The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

In previous articles, I have discussed travel, cashback, interest-savings, and merchandise rewards programs. These rewards specific cards are geared towards people who are grounded in which type of rewards they would like to earn.

For those who are indecisive or those having different rewards interests at different times of the year, should take an interest in the Chase choosemyrewards program. There are two different flagship cards involved in this program, the Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa and the Chase Flexible Rewards Visa. Both cards offer 0% APR’s for 1 year, and low APR’s thereafter. Statistics show however, that the approval rate for the Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa is higher.

Let’s take a minute to explain the choosemyrewards program. Like any other rewards program, there is a point system for both cards. You receive one point for every dollar spent on purchases with each card. When these points are accumulated, you then have the option of redeeming them for a variety of goods or cash. Here is what distinguishes these two cards from all other programs. At any time, you may login to the choosemyrewards page on the Chase server to elect which type of rewards you would like to receive. Choices include merchandise, restaurant gift certificates, retail gift certificates, travel rewards, and with the Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa up to 5% cashback on purchases.

Many other rewards programs make it very difficult for the consumer to redeem rewards, let alone choose them. Typically, you would have to call up the company, wait on hold to get in touch with the proper customer service representitive, and then listen to them give you your list of options before ultimately processing your decision. With the choosemyrewards program this is not the case. In the mail with your new Chase card, you will receive a login pin number and the web address where you may access your rewards account. After entering your pin number, you may view your points accrued and a list of all rewards options. You may then scroll through the list of options and choose the rewards you would like to receive.

It only gets better. Let’s say you logout of your account after you choose your rewards and realize that maybe you didn’t really want that gift certificate to Home Depot that you signed up for. Instead you’d like a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant. All you have to do is simply log back in and switch your reward redemption. This is a very simple and painless process and gives you, the consumer much more control.

Many people save their points until the end of the year, because they never expire, and redeem their points to give gift certificates as holiday presents. Others take a trip to a warm place during the winter. Others just simply trump in on a cashback award in the form of a check. Whatever your interest are, or if they change, enrolling in the choosemyrewards program will make your rewards management more user-friendly and thus, much easier.

Russ Nauta is the senior writer and consumer credit information investigator for Credit Card Outlet, a leading online credit card information portal since 2004

Credit Card Outlet features instant approval credit cards, rewards cards, balance transfer cards and low APR cards from major issuing banks.

This article may be reprinted with a published link back to http://www.credit-card-outlet.com.

Credit card debt has been an ongoing problem ever since the credit card was created in 1950. People were going into debt at an astounding rate. It wasn’t very long before the people were in so much debt that they couldn’t possibly pay it all back.

The federal government noticed that Americans were in over their heads. So they invented a plan and called it “Credit Counseling”. Credit counseling was created as a means for the average American to find out what steps he could take in order to relieve his debt. The credit counseling companies were supposed to set up a payback plan that would get the average American out of debt within 10-15 years. This plan failed miserably.

Nobody has ever gotten out of debt using a credit counseling plan. In fact, those that joined the plan found themselves in the same amount of debt 10 years later. Credit counseling had failed. So the federal government steps in again.

The federal government paved the way for debt consolidation companies to join the mix. Debt consolidation allows you to take out a loan, using your equity, to join all of your debt into one lump-sum loan with one payment. Sounds great right? WRONG!

Debt consolidation allows you to take out a loan against your equity to pay for a non-equity debt. Sounds great at first, until you miss a payment. Now you’ve lost your house. You used your credit cards to buy non-equity items, and now you’ve lost your equity to pay these things off. You’ve given everything you had to become debt-free, and now you have nothing, but your debt still exists.

The debt problem in America is ongoing to this day, and has gradually gotten worse. It seems that nobody has a way to help. It seems that nobody is able to clear your debt. And now, with the new bankruptcy laws in place, you are in even more trouble trying to become debt-free. So what is the answer?

DEBT SETTLEMENT! You have the option of choosing a debt settlement company to settle your debts for you. This option provides debt relief like no other program can. Instead of paying 100% of your debt total and running the risk of losing your equity, you can now pay about half that amount and not have to worry about the difference.

Credit card companies are very aware of the debt problem in America. They know that nobody is able to pay back these debt accounts. They also realize that if they don’t collect any money, then they will go broke. They need to be able to collect payments to stay in business. With the debt problem being so big, they have to take a few cuts in order to help resolve the problem.

Debt settlement companies settle your unsecured debt (credit card debt) for a fraction of the total debt amount. For example, if you owe $20,000 to a creditor, then a debt settlement company will offer $10,000 to pay that debt off without owing the other $10,000.

