid in his semi destroyed fireplace in his house. The other banks in the city not only lost a large part of their capital, due to fires, but also there account books, so they weren't able to reopen for at least a month .

Amadeo Giannini, who knew every single client as well as their financial situation, opened his bank only after six days, creating a makeshift office in his brother's half-destroyed house, who was a doctor. He hung out the burned sign which he had found. He also put a sign in plain view which he had painted during the night, which read: "Loans like before, more than what was given before". The new bank of Italy was literally mobbed with crowds of families affected by the disaster in need of everything, who withdrew their savings, or asked for loans. Giannini was happy to give money to whoever asked, without asking questions, only making a note of their names and the amount.

But that wasn't enough.

After two days of the rush of the needy he left the makeshift office for his partners to manage and together with his stepfather he went to the other areas of the city, with a small cash box with money. . Amadeo went to the devastated areas of San Francisco, the tent camps, offering loans without interests and filled his pockets with papers signed by immigrants from all over the world, sometimes marked with a cross.

We can ask ourselves: how could Giannini loan all this money to everyone? How could he continue to go on? After only a few weeks the old clients came back who had withdrawn their savings from the bank. And as soon as the other banks opened , a lot of people withdrew their savings to bring it to the Giannini, the gentleman. Besides that, a lot of immigrants who had never been in a bank before, picked up all their savings in gold from the houses in ruins and decided to deposit them in the Bank of Italy.

Giannini became the emblem of reconstruction of San Francisco, not as much for the money but for the sense of security that he had transmitted, and for his optimism and his faith in the people who had lost everything. Amadeo gave people the desire and courage to try again, above all in the immigrant communities who irreversibly became Bank of Italy customers In the poor area of North Beach, the Italian community became an important player in the reconstruction and North Beach became the centre of new business ventures and entrepreneurs in San Francisco. This experience convinced Amadeo Peter to be a banker for the rest of his life. And he had incredible success. Giannini's fame became a legend, his acts of good will were told al over the Pacific coast. With his faith in his courage and his moral integrity a stream of new clients from all over. Everyone wanted to deposit their money in the Bank of Italy.

The reconstruction of San Francisco, which was the main pacific port at the time, attracted a lot of small and big investors, and a lot of money was deposited in Giannini's bank. In 1909 a law went into effect in the USA that allowed a system of "branch banking", or in other words the opening of branches in other cities.

Only a few bankers knew how to use the new law. Giannini went to the Atlantic coast and then to Canada, where the new system of banks was already in use. As we have learned, until now the American banks worked only for the rich people, excluding immigrants and small farmers. But Giannini, who knew the situation of the small farmers of the Santa Clara Valley, he sensed that three could be a possibility of reciprocal interest for a bank that Is available to give incentives to small land owners.

He was able to convince the other members of the Bank of Italy to work towards this goal but he also wanted strong ties between the bank and people from the area. Assuming that among all of the people of the new banks that there would be a great number of artisans, tradesmen and local farmers.

The employees Also had to be local citizens and they had to speak many languages. In 1909 the Bank of Italy opened his first branch in San José, his city of birth. In 1910 he bought two banks at San Francisco, in 1912 he bought another in at San Mateo. By the end of 1912 the deposits were much higer than $11.000.000 dollars and in 1913 Giannini opened another big branch in Los Angeles.

From 1916 until 1918 he opened many branches in the agricultural valleys of California, therefore extending credit to small farmers and the new emigrants. A lot of bankers, including the most influential ones of the USA, where seriously worried because of the new tendency that Giannini had started and started a campaign to degrade him with the aim of isolating him.

Giannini understood the risk and decided to take control of the situation and he nominated himself president and put a lot of initiative into effect that that made him and the bank more solid. In 1919 the Bank of Italy bought a bank in New York, and he named it Bancitaly Cooperation. This institution was bought nine months after he bought "Banca dell'Italia Meridionale" , that later on was named "Bank of America and Italy".

In July of 1919 the Bank of Italy subscribed to the Federal Riserve Sistem and the 1st of March 1927 it became nationalized.

In 1920 Giannini sensed the possibility of the developing the film industry, that up until that time was active mainly in New York. He sent his brother Attilio Giannini who left the medical profession, to dedicate himself not only in the Bancitaly cooperation but also in the emerging world of cinema. But rather than focusing on the financial aspects, Amadeo paid attention to socio cultural importances that the film industry's were proposing regarding the American conscience and behavior. Since the New York bankers that financed the films asked loan shark interest rates at around 20%, he decided to offer more reasonable rates-around 6%- for deserving authors that were not only for having fun, but also to propose quality social models So, when Attilio came back from New York to tell his brother that he had met young talented comic artist, who was already successful in comedies, but that couldn't find a financer for his project, Amadeo decided to give $50.000 to First National Distributors to make Charlie Chaplin's

film "Il monello".

The costs of the film could have cost much less, but Amadeo who wanted to get to know him personally, didn't want him them to have to worry about the finances.

Within six weeks he made his money back on the film and following that his bank made enormous profits.

The event created an uproar and many other directors and producers asked to be financed, but Gianinno wasn't interested only in commercial ventures with economical goals. In 1922, the Bank of Italy had 61 branches. Considering the incredible expansion, the consultants of the bank wanted to offer him $50.000 a year above his salary. Amadeo who had already saved a fortune, of nearly $500,000, who was faithful to his principles, refused the offer, noting that whoever wanted to have more than half a million dollars should have run to a psychiatrist. Between 1927 and 1929 the Bank of Italy issued with NATIONAL CURRENCY bills which were legal currency in the United States.

In the first month of 1928, in the era of financial euphoria, Giannini made revenues with his participation in the bank of Italy a million and a half dollars, but since he didn't want to become to rich, he decided to give the total amount to the University of California for researching agricultural technology.

Seven years after the experience "Il monello", Giannini became good friends with Walt Disney whom he believed to be a genius and he spent time with him discussing not only non verbal communication but the power of the images in communication.

After a decent success with the short film of Mickey Mouse, Giannini's sensed that there were great possibilities for cartoons and he financed the first feature length Disneyfilm in color called "Snow White and The Seven Dwarves" Once again the film was much more successful than they had expected. Walt Disney became famous all over the world. Giannini was tired of making money and became the financial director of his friend's company that was by now famous. In 1930 the Bank of Italy was named "Bank of America National Trust and Saving Association".

It's important to note that, when the Bank of Italy closed it's books and examined the suspended transactions, they realized that 96% of loans without guarantees were reimbursed by 96% of the total that was payed out, and so overall, considering the interest, the bank didn't suffer any losses on loans given to the people that weren't well off.

On the contrary, the big bankers that accepted only people with money, while in times of crisis had considerable losses. And they didn't forgive Giannini's foresightedness.

In 1931 Giannini had to deal with the most difficult event of his life. He got polio, and he was cured not only for the intense cures that he had undergone, but above all thanks to battle to not become excluded from Bank of America.

As soon as the rumors went around about his illness, a lot of enemies – lead by the Transamerican Elisha Walzer, by J.P Morgan and by members of the Federal Reserve, who were associated as being nasty vultures from Wall Street Giannini's reaction was absolutely energetic. Even considering his health conditions he actively took part in the battle to regain control of the bank, and faced with this problem, his health miraculously improved unexpectedly. He regained his strength in a time that couldn't be explained by doctors, and with the support of many people who benefited, he regained control of the institution that he had created.

Amadeo Peter Giannini wasn't particularly interested in the cinema. He liked only a few authors that through film told stories that improved people's lives. He said that the fairy tales or parabolas- today we can call them fictions – were instruments good for transmitting values and traditions to new generations, and after Disney he helped another fairy tale creator Frank Capra. Frank was a Sicilian who arrived with his family in California as a boy. He became an engineer and then lost his job because of the crisis in '29 and after some variations of his fortune, he casually made his way to Hollywood where he discovered the world of cinema. He became Giannini's friend there, who he became devoted to Giannini, because he saw his own father in Giannini. Since there was a reciprocal admiration, in 1934 Amadeo financed his first successful film called "Once upon a night…", and the collaboration continued in 1936 with "Happiness is coming" and in 1938 with "The eternal illusion".

