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Credit Card Good Deal

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Charity credit cards have become increasingly popular over recent years, as people seek to support their favourite charities at seemingly no extra cost to themselves. When you take out one of these cards, a one-off donation of a few dollars is made by the card issuer to the charity linked to the card, followed up by a small percentage of everything you spend, again donated by the card company rather than the cardholder.

Cards are available covering a huge range of charitable organisations, from local to national and even international, and there is almost certain to be one that supports an area of concern to you.

All this sounds like a good deal for everyone involved, but is the picture as simple as that? The first drawback to a charity card is that the interest rates, balance transfer offers, and other deals are rarely as generous to the cardholder as those featured by other cards that compete under being a 'best buy' card. This may be a price you feel worth paying for the benefit the charity will receive, but you might in fact be better getting a cheaper card and donating the money you save to your charity directly.

Even putting aside the issue of higher interest charges, charity cards have another drawback - the percentage of what you spend that is donated is usually tiny, with 0.25% being a typical figure. Compare this to a typical cashback card which will pay between 1% and 2% of your spending, and it's easy to see that the card issuer may not be acting as generously as it appears. Again, by donating your saved up cashback directly to your chosen charity you might have a larger impact.

The other point to bear in mind is that the money charities get from the credit card companies isn't classed as tax-free, unlike direct donations, making it even less valuable.

So are charity cards a waste of time? In terms of actual sums donated they might seem so, but there are advantages to the charity concerned above and beyond the simple percentage donations. Firstly, by using your card you're helping to publicise the charity you're interested in, just by the simple act of handing it over to counter assistants, waiters and the like, who will notice an unusual card, as will your friends and colleagues.

Secondly, the charity is guaranteed that the donations will be made, however small. If you save up your cashback with the intention of donating it, there's always the chance that when you actually get the money you may have another pressing use for it, and the charity misses out.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the huge marketing muscle and advertising resources of the card issuer are put towards publicising the card and the charity, at least to some extent. This means that more people will probably end up donating in total, even if the individual figures are smaller, and the charity gets more exposure in general.

So in summary, while charity cards may not be the most effective way to donate to charity, and they certainly aren't among the most attractive cards on the market financially, they can still be a worthwhile option if you find a card supporting a charity you have an interest in helping.

Credit Card Good Deal

Ask around and you'll find lots of people that spend a lot of their time looking for good deals. And, face it, good deals can be found everywhere: yard sales, wholesale warehouses, flea markets,... and of course at online auctions. eBay is the biggest and most popular online auction site: as millions of auctions are constantly going on, you'll most certainly find the stuff you want. But, question is, can you get it for a reasonable price? Certainly you do. If you're lucky ... and smart!

To make sure you're getting a good deal on eBay, it's important you do a little research before you start placing bids.

Step 1: Get as much information about the item as you can

Read the auction, every word of it. This way you minimize the risk on disappointment later. What is the seller telling you about authenticity, about guarantee, and of course, about the condition of the item? Remember to also read between the lines: maybe the seller left something out on purpose. It's very important to get as much information as you can, before you place a bid. Do you want to know more about an item than what you're told, do not hesitate to ask the seller. eBay provided an 'ask the seller a question'-link in the right menu of every auction page.

Step 2: Pay attention to shipping details and return policy

Underneath the description of an item, sellers (usually) add shipping details. Read them carefully. Check out how long it will take for the seller to ship your item after your payment has cleared. You don't want your present to arrive 2 weeks after your mother's birthday! Even more important, is the information about the shipping costs. For most items, the buyer pays for them, so you need to watch out for sellers that try to charge you more than the actual shipping and handling costs are. This to avoid paying a fortune for an item that was a good deal on itself.

Step 3: payment details

Find out which payment methods the seller accepts. Does he want you to pay by bank transfer, cheque, credit card, ...? Mostly, payments through PayPal are preferred. PayPal is an eBay company that enables people to send and receive online payments safely, easily and quickly.

Step 4: check prices

Before you place a bid, surf the web looking for prices available from online and offline sources. You wouldn't be the first to find out afterwards you would have paid almost half if you had gone to the shop around the corner....

Step 5: get to know the seller

Learn more about the seller. Every eBay member has a profile in the Feedback Forum. This profile has basic information about the member and a list of feedback left by their trading partners from previous transactions. To see a member's full feedback profile, click the number in parentheses next to their User ID. Be sure to take a good look at it. Unfortunately, there are numerous of dishonest people out there! You can find out a lot about the trustworthiness of a seller by reading what their past customers or sellers have to say!

Following these guidelines, you definitely optimize your chances on finding a good deal on eBay. In fact, these same steps will also help you to protect yourself. Online auctions are a lot of fun, but you need to stay alert. To avoid becoming a victim of online fraud, you better do your bit of research before you place any bids.

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Both Michael D. Strauss & Mieke Janssens are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Michael D. Strauss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, A Secured Loan and Finances. Michael writes for review site Card Sense, which has sections on. Michael D. Strauss's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.

Mieke Janssens has sinced written about articles on various topics from Blogging, Credit Cards and Writing. Mieke Janssens is the webmaster of LookieLookies Retro Webshop - Get The Complete eBay Package now:. Mieke Janssens's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.

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