Credit card companies seem willing to give away 'free money' in a way as they offer their card holders the opportunity to possess zero percent interest rate credit cards. Zero percent interest cards means a credit card company has no shot of capitalizing on collecting interest. If a company cannot collect interest from their card holders then how are they making any money? Are these credit card companies just giving away money?!
The answer is a simple and flat, no. Nothing in this world is free and these credit card companies are still making plenty of money. While they are not making as much money off of their staple income of interest, they are still cashing in through finance charges on new purchases and additional fees. This article will show you how to beat these credit card companies at their own game by avoiding huge finance charges by using a second credit card.
Credit card offers with Zero percent...oh really!
So what is with the zero percent credit cards that seem to be overfilling the market today? These credit cards seem great, foolproof in a way but are they really zero percent? The answer is yes and no. Sure, the cards will allow for zero percent on all the balance transfers you have.
Read that again - balance transfers. Not all zero percent cards will give their customers zero percent on new purchases. When shopping for your own card, make sure that it will give you zero percent on all of your new purchases as well as your transferred balances. Don't be a fool and think that every zero percent credit card will give you zero percent on all new purchases because it won't - only some will!
There are a few ways you can counter attack this problem. The first thing you can do is to avoid making purchases on the card after you have made the balance transfer. This one move will ensure that you will never pay a single finance charge on the credit card (until the introductory zero percent periods are up). This can be tough because it will take self discipline on the part of the card holder not to use their card. This can be tough for many people so they may want to look at getting a second credit card.
By getting a second credit card a person is making sure that they do not use the one card that has the zero percent interest rate. The second credit card should be used for everyday purchases. These purchases can be anything that the card holder usually has to buy that they don't want on their new card. A second credit card can also help a person stay on track as far as their finances go. They can work on paying off their zero percent credit cards as time goes while paying their current balance in full on their second, used credit card.
Looking for zero percent card offers
When looking for zero percent credit cards make sure you look for those that have no balance transfer fees or annual fees. These fees will only add to your costs and maybe make a zero percent card more expensive in the long run. Also, look for a credit card that offers the longest zero percentage time as possible. 15 months is a good time period to shoot for.
After you have your new zero percent credit card it is time to set up your repayment plan on your balance. Unless you have a plan in paying your card off it will be almost impossible to pay the balance off for a long time. Some people go as far as consulting a finance company to get the best advice with their own personal situations.
Overall, a zero percent credit card can work out great for most individuals because they allow a person to save up to hundreds of dollars in finance charges, as long as they choose the right card. Zero percent cards can become addictive because they require so little to be paid back quickly, so beware of this! But most of all, happy spending and happy saving!
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