Frank and Amadeo loved to speak in Italian and often developed the scenes of the films together. Giannini loved Capra's narration that exposed the dramatic situation in America- a reality based on competition, that justified the non interest of others and promoted climbing the social ladder – who originated a society that was conditioned by subtle power of mass media, where the economical lobby controlled politics, but with everything, it seemed like an offer of blackmail, even if this liberation came about often through a miracle like what happens in fairy tales. It's a demonstration that it's possible to escape from the nightmare, and that there is still space for dreams.

As mentioned earlier, Amadeo didn't play up to the cinema world, but as an important banker he knew that in this world, he knew that he would have made a lot of money for the bank. Once again he called his brother Attilio from New York, and asked him to manage the cinema sector. Between 1932, and 1952, Bank of America financed over 500 films, and invested over half a billion dollars.

However Amadeo Giannini wasn't only fascinated by dreams of cinema.

In 1932, the "dreamer" Joseph Strass, designer of the Golden Gate , wasn't able to find a financer for his project, had the inspiration to go to Giannini. And the winning card to convince Amadeo wasn't the possible profit, but the conviction that the bridge could have helped the citizens of San Francisco to get out of the depressing economic situation that hung over the city. Giannini financed his project with six million dollars and asserted that Bank of America had no interest in the project.

In the first half of the thirties Giannini got ready to fight the "Mc. Federal Act" a law that prohibited you from operating in more than one state. In 1934 the Bank of America had 423 branches in 255 California cities.

On the 14th of January his son Lawrence Mario Giannini who Amadeo educated with his example, took the place of his father as the president of Bank of America, and Amadeo to stay close by accepted the position of being honorary president.

Giannini made unselfishness to be his primary profession. Besides giving credit to poverty stricken people, and to have given hope to who has lost it, Amadeo offered a large part of his earnings to social deeds, but without sounding the trumpets on philanthropy and patronage In 1930 he created the GIANNINI FOUNDATION of agricultural economics, which he left to the University of California. The foundation had one goal: to favour the research aimed at developing rural resources and to increase the economical activities of California's farmers. In 1945 he also created the GIANNINI FAMILY FOUNDATION, with the goal to promote the medical research. During the 2nd World War California became the most important state for war production. The Bank of America financed the production of airplanes, ships, and heavy and lightweight weapons, It managed the payment of the soldiers and civil employees.

Amadeso Giannino gave his son Mario the responsibility to deal with Italians that were confined in prison camps, and to exert himself to try to avoid the imprisonment of other Italian Americans Right after the war, Giannini, who always felt profoundly Italian, to the point that, even at an old age spoke often with the a dialect from Liguria that he learned from his mother, wanted the bank to help in efforts of reconstruction in Italy in first person.

He agreed with Arthur Schlesinger, the man responsible for the Marshall plan, to speed up the shipment of aid, that his bank would send the amount necessary without any interest, for all the shipments headed for Italy.

In October 1945, when Amadeo was seventy five years old, he left the Bank of America for good. He left all the drawers in his desk open, which he never closed anyway saying "I have nothing to hide", just like "the bank has nothing to hide." At the same time he announced that the Bank of America had become the biggest bank in the world!.

At the age of eighty Amadeo Peter Giannini breathed calmly, and was comforted by the affection of his loved ones. When he died an accurate inventory was carried out of all of his assets, that came to exactly 489,278 dollars.

Guido Crapanzano is an expert in communications and Rector of the Institute for Communication Sciences in Milan (Italy).

Free Credit Reports Are Not Always Free

Writen by Christopher Luck

According to an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can obtain a free credit report on yourself for free one time every year. However, just like with any new law or service, there are people out there looking to take advantage of you. So be aware of what you see when looking for your credit report; not every service claiming to offer you a free credit report is actually offering one.

To get your free credit report, you really only need to go to the annual credit report website. If you go to the Federal Trade Commission's website, you will find all the information you really need to get your free credit report. You only need your name, social security number, date of birth, and address to get the free report. As easy as it is, there are still many companies out there who want to get the business of people like you who are seeking their free credit report.

One way these companies take advantage of people is by establishing a web address that is very similar to the legitimate government websites for obtaining a free credit report. They will harvest your social security number, address, and other personal information under the claim that you will get a free credit report. Remember, you can get one by going through the Federal Trade Commission. Be aware that you should never have to supply a credit card number or telephone number to obtain your free credit report. Your address, name, social security number, and date of birth are all you need.

You should never respond to an email to get your free credit report. Remember that that getting the report is a right you have. Some companies, in an effort to get your personal information, will send spam emails advertising access to your free credit report. These companies are usually just Phishing for your personal information. Never respond to emails to get your credit report. Instead, the information is easy to obtain through the proper government channels that are readily available to you.

Congress has given you the right to obtain a free credit report on yourself once every year. The government has given you access to the free report through the Federal Trade Commission website so that you do not have to worry. You will get emails, see on line advertising, and even get pop up ads that advertise free credit reports. Keep in mind, though, that many of these companies are not interested in getting you your report as much as they are getting a hold of your information. There is no reason to use these companies, legitimate or not, to obtain your free credit report when you can do it through the Federal Trade Commission. Your information is vital to your financial well being and in the wrong hands could do a lot of damage to your credit. In order to avoid these pitfalls, the best thing to do to get your free credit report is to go through the government.

If you would like more updated information on my credit report resources, or read more articles like the one you just read, please feel free to visit my credit report blog.

Five Factors To Consider When Selecting A Personal Credit Card

Writen by Jeremy Zongker

Nowadays many credit card companies offer perks to lure new customers ranging from introductory offers with zero percent interest for transferred balances, Reward Programs offering airline mileage and cash back, and discount programs with select merchants. While these offers may be very enticing, there are five key factors, none of which include perks, that you should consider when choosing a credit card.

FEES

One of the first factors to consider when selecting a credit card is the number of fees associated with using the card and the totality of all of them if incurred. Companies can charge a variety of fees with the most common being annual, closure, over-the-limit and late fees. Because, not all companies charge the same fees and the level of the fees can also differ, it is important to read all of the fine print and details that accompany any credit card offer.

Annual Fee

An annual fee is a membership or participation fee that is charged for having a card. An annual fee can range from $25 to $50.

Closure Fee

Some companies also charge a closure fee when an account is closed. This fee also falls within the $25 to $50 range.

Over-the-Limit Fee

An over the limit fee is assessed when the sum of your purchases and fees exceed the amount of credit you have available for new charges. Generally speaking, this fee is around $25.

Late Fee

Late fees are charged when payments are past due. Some companies assess late fees as early as one day after the payment due date. Late payments can also trigger an increase in your annual percentage rate.

ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE

The annual percentage rate (APR) is by far one of the most important, if not the most important factor to consider when selecting a credit card. The APR, which is stated as a yearly rate, is the interest rate applied to outstanding balances. Low rates are preferable since this means you will be paying less to use a credit card. One single credit card can apply a different APR for balance transfers, cash advances and purchases.

CREDIT LIMIT

You should also consider the level of credit that is being offered when selecting a credit card. A credit limit is the amount of money that is available for purchases, cash advances, balance transfers, fees and finance charges. Credit limits can start as low as $200 for department store credit cards and go into the thousands for major credit cards (Visa and MasterCard) depending on your credit rating and income.

SECURED VERSES UNSECURED CARDS

Another factor to consider when selecting a credit card is whether the card is secured or unsecured. Users of secured credit cards pay a deposit to obtain credit. These offers often appeal to two classes of individuals, those who are very young and are having a difficult time establishing credit and those who have blemishes on their credit reports that prevent them from obtaining unsecured credit. The credit limit for secured credit cards is usually determined by the amount of your deposit.

Unsecured credit cards are by far the most widely held cards and tend to have higher credit limits.

GRACE PERIOD

The final factor to consider, the grace period, is the length of time you have to pay your credit card balance in full without accruing interest charges. The ideal card will have a grace period of 25 days or longer. If you carry a balance from month to month you will pay interest regardless of how many days are in a grace period with only new purchases being exempt for 25 days. The grace period is usually not applicable to cash advances and balance transfers.

PERKS AND REWARDS

While not one of the five key factors, I still felt it necessary to write a blurb on perks. Many credit card companies offer perks as an incentive to lure new customers and reward loyal ones. Perks can include a Rewards Program that awards you with airline mileage and cash back on your purchases. Some cards also offer discounts at select merchants and credit card registration, which protects you if your card is lost or stolen. Unless you are a frequent user of credit, perks should be the last item you consider when selecting a credit card because the biggest payoffs tend to go to the biggest spenders.