Credit card companies are reluctant to take this type of offer if they think that they can collect the whole amount. They use “scare tactics” to try to get consumers to pay in full. They will threaten to take your house, your car, your kids, and garnish your wages. These are all smoke and mirror threats, but they don’t want you to know that.

A debt settlement company intervenes and works directly with the creditors, taking the calls for you. They are not scared by these tactics, and they know how to respond to them. That is how they are able to settle your debt for a fraction of the debt amount.

If you need to contact a debt settlement company that will fight for your right to become debt-free, then see www.superiordebtrelief.com for more information.

Credit cards can be a blessing or a curse. Here are some tips to help you keep your credit cards under control.

Check your statement carefully each month for errors and possible fraud. Identity theft is common and you only have 60 days to report in writing any disputed charges. As soon as you notice an error, immediately call the issuer’s 800 number reporting your claim and send a letter “certified mail/return receipt requested” confirming your phone conversation.

Resist offers for too many cards and higher credit limits. This can work against you when applying for a bank loan, since lenders look not only at your outstanding debt but also at your available credit.

If you’re carrying a large balance on several cards, consolidate the total debt onto the card with the lowest interest rate. Use the higher rate card for purchases you intend to pay off each month. Just be sure not to run up new debt on this high interest card.

Always pay as much as you can on your debt each month. Credit card companies suggest a minimum payment because that’s how they make their money. Some companies’ minimums are even less than monthly interest due. By paying only the suggested minimum, a $3,000 debt could take as long as thirty years to pay off and cost you thousands of dollars in interest payments.

If you’re a good customer, credit card companies want your business and, therefore, are open to negotiation. If you pay in full each month, ask them to waive the annual fee. If you carry a balance and pay on time, ask for a lower interest rate. If you’re offered a card with a truly better deal, ask your present issuer to match the competitive offer. If they’re not willing to negotiate, cancel and switch to the lower interest card.

Of course, the best thing you can do is to get credit cards with no annual fee and pay off the total balance on time every month. That’s when credit cards become a real blessing.

Katie Byrd will take you by the hand and teach you the skills she’s used to journey from a financially strapped, bad credit nightmare to debt free abundant living. To find out more visit: http://abundanceandwealth.bellaonline.com

You may think it somewhat overstated but the truth is that most people who end up defaulting and ruining their credit score for many years start by missing payments and paying late. Fees pill up, interest rates grow and before you know you can’t even pay the minimum. Believe me when I say, if action is not taken, that’s the beginning of the end.

The advice would be then: Avoid paying late and NEVER miss a payment. If your financial situation is complicated you may find the following guidelines useful to avoid penalties and bad notes on your credit report that may compromise your ability to get finance in the future:

Don’t just pay, pay in time and form

Lawyers have a saying “he who pays wrong, pays twice”. Pay before payment is due, if possible a week before or more. Otherwise, if something comes up you won’t have enough time to solve it and you’ll get penalized. What you may think justifies your late payment surely doesn’t make it for the credit card issuer. Within your credit card bill you’ll find all the instructions regarding payment. Follow them accurately; pay where you are supposed to pay, how you are supposed to pay and when you are supposed to pay.

Can’t pay full? Always pay the minimum!

If you don’t have money to pay the whole balance, don’t worry. But you should always pay the minimum. In fact even if you’ll be able to pay more in a week or two, pay the minimum amount required first. You can always add up to it by sending additional payments. As soon as your credit card bill arrives you should have the minimum set aside and you should pay it immediately. Once you are sure you won’t be charged a late fee, you can always consider paying a higher amount. But you’ll rest assured that no additional fees will be added to your next bill.

Skip-a-payment services

Make sure your credit card issuer offers this service. A Skip a payment service let’s you request a waiver on your payment that month when something unexpected happens and you can’t pay on time or in full. Use this service wisely as it usually can be used only once a year. So make sure the current situation is really an emergency and you have no other means to solve your problem. Obviously this service has a cost and you’ll have to pay it the following month so ensure that the fee for such a service is not larger than the amount you’ll be saving for not paying late fees.

Change your due date

Finally, if your credit card bill arrives at a time on the month you don’t have enough money to cover it and the due date is just too close to your payment date, just contact your credit card issuer and ask them to move the due date to a more comfortable day on the month so you can be sure you’ll have time to arrange payment if there is any problem.

