How To Get Rid Of Credit Card Debt

Getting rid of credit card debt is simple, but requires some discipline. There are three basic steps to ridding yourself of credit card debt. First and most importantly, stop any new spending on your credit cards. Secondly, examine all of your spending. Find out how much extra money you'll be able to put towards paying off your credit cards. Third and finally, start paying off your debt!

Credit card companies generally determine the minimum payment to be 2 - 2.5% of your outstanding balance. So if you owe $1,000, for example, your minimum payment will be $20 - $25 per month. Some part of that $25 goes to the interest on the balance, while some goes to pay off the actual balance. How much goes where depends on the interest rate on your account. Your credit card statement will give you the exact numbers.

Let's say that $20 of the $25 goes to the actual balance. To pay off $1,000 at $20 per month will take 50 months. Just over four years. You'll also have paid $250 in interest alone.

So how do you actually pay them all off?

Look at the interest rates on all your credit cards. Take the one with the highest rate. That's the one you're going to work on first and we'll call it card #1.

After examining your spending you may have found some money to put towards your payments. All of this extra money to pay off your card debt goes to this one card. The idea is to pay as much extra to card #1 as you can. Until it's paid off.

Pay the minimum balances on all the other cards until card #1 is done.

Then take the card with the next highest interest rate and add to its payment the total of the payment you were making to card #1. In other words, send the regular monthly payment you used to send for card #1, plus any additional amounts that you used to pay on card #1, plus the monthly minimum for card #2- all to card #2. Do this until card #2 is done.

Then take the total you were paying to cards #1 and #2 and add that to the payment on card #3, and so on.

Here's an example:

Let's say you have four maxed out, credit cards. Each card has a balance of $5,000 ($20,000 total.) Say the minimum payment on each card is $100 (yours may be different) making your monthly minimum payment total $400. Now let's say you have $500 per month to pay these off, which you found through analyzing all of your spending.

Card #1 has the highest interest rate. Send $200 per month to card #1, and pay the minimums ($100) on each of the others. The extra $100 you're sending in to card #1 goes to the actual balance of the card, not the interest. This will let you pay that card off a lot faster. You might be able to totally pay off this card in two years, instead of five.

Eventually, the debt on card #1 is entirely paid. The entire payment, $200, that you were making to card #1 gets added to the payment on card #2, for $300 total. ($100 minimum plus the extra $200 from card #1.)

The balance on card #2 will be less than $5,000 since you've been making your minimum payments all along. Adding the $200 from card #1 to the payment of $100 that you've been making to card #2 will make this card go away much faster than the first card did.

When card #2 is gone you take the $300 per month that you were paying to #1 and #2 and add it to the payment on #3, which will now be $400 per month. When #3 is done you repeat the procedure for card #4, but now, you're sending the whole $500/month to that one card.

Obviously this system will take years, but at the end of that time you will have four paid off cards (which you hopefully cut up), spending and budgeting discipline earned from going through the whole process, and $500 a month to put into a savings account or where ever.

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Protect Your Credit Card

In addition to protecting your credit rating, it is also important to protect the physical credit card itself. Having the card in your possession is not enough, as people can write down the number on the card and use it to make fraudulent purchases. Identity theft has become a problem that costs consumers and companies billions of dollars each year.

Even if fraud, banks and credit card company have never directly affected you will pass down the costs of fraud to consumers. An example of this is the foreign currency transaction fees that you will have to pay when you use your credit card in foreign countries. When you look at it like this, credit card fraud has an effect on virtually everyone. There are a number of things you can do to make sure your card and the numbers on it are protected at all times.

Never provide your credit card number over the phone to someone you didn't initiate the call with. You should make sure you know whom you are talking to before you give them your credit card number. Even if the person says they are affiliated with a well known company, if you didn't call them, don't give them your credit card number until you're sure. If you mistakenly give them your information, immediately call your credit card company and cancel the card.

You also want to avoid using websites that you're not familiar with. Since the rise of the internet, fraud has become rampant, and many people have become the victims of identity theft. When you make a purchase at a website, make sure they have security statements. In addition to this, look for a small yellow lock that is closed. It will be located on the bottom right side of the screen. If possible, only carry one credit card at a time. People who carry around multiple cards are likely to lose them. Once you lose your card, the chances of you becoming a victim of fraud dramatically increase.