This article has been provided courtesy of Creditor Web, http://www.creditorweb.com

Credit Card Faqs

Writen by Joseph Kenny

What are credit cards?

Credit cards let you pay later for any purchase you make. In case of any sort of emergency or urgent situation, when you may not have cash to make payments, credit cards can be helpful. Credit cards are commonly used to get fuel for cars or buying products in a grocery store. You receive a statement at the end of each month. The statement tells you of the expenditures you have done using your credit card. It also mentions minimum balance, due date, fees, etc.

What is an additional cardholder?

An additional cardholder may be anyone from your family, aged above 18. He will also be issued a credit card. You can contact your credit card company if you wish to have an additional cardholder.

What is a balance transfer?

Balance transfer means the transferring of outstanding balances of credit cards from your current credit card company to another.

What should be done on losing a credit card?

If you happen to lose your credit card, you should inform the your bank as soon as possible, as there can be chances that some one may use your credit card and you end up paying for that too. Once you notify the bank, they at once cancel your credit card and issue you another credit card.

What is an APR?

APR, or Annual Percentage Rate, is just a way of calculating cost of credit, measured as a yearly rate. You must know the APR that would be levied on your credit card before you decide to have one. All credit card companies have varying APRs. You have to see the one that suits you the best.

What is the way to choose a credit card?

This purely depends on your needs and situation. If you would be paying full bills then you need to take a credit card with a low annual fee and other charges. On the other hand, if you want to have a cash advance feature, you need to choose a credit card company with low APR. If you have any doubts and questions, always feel free to call up the credit card company.

What is the credit card grace period?

Credit card grace period is the period in which you can pay your credit card bills before the due date and avoid finance charges. You should be aware of the grace period in order to avoid any sort of finance charges.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the credit card comparison sites http://www.credit-cards-info.com/ and also http://www.creditcards121.com/

Faq What Can Credit Repair Specialists Do Legally

Writen by Patsy Rose

The consumer has legal right regarding the information that is reported to and stored by the credit bureaus. Credit repair specialists help consumers take full advantage of their legal rights.

How can I repair my credit report? If any information on your credit report is inaccurate, out-dated, unverifiable or misleading, you can dispute this information. Credit repair specialists can help you if you do not have the time or the know-how.

Will establishing "good credit" repair my credit report? While establishing good credit is always a good idea, even if that means obtaining a secured credit card, "good credit" does not outweigh "bad credit". Most lenders look at your overall credit score, most evaluations are done by computer these days, so if you credit score is below a certain number you may not qualify for lower interest rates, or you may be denied credit completely. Reputable credit repair specialists should evaluate your individual situation, before promising results.

Can I repair may credit report on my own? Yes, it just takes time and patience.

Can I repair my credit report if I still have outstanding debts? No. While you may be able to have negative items removed, if the debt is still owed, the creditor may just report the information again. Reputable credit repair specialists do not recommend that you try to have items removed from your credit reports which are accurate, only that information which is inaccurate, misleading, unverifiable or out-dated.

Can I repair may credit report if I have declared bankruptcy? It is possible that you may be able to achieve some results if you have declared bankruptcy. Many people believe that bankruptcy wipes their credit report clean, but it only releases you from overwhelming debt. It does not remove information from the credit report that led to the bankruptcy in the first place. If you have a past bankruptcy and you are trying to improve your credit rating, it might be wise to contact credit repair specialists that are associated with a law firm. They will probably be able to offer more assistance than credit repair specialists that are credit counselors.

Where do I go to view my credit report? The website www.annualcreditreport.com has been set up to allow consumers to easily view their credit reports on line. Companies that advertise as credit repair specialists and attempt to charge you for copies of your credit report are not being honest. If you need more than one copy of your credit report per year, then you may have to pay for additional reports, but this payment should be made directly to the credit bureau.

Can credit repair specialists repair my credit report for me? They can help. You will be involved throughout the process, because the credit bureau will only communicate directly with you.

For more information about credit repair specialists, visit the Credit Repair Blog.

Great Credit Cards For People With Not So Great Credit

Writen by SueAnna Naase

Everyone knows you can get a credit card with not so perfect credit, but you will be paying high interest. I have found that is just not the case anymore.

You can now have the option of obtaining a Pre-paid card which gives you the simplicity and convenience you need to manage your finances easily. Some features of this card are free direct deposit, which make payday faster safer and more convenient. Integrated bill payment, pay your bills online or even over the phone. Access to checks; send a check to anyone directly from your account. Access to cash, withdraw money at millions of ATM machines worldwide.

Other types of credit cards are also available for those with bad or no credit and they are unsecured. Approval is guaranteed when qualifications are met. You can be approved for up to $7,500 of credit regardless of your credit history. Monthly credit limit increases are available to those that qualify.

Many companies are now offering other types of credit cards for those trying to rebuild or build there credit. Sometimes they start out at a lower limit and if you make your monthly payments on time they will gradually increase your limit. You may want to compare all these different types of credit cards and see which one works best for you. Now you can make your bad credit turn into great credit to match the cards in your wallet.

This article is written by SueAnna Naase for CardAccount.com. To see these offers and apply easily online go to http://www.cardaccount.com/

SueAnna is writing for cardaccount,com and has had several years of experience in the credit and fiance fields.

The Chase Perfectcard Mastercard The Perfect Credit Card

Writen by Jeremy Biberdorf

With the Chase PerfectCard MasterCard you can earn rewards everywhere! You get cash back everywhere you use this credit card. At gas stations you save even more. For the first 90 days, you get 6% back on all gas purchases at any gas station. After that you get 3% cash back at gas stations. When you use the Chase PerfectCard everywhere else you get 1% cash back. Think of how much you'd save on your gas bill each year. It doesn't make sense to use cash or your debit card.

Most gas credit cards are applicable at just one gas station. If you're low on gas do you always want to go out of the way to a certain gas station? You could run out of gas driving across town to the other station. Or do you want to fill your wallet with a different credit card for each gas station? Your heavy wallet would weigh you down, nevermind the time it would take to search through those cards every day.

Another perk of this credit card is a 0% introductory rate on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months. For the first year there is no annual fee either. There is only a $19 annual fee if the cardholder doesn't make 9 purchases in the prior year. So the Chase PerfectCard can earn rebates that aren't eaten up by credit card fees.

There is a limit to the cash you can get back with this credit card. Each month you can get up to $15 back on gas. That works out to $500 in gas purchases for one month. That should cover the average person's fuel expenses. Up to $15 of free gas in a month sounds like too good an offer to pass up. Plus there is no limit to amount of rebates that can be earned from other purchases.

This credit card makes cash back more convenient too. Rebates you earn are automatically credited toward future purchases. Other cards often mail gift certificates or checks, which just delays your money.

You don't lose other platinum credit card features like purchase assurance, extended warranty protection, and travel accident insurance. The Chase PerfectCard MasterCard gives you everything and then some more. It lives up to its name.

Check out gasolinecreditcards.net for a comparison of different gas rebate credit cards, including The Chase PerfectCard MasterCard. Click for more card details and a secure online application.

Non Profit Credit Counseling Agency Can Help

Writen by Bill Smiths

Debt levels are at their worst in America. Consumers who own more than 3 credit cards often find themselves robbing Peter to pay Paul. Non profit credit counseling agencies are a good place to begin. A consumer counseling agency will provide you with necessary guidance to set up a payment plan and to help you make easy payments.

When do you need help from a non profit credit counseling agency?

A> You have worked really hard on your efforts but success just seems to be a distant cousin.
B> Per your budget and calculations, it will take more than 5 years to pay for the debt.
C> You find yourself not able to pay even the minimum due each month on your credit card bills.
D> Collection agencies call you at your home or office.

How to choose a non profit credit counseling agency?
With the plethora of credit counseling agencies that exist today, it can be a daunting task to select the right one. The agency you select should be affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit counseling.

You might also want to contact your local BBB and find if there were any previous complaints against them and how they were resolved. Avoid companies having too many complaints.

Additionally make sure they are licensed to provide credit counseling services in your state.