Anyone who has monitored their credit report in the past will be aware of the difference that can be on each credit bureaus credit report versus FICO. They may even have the exact same information on all three credit bureaus credit report and have a wide range of credit scores. Now the three credit reporting agencies have announced their joint efforts to release the highly anticipated Vantage Score. Why highly anticipated? The small amount of information that has been released so far about this new credit score has many wondering how reliable of a score this will be. The traditionally accepted FICO score, used by most lenders when considering credit application of all types, has a credit score range of 500-850. The new Vantage Score will have a credit score range between 501-990 and have a letter grade attached to it ranging from and “A” to an “F”.

Many worry that this new letter value assigned to our credit reports may lead to the consumer getting less the acceptable rates on their loans. This letter system ranges in 100 point differences between each letter. (ie. “A” = 901-990, “B” = 801-900 etc. ) This seems like a huge range to be basing a credit application on. Typically in the past when you are given a FICO score, creditors see the score and base the loan rate on that. For example, many lenders will give you a great rate if your FICO score is 720 or above, if you had a credit score of 718, you may still get the great rate. Now if we are only approved of denied on a letter grade, there is little room for interpretation.

The three Credit Bureaus claim the development of the Vantage Score was because of societal demands for competition to the FICO score. FICO derives its score on information provided by the three Credit Bureaus, and has assured the public that it will be able to maintain its credit rating system and its partnership with the three credit bureaus. The real question, “Do we really need another credit report that we will be forced to monitor for misinformation, errors and identity theft?”

Recent studies have shown that nearly 70% of credit reports carry some type of error on them. Perhaps the three Credit Bureaus should be focusing more on providing accurate credit information on their credit reports instead of trying to take on FICO, a credit rating system that has become an accepted staple in financial lending.

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You may want to consider checking what’s on your credit report at least once a year. That’s right at least once a year get a copy of all three of your credit reports. You’ll want to know what each credit bureau (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) have listed on your reports.

You don’t want any surprises when you apply for credit or seek new employment. So, as a general rule it’s a good idea to get copies of your reports at least once a year! You will also be able to find out whether or not someone has ordered credit in your name without your authorization. Here are some tips and information which may assist you in your quest to get your credit reports:

1) How do I go about contacting the credit report bureaus? You contact the bureaus either in writing or via the internet with the following information: TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA. 19022,800-888-4213,www.transunion.com; Equifax, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA. 30374, 877-784-2528 ,www.equifax.com; Experian, P.O. Box 2104, Allen, TX. 75013, 888-397-3742 ,www.experian.com.

2) Can I get a free copy of my credit report? Yes. You can receive a free report on an annual basis at no cost at annualcreditreport.com. You can also secure free copies of your credit reports directly from each credit bureau.

3) Should I get a copy of my FICO score? Yes, this would be a good idea to find out where you stand in reference to your credit score. As you may be aware, your credit score is used in determining whether or not you will qualify for credit you have applied for and the interest rate you will receive. The higher your credit score the better chances you have of getting a lower interest rate and approval of your credit.

4) How can I improve my credit and credit score? By paying your bills on time and paying your credit card balance in full if at all possible. Make sure you stay current with paying your bills. This will assist in improving your credit overall.

5) If I see an error on my credit report, how do I go about fixing the problem? Contact the credit bureau directly concerning the error on your report in writing and request that the error be corrected. You may want to also contact the creditor directly that is reporting the negative information listed on your report and get them to correct the error. You will also want the creditor to provide you with a written confirmation of them correcting the error to your credit report. The credit bureau has thirty days to respond to your request about erroneous information listed on your credit report.

6) Should I consider hiring a credit repair company to fix my credit? No. This is not a good idea! The only one able to fix your credit problem is you. Some credit repair agencies charge several hundred dollars in fees claiming they can repair your credit. Some of these agencies even offer you a new social security number to establish new credit. This is absolutely illegal, you do not want to be a party to this scam at all! It’s best that you fix your own credit the right way by doing the following: contact the credit bureaus about any errors or discrepancies you have on your credit report; contact the creditor directly about errors listed by them on your report; pay your bills on time; and, try to pay off your credit balances as soon as you can.

Ordering a copy of your credit reports is a good idea! The sooner you start this annual practice of getting your credit report the better off you will be. This will give you a better peace of mind and will hopefully eliminate surprises when you go to apply for employment and future credit for the purchase of a home, vehicle, or whatever else you would like to purchase.

