In many bad financial situations, a credit card can act as a lifesaver. Do you need to pay for something, but have no cash on you? Not a problem! In this situation, a credit card can be beneficial. Do you want to improve your credit score? A credit card makes it easy to do so. Continue reading for more great tips.
Try to keep at least three open credit card accounts. This helps build up your credit, particularly if you pay your cards in full monthly. However, if you open more than three, it may not look good to a lender when they pull your credit bureau report.
Speak with the credit card company right after you see a charge on your statement that you did not make. If you do so, it will be more likely that the thief is caught. It will also serve to make sure you are not going to be held accountable for any false charges. It usually just takes a brief email or phone call to report fraudulent charges.
Adhere to a smart budget. The limit placed on your card is not a goal to be reached, so you don’t need to spend it to the max. It is important to stay within your budget and do not charge more than you can pay when the bill comes due.
Pay attention to the terms and conditions to be sure that nothing has changed. In today’s age, credit card companies often change their conditions and terms more often than they used to. The most significant changes may be couched in legal terminology. Make sure you read everything so you know what to expect as far as rates and fees are concerned.
Interest Rate
To spend less money, try looking for a lower interest rate. You should be able to negotiate a more beneficial interest rate if you have a reasonably long history of timely payments to your credit card company. You may be able to save money on your interest rates just by picking up the phone and calling your creditors.
Maintain a contact list that includes issuer telephone information and account numbers. Make sure that it is in a separate location from your cards and secure from other people. Having such a list will enable you to take quick action and have all the information handy, when it is needed.
Monthly Salary
Most analysts state that a credit limit should be no greater than 75% of a monthly salary. If your level of debt exceeds your monthly salary, then you need to focus your efforts on paying it down right away. This becomes critical because the interest charges will continue to push your balances higher and higher.
Once you do open a credit card account, aim to keep it open for as long as possible. You don’t want to go to a different account. This should happen only when you really need to. Your credit score benefits from a lengthy, positive account history. Another element to establishing credit is to maintain and keep you credit accounts open and active at all times.
You can ruin your credit score if you have any credit card debt than you cannot afford to pay back. Should this occur, you will have great difficulty when you apply for an apartment, insurance or anything else, including quite possibly a job.
As seen, charge cards have a lot of different uses and opportunities. This includes simple things like paying for products or even paying off bills. Make use of the tips above and learn to use your bank cards wisely.