Know your credit counselor not just the counseling company.
Ask for the counselor who will handle your counseling, his experience in the relevant field and his accredition.

Ask the counselor how he is paid.
Ask if the credit counselor is paid on salary or commission. If the counselor is paid commission, then they might push you into accepting a debt management plan (also known as the DMP)

I hope the above outlined information will be helpful in selection the right credit counseling organization. Good luck in your endeavor.

Bill Smith is a debt counselor for Ameri debt consolidation service. Visit us at http://www.americreditservices.com/ and http://www.americreditservices.com/credit-counseling/credit-counseling-1.htm for non-profit debt consolidation services.

10 Reasons Why You Should Have A Business Credit Card

Writen by Jon Francis

There are lots of good reasons that you should have a credit card specifically for the use of your business, in the name of your business. A lot of them are no different than the reasons that you have a credit card for yourself. Here's a list of the top ten reasons that you should have a business credit card.

1. A business credit card lends your business legitimacy. The fact that a credit card company issues a credit card to your business signals other merchants that they consider your business credit-worthy.

2. It's far easier to track monthly expenses with a credit card. When you make purchases for your business on credit, you have your monthly account statements to help you track where the money went.

3. Your monthly account statements also serve as a backup to receipts when it's time to do your own books and declare income and losses for tax purposes.

4. Your employees can use your business account to make purchases for the company, or for business expenses when traveling for your company, making it far easier to track and assign expenses than having expense accounts submitted and reimbursed.

5. Many business cards offer the same benefits and rewards as personal credit cards, including discounts on products for your business and cash back or rewards on purchases from participating merchants.

6. Purchases made on many cards qualify for special insurance protections from the credit card company. If something goes wrong with your purchase, and the merchant won't return your money, you can dispute the charge on your account.

7. A business credit card allows you to build a positive credit history for your business. This will be a major benefit if you're seeking a line of credit or loan to expand your business in the future.

8. Being able to charge your purchases can often allow you to take advantage of cash discounts on purchases. Many companies that deal with business to business products offer special terms when products are paid for in full at the time of purchase or within 30, 60 or 90 days. Charging them to your business credit card nearly always counts as a 'cash' purchase rather than a financed one.

9. For all the to-do about high rates of interest on credit cards, they're generally considerably lower than merchant credit accounts. In fact, you can avoid interest altogether by paying off your account each month. If you must carry a balance, though, it makes sense to carry it at the lowest interest rate that you can find - and even earn rewards or discounts while you're at it.

10. Use business credit card rewards for business expenses such as travel and lodging on business trips.

In short, having a business credit card makes excellent sense for your business. If you're considering applying for business credit, you can find everything you need to compare credit card offers at some really great comparison sites. From comparison charts that let you see card features side by side to informative advice about credit cards, debt and financing, mthey can help you find the best credit cards for yourself and your business.

Jon Francis has been involved in various areas with the world of finance and has a keen eye for a bargin! He has an in-depth knowledge of the credit card UK market and now helps others get the best from a credit card.

Cash Back And Rewards Credit Cards Offers You Cant Refuse

Writen by Ed Vegliante

The competition to get your credit card business has heated up so extensively that banks are literally paying you to take a credit card from them. Nearly every major issuing bank now offers a credit card that gives you bonuses for using their card. Consider the following offers you can find today on Internet sites where you can apply for a card online.

Cash Back Credit Cards

These cards return money to you in the form of checks. Many of the cards offer deals like 5% cash back on purchases at grocery stores, drug stores, and gas stations. In most cases, the stores are the major chains where you probably shop anyway. On top of that, these cash back cards usually offer 1% cash back on all other purchases. Some cards offer even higher cash back percentages for specific gas stations or for buying specific grocery or drug store products.

A quick bit of math will prove how valuable this cash back proposition can be. Let's say you're a family of four with two cars. You spend $600 a month at grocery stores, $100 at drug stores, and $200 at gas stations. If you pay for these purchases using your credit card instead of cash or a paper check, that's $900 per month on which you get 5% cash back. That comes out to $45 per month returned to you. Let's say that in addition, you use your card to make another $500 in other purchases that qualify for 1% back; that adds another $5 to your coffers, for a total of $50 per month, or $600 per year back to you. Not too shabby for just using a credit card.

Rewards Credit Cards

Some credit cards offer you rewards such as bonus points that count toward gift certificates redeemable at top name stores, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, and Macy's. Other cards offer you rewards in the form of Frequent Flyer Miles to use on any airline.

Let's say you use your card to charge $1000 per month on items that you normally would pay cash for. Rather than simply spending your money, now you also get gift certificates to buy merchandise, or frequent flyer miles to tune of 12,000 per year. And some of the cards also offer you a bonus the first time you use the card – so in the case of miles, you can get an extra 15,000 miles, for a grand total of 27,000 miles in one year -- enough for a free ticket to anywhere in the US.

Maximizing Your Card Usage

Of course, the key to taking advantage of such cards begins with choosing the one that best fits your normal purchasing habits. Compare online credit card offers and find the offer that makes sense for your lifestyle. If you have a large family and buy lots of groceries, maybe the 5% cash back cards are the best. If you fly often and can benefit from the frequent flier miles, apply for those cards.

Then be sure you maximize your card usage to boost your returns. Use your card everywhere you can. Arrange to pay your regular bills using your credit card, such as your gas and electric utility bills, your doctor and dentist bills -- as many regular monthly bills as possible using your credit card.

Still More Amazing -- Sign Up Perks

What's truly mind-boggling is that many banks are also offering great incentives to sign up for their card. You can find offers where you not only will you get cash back and/or rewards, but the bank also has 0% APR financing for 12 months on new purchases and sometimes on balance transfers, and to boot, no annual fee.

All in all, today's credit card issuing banks are hungry for your business and have become highly competitive in creating promotions to attract you to apply for their card. It is truly impossible to imagine why anyone would not apply to get one of these cash back or rewards credit cards when you have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

Copyright 2005 Ed Vegliante. Free reprints of this article is allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.credit-card-surplus.com.

Ed Vegliante runs the web site http://www.credit-card-surplus.com , a popular, well organized credit card directory enabling the consumer to compare and apply for a variety of credit card offers including Cash Back Credit Card Offers. Find Links to secure online credit card applications.

Details Of The Pulaski Visa Gold Application

Writen by Beth Derkowitz

The Pulaski Visa Gold is issues by Pulaski Bank and is designed for people with good credit that want a credit card with low costs. There are several benefits to this card but the best feature is probably the low interest rate which is fixed at 9.5% for all transactions. If you expect or plan to have a revolving balance on the card, the Pulaski Visa Gold is perfect for you. It is also rare to find a card that has the same rate for both purchases and cash advances.

The card also has no annual fees and comes with common gold card benefits such as travel services and emergency assistance services. There are also several purchase protection services. There is no rewards program with this card. However, there are several perks that make up for this.

The Pulaski Visa Gold has various Internet account related services. It also offers auto rental insurance, various travel and emergency assistance services, emergency cash replacement, emergency card replacement, lost and stolen card reporting and no liability for unauthorized transactions. The introductory rate (0%) is available for balance transfers made within the first three months of having your card.

The minimum credit limit of the Pulaski Visa Gold is $1,000 and the maximum is $10,000. There is no annual fee and no fee for additional cardholders. The average daily balance including new purchases will calculate your finance configuration which helps keep your fees down as well. The card has a 25 day grace period on payments and fairly average late payment fees of $15 on balances up to $100; $29 on balances of $100 through $1,000; $35 on balances over $1,000.

This is a great choice if you are looking for a low-cost simple card that you can use on basic, general daily purchases. If you want to build credit or if you need to keep a revolving balance on your card, you will enjoy the Pulaski Visa Gold.

For more information or to apply for the Pulaski Visa Gold, Beth Derkowitz recommends Find Credit Cards.

Raise Your Credit Score In Seven Easy Steps

Writen by Ed Vegliante

How important is it really to repair one's credit score?

Credit scores are tantamount to one's purchasing and borrowing power. Buying a new home, qualifying for a low APR credit card to shopping for a small business loan all depend on a consumer's credit history. A low credit score identifies that a consumer may be overextended in bills, is unable to manage accounts or has a poor repayment behavior.

What is a credit score?

