Mega Credit Cards

Do you have any idea just how common credit cards are? Lets take a look at a few statistics from the USA.

The average family carries a balance of between 5,000 and 8,000 on all their credit cards, depending on which figures you believe. Over 1,000 per family goes on interest every year. And thats just the average some people owe much more! Overall, Americans spend over 1 trillion every year on their credit cards, and owe more than 500 billion of it.

If debt continues at the current rate, then one family in a hundred will be forced into bankruptcy. Over 90% of Americans disposable incomes are spent paying back debts. Whatever happened to saving?

Debt Costs Everyone Money.

Literally billions of dollars are being used up on expenses that are only created because of the existence of the credit card industry. The weight of the calculations, administration and marketing needed to support the industry is immense the average American gets at least one credit card offer in the mail every day.

Thats before you take into account the burden bankruptcies put on the court system, and the cost to the government of providing subsidised debt counselling. You might also note that consumers with more debt have less to spend and when money isnt flowing, it hurts the economy. There are very few industries or people that arent hurt by debt, at least in the long run.

Debt is Much More Common Than It Used To Be.

Its not so long ago that being in even a little debt was considered to be absolutely terrible. When you wanted something, you saved up for it, and bought it once you had enough money. If you had bad credit, you couldnt get a credit card at all. Go back fifty years and consumer debt figures were absurdly low, the same way they are today in most of the non-Western world.

In the West, though, the art of saving seems to be a lost one almost no-one is saving enough for their retirement, and banks are having to offer ever-higher interest rates to get people to put money anywhere near a savings account. We have an I-want-it-now consumer culture, and were willing to pay more than we can afford to fund our lifestyles.

Spending Isnt To Blame.

Now that Ive said that, dont think that the reason youre in debt is that you havent spent your money cautiously enough. According to statistics, it is very rare for people to get into debt because they spend their money frivolously. Far more people get buried in debt because they lose their job, or get sick they take out credit cards to pay for basic expenses, and fall into the interest trap. Their debt spirals out of control from just a few thousand dollars borrowed to pay for essentials.

Most people have a reasonable sense of what they can afford, and wont go out and use credit cards to buy things that they wouldnt usually be able to pay for. The problem is simply a matter of people leaving their balances on credit cards for too long, not realising just how high the interest really is.

It seems like every gas station in the nation now has applications on the counter for a gas credit card. While many people may think, “Why bother, I already have a credit card,” gas cards today also frequently offer member bonus features like regular credit cards, including airline miles, cash rebate systems, discount offers with participating merchants and affordable roadside assistance programs. Often, gas card plans will approve accounts for individuals who don’t qualify for a good deal on a regular credit card account, also making them a great option for people who need to build their credit rating.

If you’re looking to build credit, your options may be somewhat more limited. But if you use your gas card regularly, and pay it off at the end of every month, you’ll soon find that you’re able to negotiate a better interest rate with your existing card, or even apply successfully for a card with a better benefits package. However, keep in mind that gas cards often have much higher interest rates than a regular credit card would, so you should always make sure you can afford to pay your balance on a monthly basis, to prevent exorbitant interest charges.

If you have driving-age children living at home, a gas card is a great way to ensure your kids don’t end up stranded with an empty tank, while at the same time knowing that a regular credit card won’t get taken on a “joy ride” by their friends. A roadside assistance benefit can give you extra peace of mind, knowing they won’t have to rely on the assistance of strangers if the car breaks down or gets a flat tire.

If you have a particular gas station you visit regularly, getting a gas card from that company would be a good choice, particularly if it offers an incentive program based on frequency of use, such as airline miles per pound spent, or a coupon or rebate program. If you travel a lot, choosing a gas card for a major nationwide chain of gas stations may be more useful than one that’s branded for your neighborhood station.

A gas card with a roadside assistance option may be an affordable alternative to a premium roadside assistance plan such as AAA. There are as many options in gas cards today as there are reasons to apply for one, so don’t hesitate to comparison shop to find the best benefits package for your needs!

Today credit cards are everywhere you look and even college students are great candidates for owning their own college credit cards. Many students are now living on their own or in dorms and need to learn to maintain their own expenses making college credit cards a necessity for many students.

College credit cards are basically just like regular credit cards. However, since college students do not have any type of credit history, they are usually unable to apply for and receive a regular credit card.

However, the question remains, why would a credit card company be willing to give college students credit cards if they have no way of paying back the money they charge on their college credit card?

Well, there are two very good reasons. Most credit card companies that offer college credit cards see a large opportunity in college student population. In fact, the majority of college students stay loyal to their credit card company even after they graduate from college.

