Sunday, 20 May 2012

Credit Card Know How That Can Help You Right Now

By Ian Tate


Credit cards may make or break you, when it comes to your personal credit. Not only can you use them to help build up a great credit score and secure your future finances. You may also find that irresponsible use can bury you in debt and ruin you. Use this article for great credit card advice.

If your credit history is bad, or you have no credit history, consider applying for a secured credit card account. These accounts have limits, and are often linked to the person's bank account to guarantee card payments. Prompt payments on your balance look excellent on your credit record and will improve or establish credit.

Keep track of how much money you are spending when using a credit card. Small, incidental purchases can add up quickly, and it is important to know how much you have spend on them, so you can understand how much you owe. You can keep track with a check register, spreadsheet program, or even with an online option offered by many credit card companies.

A useful tip for ensuring smart usage of credit cards is to only use them for purchases in amounts that are sure to be available in your bank account by the time the monthly statement arrives. By restricting purchases to amounts that can be easily repaid in full, you will build a solid credit record and maintain a strong relationship with your card issuer.

Take the time to play around with numbers. Before you go out and put a pair of fifty dollar shoes on your credit card, sit with a calculator and figure out the interest costs. It may make you second-think the idea of buying those shoes that you think you need.

Many credit cards these days offer rewards for using the card frequently. The more you spend, the more points you earn toward items such as appliances, electronics and even gift cards. The secret is to use the credit card often, but pay the balance off each month. You will still benefit from the reward program!

Make sure each month you pay off your credit cards when they are due, and most importantly, in full when possible. If you do not pay them in full each month, you will end up having to have pay finance charges on the unpaid balance, which will end up taking you a long time to pay off the credit cards.

Do not use one credit card to pay off the amount owed on another until you check and see which one has the lowest rate. While this is never considered the best thing to do financially, you can occasionally do this to make sure you are not risking getting further into debt.

Now that you have finished this article, you have absorbed several great tips about how to use credit properly. Armed with this information, you should feel more confident every time you pull out that credit card from your wallet to make a purchase or to pay off a debt or bill.




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