Posts Tagged ‘consolidation’

Do You Want to Get a New Credit Card at a Great Rate

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

1) Do your homework. Applying for and getting approved for a credit card is nothing more than legwork. Credit card contracts can sometimes contain onerous terms that might make you sorry that you signed up for the new card that you did. Read the fine print carefully. If a deal looks to good to be true, it just might be. Credit cards can be a great way to finance your purchases, but make sure it’s not at such an expense that you end up paying for a long time afterward.

2) Read about the APR. The APR stands for “annual percentage rate”. Yes, the APR of a credit card is important no matter what people tell you. A low APR for a credit card is more critical than you think. When you sign up for your new card, you probably are thinking that “hey, all I never miss a payment so who cares what the APR is?” The fact of the matter is, expenses come up. Unexpected expenses that you have to pay for no matter what. If your credit card’s APR is low and when those expenses arise, you will be in a better financial position when you pay it off. You would rather pay off your a credit card’s 4% on $1000 than 15% on $1000. This can make a world of difference.

3) Compare offers. Not all credit card offers are made the same. All credit cards that you see will appear to be physically similar (made out of plastic), but these credit cards can often be worlds apart. Some offer reward points, sky miles, cash back, and bonus dividends, while most offer nothing at all. If you are going to pick a card, make sure you get the most out of it you can. Finding out later that you could have had 50,000 Sky miles when you actually got none can be quite a surprise. Compare offers, compare banks, and get the best credit card deal you can.

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Want to learn about credit cards? Visit http://www.thecreditcardlistings.com today.

16.4% APR $5,000 Auto Loan…HELP!

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

Are you the victim of a high interest rate auto loan? If so, the following email discussion may help you. Read on:

DEAR LoanResources.Net:

I was very impressed with your article entitled “8 Point Checklist, Evaluating Online Lenders.”

I have tried several sources to refinance my auto. I only have 2 more years to pay $245.04 a month. I owe 4,414.00 on the car loan.

This may not seem like a lot of money but I would like a lower interest rate on my car loan which is now $16.4% APR.

I want to still pay it off in 24 months but at a lower rate so that I can use the money saved to help pay off other bills.

In my internet searches, the auto refinance loans required that you borrow more money than I need. I tried to search for unsecured personal loans on your website and they also required that I borrow more money.

I have a very good credit record and I am working to get some of my bills paid off.

Is there anything you can suggest so that I can get a lower rate auto loan for under $5,000? Any assistance will be appreciated.

Thanks. Geraldine W.

DEAR Geraldine:

Sorry I have not gotten back to you sooner. I took a couple weeks off to be with family…Thanks for the compliment on the article!

Anyway, I read your email and I do indeed have a suggestion or two that I’m happy to share.

A COUPLE THINGS INITIALLY:

1. First, you’re paying a very high interest rate at 16.4% APR for an auto loan! I’m going to assume that your statement as to your good credit is accurate. If that’s true, then you do indeed need to fix this.

2. Since you only need $5000, with the intention of paying it off in 2 years or less, I don’t think you should look for a refinance auto loan or a refinance on your home. Indeed, the bank is going to want to loan you much more money, usually at least $25,000. While a refinance or equity loan on your home does offer tax benefits, we’re only talking about interest on $5,000 over the course of 2 years. I have another idea you may not have considered.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED?

Have you considered just putting the balance of your car loan on a credit card that has a lower interest rate?

1. Credit Cards are, indeed, unsecured lines of credit with financial institutions.

2. They are the perfect financial vehicle for a $5,000 transfer of debt, with added flexibility, and you should be able to find an interest rate between 9 to 11%, and better, on average.

3. IN ADDITION! Once approved, the bank will usually give you blank checks for balance transfers (sometimes they’ll just do it for you right over the phone)…,

4. AND GUESS WHAT? The majority of the time, the incentive interest rates on the balance transfers are EXTREMELY low; sometimes zero percent for up to 6 months to a year.

5. IN ADDITION! you can apply for incentive cards that provide rewards for your spending….free airline miles, cash back programs, etc. I use the American Express Blue, and I get cash back of up to 3% on everything I spend. So, for $5,000, 3% cash back, AMEX