Credit Information

How To Survive In A Plastic World, Qualifying For Credit Card





Let's face it, having credit is no longer a choice. "Don't leave home without it" is more like "can't buy a home without it." Your credit now determines the neighborhood you live in, the kind of car you drive and, sometimes, even whether or not you get a particular job.

Credit cards are great financial tools and the convenience they provide is beyond question

They are easier to carry than cash and offer valuable consumer protection under federal law.

Establishing A Good Credit History

Suppose you haven't financed a car loan, a computer or some other major purchase. How do you begin to establish credit?

First, consider applying for a credit card issued by a local store and use it responsibly. Ask if they report to a credit bureau, most major department stores do. If they do and if you pay your bills on time you'll establish a good credit history.

Second, consider a secured credit card. A secured credit card requires that you open and maintain a bank account or other asset account at a financial institution as security for your line of credit. Your line of credit will be a percentage of your deposit, typically from 50 to 100 percent. Credit card application and processing fees are not uncommon for secured credit cards. In addition, secured credit cards usually carry higher interest rates than traditional no secured credit cards.

What To Do When You Are Denied A Credit Card

If you're turned down for a credit card, it is important that you ask why. It may be that you haven't been at our current address or job long enough, or that your income doesn't meet the issuer's criteria. As you'll discover, different credit cards companies have different standards. But, if you are turned down by several companies, that may indicate that you are not ready for a credit card.

On the other hand, if you've been denied a credit card because of information supplied by a credit bureau, federal law requires the creditor to give you the name, address and telephone number of the bureau that supplied the information. If you contact that credit bureau within 60 days of receiving the denial, you are entitled to a free copy of your report.

It is extremely important that you dispute any inaccuracy with the credit bureau, but also with the company that furnished the information to the credit bureau. No one is going to make corrections on your behalf.

"Credi-quette" --The Miss Manners Guide To Proper Credit Card Handling

Once you get a card in the mail, sign it immediately so no one else can use it. Note that the accompanying papers have important information, such as customer service telephone numbers in case you have questions or your card is lost or stolen. File this information in a safe place - one that is easy for you to access.

Call the card issuer to activate the card. Most cards come with stickers affixed that give you a telephone number to call. Many issuers require this step to minimize fraud and to give you additional information.

Keep your account information to yourself. Never give out a credit card number or expiration date over the phone unless you know who you're dealing with. A criminal can use this information to steal money from you, or even assume your credit identity.

Keep copies of sales slips and compare charges when your bill arrives. Promptly report in writing any questionable charges to the card issuer.

Don't lend your card to anyone, even a friend. Your credit privileges and history are too precious to risk.

Credit Card Land Mines - Watch Your Step!

While a credit card makes it easy to buy something now and pay for it later, you can lose track of how much you've spent by the time the bill arrives if you're not careful. And if you don't pay your bill in full, you'll probably have to pay finance charges on the unpaid balance. What's more if you continue to charge while carrying an outstanding balance , your debt can snowball.

Before you know it, your minimum payment is only covering the interest. If you start having trouble repaying the debt, you could tarnish your credit report. And that can have a sizable impact on your life. When a negative report makes it more difficult to finance a car or home, get insurance or even get a job, it can be frustrating, embarrassing and downright painful.

Copyright © Credit and You | All Rights Reserved |

To find out additional rights you have as a credit card user, how to get your first credit card, easy steps anyone can take to repair there credit report, the different types of credit cards accounts, and how to find out if your getting the best credit card deal visit http://www.creditandyou.com/creditcards.html it's a free information website!


MORE RESOURCES:

Bloomberg

Citigroup hopes to flood China with credit cards
CBS Moneywatch
Citigroup (C) is set to become the first global bank to issue its own credit cards in China. The financial giant said Monday that Chinese banking regulators have given the company the green light to begin issuing credit cards in the country.
Chinese Nod for Citibank Credit Cards May Signal Market OpeningBusinessWeek
Nod for Citibank's Credit Cards May Signal Chinese Banking Market OpeningBloomberg
Citi gets approval to issue credit card in ChinaBoston.com
CNN -Financial Times
all 122 news articles »


Credit Cards For Kids
San Francisco Chronicle
Should you give your child a credit card? Maybe. Credit cards are an increasingly common payment method in today's world, so the sooner your child learns to manage credit responsibly, the better. Can you teach your child to manage credit responsibly, ...
The 2012 Election & Your Credit CardsCredit.com News (blog)
Geithner: Financial Reform is Helping ConsumersBusiness Insider
US Consumers Paid Down Debt in 2011ACA International

all 4 news articles »


ABC News

Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images.
ABC News
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images. Madonna went over the top with the Super Bowl halftime show as only the Queen of Pop could, doing a sequin and gold-studded medley of some of her greatest hits - "Vogue," "Like a Prayer" - and a couple of her ...

and more »


Credit Builder Loans Can Help Burnish Your Credit Score
New York Times (blog)
By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD If you're one of the many people whose credit took a big hit during the Great Recession, you may be looking for ways to nurse your score back to health. And we've written about a variety of strategies and products, ...
Letter: Selling information is a big businessThe Columbian

all 2 news articles »


Navigant Credit Union Selects Acumen From Fiserv
TheStreet.com (press release)
By Business Wire 02/06/12 - 09:00 AM EST Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions and the largest provider of business-driven technology solutions for credit unions, announced today that Navigant ...

and more »


Banks and Credit Unions: Making the Choice
LoanSafe
He's one of hundreds of thousands of people in recent months who are estimated to have acted on that ire to have made the switch from a bank to a credit union in the wake of November's Bank Transfer Day. But, until now, Fisher said he didn't realize he ...

and more »


Danish Credit Crunch Deepens as Firms Face Vicious Circle
San Francisco Chronicle
6 (Bloomberg) -- Denmark's credit crunch is getting worse as businesses accuse banks of withholding funds and the financial regulator warns that deteriorating asset quality may put more lenders out of business. "When we ask our companies, ...

and more »


ESPN (blog)

Brady: Credit to the Giants
ESPN (blog)
"I'd like to give the Giants a lot of credit," he said. "They certainly made the plays when they needed to. That is a very good football team. They put a lot of pressure on us. We just came up a little bit short. I think we had a couple of missed ...
Izenberg: Giants can credit this Super Bowl crown to their defenseThe Star-Ledger - NJ.com
Quarterbacks get too much credit for Super Bowl winsWashington Observer Reporter
Have We Given the Patriots Offensive Line Enough Credit?WEEI.com
KENS 5 TV -Los Angeles Times -San Jose Mercury News (blog)
all 17,493 news articles »


Credit card rates rise for rewards cards
Fox Business
Despite that, the rate on consumer rewards credit cards rose during the second half of January, pulling overall consumer credit card rates up as well. Even with the other categories remaining stable, when compared with the broader interest rate context ...
If you have any questions about rewards credit cards, please just fire away.USA TODAY (blog)

all 2 news articles »


TAX TIPS: New Tool Available on IRS Website to Help Taxpayers Who Have to ...
Lahontan Valley News
The IRS has a tool to help people who have to repay their First-Time Homebuyer Credit. Reminder letters will no longer be mailed to taxpayers who have to repay the credit but you can now use an online lookup tool on the IRS website – www.irs.gov – to ...
2011 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Benefits Working Families With Up to ...MarketWatch (press release)

all 2 news articles »

Google News

Home | Site Map |
© 2007