January 13, 2010
Understanding Cash-Back Credit Cards: Good or Bad Idea?
Getting a credit card that offers cash back always sounds like a good idea. What could be better than getting cash back on all the purchases that you make with your credit card? It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
Well, there are cards that give you free cash, but it is usually only around 1% cash back. However, free money is free money, right? Well, sometimes according to the credit-card guides.
If you like to buy a lot of things in one month, this kind of credit card probably sounds great to you. However, you need to keep in mind that they are not going to give you cash back on every purchase that you make. Even if they claim to give you cash back on every purchase, they will only give you up to a certain amount per transaction. The company also has a strict limit on the amount that they will give back to their customers. If you read the little, bitty print on the form that you signed, you will see a paragraph with their limits in the terms and agreements.
This is another way to try to draw in new customers for these companies. It is a good credit card to have and sounds great in theory, but they will have to check your credit rating before they will give you their card.
Research different credit card companies to see what they are offering. You may be surprised to find a cash back credit card that offers you just what you need and want with a high cash back percentage, few limits on the amount they will give you back, and instant cash deposits when you make each purchase with their card.
Although these credit cards seem like a great thing to have, some companies will need your credit rating to be great too. However, there are credit card companies that offer these cards to people with a low credit rating to help them rebuild their credit. Research all of your options.
What should your decision be? If you have a good credit rating, then this card is a great option for you. Research different card companies – there are cards out there that offer you up to 3% cash back and impose very few limits. If, however, you have a bad credit rating, you may want to find a credit card that will help you rebuild your credit.
This article’s author also writes for other sites in which you may have an interest. They range in topic from affordable insurance quotes to even a site about florida bad credit mortgages.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
September 23, 2009
Credit Repair DIY
A negative credit report can definitely have an impact on your ability to get a loan, or on the amount of money that you will have to repay eventually as part of your loan agreement. It is therefore worth while to put effort into becoming credit worthy if you are not currently, but you have to realize that it does not happen overnight. Credit repair is something that takes place over a couple of months and there are various steps involved if you want to increase your credit score.
The first step is to get to know exactly what the state of your current credit rating is. Since there are three different credit bureaus your credit rating might differ at the three bureaus. Not all creditors report to all three bureaus. You therefore need to get your credit report from all three credit bureaus.
If you have been denied credit or employment due to your credit record you are entitled to a free report. You can request a credit report from the bureau that the creditor used to deny to credit. You are also entitled to one free credit report from all the bureaus per year, as per government legislation.
Since the information on your credit report is never really verified, it is your responsibility to ensure that the information is correct. Be on the lookout for factual errors such as date errors, inaccurate histories of your accounts or typing errors. Make a list of all the points you want to dispute as well as the reasons you are disputing them. Do not dispute points that will not make any difference to your score in any case.
You can either submit your disputes in the argument form supplied with your credit report or write a letter. Do not forget to include copies of supporting documents with your dispute. Do not send the original documents in with your dispute! Also keep records of the dates that you have sent in the disputes, as well as copies of all your dispute letters.
Any item that is proven to be inaccurate will be removed and will result in raising your credit score.
Further to this, you need to be able to prove that you are credit worthy and able to repy loans in future. Ensure that you promptly any loans that you have. You might also have to take out some additional credit through the form of secured credit cards. You might find that you have to periodically check your credit record to ensure that your good credit behavior is added to your credit record.
Slowly you will build up a positive credit history and start getting a good credit score that will make it easy to get a new loan with a reduced interested rate.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
September 14, 2009
Are Credit Repair Companies Scams?
The credit repair service, or credit counseling service, in the USA has acquired some bad press over the past couple of years. This is because there were numerous cases of credit repair companies who have misled people and abused the trust of their clients.
This has lead to a backlash with numerous guides and tips cropping up everywhere to persuade people that you can repair your credit score on your own. The idea behind this is that most credit repair companies do little to improve your credit rating, instead, they rather focus on debt management counseling and debt reduction. This is a good thing, but not the same as improving your actual credit rating. In fact, if your credit repair company does not promptly make your debt repayments on time on your behalf, your credit rating could actually go down. So instead of doing the right things to raise your credit score, they are, in fact, influencing it negatively.
Some credit repair companies write letters to the credit bureaus claiming that the information in your credit report is wrong and that it must be corrected, with proof of the mistakes to follow after an investigation. The credit repair companies then remove these items from the credit reports and you get a clean bill of health, so to speak. However, the credit repair companies then never follow through with the proof and the negative items just return to your report later, leaving you with the false impression that your credit rating looks better than what it actually is.
But this does not mean that every credit repair company is a scam, some companies out there are giving a good service to their customers. These agencies are reputable and have built up a good name through the years, and will contest incorrect information on your report and act on your behalf, however, you have to realize that rebuilding your credit properly is only something that you, yourself can do by making debt repayments on time and ensuring that you do not default on payments.
It is always best to rather handle credit related issues yourself. This way you can make sure that your personal information is not compromised and that the best person with your interests at heart - yourself, is handling your credit rating yourself.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna