Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Haggling With Your Creditors




Credit card debt is really a menace and a lot of people are facing it around the globe. Credit card debt consolidation and bank loans are well known as ways of reducing and eliminating credit card debt. In all this confusion, credit card debt negotiation almost gets forgotten.





Well, credit card debt negotiation starts right from your credit accounts where you have the most hard-hitting credit card debt. This means credit card debt negotiation has to be taken up with your current credit providers. Before you misinterpret it, let me clarify that we are not talking about chucking off a portion of your debt through credit card debt negotiation. We are talking primarily about using credit card debt negotiations for getting the APR on your current credit cards reduced to some lower figure.





So, credit card debt negotiation is about talking to your current credit card suppliers for informing them about your intention to clear off your credit card debt and using your skills (credit card debt negotiation skills) to agree a lower APR rate with them. Basically, credit card debt negotiation is about asking your current credit card suppliers for help/assistance in clearing off your credit card debt.





If credit card debt negotiation is successful, it will save you not only money (due to reduction in APR) but also the hassle that is associated with looking for a new credit card (to transfer balance).





However, if the credit card debt negotiation, with your current credit card supplier, doesn’t yield the desired results, you will have to look for other credit suppliers who can help you in consolidating your debt. Again, you will need your negotiation skills (rather credit card debt negotiation skills) to get a good deal from them.





If your credit card debt negotiations work out well, you might be able to get a really low standard APR or you might get a longer term on 0% APR (or you might get both). These are really the most important things and your credit card debt negotiations should concentrate more on these than anything else.





The other thing to include on your credit card debt negotiation would be the credit limit and other benefits. Here, you are basically trying out the possibility of getting a better credit card as part of your credit card debt negotiation.





For people with really bad credit rating, getting an unsecured bank loan or getting another credit card (for balance transfer) is really difficult. For them, getting an unsecured bank loan or credit card is what you would term as credit card debt negotiation.





So, don’t hesitate in going for credit card debt negotiation. It is surely an option available for all.


No Having A Card Does Not Mean You Have Money




Most people advocate the case of credit cards, quoting the benefits and convenience that arises from them. However, there is another group/line-of-thought that strongly opposes credit cards. The reason being ‘Excessive Credit Card Debt’, which is one of the most serious problems faced by the credit card holders and credit card industry.





However, you can’t pull the shutters on the credit card industry just because of a few irresponsible people (or even if it’s more than few). That is not a solution for beating excessive credit card debt. Moreover, you can’t overlook the benefits associated with the credit cards.





The issue of excessive credit card debt can be looked at from 2 angles. First is addressing of the excessive credit card debt problem at the industry level and second is the addressing of the excessive credit card debt problem at the individual’s level i.e. at the credit card holder level. The first method involves increasing awareness of the excessive credit card debt problem to the masses. This is more or less being done currently too.





However, there should also be an effort to tackle this problem of excessive credit card debt at an even deeper level. This means trying to devise a mechanism to nip the problem (of excessive credit card debt) in the bud. This mechanism should actually be a part of the overall system. A lot of thought needs to go into devising such a mechanism. Case studies should be taken up, statistics gathered and a proper forum formed (with representatives from the credit card holders and from the credit card suppliers).





As of now, the credit card suppliers just seem to be engaged in coming out with new products and getting customers enrolled to those products. There is little attention paid towards addressing the problem of excessive credit card debt in the real sense. Something like attending mandatory seminars on the root causes of excessive credit card debt could be made part of the credit card application process.





Another way of dealing with the problem of excessive credit card debt could be: developing a system for calculation of applicable credit card limit at the individual level i.e. no standard/product-based credit limits.





Then there could be mechanisms for proactively warning the users about excessive credit card debt (based on their credit card usage) or even imposition of early restrictions on noticing the first signs that lead to excessive credit card debt at the individual’s level, the treatment of the problem of excessive credit card debt would include following of best practices (on credit card usage and avoidance of excessive credit card debt) by the individuals themselves. A checklist or a set of questions could be provided to individuals for recognising the first signs of excessive credit card debt.





So, the problem of excessive credit card debt can surely be dealt with by putting together some serious thinking at a broader level together with discipline at the individual’s level.


Tuesday, 9 October 2012

The Levels Of Moving Toward Being Debt Free




So you have decided to go for credit card debt elimination and are wondering on what the methods for credit card debt elimination are. As they say, let’s take the bull by its horns and lay it all flat on the ground. There are generally 2 recommendations that are most common for credit card debt elimination: controlling the expenditures and consolidating debt. Let’s check both of these credit card debt elimination recommendations and check the list of things that you can do for achieving credit card debt elimination using these recommendations:





1. Control your urge to spend: The first thing to do for credit card debt elimination is to control your expenditures. Here we are talking about the payments you make using your credit card. Remember that the main reason being your getting into credit card debt is uncontrolled expenditures using your credit card. So if you are really serious about credit card debt elimination, this is one thing that will help in credit card debt elimination by preventing accumulation of further debt. Here is what you can do to control your expenditures:



a. You need to stay away from attractive offers that are put-up by various shops and stores. Don’t buy anything that you don’t really-really need. After all you are looking for credit card debt elimination not supplementation.



b. Leave your credit card at home. If you really-really need something, then you can fetch your credit card from your house. This will prevent you from yielding to the too-attractive-to-resist sale offers (that are actually there all the year round). This credit card debt elimination technique, again, works on the principal of ‘prevention is better than cure’. This will prevent unplanned expenses from happening.



c. Prepare a monthly budget and stick to it. This is really a very important credit card debt elimination measure. This budget will form the basis of your credit card debt elimination plan. So if you deviate from your budget, your credit card debt elimination plan will go for a toss.





2. Debt consolidation: Debt consolidation or moving from high APR credit cards to a low APR one is generally the first step (the first reactive step) for credit card debt elimination. Here are a few things that you need to do:



a. Do not go for the first balance offer you come across. Analyse various offers and choose the one that best suits you. This will be an important thing on you credit card debt elimination plan. Initial APR, Initial APR period and standard Apr, all need to be considered.



b. Read the fine print on the balance transfer offer and check the terms and conditions on these. These might affect your overall credit card debt elimination plan.



c. Compare other benefits e.g. rebates, reward points, etc, before you actually decide to go for one of the offers.





Credit card debt elimination is about proper planning and discipline. So make your credit card debt elimination plan and stick to it.


Monday, 8 October 2012

After school is done in the Hock easily



Debt credit card give way of not everyone who will not flinch it. it does but also independently of whether the person is an experienced professional or just a student. Credit card debt is therefore not a student is rare.




Because the credit limit credit cards student College is much lower, debt credit card College student could achieve the levels for the other credit cards. The debt of credit card student College is, however, a threat even greater, because many students are already indebted due loans they did their studies.




If they can pass out of the University with debts of credit card student College, they will have to taken ready recovery not only for studies but also their college student credit card debt.




Since most of the college students is inexperienced in the use of credit cards, they can easily fall prey to what we call as a 'College student credit card debt.




The debt of credit card student College is actually a reason why credit card suppliers keep a lower limit on credit card student College. The solution to avoid college student credit card debt is similar to what it is in order to avoid any type of credit card.




The first thing to avoid the debt of credit card student College therefore understand the concept that credit cards are not money and that what you pay-for the use of your credit cards have reimbursed on credit supplier card when your credit card bill arrives. Therefore not treat your cold hard cash separate credit card.




Avoid overspending, for example do not buy things just because they are on sale, sale keep coming and going and he of always better offers each time. buy only what you really need. A good thing to do is to prepare your monthly budget and follow it religiously. