Balance Transfer Credit Cards
5 Tips for Choosing the Best Balance
Transfer Credit Card
If you have a number of credit cards and youd like to
consolidate your payments, a balance transfer credit card can
be the right decision for your finances. Not only are many
balance transfer credit card companies offering lowered or even
zero percent interest rates, but you might even be able to
finally pay down that debt that youve accrued.
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Determine the amount you want to transfer
While most balance transfer credit card companies
are willing to transfer larger balances for those with
a good payment history, for those that do not have
excellent credit, you might find that only small
amounts will be transferred. And while this helps, it
might not reap the rewards that you were expecting.
Talk with the balance transfer credit card before
deciding to sign up for their card to be sure that the
amount you want to transfer will be allowed.
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Find out the restrictions
Most of the time a balance transfer credit card
company will allow you to enjoy a low or zero percent
interest rate when you follow their rules. This means
that you should work to understand their rules before
signing up. You might not be able to purchase anything
on the card for a certain amount of time, or you might
have to purchase something within a certain amount of
time.
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What is your time limit?
While it would be nice if balance transfer credit
card companies could give consumers unlimited time to
enjoy the lower interest rates, this isnt the case.
Find out how long the introductory balance transfer
credit card interest rate is good forthe longer the
better.
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Can you get money back?
Some balance transfer credit card companies also
offer you money back for new purchases on their card.
While you probably wont get that cash back on the
transfer, you can begin to reap rewards for future use.
If you think that you may keep the balance transfer
credit card for a while, this is a good thing to
investigate.
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What is the annual fee?
When youre trying to limit your payments, youll want
to be sure that the balance transfer credit card doesnt
start off with an annual fee as well. Many balance
transfer credit card companies do not make a customer
pay a fee initially, but some might charge the customer
after the initial time period is over.
A balance transfer credit card can help you reduce your
monthly payments and get you on the road to a debt-free life,
but only if the card is working for you and not against you.
Beth Derkowitz recommends Find Credit Cards for finding the
best balance transfer
credit card for you.
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