The credit score is prevalently referred to as a FICO score or a numerical portfolio of a consumer's borrowing and bill repayment behavior. The information contained in a credit report is very similar to a report card. FICO credit scores range between 300 and 850. Credit scores above 850 are extraordinary. While a credit score of 300 is deemed exceptionally unusual, FICO scores generally do not fall under 500.

Annually, billions of credit approvals are determined based upon a consumer's FICO score. While credit scores represent personal financial records of payment, a FICO scores are used to make other important lending and financing decisions:

* The dollar amount of a credit line or loan

* Interest rate

* Pre-approval of credit cards

* The authorization of a cash advances

* The type of cell phone service (pre-paid or standard)

* The approval to rent an apartment

Because credit scores use the last two-year's of a consumer's credit card, borrowing and repayment history, everyone has the power to improve their score. In order to understand how a credit score is assessed, it's important to understand which components of one's credit history are used to calculate a FICO score:

* Payment History 35%

* Availability of credit and usage 30%

* Duration of open accounts with creditors 15%

* Credit inquiries (the number of applied credit cards) 10%

* Composition of credit file – bankcard versus installment debt 10%

Use the following steps to raise your credit score

1. Obtain a copy of your credit score report from one of the three major credit bureau agencies: Equifax, TransUnion or Experian.

2. Thoroughly review your credit score for errors or outdated information. Quite often, certain lending institutions are not due diligent on updating old information. Contact specific companies to request contest errors and request credit corrections.

3. When reviewing your credit report, use the above listed areas of evaluation to help raise your credit score.

4. Because outstanding debt may taint a FICO score, try to pay-off balances on both revolving credit cards as well as other financial accounts. For the sake of appearances and the credit score, target bankcard debt to 60 percent with 30 percent towards installment debt. (If you plan to obtain mortgage approval, prove your ability to repay debt by paying down loans with installments – as much as possible).

5. Closing unused accounts is a negative strategy to raising one's credit score. Factually, fewer open accounts with the same amount of debt ultimately reduces a credit score. For example, a credit line of $20,000 worth of debt with $10,000 worth of available credit represents a 50% debt ratio. By closing a credit card in good standing with a zero balance and $5000 credit line, a consumer would be raising their debt ratio to 67 percent and lowering their credit score. Target outstanding debt to account for only 20 to 30 percent of your available credit line.

6. Instead of opening up a number of credit cards to raise a credit score, find a credit card with a low APR to consolidate onto one credit card. However, caution is advised on people with a short credit life in opening a number of credit cards because it can ultimately lower a person's credit score, accounts for 15 percent of a person's credit information.

7. Make frequent payments. Credit scores maintain a record of how often or late a person remits payment. Since frequent payments account for 35 percent of a person's credit history, the strategy can be quite effective in raising one's credit score.

Copyright Ed Vegliante. Free online reprints of this article are allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.Credit-Card-Surplus.com

Ed Vegliante runs http://www.Credit-Card-Surplus.com, a credit card directory enabling the consumer to compare and apply for credit cards. Click here to view Credit Card Articles.

Instant Credit Card Approval Fast And Easy

Writen by Robert Alan

In the days before computers, you use to have to apply for credit cards in person at banks and retail establishments or by snail mail. Today, the Internet opens many doors for people, including applying for an instant approval credit card online. Even if computers are intimidating, you will find it fast and easy to apply online. Online applications are relatively simple, easy to use and require little information.

Computer-Friendly

You don't have to be a computer guru to take advantage of the instant credit card approval process. As long you know the basics about using the Internet, you are well equipped to getting approved.

Whether you find an instant credit card approval using the major search engines or you receive a mail offer through email or postal services, you must first get to the instant approval credit cards web site. Once there, most card companies keep it simple, guiding you through the entire process, which is unbelievably short. In fact, you may find areas on the Internet that provide an easy way for you to compare similar card offers. Use this function to your advantage, ensuring that you get the best instant approval credit cards available before applying.

Easy To Complete

Once you've narrowed down and selected one out of hundreds of instant approval credit cards, the rest is easy. You'll only need to supply basic information - your name, address, phone number and place of employment and social security number. You might also be asked for a previous address if you've lived at your present home for a short time. Sometimes, the instant credit card approval will ask for the number of years you worked, as well as your gross monthly household income. And lastly, your social security number is required in order for the credit card company or bank to check your credit report. Credit card issuers base their approval on your credit report and FICO score.

Before pushing the "submit" button, be sure to read all terms and conditions of the card. You wouldn't want to unnecessarily have an inquiry on your credit report, as this can lower your FICO score and inhibit you if you decide to apply for other instant approval credit cards.

Approvals Made Fast

If you've completed all required information and have good credit, then there's not much left for you to do. You can expect instant credit card approval. Notification will be processed within 30 seconds or a couple of minutes either through the web site or sent to you via email.

If you don't have good credit or you're not sure where you stand, then applying for an instant approval credit card online may not be as simple. Your application could be rejected. If this is the case, then speak to a credit card representative to find out why. They may be able to offer assistance that could lead to you getting instant credit card approval after all. It doesn't hurt to ask. Often times they may just want you to provide additional information. Although the instant credit card approval process has been slowed a bit, if approved, you will still get a card much faster than the traditional method.

Instant Credit

Now that you've been approved, your new instant credit cards will be in the mail delivered to your home in a matter of days. Depending on where you received your approval, you may also get instant access to your credit line. Some credit card issues provide you with your credit card number and expiration date to use right away for online purchases.

See how simple it is? All in the same day, even the same hour, you can 1) apply for an instant approval credit card online, 2) receive instant notification that you are approved and 3) start making purchases. What are you waiting for? Get your instant approval credit card online today!

To decide if an instant credit card approval is right for you, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com.

How Private Is Your Credit Card Information

Writen by Daniel Cohen

How will you react if you get a call one fine day from the collection agency stating that you are liable for charges on your account that have not been made by you? You will definitely get angry, lambast the credit card company and take the legal course. The damage however will be done by that time, and your credit rating will have taken a beating. What you will be doing is losing your time and money pursuing a legal case, while the person who has scampered with your credit card money will be making merry and waiting for his next strike.

Identity theft is an emerging crime where some one gets hold of your private information and assumes your identity. He applies for a credit card in your name and wreaks havoc with your credit file and personal finances by using the card for purchases and online transactions. He can even process an address change, ask for a credit line increase, do balance transfers in your name and mess your credit rating. In the end, you are the one who has to pay, literally speaking. Taking care of your credit card and keeping confidential information private is really your responsibility. Here is how you can ensure that your credit card information is kept secure and confidential:

1. Subscribe to a credit monitoring system: This is the best bet against any kind of identity theft. For a nominal amount, you get a service which alerts you of any possible untoward changes which happens with your credit file. For example, Citicard has started with the City Credit Monitoring System which alerts you of any changes or discrepancies in your credit file so that you come to know that the change like an address change or an application of a credit card has been initiated by you and not somebody else. This way you can be secure that your credit rating is not affected and you stay clear of any identity theft on your account.

2. Online security: The online route is another way by which miscreants can cheat you by using your credit card number and expiration date to make an online purchase. At other times, a nasty hacker can sneak into the online store's website and steal your credit card information either as you key in the details or from the customer database. However online shopping is the best place to shop in terms of convenience and affordable prices. So how does one shop freely online and without any worries about being robbed? The best way is to shop from a reliable and 'secure' site. Go for a website which asks you to re-enter your personal details every time you shop rather than the one which recommends you to store the information for convenience later. The extra effort of re-entering details is agreeable for the privacy of your personal information.

3. SSL technology: Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology is the best security online. The shopping and business websites online are kept secure due to a program which encrypts the data in such a way that only you can make out what you are doing on a given page. It is encrypted in a machine read level which cannot be comprehended by any other person besides you and the computer. Your credit card details are extremely secure and there is no way for anyone to get any access of your valuable information. To find out if your online shopping website has the SSL technology is by looking at the URL or the webpage address. If it begins with "https://" instead of the usual "http://", you know that the page which you are keying in your details is secure. The extra "S" in the https stands for 'Secure.'

4. Verification code: The three digits at the back of the card above the signature panel on most credit cards make it known to the online retailers and tele-shopping representatives that the card is with the right person.