It has also been reported that many college students will, in fact, pay on time and give the companies workable income. With the proper use of credit cards, college students can ensure they have good credit when the time comes for them to purchase a new car or new home.

College credit cards are usually preferred by most parents. They know their children may have the chance to overspend but they also know that with their own college credit card they will be building a stable financial future and receive other benefits that regular credit cards do not offer.

College students can use their cards to pay tuition fees. Some college credit cards even offer many unique benefits such as rewards if they pay their balances in a timely manner.

Most college credit cards also offer students lower interest rates as long as the college student maintains good grades. The use of credit can teach the importance of how to create and live on a budget and is great for parents that cannot afford to finance or manage all of their college student’s spending.

College student credit cards can also be set up by parents as pre-paid accounts; this way if the college student needs a little extra money, parents can always add to the credit card but ensure they use the credit card wisely and do not overspend.

The ultimate goal with college credit cards should be for students to learn how to use credit cards responsibly and to learn what they charge on their card is their responsibility.

When youre dealing with credit cards, youre playing with fire. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there who dont realise that, and make all sorts of dangerous mistakes with their credit cards every day.

Paying Late.

If you dont set up any kind of automatic payment, then it can be tempting to just put your credit card bill on a pile and get to it when you have time. Before you know it, a few weeks have gone by and youre late. If you leave it to the deadline, you might find that the payment wont get there quickly enough its not a deadline for sending the money, its a deadline for them receiving it.

Paying late is a big mistake for an awful lot of reasons. You will almost certainly be charged a late payment fee, and your late payment will go on your credit report for everyone to see. You may also find that you lose any good rate you had, and your debt is automatically thrown onto the very worst rate the company offers.

To avoid late payment, you should always post your payment a long time before the due date (at least a week). If youve left it to the last minute, phone up and try to pay that way.

Being Taken in By Rewards.

It is never, ever worth getting a higher-interest card simply because it offers some kind of loyalty points, flight miles or whatever. Even if it offers a cash reward, it is unlikely to be more than you would pay in extra interest after all, why would they give you free money? All rewards do is pay you off with your own money to make you feel like youre getting something for nothing. Youre not.

Collecting Cards.

Seeing some people opening their wallet or bag is a scary experience. It looks like they have about a hundred credit cards in there, some of which they havent used in years. They have trouble keeping track of all the different cards, balances and interest rates. Dont be one of these people. You should limit yourself to a maximum of three cards at a time any more starts to make you look over-committed in your credit report, and could get you turned down for a bigger loan.

Maxing Them Out.

Your limit is just that: a limit, not a minimum! Whatever you do, dont get a card and immediately spend your whole limit. This looks very bad. It is better to spend about halfway regularly and pay it back. Wait for the company to increase your limit (which they quickly will), and then youll get that extra money without the stigma of having a maxed-out card.

Not Reading the Terms and Conditions.

Finally, as ever, dont sign anything you havent read! I know its hard going and youre busy and all, but if you cant manage to read the terms and conditions then you shouldnt get the card. Pay special attention to any future increases in rates, and what kind of fees you can be charged.

In the world of credit cards, there are plenty of people who are desperate to borrow money, and just as many people who are desperate to get back out of debt again. Given that, its not surprising that the industry is full of scams. Here are some to keep an eye out for.

The Debt Advisors.

Be very careful if youre offered free debt advice. There are many government bodies, legitimate financial companies and charities that give good advice, but the ones who do a lot of advertising tend to be owned or partnered with people you dont want to know. If the advice you get is to sign up for another loan from one company in particular, dont believe it the chances are that the person youre talking to is just a salesman in disguise.

The Identity Thieves.

If you dont keep track of your credit card statements and your credit report, then you could be in for a surprise. Its not that hard for someone else to apply for a credit card, pretending to be you, or to get the number of a card you already have and start buying things with it. Then, of course, they get free money, and youre left with the debt, not to mention the black marks against your name when it doesnt get paid back.

The Catalogue Card.

This is a scam thats especially common around Christmas time. A company offers you a credit card, with a much higher limit than youd usually qualify for. The catch, of course, is that you can only use it to buy things from their catalogue, at inflated prices. This is nothing but a clever way of offering you expensive finance on purchases from them.

The Only Game in Town.

More exploitative lenders might realise that theyre really the only company thats going to be offering some people any credit at all. Theyll send offers to desperate people for absolutely terrible deals, with the highest interest rates they can get away with, and no benefits whatsoever. These people will accept the offer without even reading it, relieved that finally someone out there offered them credit and their debts get even harder to ever pay off.

