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| 12 Credit Card Secrets |
| 1. INTEREST BACKDATING |
Most card issuers charge interest from the day
a charge is posted to your account if you don't pay in full
monthly. But, some charge interest from the date of purchase,
days before they have even paid the store on your behalf!
REMEDY: Find another card issuer,
or always pay your bill in full by the due date.
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| 2. TWO-CYCLE BILLING |
Issuers which use this method of calculating
interest, charge two months worth of interest for the first
month you failed to pay off your total balance in full. This
issue arises only when you switch from paying in full to carrying
a balance from month to month.
REMEDY: Switch issuers or always
pay your balance in full.
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| 3. THE RIGHT TO SETOFF |
If you have money on deposit at a bank, and
also have your credit card there, you may have signed an agreement
when you opened the deposit account which permits the bank to
take those funds if you become delinquent on your credit card.
REMEDY: Bank at separate institutions,
or avoid delinquencies.
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| 4. FEES ARE NEGOTIABLE |
You may be paying up to $50 a year or more as
an annual fee on your credit card. You may also be subject to
finance charges of over 18% when you switch from paying in full
to carrying a balance from month to month.
REMEDY: If you are a good customer,
the bank may be willing to drop the annual fee, and reduce the
interest rate -- you only have to ask! Otherwise, you can switch
issuers to a lower- priced card.
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| 5. INTEREST RATE HIKES ARE RETROACTIVE |
If you sign up for a credit card with a low
"teaser" rate, such as 7.9%, when the low rate period
expires, your existing balance will likely be subject to the
regular and substantially higher interest rate.when you switch
from paying in full to carrying a balance from month to month.
REMEDY: Pay in full before the
rate increase or close the account.
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| 6. SHORTENED DUE DATES |
Most card issuers offer a 25 day grace period
in which to pay for new purchases without incurring finance
charges. Some banks have shortened the grace period to 20 days--but
only for customers who pay in full monthly.
REMEDY: Ask to go back to 25
days.
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| 7. ELIMINATING GRACE PERIODS |
That fabulous offer you received in the mail
for a gold card with a $10,000 credit limit, and lots of features
may not be so great. The most common "string" attached is the
card has no grace period. You are charged interest on everything
from the day you buy it, even if you pay on time.
REMEDY: Throw the offer out!
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| 8. DISAPPEARING BENEFITS |
Many banks enticed you to sign up with extra
benefits such as lifetime warranty, a 5% discount on all travel,
or protection if an item purchased is lost. Now, some banks
have cut back on these extras without the fanfare that launched
them.
REMEDY: Read annual disclosure
of changes, and switch cards if need be.
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| 9. DOUBLE FEES ON CASH ADVANCES |
Most credit cards impose both finance charges
and a transaction fee on cash advances. Interest starts from
the day of the advance, and the transaction fee can be up to
2.5% of the amount taken. Beware of cards advertising "no finance
charges." Transaction fees may still apply.
REMEDY: Limit cash advances/
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| 10. FEWER RIGHTS ON DEBIT CARDS |
Some Visa and MasterCards have payments deducted
directly from your checking account (debit cards). Under federal
law, you technically don't have the same right to "charge back"
problem purchases as you do with a conventional credit card.
Also, if the card is lost or stolen, you can have up to unlimited
liability for losses if you don't report the problem within
60 days, which is different from the $50 maximum liability on
credit cards. (Exception: the $50 limit applies to debit cards
as well as to credit cards in Massachusetts.)
REMEDY: Know your card. Is it
a credit cards or debit cards? They can look alike.
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| 11. MISLEADING MONTHLY MINIMUMS |
You may think it is beneficial to have a card
where you only need to pay 2%-3% of your balance monthly. It
is just the opposite. The bank stands to make far more money
from finance charges the longer you carry out payments--and
you foot the bill.
REMEDY: Pay all you can monthly.
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| 12. INTEREST FROM DAY ONE |
When you carry a balance from month to month,
there is no grace period on new purchases on most cards. The
20-25 day grace period where no finance charges accrue does
not apply when you don't pay in full each month.
REMEDY: Find cards that exclude
new purchases when calculating interest.
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