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Protect your good credit –Your divorce does not releive you from any joint credit card debt you may have had while you wer married. You are responsible for joint accounts from any credit card s you may have along with car loans and home mortgages. Even if a divorce judge orders your ex spouse to pay a certain credit card bill, you are still legally responsible for making sure that this bill is being paid. If not your credit can be ruined.

The bank, credit card issuer, mortgage company or other credit lending buinesses that you have credit with also has the legal right to report any negative information to a credit bureau if your ex pays late on a joint account that you may have. If your ex decide that he or she does not want to pay the bill at all you will probally have to pay or action can be taken to get the debt paid off.

Until you can seperate your accounts you can not afford to miss a payment on your bills to avoid reporting to the credit bureaus. Send in at least the minimum payments due on all joint bills until they can be seperated. One missed payment can have a negative effect on your credit report at times up to 7 years. Do not try to run up the debts, play by the rules and make all payments with at least the minimum due.

If you’ve recently been through a divorce - or are contemplating one - you may want to look closely at issues involving credit. Understanding the different kinds of credit accounts opened during a marriage may help illuminate the potential benefits and pitfalls of each.

If you’re considering divorce or separation, pay special attention to the status of all the credit accounts that you may have. If you maintain joint accounts during this time, it’s important to make regular payments so your credit will not suffer from the divorce. As long as there’s an outstanding balance on a joint account, you and your spouse are still responsible for this payment.

If you divorce, you may want to close joint accounts or accounts in which your former spouse was an authorized user. Or ask the creditor to convert these accounts to individual accounts.

The easiest way to find out what kind of debts you and your spouse owe is to get a credit report. Credit reports are a little like the weather. Everybody talks about them, but only three companies really do anything to produce them:

Equifax. Equifax Credit Information Services, Wildwood Plaza, Suite 500, Marietta, GA 30067. 800-685-1111.
Experian (formerly TRW). Consumer Assistance Center, P.O. Box 749029, Dallas, TX 75374. 800-392-1122.
Trans Union. 760 Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064. 800 916-8800.

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If you listen to the experts, they’ll tell you that a low, fixed-rate card is better than a variable rate credit card that starts low and then slowly creeps up its interest rate every year. The difference is that fixed rate credit cards tend not to have jumpy rates as much. And if a card company does decide to raise a fixed rate card, they have to tell you first. With a variable rate card, the rates do tend to move a lot, and the credit card company does not have to warn you when they do.

Right now, you’re probably waiting for one thing—how you can get your hands on one of those prime fixed rate credit cards! It’s one thing to understand how much better an idea they are, but it’s a whole better thing to actually have one in your wallet. But hold your horses. There are some other factors that you need to consider before you jump on the fixed rate bandwagon.

First, think hard and honest about how you use your credit cards. Do you keep debt on them one month to the next, or do you tend to pay off the entire balance every month? And remember, we said be honest. Because if you lie to yourself—and say you’ll pay off your payments every month, and then don’t—you could end up with a very bad credit situation, whether you’re interest rate started low or not.

Plus, don’t just jump into a fixed rate card because that flyer in the mail said it was great. Credit card agreements are very complicated things. They can include, in the very fine print, pretty stiff penalties if you are late on one payment, for instance, or go over your balance once. In that case, they could jack up your low rate, and turn your card from fixed rate to variable, just like that. So before you agree to anything, speak with a person at the credit card company and get all the facts about the card.

A big detail that you should ask about on your new cards, especially the ones with low starting interest rates, is: when does that great interest rate expire. Even you act squeaky clean with your card, never make a late payment, and never go over your balance, chances are, that low interest rate, whether fixed or variable, will jump up after a set amount of time, say like six months. It’s important to know that, because another card may give you the low introductory interest rate for 18 months.

Joshua Shapiro recommends Find Credit Cards to find the right low interest credit card offer for you.

Are you thinking of buying a house? Do you want to buy a new car to replace that old wreck? Trying to get insurance on you home, auto, or life? In each of these situations, what’s on your credit report will determine if you can get a loan or insurance and what rates you’ll have to pay.

If you’re trying to build or repair your credit history, you have a daunting but not impossible task in front of you. Lots of people have been where you are and today they have good credit. With time, discipline, hard work, and by taking the proper steps, you’ll be able to build a good credit history too.

To build or rebuild your credit history you need to take certain steps:

Develop a budget and live by it. Whether your building credit for the first time or rebuilding credit, you need to know how much money you have coming in each month and how you’re spending it.

Start by listing your income from all sources. Next list all fixed expenses (rent, mortgage, car payments…). Finally list all of your variable expenses (entertainment, recreation, clothing…) no matter how small they are. Writing down and tracking your expenses will help you to understand your spending patterns and you’ll be able to see where you can save money by making lifestyle changes.

