Monday, October 27, 2008

5 Reasons To Apply For A Credit Card

By Matt Dunigan Bob White

Credit cards are great for establishing credit. They are flexible and can be used to pay for items and services that you may buy online or by telephone. They are also useful if you need to access cash in another country. A credit card is not 'found money,' nor is it income. If you use your credit, you have a contractual obligation to pay it back. A credit card is almost a necessity for transacting business online or securing reservations. It provides an efficient way to obtain credit through a bank or financial institution.

Under the Act, open-end credit accounts such as credit cards are governed by a strict set of federally mandated dispute settlement procedures. Disputes regarding fraudulent credit card charges, unexplained transactions, and charges for goods and services you didn't accept or weren't delivered as agreed are all covered. With interest rates having increased twice this year, it is worth customers making sure their credit cards are not costing more than they need to.

Interest rates can be fixed or "variable rate"-the APR may change from time to time. The rate may be tied to another interest rate, such as the prime rate or the Treasury bill rate. Some secured credit cards are only partially secured. The customer my be required to put an amount as security deposit and the credit card issuer provides a credit limit that may be two or three times the amount of the deposit

Today there is less cash in the average consumers pocket, and more plastic than ever before. Most credit cards are the same shape and size, as specified by the ISO 7810 standard. The most common credit card size, known as ID-1, is 85.60. Citibank credit cards are some of the most popular credit cards in the world today.

Credit cards are also provide convenience, flexibility and the means to shop online. To maximize the benefits that credit cards can offer you, get as much information as you can. Visa is the number one credit card used by people around the world, and they offer exceptional convenience and reliability. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries, as well as at Internet merchants.

Many secured credit cards are only partially secured. The cardholder usually pays a certain amount of money and the credit card issuer provides a credit limit that may be two or three times the amount of the deposit. Nearly 700 million general-purpose credit cards are now in circulation in the U.S., according to the Nilson Report. The average American now has more than five credit cards, according to Celent Inc., a Boston-based research and consulting firm.

To obtain American Express Card or Diner's Club Card you must meet their qualification criteria. They Will need to verify your salary or income. Most of them have cut-off points below which they will not grant their cards. They will look at how long you have been at your current Job as well how long you have lived at your current address. Stability of your occupation-do people In your field get laid off quite often-are some of the criteria they use.

If a credit card is owned, for a small fee the service will advance the cash needed. If none is available, this service will arrange for a credit card to be obtained and then advance the cash from the card. The best thing of all about a credit card is the free credit you get for about two months after buying something. In fact, I enjoy buying with a credit card and knowing that the person on the receiving end has to wait two months for his money and has to pay my transaction costs as well. - 15485

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