Always look at your monthly credit card statement to make sure there are no unauthorized charges. If you see something suspicious, immediately call the credit card company. Whenever you close an account, immediately cut up the cards before discarding them. When you get a charge receipt from the store, make sure you shred it prior to throwing it away. Doing these things will help you avoid becoming the victim of fraud.

Joe Kenny writes for CardGuide.co.uk, offering the latest information on credit cards, visit them today for more best buy credit cards.

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Credit Card Balance Transfers

Competition among credit card companies is fierce. Each company has to devise new ways to attract potential credit card customers, and this is the reason you’re flooded with credit card offers by email, postal mail, and even through television commercials, retail stores, and magazine advertisements. One credit card company will claim to offer the lowest interest rate for the longest period of time, while another offers cash back rewards on the purchases you make using their card. All of the fabulous offers made by credit cards are designed to help the credit card
companies get more business- and not necessarily to help the consumer!

The competition among credit card companies does have its advantages to the average consumer, however! The average person carries a credit card debt of £1,140 spread out on a number of different credit cards, each with their own interest rates.

The competition between credit card companies has caused many to offer 0% balance transfer rates, hoping to take over your existing debt.
Credit card balance transfers are when you take the outstanding balance from one credit card and move it to another credit card in order to save money on the interest you pay each month on your outstanding balance.
Credit card companies often offer 0% interest on balance transfers as an introductory offer, so before you apply for a new card to use to transfer your old balances onto- try to find the card with a 0% interest rate for the longest length of time you can qualify for!

There are some instances when transferring a balance to a new card isn’t your wisest choice.

If you apply for a credit card that offers a 0% introductory rate on balance transfers, and they give you a balance transfer limit that is less than the amount of money you need to transfer, it may not be in your best interest to take that card.

For example, lets assume you have an outstanding balance on your credit card of £2500, and you're currently paying an interest rate of 12.9%.
Assume also that you can only make your minimum payment each month, which is about £55. You decide to find a credit card to transfer this balance to, hoping to pay less interest so that more of your monthly payment is used to reduce your amount owed rather than just pay on the interest each month, and after doing some research, you find a terrific credit card offer that has a 9 month, 0% interest rate on all bance transfers!
You apply, and will probably get accepted- but what happens when you find out your balance transfers are limited to £1000? Now you’ve got to decide whether or not it will be financially beneficial for you to transfer £1000 to the 0% credit card, and keep paying on the £1500 you still owe on the original card of 12.9% interest, or to cancel the new card despite the wonderful balance transfer rate, and keep just one card open!
In this case, you might decide to keep the card you currently have, making sure to pay your monthly payment on time every month to improve your credit history.

After a few months, you can start looking for a credit card with a 0% balance transfer offer again, and see if you are given a card with a higher balance that can accept your current debt.

If you have a good credit history, your chances of receiving a new credit card with the 0% balance transfer that has enough room to transfer your balance is better. This is the ideal situation, as now you have a single credit card that you are not paying any interest on.
Every pound you send is reducing your total amount owed, and you will be able to pay off your debt faster on a credit card with a 0% balance transfer offer.

The best way to pay off this debt is to take the total amount of money you owe divided by the number of months you have the 0% interest rate.
This is the amount you should pay every month in order to pay off your balance without paying interest. If that amount is more than you are able to pay on a monthly basis, pay what you can (as long as it is at least the minimum amount) and just be sure to take into consideration what will happen once your introductory period is over, and if the interest rate is higher than what you find acceptable, simply look for the next credit card company offering a 0% balance transfer rate!

Phil Edwards is a Business analyst in the city of London, freelance writer for several finance magazines and websites and co-owner of Credit Cards Compared, UK Loans and Home DIY

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Credit Card Insurance - What Do They All Do?

Most major credit card issuers now offer their members a variety of different free insurance programs. It is highly recommended that you review the insurance terms of your credit card agreement as in certain circumstances the credit card insurance offered by your card issuer may cover situation beyond those you may originally have thought.