The Insurance Charge.

Heres one that even the most reputable lenders go in for trying to sell you useless insurance. This is usually an insurance premium that is automatically added to your interest each month, and covers you against very unlikely things, like dying and not being able to pay back your debt. It is almost never worth ticking the box to buy insurance.

The Secured Card.

A secured card is one that requires you to make a deposit before you can use it a deposit that can sometimes be as much as the limit on the card itself. Secured cards can be a good way of rebuilding your credit when its all gone wrong, but dont take one from a lender youve never heard of. With more unscrupulous companies, you will often be charged an annual fee, an application fee, and any other fee they can think of, all of which are added to your debt. Dont let it happen to you.

Mastercard International is targeting a 40 per cent growth for the financial year
2004-05. At present, it has 7 million debit cards and 5 million credit cards. …

People will always need credit cards; it seems the average person has about 4 cards in his pocket, a card for gas, a card for a major department store, a card for groceries, a card for jewelry, and a couple of cards as spares just in case cash is needed and in short supply.

Now if you have a website, ANY type of website, you can become an affiliate for one credit card company, or up to 100 credit card companies, for absolutely free!

To give you an example as to what is available:

You can feature more than 100 credit cards with several companies by just placing a simple link on your web page for free.

These companies will also help you set up your website.

Credit Cards offered are Visa. Mastercard and American Express.

Commissions to you when somebody fills out an appication range from 20 to 80 for an approval.

They provide affiliates with all credit card content, such as reviews, ratings, APRs, fees, etc. All information is provided FREE to affiliates to incorporate into their websites.

Some companies will actually supply you with access to a database which consistently updates any information that may change such as interest rates and terms and conditions.

There are at present numerous different types of cards the majority of which fall into 2 classifications:

Credit Cards based on good credit history.
Interest and transaction rates should be relatively low.

Credit Cards based on not so good credit history.
Interest and transaction rates will be relatively high.

It would be perfect as an affiliate to be able to offer both.

In order to convince people to subscribe to a certain credit card you can actually promote on your website various types of rewards offered by the credit card companies.

A prime example of rewards of course are airmiles.

“Get 15,000 miles free when you apply for this particular credit card.”

How about these rewards:

“0% intro APR for 15 months.”

“Instant approval”

“5% cash back”

“Free movie rentals”

“Bad Credit OK”

“Low Interest”
“Purchase and transfers at 0%”

“Free rewards program: Home, electronics, dining, travel and more”
” 5 points for every 1 spent at supermarkets, drugstores & gas stations:”
” Earn 1 point for every 1 on all other purchases”
” 0% APR on balance transfers for 12 months”
” No annual fee”

“auto rebate cards”

Faster Cards
There are now new cards , where cardmembers simply hold their card near a point-of-sale reader at a checkout, instead of swiping their card or handing it to a store employee. As cardmembers hold their card with this feature near the point-of-sale reader, the reader will quickly emit a tone and light up to signal payment confirmation.

“We believe the innovative cards with this feature provide merchants and cardmembers with the increased speed and convenience they want at the point-of-sale,” said a senior vice president of a companys credit card division.

“With this feature, cardmembers can save time when making their everyday purchases.”
So you could use any of the above incentives to promote your affiliate credit card link and earn additional Internet Income.

The Competition Commission one of the governments watchdogs, has at last moved to shame credit cards in to cutting their charges. The long overdue move comes after the Commission concluded that the credit card industry was overcharging customers between 55 and 100 million each year through excessive interest rates and other charges. And this has been going on for a least 3 years!

The main culprits by far are store cards where interest rates are as high as 30.9% – even though the Bank of England’s base rate stands at just 4.5%. The worst culprits were TJ Hughes and the Faith Card followed by Owen & Owen. You can find them heading the Table of Shame shown below in this article.

The commission has also come down on high penalty charges for missed or late payments and Payment Protection Insurance. Average penalty charges are currently 15 per event but the Commission is also right to argue that these charges are excessive.

As for Payment Protection Insurance, the Commission has joined the consumer body Which, the National Consumer Council and indeed the Financial Services Authority in concluding that whilst this insurance can be a good idea, credit card operators have abused it. The Commission has therefore decreed that Payment Protection Insurance must no longer be sold in a combined package with a credit card; it must always be purchased as a separate stand alone transaction. That’ll be good news for the Internet where many of the cheapest Payment Protection Insurance deals can be found. With premium savings of up to 60% in comparison with credit card and loan packed arrangements, business on the Internet will flourish.