Open a checking account and use it responsibly. Lenders want to know that you have a relationship with a financial institution and that you have a checking account available to pay your bills. Don’t overdraw your bank account; in addition to possible damaging your credit record, you’ll be charged fees.

Pay your current bills on-time and pay them in full. Paying your bill on-time puts positive information on your credit record. Late payments or missed payments count against you.

Review your credit report annually. Contact Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union to get copies of your credit report. You should get a copy of your credit report from all three reporting agencies because some creditors don’t report to all three agencies. If you’re a member of a credit union, check to see if your credit union offers discounted credit report ordering for its members.

Fix any errors on your credit report. If you find errors on your credit report, contact the credit reporting agency and the creditor (in writing) to get the errors fixed. Check your credit report to make sure that negative information like late payments, delinquencies, liens, and judgments against you have been removed after 7 years; bankruptcies should be removed after ten years.

For more information on how to dispute errors on your credit report, visit the Federal Trade Commission website at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/crdtdis.htm.

Apply for a credit card. If you’re rebuilding your credit history, consider applying for a secured credit card. To get a secured credit card, you’ll need to deposit funds with the credit card issuer and your credit limit is usually equal to the amount you deposit. A secured card can be used the same way as an unsecured card and your timely payments will help to improve your credit history.

Apply for a department store or gasoline card. These cards are usually easier to get than major credit cards and they come with smaller credit limits.

Establish an account at a credit union and take a loan out on it. This is a secured loan. You’ll have to pay interest on the loan, but if your payments are reported to the credit bureaus, the small interest fees will be worth the positive information that is added to your credit record.

Don’t max out your credit cards. Maxing out your credit cards can hurt your credit score. Try not to use more than 30% of the credit you have available to you. Part of your credit score measures the amount of credit that your have available to you and how much you’re using. The more credit you’re using, the more negative impact on your credit score.

If you get into trouble with your credit, get help. Don’t wait until creditors send your accounts to debt collectors. If you can’t make a payment contact the creditor and make arrangements to make the payment. If you feel that you’re over your head in debt get help from a debt counselor.

You can contact Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union at:

Equifax: www.equifax.com/

Experian: www.experian.com/

Trans Union: www.tuc.com/

About The Author

Drahcir Semaj is a freelance writer. You can contact him at drahcir@drahcirsemaj.com. Or visit his website at http://www.drahcirsemaj.com

Many credit card holders aspire for a higher credit card limit. The obvious reason for this is that a higher credit card limit enables the purchase of otherwise unaffordable merchandise.

First and foremost, credit card holders need to remember that to get a higher credit card limit, they must abide by the terms and conditions of the credit card company or bank.

Below are 7 other ways to get a higher credit card limit.

• The most important thing to do for getting a higher credit card limit is to prove your credit worthiness. This is the first thing that banks and companies look for when giving a higher credit limit.

• Attract positive attention from the credit card company or bank by paying finance charges once in a while. Obviously, this is not advisable on a repeating basis and should only be used as a last resort to increase your chances of getting a higher credit limit.

Proving to credit card companies and banks that you are good “borrower” can be a convincing way to get a higher credit limit. But be careful because this strategy also means that you will be paying finance charges which can accumulate in a hurry.

And always remember, a higher credit card limit means greater purchasing power, but it also increases the risk of your having to pay greater interest charges and other processing and late fees.

• Always spend within your credit card limit because doing so means that you are capable of controlling your expenses.

• Use your credit cards regularly. Don’t keep your cards for emergency use only. If you use your credit cards sparingly, banks and credit card companies will be unable to understand your spending and pay-back behavior. Under these circumstances, most banks and credit card companies will be reluctant to give you a higher credit card limit.

• Never make minimum payments. Instead, try to pay for the entire outstanding amount. This will usually give you a better chance of getting a higher credit card limit.

• Avoid late payments as much as possible. Not only will your increase payment increase, but you may also have to pay an additional fine for not clearing bills on time. This will also dim your chances of getting a higher credit card limit.

• The best and simplest strategy for getting a higher credit card limit is to use your credit card wisely. Always keep in mind that credit card companies keep a record of your transactions and payment patterns, so always pay on-time.

The bottom line is that your performance in the records of banks and credit card companies will determine whether you’ll get a higher credit card limit or not.

Article supplied by Baymaster.
For a complete and extensive guide to credit cards, please visit our web site at www.baymaster.co.uk/creditcards