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Visa or MasterCard: Which Credit Card Should You Apply For? (Page 1 of 2)
Should you get Visa or MasterCard? Is one of them better than the other? Will one of them help your credit rating more than the other? Many people ask themselves these types of questions when they think about getting their first credit card or additional ones. The fact is, few differences exist between the two credit card brands today, but you can benefit by having a better understanding of the two companies and using their competition to your advantage.
Just Who Are Visa and MasterCard
First, you should know that neither Visa nor MasterCard actually issue credit cards themselves. Neither company deals with consumers or merchants directly. Instead, they create and run the worldwide computer networks that process the billions of transactions that occur each day from people who use their credit cards at millions of merchants and ATMs. Both companies make their money from financial institutions to whom they license the ability to market the MasterCard or Visa system to consumers and merchants.
MasterCard and Visa have been fierce competitors for years, each vying to be faster and more global than the other, just like Hertz and Avis, and McDonalds and Burger King. Each time one brand creates a new twist on their credit cards, the other soon follows to match it. Both companies now offer nearly identical benefits, such as travel insurance, car rental insurance, product warranty extensions, and so on.
Furthermore, both cards are accepted worldwide by nearly the same number of merchants. MasterCard says its cards can be used at more than 23 million locations around the globe, including 1 million ATMs and other locations where cash can be obtained. Visa says its cards are accepted at more than twenty million locations in more than 150 countries.
In general, most merchants throughout the world accept both cards, or if a merchant takes only one of the brands, another merchant down the block takes the other. The point is, your chances of being locked out of eating or buying a gift or getting a hotel room because you have only one brand of credit card are usually minimal — other than at a few noted events where one card or the other may have negotiated to be the sole credit card to be accepted. But such instances are far and few between.
Which Card is Right for You?
Given the above, is one card better or more right for you? The best answer depends on whether its your first, second, or additional card, as follows:
If Youre Applying for Your FIRST Credit Card
In this situation, you can make a choice based simply on selecting which issuing bank you prefer to work with, or which promotional offer you like the most, without regard to the brand on the card. Perhaps you like Chase or Citibank or HSBC, or perhaps you like the 0% APR with no-annual-fee offer you found online. It’s six of one, a half-dozen of the other.
If Youre Applying for Your SECOND Card
In this situation, it is strategically smart to select the opposite brand card from your first card AND to choose a different issuing bank. The rationale for this is that when you have two different cards, you will find that the two banks will compete for your business (assuming you maintain good credit). You will get offers for 0% balance transfers, higher credit limits, and other perks as the two banks vie for your increased use of their card. And just in case you find a merchant who only takes one brand of card, you can now be assured of having all your bases covered.
How To Get A Loan Modification In A Week Or Less
If you want to get your loan modification approved in a week or less, good luck! It is almost impossible…or is it?
If you know anything about loan modifications, you know that it generally takes 2 to 3 months to get the modification approved. It is a stressful process if you are the homeowner desperately waiting for an answer. Some lucky people can get this done in about a month, but this is very rare. Getting it done in a week or less is almost unheard of!
The reason it takes so long to get a loan modified is because there are so many people in need of this service. Lenders have stacks and stacks of files on their desks and not enough employees. It takes a long time to sort through all those files and get the loan mod completed.
There are a few companies out there that have such close relationships with lenders that they will actually allow them to take some of the unbearable workload off their backs. There are only a few companies that do this because it is very hard to come up with the necessary ratios to get this accomplished.
What this means in lamens terms is this: A company that provides this service can call up your lender with your loan number. They speak to a case manager and review your file. They approve or deny the loan modification right away and tell them what your interest rate and payment will be. They can then tell you what the terms of your modification will be and you can decide to move forward or pursue another option.
If you do decide to move forward, they can generally complete the loan modification within 24 hours to 7 days. To further ease your financial burden, often times they can push back your next payment 30 days from the date the loan mod docs are signed.
The success of this depends on what lender you have and if you are even a candidate for a loan modification. The top lenders participating in this program are Countrywide, Bank of America and EMC. These are not the only lenders, just the main ones.
If you want to get your loan modification approved in less than a week, this might be your only option.