|
|
|
10 Tips for Avoiding ID Theft and Credit Fraud
10 Tips for AVOIDING ID THEFT AND CREDIT FRAUD Article excerpted from the new book, “How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain” TM copyright 2004, all rights reserved, by Eve Abbott, the Organizer Extraordinaire Each year billions of dollars...
Bad credit - why so prevalent?
Many "experts" blame the epedemic of credit problems in current society on factors such as lack of stable permanent employment, relegation of importance of marriage and the family unit, inadequate healthcare and insurance provision and failing...
College Student Credit Cards - How to Choose the Best One
There are so many credit cards being offered to college students these days that it may be difficult to choose the right college student credit card. It is important to choose carefully to make sure that you have the best deal and rates available. ...
Credit Reports: Find out why you have been refused Credit
You may already have 2 or more credit cards in your purse or wallet and you have just applied for a third and been declined. This can be very frustrating considering you pay off your other credit cards regularly and you are continually having your...
What Is Credit and How Does It Work?
Credit is a prettier word for debt. When you obtain credit you are borrowing money, or getting the right to access money (like a credit card, for example), and you agree to pay back the person or company that loaned you that money. In these type...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Using 0% APR Credit Cards to Become Debt-Free
Normally, when you're looking to consolidate credit card debt
you have the following options: get a debt consolidation loan
-or- apply for a home equity loan. But if your credit card debt
is still manageable, you may want to consider consolidating your
balances to a 0% APR
credit card instead. Using a 0% APR credit card will help
you spend more money paying off your balances, and less on
interest charges!
To use a 0% APR credit card to pay off your debts, follow these
steps:
1.) Transfer your existing credit card balances to a new 0% APR
credit card.
2.) Continue to pay down your balance as usual. But instead of
paying only the minimum each month, also pay the amount of
interest you would have paid with your other card. This will
reduce your debt even quicker!
3.) Watch your introductory period. When it's about to expire,
shop around for a new 0% APR credit card and transfer your
balances again.
4.) Continue this cycle until you become debt free!
0% APR Credit Cards vs. Debt Consolidation:
So you're considering a debt consolidation loan instead of a 0%
APR credit card. Let's see how much you could save and how much
quicker you could pay off your debt using the method shown
above. Here's an example:
Assume you have an existing credit card debt of $15,000. You
would like to pay $250 per month until the debt is paid off.
Your debt consolidation loan was approved at 7% (much lower than
your original 12% credit card!).
Beginning Balance $15,000
Total Principal Year 1 $2,014
Total Principal Year 2 $2,160
Total Principal Year 3 $2,316
Total Principal Year 4 $2,483
Total
Principal Year 5 $2,662
Total Principal Year 6 $2,855
Total Interest Paid $3,516
Total Amount Paid: $18,516
TOTAL # Payments Made: 70
Now let's compare paying off this same debt using 0% APR cards
Beginning Balance $15,000
Total Principal Year 1 $3,600
Total Principal Year 2 $3,600
Total Principal Year 3 $3,600
Total Principal Year 4 $3,600
Total Principal Year 5 $ 600
Total Interest Paid $ 0
Total Amount Paid: $15,000
TOTAL # Payments Made: 50
You save $3516 over a six year period! Plus you'll be done with
your payments 15 months sooner! Imagine being debt free over a
year before you planned!
Words of Advice:
Although using 0% credit cards to pay down your debt is a great
option, try not to switch credit cards too frequently. Doing so
can negatively impact your credit report. Shop around for 0% APR
credit cards that have the longest introductory periods and the
lowest APRs (after the intro period) to buy you a little
breathing room. Also, don't fall into the trap of spending again
on your old credit cards. Either close them or deactivate them
so that you don't get yourself into further debt. And don't
overspend with your new card either (even if it is 0%)! Finally,
make sure you apply the money you saved on interest to your new
payments to help eliminate your debt faster.
To see a complete list of 0% APR credit cards, please visit:
ASAP Credit Card
About the author:
by ASAP
Credit Card - Copyright © 2005
|
|
|
|
|
| Credit Reports - Credit Cards - Car Loans - Home Loans - Credit.com |
| Credit.com offers a variety of credit related products and services including credit reports and credit scores, credit cards, car loans, home loan and ... |
| www.credit.com |
|
| Equifax Personal Solutions: Credit Reports, Credit Scores ... |
| National consumer credit reporting company that offers credit reports, FICO(R) credit scores and identity theft protection products to consumers and small ... |
| www.equifax.com |
|
| The FTC's web site on Credit |
| Credit is much more than a piece of plastic, and the resources on this site can help you become a more savvy consumer. You’ll also find compliance ... |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Credit Center |
| Features an assortment of helpful articles related to credit issues. |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| AnnualCreditReport |
| Site set up by the big three credit reporting agencies in the United States, to furnish free annual credit reports, as required by federal law. |
| www.annualcreditreport.com |
|
| Springboard - Non-Profit Consumer Credit Management |
| Our mission is simple: To offer education on the wise use of credit. ... SPRINGBOARD has been approved to provide credit counseling services and issue ... |
| www.credit.org |
|
| myFICO - FICO Credit Scores, Online Credit Reports and Identity ... |
| myFICO.com: Get your Free credit report and Free credit score with a 30-day trial of Score Watch. All three FICO Scores and Credit Reports Available now ... |
| www.myfico.com |
|
| Credit Suisse Global |
| Credit Suisse Group is an international financial services group. - Shares part of SMI. |
| www.credit-suisse.com |
|
| Experian: Free Credit Report and Credit Score, Credit Check ... |
| Credit referencing and consumer targeting for the USA and other countries. |
| www.experian.com |
|
| National Credit Union Administration - Home Page |
| An independent federal agency that supervises and insures 7152 federal credit unions and insures 4240 state-chartered credit unions. |
| www.ncua.gov |
|
| Credit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Debits and Credits, a type of bookkeeping entry; Credit (creative arts), acknowledging the ideas or ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit" ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Credit (finance) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Any movement of financial capital is normally quite dependent on credit, ... Sometimes if a person has financial instability or difficulty, credit is not ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| The National Foundation for Credit Counseling |
| DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the Members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), most of them known as Consumer Credit ... |
| www.nfcc.org |
|
| FreeCreditReport.com | Free Credit Report and Credit Score Online ... |
| FreeCreditReport.com: Free credit reports and credit scores from Experian. Get your free credit report and credit score now. It's free, fast, and easy! |
| www.freecreditreport.com |
|
| Compare credit cards | apply for a credit card | 0% balance ... |
| Compare over 300 credit cards, including 0% offers and balance transfers, and make a credit card application online... |
| www.moneysupermarket.com |
|
| Ford Credit - Auto financing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars ... |
| Ford Credit provides auto financing to finance a lease or purchase a car or truck through Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealerships. |
| www.fordcredit.com |
|
| The Credit Card Prank |
| In my lifetime, I have made nearly 15000 credit card transactions. ... Credit card signatures are a useless mechanism designed to make you feel safe, ... |
| www.zug.com |
|
| Credit magazine, corporate bonds, derivatives, structured credit ... |
| Credit magazine provides information on the international credit markets for credit investors, issuers and market professionals. |
| www.creditmag.com |
|
| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
| www.cuna.org |
|
| Credit/Debt Management - Tools and Advice for Managing Credit and Debt |
| Drowning in debt? Trying to improve your credit score? This is the place for you. Get real world information and tips, as well as the legal low down, ... |
| credit.about.com |
|
|