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What Is a 0 APR Credit Card?
Its like the search for the Holy Grail. Before the days of King Arthur and the roundtable of Camelot, people have hunted for this holy relic and its promise of eternal life. Just the same, consumers the world over have searched for their lives for the holy grail of the credit card world: a card with 0 annual percentage rates, or no interest at all. Such a card could provide eternal shopping, and a life without fear of debt.
The reality of the situation, however, may be slightly different. Dont get us wrong. A card with 0 annual percentage rate is a beautiful thing. It allows you to carry debt on the card without fear of swamping your finances with interest payments. On the other hand, the 0 annual percentage rate is not a free ride to spend to excess. After all, most of these 0 annual percentage rate, or 0 APR cards, have a time limit. The carriage, so to speak, eventually turns back into the pumpkin, and then you could be left holding the bag with a maxed out credit card and a new APR of, say, 22 percent.
So, what exactly is a 0 APR credit card? Is it such a great deal anymore, or should you not chase after the holy grail? It depends, as with any great decision. If you plan to be making a lot of heavy purchases soonsuch as to decorate a new houseyou may want to find yourself a 0 APR card, but do so with the understanding that you must be able to pay that baby off when the 0 annual percentage rate special wears off.
Dont just jump at any 0 annual percentage rate card, though. There are always other considerations to make when youre on the market for a new credit card. For instance, how widely is the new card going to be accepted. If you travel a lot, this is important to know. MasterCard and Visa are the two most widely accepted brands of cards on the market, with 17 million and 16.2 million locations respectively.
And of course, every credit card now has a rewards program. What sort of rewards programs would suit you bestone that involves cash back and discounts on every purchase, or would you rather earn points toward travel and other prizes? Plus, no matter what the rewards are, compare the ratio of earned points to dollars spent. The higher this ration, the better the rewards program is, no matter what the rewards are.
Lastly, check the fees on these 0 APR cards. Is there an annual fee, a cash transfer fee, late fees, stiff penalties, etc.? These also could help you make up your mind about the card.
Home Loan Refinancing: Facts And Tips
Home loan refinancing are now common terms among Americans. Often, since home loans imply long repayment programs, the borrowers financial situations vary and adjustments need to be made. Thats when home loan refinancing comes in handy. Also, there are many who want to benefit from lower interest rates that are sometimes made available to them and thus, they need to refinance their home loan. For those who are not yet familiar with home loan refinancing specifics, here are some facts and tips:
Home Loan Refinancing Nature
A refinance home loan is just another loan secured with the same asset that replaces the previous one in such a way that the money obtained from the new loan is fully (or the biggest part of it) used to repay the outstanding mortgage loan. A Refinance home loan is therefore a mortgage loan with a particular condition, the money needs to be used to cancel the previous mortgage so the asset secures fully the new loan.
Cash Out Refinance Home Loans
Cash out refinance home loans are refinance home loans that offer more money than what is needed to repay the previous mortgages balance. The remaining amount can be used for any purpose but is usually employed for eliminating consumer debt and thus consolidating all debt into a single loan with a very affordable interest rate. Cash out refinance loans use the available equity on the property to finance and secure this surplus.
Home Loan Refinancing For Saving Money On A Monthly Basis
One of the purposes of home loan refinancing is to save money on a monthly basis. For such use, the repayment schedule of the new loan needs to be longer than the remaining of the current loan. By extending a repayment program for 20 more years you can cut your payments by half or even more depending on the years left on your current mortgage. These obviously can guarantee you more affordable monthly payments and bring a lot of ease to your finances and income. Moreover, if you can obtain a lower rate too, you can save even more.
Home Loan Refinancing For Saving Money In The Long Run
The above situation can imply higher costs in the long run. If you want savings, then you need to pay fewer interests. There are two ways to achieve this: you can refinance and obtain a new home loan with a lower interest rate and a similar repayment program or you can refinance and obtain a ne home loan with a similar rate, a lower one or even a higher one but shrinking the repayment program so the interests rate will be calculated on a shorter schedule. This of course, implies higher monthly payments that you need to make sure you can afford.
Balloon Mortgage Refinancing
Balloon mortgage loans have little monthly payments because you mainly pay for interests and only at the end of the repayment program you have to make a balloon or lump payment to cancel the loans principal. Sometimes, people can not afford this lump payment and therefore choose to refinance this amount. It is a great alternative to defaulting on the loan and thus risking repossession. Moreover, it is possible to refinance into a balloon loan from a regular mortgage loan to reduce your payments for some time as well as out of a mortgage loan as explained above.