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Filled under: economic | by admin |
Tags: credit card, credit cards
When it comes to credit cards there are so many choices out there it can be really confusing when trying to determine which credit card is the best choice. We are all different with different likes and different habits and credit card companies know this, and have created card fee structures that differ according to peoples habits and circumstances. While a specific card might be perfect for one person, it might not be as desirable for another, and might even hurt that person financially because there habits or circumstances are such that they are incurring fee’s that they wouldn’t be incurring had they selected a different card. In consideration of the last sentence we really need to identify these habits and circumstances, and then take an honest evaluation of ourselves to see which habits or circumstances we practice or have. At this point we will be able to better identify the credit card that makes the most sense. In adition to this we will be able to see that different use strategies are appropriate for different habits and circumstances. While there are many habits to examine there are two primary habits that need to be examined first because they the have the most impact on how we should choose, after that we will examine other habits and circumstances.
An outline of habits and circumstances as they relate to credit card holders
Habit #1 Carrying a balance on your credit card.
This can be a good thing for building and maintaining high credit scores as long as the balance does not exceed 50% of the total available credit. If the balance is substantial than an important card feature for this person should be the annual percentage rate or APR. If this person exceeds 50% of there available credit they should either pay it down or get another card and spread the balance out as this can improve their credit. typically you should only use between 30% and 50% of your available credit. The following is a definition of APR. APR stands for annual percentage rate and is the interest that the issuing bank will charge you. Some banks will advertise an introductory APR. Introductory APR’s will generally last anywhere from 6 months to 15 months and then your APR will go to a higher APR. Another type of APR is called a variable rate. This type of APR generally fluctuates according to an index such as the prime rate or the 1-, 3- or 6-month treasury bill rate or the federal reserve discount rate or the federal funds rate. You can find these indexes listed online. An important note is not which index your issuing bank chooses but rather the formula they use to determine your rate. These formulas usually look something like this, [ index margin = rate] or [index x multiple = rate] or [index margin x multiple = rate]. The margin and multiple can be any #. These formulas can make a huge difference in how much money you pay so be sure to read the fine print so that you can determine how your APR will look over the course of you holding the credit card. These are the two most common types of APR but there are others, So by reading the fine print you can be informed. Read more »
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