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[C1249]Credit Cards Interest Rates

by John Francis Amberden, Joh

I have a wonderful strategy for those of you who have credit card debt on more than one card.

Take out your credit card statements and write down the interest rate and the balance of each. For example, let's say you have three credit cards that have interest/balance as listed.

Card#1 13.9% with a balance of $555.00
Card#2 17.9% with a balance of $486.00
Card#3 19.9% with a balance of $322.00

Note that card #3 carries a higher interest rate than #1 or #2. In fact, Card #3 would cost you more than 40% more in interest dollars over a period of a year if they had the same balance! Do you understand what I am saying here?

The plan to eliminate is easy. Pay the minimum balance due on the lower rate cards (in this case Card#1 and #2) and pay as much as you can afford to pay on Card#3. (For example, you are paying minimum payments of $15.00 on Card#1 and #2 and you can pay $100, $150, $200 … whatever you can afford to pay. Make it hurt a little.

Continue paying this way until Card#3 is paid off. Cut it up and throw it away. You don't want a higher interest card do you?

Now, apply the same strategy to Cards#1 and #2. Card#2 is the next highest rate (actually 25% higher in interest than Card#!). Pay the minimum payment on #1 and pay the same payment you were making for Card#3 plus the minimum payment you were making on Card#2. You have already seen you can get by without the minimum payment. Do it!

Continue until Card#2 is paid off. Now, follow the same routine until Card#1 is paid off.

I promise you will feel good about yourself. You will save money that you didn't even realize you were spending before.

If you have followed this far, realize you can do the same thing with your hoousehold loans such as your mortgage and car loans. Many car loans have higher interest rates and can be paid down much quicker in this manner.

Remember, start with the highest interest rates and when your way down. Good luck!

The most annoying thing about credit cards for bad credit is their high interest rates. However, you are not stuck with a high interest rate for life. Regardless of whether you have store cards, student cards, credit cards for bad credit, or any other kind of credit card that is saddled with an inconveniently high interest rate, there are ways to negotiate better credit card terms.
First, try phoning your credit card company and simply requesting that they lower your interest rate. According to a national survey, when credit card customers called their credit card company, said other companies had offered them lower interest rates, and told their current company that they were going to switch, 56 percent of the time their current company offered them lower rates as an incentive to stay. Credit card companies were willing to reduce their annual interest rates by an average of five to six points, and often offered additional incentives like zero percent interest for six months. One customer with an exorbitant interest rate managed to reduce it by more than half, encouraging news if you have a credit card for bad credit. Customers suffered no penalties if their credit card issuer refused to lower their interest rates. As long as you are polite to the credit card representatives, asking for a reduction in your interest rate is risk free and has an exceptionally high success rate.
The same method can be useful for convincing your credit card company to waive your annual fee. If you want to change your due date or move to a better rewards program, you do not even need to threaten to leave. Just ask politely.
You can improve your credit card terms remarkably even if you originally got your card under terms designed for credit cards for bad credit. You may even be able to get a deal equal to those enjoyed by premium credit cards. This is especially likely if you have had your credit card for a while (two or three years on average; four years or more is ideal), if you have made most of your payments on time for the past year or two, and if you are using a relatively small percentage of your line of credit. Even if you have had a credit card with your issuer for under a year, though, or have made late payments or used much of your line of credit, you may be able to convince your credit card company to improve your terms. A little civil persistence can do wonders for your credit card terms. It cannot hurt to ask.

Article Source : Credit Card Interest Rates

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Both John Francis Amberden & Barry Waters 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.

John Francis Amberden has sinced written about articles on various topics from Car Rental, Auto Insurance and Computers and The Internet. . John Francis Amberden's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.

Barry Waters has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Credit Card Interest Rates and Credit Cards. For more related to , goto lendingtree.com/credit-cards.. Barry Waters's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.