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How To Protect Yourself From Pre-Approved Credit Card Offer?
Have you received before a pre-approved credit card offer that sent to you through your email address? If you are not, then you are the lucky one. Most of people who have access to email are receiving dozens of “good offer” from credit card companies. Low-internet rate and higher credit limit are among the good deals in the offers and the best part is: it has been pre-approved to you. Sound good? Well, before you go ahead and accept one. Ask yourself whether you really need it or not. According to the credit card site CardWeb.com, average American household are holding a $10,000 credit card debt. Don’t let you be one of the statistics.
The best way to keep credit card debt down is not to use a credit card. But if you do receive a pre-approved card that intrigues you, at least know what you are getting into before signing on the bottom line:
What interest are you paying? Make sure you understand the interest rate you will be paying for. There are two types of interest rates, fixed-rate annual percentage rate (APR) and variable rates that swing according to the market rate. A better option would be APR because credit card companies have to notify you before raising rates.
The low interest rate being offered is usually only an “introductory rate” which means the rate can – and probably will – increase significantly at the end of the introductory period. This means that balances transferred from higher interest rate credit cards to the new, low introductory rate card could, over the long run, actually cost you more in interest payments. So, be aware of the terms and conditions before you sign to accept the card.
Know that a credit card may carry more than one rate. You may not aware that most of credit cards carry more than one rate. The balance transfer and cash advance normally have higher interest rate. Interest rate shows in the offer normally is the interest rate of your purchases with credit card. Hence, at the end you probably pay higher interest rate if you have balance transfer or withdraw any cash advance with your credit card.
Credit card companies may raise the interest rate if you have late payment. Some credit card companies will immediately raise your interest rate from introductory teaser rate to the regular rate if you are late just one time.
Don’t accept the new credit card offer if fee involved. If there is fee involved with your new credit card, don’t accept the offer. Why pay a fee for a credit card when, with good credit, you don’t have to? If you have good credit, there are many other better offers which you can choose from.
Many of these cards are just preliminarily approved. This means that when you actually apply, the credit card company will reviewing your credit report in full as well as verifying information provided on your application. Terms and conditions may change according to your qualification, such as higher interest rate or smaller credit line. And if your application is rejected, it could cause at least minimal damage to your credit report.
So, in order to protect yourself, you need to carefully read all of the fine print in the offer and, if you don’t fully understand and like everything you read, throw the credit card offer away. Even if you fully agree with the stated terms and conditions, do some calculations to be sure that the lower introductory rate, especially in the case of balance transfers, will actually save you money over the long run.
Unsecured loans on a rise
Research conducted by a leading comparison website states that women in UK are getting increasingly dependant on unsecured loans for their shopping and other living expenditures. Since the unsecured loans don’t call for any security to be pledged to the lender, the women in UK make their best use to fund their requirements. The research further states that the trend of women who opt for unsecured loans is because of the easy accessibility of unsecured personal loans.
The role of the online media can’t be underestimated in this. Most of the high-street banks have stringent policies for granting unsecured loans. However, online and private lenders grant unsecured loans even to those who have bad credit records. The rate of interest charged is very high, going up to 42% annually. But when needs are urgent and there is no other way of procuring money, online and private lenders are the only alternatives left to the borrowers.
Unsecured loans taken from online media can fetch you the advantages cited below
- Easy accessibility- The online media is the next big revolution in the field of mass communication. People can easily access the Internet sitting at home, and apply to varied lenders for unsecured loans with convenience, ease and comfort.
- Time and effort-saving – In case of online media, the borrowers don’t have to visit every bank to hunt for loans. It takes a fraction of seconds to apply for unsecured personal loans. One can apply to a lot of lenders at the same time, and see various loan products at a glance.
- Comparison tools The online media offers various comparison tools that can help you find the loan quotes of various loan deals, and thereby compare the best deal for yourself.
- Free online credit reports- Many online sites such as experian, checkmyfile etc. offer free online credit reports. With the help of these, the borrowers can analyse their credit score and that too for free.
So, online loans are the in style way of borrowing money. Opt for unsecured loans by applying online, if you don’t have the time to visit different lending institutions.