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[C1253]Credit Cards With Bad Credit

by Anthony Harris, Ant

If you have less than perfect credit, you may have seen ads promising you a credit card regardless of your credit history or job status. Most of these ads are actually for a secured credit card, which can be a great way to rebuild your credit. Your credit may need rebuilding if you have a history of unpaid credit card bills, bankruptcy, repossession, or divorce. However, you need to be aware that there are scams out there promising a credit card for people with bad credit but not delivering.

A Secured Credit Card

Many people do not know the difference between a secured credit card and an unsecured card. The main difference lies in where the money comes from when you make purchases. An unsecured credit card is the standard card issued by most lenders. You borrow money to pay for your products and services and then you are allowed to pay the lender back with interest via credit card bills. A secured credit card for people with bad credit requires an initial deposit to set you. You deposit anywhere from two hundred to two thousand dollars into an account before making any purchases. What you buy is paid for using the money in your account. So you have control of your credit limit with how much cash you put up front.

Unfortunately, in order to open an account for a secured credit card you must have the hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, it takes to secure the credit. This up-front cost makes it a prohibitive credit card for people with bad credit, who are usually on a very strict budget as their debt takes up most of their extra income. Along with the initial deposit, you might have to pay application or set-up fees, and you could be charged a fee when you make future deposits to your account in order to raise your credit limit. These fees show up on your credit card bills.

Credit Card Scams

There are legitimate promotions for a secured credit card out there and you may find several on the internet if you search reputable banking institutions for their offers. However, some companies try to lure consumers into calling a false number. The phone number listed in the ad is not toll- free, but is a 900 number that you will be billed for using. The scammers might lead you to believe that you can get the secured credit card as soon as you call the listed number. In these false ads, there is usually no mention of set-up fees, initial deposit amounts, eligibility requirements, or credit card bills, which will be larger than normal due to annual fees and high interest.

How To Spot A Scam

If someone offers you easy credit with no qualifications to get a credit card, this person or company is probably not telling you the whole truth. Any reputable lender must check your credit report before offering you a line of credit. This precaution is especially true when providing a credit card for people with bad credit. Also beware of calling 900 numbers. These numbers are not set up to provide you with a service. They are set up to make the company a profit and your phone bill could show a charge up to $50 for a few minutes.

First of all, decide what kind of credit card you would like to have. An unsecured card is more difficult to acquire than a secured credit card. Once you have decided what kind of card you are seeking, I would first try to get a second job for a few hours a week to boost your take home pay. Credit card companies want to know your debt to income ratio before they will issue a credit card to you. The higher the take home pay, the more free cash you have, and the less likely you are to default in the eyes of an underwriter.

If you find that your extra take home pay is not enough, then you can open a savings or checking account at a bank. Take as much extra money as you can spare from each paycheck and put it into the account and let it accumulate. Next, ask the bank what the minimum deposit required would be to open a Certificate of Deposit. If it is low enough, say $250 or $500, move your cash from your bank account to the CD.

Next, ask the bank if you can have a loan in the amount of the CD and pledge the CD as collateral for the loan. Your bank won't refuse this; they have the CD if you default. Begin paying on the loan and pay ahead of schedule; pay off the loan early. Now, ask your bank for another loan of $500, but without the CD as collateral.

If they will not grant the loan, you can call a credit card company at this point and ask for an unsecured credit card. If they still won't give you credit, you can take the money out of the bank account and send it to open a secured credit card. Secured credit cards will want to see that you can send some money to open the credit card before they put any of their credit in.

As you make timely payments on the secured credit card, you are issued more and more credit. You can either keep the credit card at this point and gradually up the limit to your liking, or you can call for an unsecured credit card showing that you have made timely payments on your secured credit card.

Article Source : Credit Cards For Bad Credit Uk

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Both Anthony Harris & Michael D. Strauss 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.

Anthony Harris has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards. . Anthony Harris's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.

Michael D. Strauss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, A Secured Loan and Finances. Michael writes on , with advice on mainstream offerings and. Michael D. Strauss's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.