Financial Planning Week & Credit Cards

ccIn the UK there is a Financial Planning Week. This week is often a discussion about financial situations, what can be done to change current status, and much more. This year the Institute of Financial Planning is going to discuss credit cards. The idea is to look at what credit card tips are being offered to consumers in the last year. They want to ensure that the credit card consumer is getting the right advice. The week is between September 7th and 13th.

This means Britons are going to be able to look at their financial positions and seek advice during the week. Credit cards and the comparison of credit cards are expected to be the main topic of discussion. For example people with high interest credit cards may be seeking ways to reduce this rate or at least make better payments to the company. The week for financial planning is expected to point consumers towards the zero percent purchase and balance transfer cards. The credit card lenders may see an influx in the next few months of credit card applications based on the tips these consumers get in September. Consumers with credit cards should seek the appropriate advice regarding their debts to help lower them quicker.

Choosing a Student Credit Card

card6Which card is right for you and your son or daughter with so many choices out there? First look for one that has a long promotional rate and the promotional APR periods. Zero percent for a period of six months is an introductory rate you may see and these rates should be paid off before the six months is up. Certainly avoid the offering of a free gift attached to any card. Although it might seem a nice gesture, it is a bribe to get you to apply. A card that has been issued from a nationally recognized bank will allow you established credit faster.  A card that offers a rewards program could possibly give you cash back or an amount of credit towards purchases of selected merchandise. A student credit card can be a real lifesaver for emergencies, just be smart with your spending and don’t get yourself into a hole that will be hard to get out of. Be sure to spend some time doing your research before deciding which student credit cards offers the best rewards and rates.

Best of the Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards

balance-transferBalance transfer is basically a credit card feature that would allow the transfer of a debt from one card to another. If a customer transfers his loan from card A to card B, card B will pay-off card A of the customers loan. Card B will now carry the loan and give the customer a better interest rate and a longer payment period. Otherwise, what is the point of transferring.

When looking for a new credit card for purposes of balance transfer, it would be best to first spell out important details before the customer can start comparing the available credit cards online. The most significant thing he needs to know for sure is how long it will take for him to fully pay his loan balance. Another thing to consider is the amount of the loan to be transferred, whether huge, mediocre or just a small amount. These details are vital to the customer’s credit cards preference because with these, he would be able to compute the actual savings he would get, depending on the type of feature available. After doing the math, the consumer would now know the card that would give him the most savings.

The main balance transfer features offered by various credit cards are the 0% interest balance transfer, 0% balance transfer or fee-free balance transfer, and the lifetime balance transfer coupled with low annual percentage rate (APR). Some credit cards offer only one of these features while other cards offer two or more of these features in one card. It will be entirely up to the consumer to make sure he chooses the best of the best among all available credit cards that offer the balance transfer feature.

To help the viewer with his choice, hereunder are some of what is considered to be the best balance transfer credit cards in the UK market. Virgin Money credit card offers 0% on balance transfer for 16 months. It however comes with a 2.98% transfer fee and a 15.9%APR. It even has an extra incentive of 0% on purchases for the first 3 months and reward points for Virgin Members.

To help the viewer with his choice, hereunder are some of what is considered to be the best balance transfer credit cards in the UK market. Virgin Money credit card offers 0% on balance transfer for 16 months. It however comes with a 2.98% transfer fee and a 15.9% APR. It even has an extra incentive of 0% on purchases for the first 3 months and reward points for Virgin Members. Barclaycard Platinum offers 0% interest on balance transfers from application to Novemebr 1, 2009. Its fee is 2.9% and its APR is 14.9%. It also gives 0% interest on purchases for the first three months. Another good balance transfer card is the Barclaycard OnePulse which offers 0% on balance transfers for 14 months and charges a transfer fee of 2.9% and an APR of 14.9%. Like the first two credit cards, this one also gives extra 0% interest on all purchases for the first three months.

How To Avoid Credit Card Fraud

creditcards3Every year, credit card fraud is on the rise and you must know how to protect yourself. Can you imagine that every year, the global economy loses billions of dollars from frauds commited against the finance industry? You must protect your credit cards because if you become a victim the financial and psychological impact of the incident is tremendous. When you are buying anything from a shop, always be careful that the cashier never goes out of your sight with the card. If you want to withdraw cash from your credit card from the ATM, please be sure that nobody gets any idea of your Personal Identification Number (PIN).

A very common method of making credit card fraud is to get an insight into people’s bank statement and credit card statements and make a duplicate card from that after getting the details. So use a proper shredder and destroy all those statements.

While shopping online, never use your credit card details in a computer which can be shared with others. The best and safest way to shop online is go through the PayPal account and link your credit card to that account. If you get any unusual transactions in your statement, immediately report to the bank.