So what do the new rules from the Competition Commission say? The five main changes are:

If a credit card charges more than 25% interest, it must carry a prominent warning that there are cheaper ways to borrow. This warnings must be displayed on every monthly statement.

The interest rate and penalty charges must me clearly displayed on the front page of each monthly statement.

The monthly statement must warn of the consequences in terms of higher interest charges, of just paying the minimum monthly repayment.

Credit Cards must offer every customer the option of automatically clearing their monthly balance each month by direct debit. These direct debits would avoid any possibility of interest charges and late payment penalties.

Credit Card operators must not sell Payment Protection Insurance in a combined package with credit cards. The insurance must be sold as a separate and optional transaction that enable purchasers to see the true cost.

These new rules seem destined to shame retailers into slashing their charges that’s not to say that 25% pa interest is a snip! Main line credit cards issued by banks are currently charging around 14% to 18% and we think that’s too high!

Indeed, between 80% and 90% of store cards held by some 11.5 million customers charge more than 25%. But some retailers have jumped the gun realising that their sky-high charges couldn’t last forever. Three store cards have already taken steps to trim back. Harvey Nichols has cut their interest from 28.5% to 21.9%, River Island has trimmed down from 29.9% to17.9% and Monsoon from 29.9% to 18.9%.

But who are the bad boys? Here is our Table of Shame:

TJ Hughes 30.9%
Faith Card 30.9%
Owen & Owen 30.7%
Burtons 29.9%
Dorothy Perkins 29.9%
East 29.9%
Evans 29.9%
HMV 29.9%
JD Sports 29.9%
Kwik Fit 29.9%
La Senza 29.9%
Laura Ashley 29.9%
Miss Selfridge 29.9%
Russell & Bromley 29.9%
Ted baker 29.9%
TopshopTopmam 29.9%
Wallis 29.9%
Warehouse 29.9%
House of Frazer 29.3%
Bhs Gold Card 29.0%
Habitat 29.0%
Oasis 29.0%
Harrods 28.9%
Fenwicks 27.9%
Selfridges 27.6%
Bentalls 27.2%
Jaeger 27.1%
B&Q 26.8%
French Connection 26.8%
Argos 25.9%
Homebase 25.9%
New Look 25.9%

Note: Some of these cards do offer lower interest rates for payment by Direct Debits. Source: Competition CommissionMoneyfacts March 2006

These credit cards are operated by a number of large finance companies, the largest being GE Capital the American giant. The profits are shared between the card operator and the retailer who is often incentivised by being awarded a higher share of the profit if they hit certain key debt thresholds. This has encouraged stores to put immense pressure on shoppers to take cards out.

The Chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee, John McFall has accused retailers of putting profit before customers saying If you buy a suit from one of the stores then you would expect the retailer to ensure that it was well made and reasonably priced. These principles do not seem to apply to their store cards.

Lets all hope that the action taken by the Competition Committee does the trick!

Credit cards are no more a luxury, they are almost a necessity. So, you would imagine a lot of people going for credit cards. In fact, a lot of people posses more than one credit cards. So, the credit card industry is growing by leaps and bounds. However, the credit card industry and credit card holders are posed with a big problem called Credit Card Debt. In order to understand what credit card debt actually means, we need to understand the workflow associated with the use of credit cards as such.

Credit cards, as the name suggests, are cards on which you can get credit i.e. make borrowings (your credit card debt). Your credit card is a representative of the credit account that you hold with the credit card supplier. Whatever payments you make using your credit card are actually your borrowings that contribute towards your credit card debt. Your total credit card debt is the total amount you owe credit card supplier. You must settle your credit card debt on a monthly basis. So, you receive a monthly statement or your credit card bill which shows your total credit card debt. You must pay off your credit card debt by the payment due date failing which you will incur late fee and interest charges. However, you have the option of making a partial (minimum) payment too, in which case you dont incur late fee but just the interest charges on your credit card debt. If you dont pay off your credit card debt in full, the interest charges too get added to it. So your credit card debt keeps on increasing, more so because the interest rates on credit card debt are generally higher than the interest rates on other kind of loans/borrowings. Further, the interest charges add on to your credit card debt each month to form the new balance or the new credit card debt amount. If you continue making partial payments (or no payments) the interest charges are calculated afresh on the new credit card debt. So you end up paying interest on the last months interest too. Thus your credit card debt accumulates rapidly and soon you find that what was once a relatively small credit card debt has ballooned into a big amount which you find almost impossible to pay. Moreover, if you dont still control your spending habits, your credit card debt rises even faster. This is how the vicious circle of credit card debt works.