Tag Archives: offer
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.
Car Loan Market for Consumers with Bad Credit is Booming
Car loans offer lenders a big ticket item with limited risk. While a lender’s risks their entire investment on an unsecured personal loan a car loan represents less risk since the lender can take possession of the car if the loan is defaulted. Divorce often leads to bankruptcy and will impact on a consumer’s credit score long after they have recovered financially. Specialized lenders have recognized that a poor credit score may not reflect on a consumer ability to make payments and have placed less emphasis on credit history and more emphasis on ability to pay.
National and regional lenders have emerged to service the very competitive bad credit car loan market referred to as the “Special Finance” or “Sub-prime” market. These lenders have further divided the “Special Finance” market up into different levels of risks to such an extent that there are lender’s who has specifically targeted the most credit challenged consumer with the highest risk.
The good new is that no matter what your credit circumstances are, there is probably a lender out there for you.
Another phenomenon is the independent credit service that will process your request for credit and forward it to the lender that is most likely to approve the request. These services usually work with a car dealer who have access to both National and Regional lenders.
The Online Credit Application The independent credit service has successfully introduced the online credit application to the market. The online credit application offers a no hassle approach to applying for credit. Anyone who has sat in front of a loans officer and had to explain their credit history will find the online credit application a blessing. If you decide to complete an online credit application make sure that it is secure. Look for a security certificate. Comodo and Verisign are two companies that offer security certificates that I am familiar with. You should also look for a privacy policy to guarantee that your personal information will not be shared or sold.
A car loan is a big ticket item that can help rebuild your credit score. Some lenders will offer programs that will reduce your rate or allow you to renegotiate after a specified length of time if you have not missed or been late on a payment.
There are many lenders who specialize in products and services for consumers that have troubled financial histories including bankruptcy. An independent service will provide an online credit application and will give you access to network of lenders. Simply enter “car loans” in search box of your favorite search engine. Most of these service offer tools like loan and budget calculators.
What You Can Do The first step before shopping for a car loan is to evaluate your financial situation. By determining your income to debt ratio you can see what kind of monthly payment is feasible for you. You do not want to be overburdened by payments and find yourself in trouble again. Next you may want to check your credit rating and clean it up where possible. Your credit score is negatively affected by late payments, high debt to income ratio and past bankruptcy. Close any accounts that are not in use. Too many open accounts are a negative. Pay up any outstanding debts. If you have recently filed for bankruptcy and there are extenuating circumstances such as a lay off or divorce, consider writing a page of explanation to attach to your report.
Regardless of your past credit history there is almost always a lender who is willing to provide you with a car loan. The question is how much are you willing to pay for that loan? A few extra percentage points are worth the opportunity to rebuild your credit. But be sure that your financial house is in order before you apply so that you can qualify for the best rate and terms your current financial circumstance will allow.