5. Shred vital information on paper: Make it a point to shred every bit of credit card information, pin numbers, promotional mails and checks after you have used them or made a note of them. This will ensure that your credit card information is secure.

6. Authorization code: You get an authorization code for every payment or shopping that you do online or over the telephone. This code is something which only you have knowledge of.

7. Make sure that your unused accounts are indeed closed: Check with the credit card companies and credit reports to ascertain if some of the credit card accounts that you do not use have indeed been closed. If they are still lying open, they can be a potential source for identity thefts.

Daniel Cohen recommends Find Credit Cards for finding a MasterCard rewards credit card.

Special Credit Information For Married Couples

Writen by Jeanette Joy Fisher

If you are married, establish separate credit accounts.

Try to finance real estate in just one partner's name to increase your investment financing potential.

Avoid joint credit, which limits financing possibilities for both individuals rather than one at a time. Accounts in one partner's name only count against that individual's credit.

In other words, when applying for an individual loan, the spouse's accounts won't be listed as monthly expenses and this makes it easier to qualify for a loan.

When beginning your real estate investment business, keep in mind that double income helps qualify you for higher mortgage payments.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

End Your Financial Troubles With Bad Credit Tenant Loan

Writen by Peter Taylor

Loan and bad credit both together seem to be a strange combination. But it can be possible with bad credit tenants' loan. Bad credit tenant loan are especially for the people with bad credit history and above that they do not own their house. But before going for bad credit tenant loan one must understand the concept of such kind of loans.

Let's start with who are the people that come under the category of tenant? The non homeowner is a tenant. Tenants do not own a house but live in the rented accommodation or people living with his parents or a student; they all come under the list of tenants.

How can you use the bad credit tenant loan?

Bad credit tenant loan can be used for any purpose whether buying a car or house and many more. But generally these loans are taken for consolidation of their debts. Consolidation of the debts implies setting off the debts through a single loan. It lets you to deal with the single lender rather than a number of creditors.

What is the criterion of charging interest?

Interest rate can be termed as core of any loan. The basic criterion which the lender generally follows is the current market rate, the rate of interest offered by competitors, the financial status of the borrower and last the amount being borrowed. These are the factors which play a crucial role in deciding the interest rate for the borrower.

Is the interest rate charged in bad credit tenant loan higher?

To a certain extent, the interest charged by the lender is higher. This is because it is the compensation for not giving any security to the lender. At least he feels somewhat secure for the amount being given for loan.

How can the person apply?

The first step is to estimate your budget regarding how much money you need to borrow. After determining your need, you are required to choose the lender, which will help him in satisfying his financial needs. Traditional lenders are readily available for providing such loan in the physical market, but the better way to get such loans is through online. This makes the work a bit convenient, easier and faster.

Is there any need of taking any precautions before going for such loan? Well it has been rightly said that precaution is better than cure. So the person should be cautious before going for such loans. He should make a thorough research regarding the lending company, terms and conditions and prevailing market, in order to get best deal.

Peter Taylor is a senior financial analyst at Best Tenant Loans with an acumen for finance and insurance. In recent years he has taken up to provide independant financial advice through his informative articles. His articles are widely read because of the lucid manner of wriiting and thoroughly researched datas. To find bad credit tenant loans, secured tenant loans, unsecured tenant loans, best tenant loans in uk that best suits your need visit http://www.besttenantloansuk.co.uk

Credit Issues Identity Theft Gives Rise To Credit Problems 10 Steps To Protect Yourself

Writen by Nancy Woodward

In the past two weeks, I have read three different articles on identity theft in various ways. The VA had a data leak after an analyst took home a laptop with electron data containing names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth of 26.5 million veterans. This is certainly enough information for identity thieves to obtain new accounts using stolen data.

A 45 year old woman in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey got a call from her credit card company asking if she purchased thousands of dollars on Ebay using her credit cards. Fortunately, the credit card company caught this activity in time before she could have serious problems straightening out her credit.

Credit card fraud and identity theft are on the rise in the nation. You need to take steps to protect your information. Checking your credit card statements regularly will turn up problems immediately. The pattern of abuse seems to be toward charging smaller amounts on credit cards, not necessarily maxing out the card. This makes detection harder at the point of sale.

Take care when using your cards. Steps to take to protection yourself:

1. Take the copies and the excess paper with you.
2. Ask the clerk to return your card as soon as they are finished swiping it.
3. Destroy all outdated and cancelled credit cards.
4. Don't use pin numbers in public areas.
5. If you are using an ATM be careful no one can see what you put into the machine.
6. Obtain your free annual credit reports at various times during the year and check the information carefully.
7. Don't give out personal information over the phone, thru the mail or over the Internet unless you started the action.
8. No one should call you on the phone and ask any personal information including the phone company, credit card companies, your lenders etc.
9. Don't ever give out your Social Security number.
10. Be alert when using your personal information in any form.

A little care now will go a long way toward protecting valuable information and your credit rating.

Nancy Woodward is an Accountant and Real Estate Professional affiliated with "The Dream Team. Visit online RealEstateLady and MortgageLoan.

Getting Started With Credit Counseling

Writen by Iwona Kurecka

Credit counseling is often a difficult and painful subject to approach. Many people do not like to admit they need help with their finances and unfortunately many people allow too much time to pass before seeking such help. Even after the decision to seek help is made, however, it is important to choose the right firm to handle the rebuilding of your credit and your financial reputation.

The vast majority of credit counseling and debt reduction firms are honest and upstanding, but the existence of a few highly publicized bad apples has sullied the reputation of the industry. There are some classic warning signs that you are dealing with an untrustworthy credit counselor. Watching for those signs, and avoiding those firms, is the best way to get the credit counseling you need and avoid any potential problems.

Some signs of a poor quality credit counseling firm include things like:

* Promising too much. A firm that promises to eliminate all your debt, or promises that you can pay back only pennies on the dollar, is probably over promising and will be unable to deliver.

* Employing hard sell tactics. A credit counselor who insists that you sign paperwork on your first visit, before you have had time to shop around, is to be avoided. A good credit counselor will not be afraid to allow you time to shop the competition and make a wise decision.

* Giving you blank forms to sign. A credit counselor who gives you incomplete or even blank paperwork to sign is to be avoided. It is important to read all documents presented to you before signing any type of agreement.

* Not offering budgeting or personal finance classes. The best credit counseling services do more than get you out of your current financial mess. They actively assist you in avoiding such financial problems in the future. They do this by offering classes on such important subjects as making a budget, using credit wisely and protecting your credit score. Be sure to look for such classes when evaluating credit counseling and debt reduction firms.

It may not be easy to find the right credit counselor, but it is an important financial decision. Getting out of debt the right way is essential to your long term financial health, and a quality credit counseling service can help you do just that.

Find out more at http://sosdebt.org/

Restore Your Credit For Free Its Fast Amp Easy

Writen by Lisa Jefferson

Lately it is not uncommon for folks to have a few problems getting the bills paid on time, considering the loss of job and reduction in pay. Now that you are finally back on your feet you are wondering what you can do to repair the damage that your credit suffered.

You have got plenty of company. There are more than 30 million people in the United States with credit blemishes severe enough (and credit scores under 620) to make obtaining loans and credit cards with reasonable terms difficult.

Or maybe your credit is OK, but you would like to make it better. After all, the better your credit, the lower the interest rates on your on mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

Understanding Your Credit Score In order to improve your credit score, it's important to know where you stand currently. Despite all the media attention given to free credit reports, you still have to pay to find out your credit score, the three-digit number ranging from 300 to 850 that is the key to your borrowing costs. You can obtain your FICO credit scores, the ones lenders use, from MyFico.com. Or you can get Experian's "consumer education" version here. Once you know what your score is , let the restoration begin.

Now you are ready to take the steps to speedy credit repair:

1) Pay your credit cards down. Paying off your installment loans (mortgage, auto, student, etc.) can help your score, but typically not as dramatically as paying down -- or paying off -- revolving accounts like credit cards.

The credit-scoring formulas like to see a nice, big gap between the amount of credit you are using and your available credit limits. Getting your balances below 30% - 40% of the credit limit on each card can really help.

While most debt counselors recommend paying off the highest-rate card first, a better strategy here is to pay down the cards that are closest to their limits.

2) Use your cards lightly. Hefty balances can hurt your score, regardless of whether you pay your bill in full each month.