The major credit card insurance programs offered include:

Purchase Protection

If you purchase a product on your credit card that is later damaged, lost or stolen, you should be able to reclaim all or part of the purchase price cost from the insurance policy. Not only is this a useful protection to have if you purchase expensive or fragile products, but can also be a very good additional insurance to any home contents insurance policy you have.

Fraud Protection

Policy covers you should you be the victim of fraudulent use of your card. With the rise of identity theft, and the ever increasing Internet fraud taking place, this policy not only covers the traditional fraud methods but should also cover you for any Internet or telephone fraud.

Stolen Card Protection

Provided you report your card stolen at the first opportunity you have once you have become aware of your card’s theft, this policy should reimburse you for any transactions processed on your card following your last genuine transaction.

Price Protection

Not offered by all card providers, basically this policy will reimburse you the difference between the price you paid for a product and the cheaper price of the same product you later found elsewhere.

Travel Insurance

If you purchase your holiday on your credit card there are two useful beneficial insurances you should check to see if you have. The first is a cancellation policy, which covers you in the event that you need to cancel your holiday between the period of purchasing the holiday and the date of travel.

The second is holiday accident insurance, which should cover you in the event that you have an accident – including emergency accident evacuation - or are killed on holiday. Both of these are very useful to have as they can be a considerable extra on your holiday travel expenses if purchased independently.

Obviously all of the above credit card insurance schemes are subject to time and monetary limitations, so make sure you check these out. Additionally, you should also make sure that any purchases or use of your credit cards outside of the country of issue are also covered by the policy – as, in some cases, they are not.

Joe Kenny writes for CardGuide.co.uk, offering the latest offers on credit cards in the UK, visit them today for their top 10 credit cards.

Visit today: http://www.cardguide.co.uk

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Make Money With Credit Cards

It’s hard to imagine that you earn money with a credit card if you manage your debt correctly, but ever since Egg got the jump on its competitors with the 0% Egg Card on Christmas Day in 2000, you can actually make money with credit cards – balance transfers is how you do it!

Of course, today nearly all of Egg Card’s competitors have had to follow the lead of Egg and not only offer introductory 0% interest rates, but also offer cardholders of other cards 0% interest periods if they agree to transfer their outstanding balances to the new card provider. As a result, if you take advantage of one card’s introductory offer of 0% for the duration of the offer and then transfer the balance to another card provider, and there are a lot of card issuers, you should be able to shuffle your debt management around so as to be able to make money with credit cards – balance transfers can save you a fortune.

Having said that, some credit card issuers have now cottoned on to the fact that holders have become debt management savvy and are transferring their balances around several difference providers to maximise their 0% interest period and have introduced certain counter measures; some of which include:

The Balance Transfer Fee

This is imposed if you transfer your credit card balance to another issuer. Currently balance transfer rates can be as high as 2% of the transfer balance, with a minimum fee of five pounds and a maximum fee of fifty pounds. So, although you won’t pay interest for the introductory period, you’ll have to pay a rather high fee (comparable to the interest you could have been charged) if you then try and transfer to another issuer. As such, watch out for this one before you agree to transfer your balance.

The 0% Offer

Credit card issuers are now murkying the water as to what the 0% applies to. With some card issuers the 0% applies to the balance transfer, but if you use your new card to purchase anything you’ll be charged the standard interest rate on that purchase from Day 1; others charge the standard interest rate from Day 1 on the balance transfer, but 0% on any new purchases during the promotional period; and still others will charge you 0% from Day 1 on both the balance transfer and new purchases made during the promotional period. Obviously, if possible, you really only want to be interested in the third type of promotion if you are serious about making money with credit cards due to your astute balance transfers!

Late Payment

the small print of a number of card issuers now states that if you miss a payment or make a late payment on your credit card you automatically forfeit your promotional rights!

So, to make money with credit cards – balance transfers must be timely and to friendly issuers. Lastly, keep an eye on your balance and repayment dates and if you have not yet managed to repay the balance in full, give yourself a month to get ready from your next 0% interest rate jump!

Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store and offer more information on personal loans and other loan topics available on site.

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