You typically can increase your score by limiting your charges to 30% or less of a card's limit. If you are having trouble keeping track, consider using a check register to track your spending, logging into your account.

3) Know your limits. Your score might be artificially depressed if your lender is showing a lower limit than you have actually got. Most credit-card issuers will quickly update this information if you ask.

If your issuer makes it a policy not to report consumers' limits, however -- as is the usual case with American Express cards and those issued by Capital One -- the bureaus typically use your highest balance as a proxy for your credit limit.

You could go on a wild spending spree to raise the limit, but a more sober solution would simply be to pay your balance down or off before your statement period closes. Check your last statement to see which day of the month that typically is, then go to the issuer's Web site about a week in advance of closing and pay off what you owe. It won't raise your reported limit, but it will widen the gap between that limit and your closing balance, which should boost your score.

4) Do not close out an old card. The older your credit history, the better. But if you stop using your oldest cards, the issuers may stop updating those accounts at the credit bureaus. The accounts will still appear, but they won't be given as much weight in the credit-scoring formula as your active accounts, said Craig Watts, an executive at Fair Isaac & Co., one of the leading credit scorers.

Begin to take small steps and watch you credit score increase rapidly.

Lisa Jefferson, Lending a hand to help others restore what has been damaged

Credit Cards And Loans So Many Options So Little Time

Writen by Jeff Pritchard

Credit Cards and Loans sounds like just two things, but in actuality, it is dozens of things. Due to a combination of user preferences, lifestyles, and marketing ideas, there are dozens of different types of credit cards out there. Because of the wide variety of things people need money for and the wide variety of ways to collateralize a loan, there are dozens and dozens of different types of loans out there.

Because of the huge variety of different types of credit cards and loans, you need a really big web site to find out about all of them. If you go off in search of a new credit card, how do you know you're getting the best deal or even the best type of card for your lifestyle? Sure, you want a card that offers you some sort of a reward, but if you are a soccer mom, do you really need airline miles, or would a card that provides discounts on gas be a better deal for you?

Maybe you are a business owner and your cash flow is getting a little bit tight. You might have thought your only recourse was to get a lousy rate on yet another business credit card. Have you considered one of the many types of factoring that can provide you with quick cash at reasonable rates? What about venture capital to take your business to the next level?

No matter what sort of money you are looking for, you owe it to yourself to get educated on the possibilities and the caveats for that particular type of loan or credit. At http://www.creditcards-and-loans.com, we have all the info and all the offers you are looking for... and perhaps quite a few you never thought of.

Jeff Pritchard is a successful online entrepreneur with several successful websites. His most recent site provides tons of information for those in search of credit cards and loans: Credit Cards And Loans

Three Steps To Repairing Your Credit

Writen by Debbie Dragon

Have you spent a little more (or a lot more) than you should have with credit? Most American's have several credit cards with a few thousand dollars in debt racked up, as well as car or personal loans. When you combine these payments with your every day living expenses, it can be really hard to get yourself out of debt. Here are 3 steps you can take right now, to get on the road to repairing your credit.

1. Thanks to changes in federal laws, every citizen in the United States is now eligible for a free credit report every year. It used to be you had to be denied credit with a company before you could obtain a free report, now you can request one each year to keep on top of what's being put in your credit report. This allows you to find errors and fix them before they cost you your good credit reputation. Order a copy of your credit report to determine how severe your financial situation is. You may think that you have bad credit, but your credit report may show otherwise, and vice versa. If your report shows a lower score than you would like, you can then start taking steps to improving the situation.

2. Investigate the credit report thoroughly and look for errors. You would be amazed at how many people have found accounts on their reports that they have never had in their name. The usual errors are credit card accounts that are showing open when you've paid them off and closed the account, and this appears to be money available to you that hurts your overall credit score. You can fix these errors by writing to each of the companies that have reported information in error, and asking them to correct it immediately. Save a copy of all correspondence and seek the advice of the credit reporting agencies if necessary. Once you get the errors corrected, you may be happy with your new credit score!

3. Fix your long term credit situation. Once the errors have been corrected from your credit report, chances are you still have quite a bit of debt you need to get rid of in order to fully improve your credit rating and get yourself out of debt. The first thing you absolutely must do on the journey to repairing your credit is "STOP USING CREDIT CARDS". If you have them, get rid of them! You must work at paying off the existing debt, and it will only be worth your time and effort if you stop adding to that debt by continuing to spend using your credit cards.

Consider a Loan to Consolidate Credit

If you are still able to, you might consider obtaining a loan to pay off each of your individual credit cards. Doing this will help you because it changes your monthly expenses from several, individual credit card payments, each with their own interest rates and finance charges, to a single monthly loan payment, with just one interest rate. You should also accept a loan with high interest in this case, if it's all you are able to get, if it means paying off ALL of your existing credit card debt. Why? For the simple fact that having a single monthly payment with high interest is still going to save you money over the long term than having four or five credit cards with their own interest rates and finance charges that are added, month after month. Your payment will go further on a single loan payment than when it is sent to individual credit cards, regardless of the interest rate on the loan.

This article has been provided courtesy of Destroy Debt. Destroy Debt offers great debt relief articles for reprint, and tools and advice that provide the debt help you need.

Putting Rewards Credit Cards To Work For You

Writen by Morgan Hamilton

The huge number of credit card companies competing in the credit card market has paved the way for the creation of rewards credit cards. Credit card companies offer special interest rates, lower fees and reward programs in order to attract more consumers. However, credit card reward programs have a tendency to cause major debt problems to the consumers who use them carelessly. Rewards credit cards are ideal for people with good credit. Those who pay their balance off or carry a low balance will find these cards useful. On the other hand, people who carry a high balance or only pay the minimum amount due will often have problems with this type of credit card.

Credit card companies often make deals with other companies so that a consumer will earn more rewards than usual when he or she uses rewards credit cards at a retailer. This strategy can compel a person to shop at more expensive stores just to get more rewards. A person should try to calculate how much they are spending against how much reward they are getting to avoid having major debts problems. Additionally, many rewards credit cards have high annual fees or interest. If people figure this in the total expenses, they may find that they are actually spending more money by using this credit card.

There are different variations of rewards credit cards ranging from airline miles to free gas. Each type of card targets a certain market. Nevertheless, they all work in the same general way. People will earn rewards for the amount of money they charge to the card. Although there are slight variations between rewards programs, the rewards that a person earns usually depends on how much he or she charges to the credit card.

The airline miles card is among the most popular reward credit cards. A person can earn free air travel with an airline miles card. Consumers will usually earn a mile of air travel for every dollar they spend. Cash rebate cards are also one of the most sought after reward card. Card holders earn cash reward for every purchase they make with these cards. A percentage of each dollar spent is paid back to the person. However, a person still needs to use rewards credit cards prudently to be able to maximize the benefits and avoid serious debt problems.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Rewards Credit Cards including assistance on how to Apply for Bank of America Credit Cards.

Beat Credit Card Companies At Their Own Game

Writen by Daryl Flagg

Have you ever wondered how much money a credit card company makes? Have you ever wondered how much of that comes from late fees? Everyone has and if you haven't you should because most likely you own a credit card, which means that these late fees has or could directly affect you.

As you have probably taken notice, credit card late fees are on the rise and have been so for awhile. There is enormous competitive pressure on credit-card interest rates and annual fees, and this has given way to a fee frenzy. For credit card issuers, late fees now represent their third largest revenue stream, (interest revenues and merchant fees rank first and second, respectively). In essence, those who pay late are now covering the costs for those credit card users who do not carry a revolving balance and those who file for bankruptcy.

So how much are credit card companies making from issuing late fees? Over the years we have watched the number of late fees charged to consumers jump to record-high levels. Late fees can range from $10 to as much as $40. The average late fee more than doubled since 1996 from $13.28 to $29.84. In fact, many major card issuers are now charging a $35 late fee. Let's assume that 100,000 people made late payments for a particular month and they were charged a late fee of $30 for doing so. This would add up to $3 million in revenue. As you can see, credit card companies are making a lot of money off of card holders and there is no slow down in sight regarding the increase in late fees.

Credit card companies are making a killing off the late fees they issue to their customers and they don't mind doing it because their ultimate goal is to make money. They are like any other for-profit business in that they sell a product or service for revenue. In the case of credit card companies, the product happens to be credit. These companies aren't just some "thing" sucking up as much money as they can. These "things" are run by man. And wherever man is involved, greed also becomes involved. These people are just like you and me. They may have a family to support, bills to pay, etc. Most people don't work just for the pure enjoyment, but for money, a source of income. And the more income we achieve the easier and better our lives become, supposedly.

Some of you may be asking, "So what do we do about the late fees?" Well there's an article that I wrote awhile back that you may be interested in. You can find this article at http://www.nextmonthonline.com/WhitePapers/Article1.aspx . It addresses several methods and tips to avoid having to pay a late fee. One method in particular that I would like to address further in this article is the Skip-a-Payment technique. If you happen to know that you can't pay your credit card bill for a particular month just skip it. Next Month Online is an independent company from credit card issuers. They allow their visitors to skip a payment for a nominal fee. This fee is generally 70% less than your typical late fee. You will accrue no late fee and no bad mark on your credit report. Credit unions often offer this type of service for loans or mortgages, but first you have to fill out an application and then you need to qualify. With Next Month Online, there is no application to fill out and everyone qualifies as long as they have a credit card. Credit card companies are not very happy with Next Month Online because they are losing money every time someone uses the Skip a Payment service. This is by far the best service you can use if you know you will be late because you save a lot of money and avoid all the hassles that come with bad credit.

Credit card companies are not backing down from increasing fees. They, for some reason, do not see us as people who make mistakes once in awhile or people with other priorities in our lives. They want their money and they want it now! This is the reason you should not back down either. Hit them where it hurts, their pocketbooks. If you know you will be late for a particular month, just use a skip a payment service because the credit card companies will no longer be taking money from you, you will be taking money from them.

About the Author Daryl Flagg is the founder and CEO of Next Month Online. Next Month Online is a service that allows its visitors to skip credit card payments. They can be found at http://www.NextMonthOnline.com. Sign up for free!

Why Could My Credit Card Application Be Refused

Writen by Jon Francis

Many people have questions when they apply for a credit card - which is the best for me? How do they decide to give me a credit card? Why do they need to know all these things about me? What does it mean to be pre-approved? What could make the card company decide not to give me a credit card?

It's not all that mysterious a process. Companies make their decisions based on your credit score, which is derived from your credit report and other information that they may have about you. Your credit record is maintained by reporting bureaus - the Big Three are Equifax, Experian and CallCredit. Each maintains a separate credit history, and as a general rule, they don't share information with each other. Your credit file may contain may details like:

- People on the electoral register at your address
- Details of late payments or defaults on any loans
- CCJs and bankruptcy orders against you
- All your applications for credit
- Other people who share your address

The credit reference agency does no more than supply the information on your credit history. When you apply for a credit card, the company that will issue that card takes your credit report and feeds the information in it into a set of algorithms - mathematical equations - that compare your information with the information about a fictitious 'ideal customer'. That customer has certain traits - a particular wage, a certain number of credit cards, a particular marital status, own a home or rent one, be living there for a certain number of years. The closer your own traits are to that ideal, the higher your credit rating or score will be. The higher your credit rating, the more credit card companies would be pleased to have you as a customer.

Before you apply, it's to your benefit to shop around for the best credit card for you. It is NOT to your benefit to just apply willy-nilly to any credit card offer that strikes your fancy. It's really not true that 'the worst that can happen is they'll say no.' There's another, not-so-obvious consequence to credit card rejections. You might have noticed that one of the things that appears in your credit report is a list of your applications for credit. If that list is too long, it will be a negative mark in your credit score, making it harder for you to get the credit card you want. That's why it's important to shop around before applying - and the best is one that is almost certain to approve your application.

Some reasons your application may be turned down:

- You've applied for a card that targets people with higher credit scores.
Most companies that issue credit cards have a variety of them - they call them 'credit products' - each aimed at a different market. A reward credit card, for instance, often targets those with the best credit scores. At a credit card comparison site like moneyeverything.com, you can check each credit card offer to see if it is aimed at those with excellent, good, fair, poor or bad credit, and apply for the one that best applies to you.

- You don't have any credit history.
Believe it or not, never having borrowed money before can work against you when you apply for a credit card. If you have no history of having paid bills, then the company has no way of judging whether or not you'll pay their account.

- You've not been in your current job or residence long enough.
One of the pieces of your credit score puzzle is how stable you are, and that's judged by how long you've been in your current residence or position. If it's less than two years, it will be a negative, even if there's a good reason for it.

- You've applied for too many other credit cards and loans.
This is one reason to be sure you only apply for the best credit card - the one that you're most likely to be approved for. If you've applied for many credit cards in a six to twelve month period, the companies may see it as a sign that you may be in financial trouble.

Jon Francis has been involved in various areas with the world of finance and has a keen eye for a bargin! He has an in-depth knowledge of the credit card UK market and now helps others get the best from a credit card. For more information visit "http://www.moneyeverything.com".

What You Need To Know About Student Credit Cards

Writen by Morgan Hamilton

Money is often a concern for college students. Most college students study away from home, away from parents who support them. Having a student credit card can aid a student in cases of financial difficulties.

Unfortunately, having a student credit card is not simple. Students should first discuss the implications of having one with their parents. Parents in turn should make sure that their students will use the credit card responsibly. If possible they should also advise them on how to choose the right credit card.

College students are inexperienced with regards to financial matters. Having a student credit card with low limits will teach them to spend their money carefully. High limit credit cards will likely tempt them to purchase unnecessary things like jewelry. Young people frequently mix-up their priorities and may give less attention to essential items.

A student credit card that has a low interest rate will also be useful to college students. Sine most of them have no definite source of income, having to pay interest rates will be a burden. Students should take advantage of credit cards that offer 0% APR for the first six months. This allows them to purchase much needed items without having to worry about interest rates. It would still be prudent to check what the interest will be after the initial six months. If it happens to be quite costly, then they should reconsider searching for better deal with other credit cards.

A number of student credit cards offer a rewards program that your college student might enjoy. Try to find one that offers the most number of rewards to maximize this advantage. Some credit card companies use a point system that allows you to accumulate points that can be converted into gift certificates.

Most college students tend to be careless, losing or getting their credit card stolen are distinct possibilities. Student credit cards with "Lost Card" policies can protect them from this problem. Inspect a credit card's policy regarding lost or theft before applying. Having the best protection can really help sloppy college students.

Since many students do their banking in the internet, student credit cards with online management accounts will be convenient or them. It would e convenient for them to keep track with their expenses. This gives them more time to spend on other aspect of student life.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Student Credit Cards

The Lowdown On The Sony Visa Card

Writen by Eric Wasselman

The Sony Platinum Visa Card is a credit card with a unique reward program particularly for those with good credit scores. Cardholders are entitled to earn one point for every dollar spent on general purchases and three points for purchases of Sony merchandise charged to the Sony Visa Card.

Purchases made through www.sony.com/mysony are entitled for a whopping eight points for every dollar spent. These points can then be redeemed for Sony CDs, DVDs, games, movie tickets, and electronics. The points expire in five years if they aren't redeemed with a 250,000 point per year limit, which is well high and reasonable. There is no point limit for purchases made through Sony's website. On top of that, cardholders are able to earn 1,500 bonus points on their first purchase.

Overall, the Sony Visa Card is a great card, with reasonable interest rates and a 0% introductory rate applicable for new purchases or balance transfers made within the first twelve months upon joining. No annual fees are charged either.

However, finance charges are calculated based on the "Two Cycles Average Daily Balance" method which is higher than the more commonly used "Average Daily Balance" calculation. This may result in higher charges, so it is advisable not to carry an outstanding balance forward when using this card. The APR for less qualifying applicants may also be higher.

On a more positive note, this credit card company provides platinum cardholders benefits of up to $1,000,000 in travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance, and various travel and emergency assistance services.

All in all, The Sony Visa Card is ideal for those who spend or plan to spend a significant sum on Sony merchandise and also those who intend to take full advantage of the online shopping experience Sony has to offer. As long as card members do not default on their outstanding balances, then they will have much to gain from using the Sony Visa Card.

For more information or to apply for the Sony Visa Card, Eric Wasselman recommends Find Credit Cards.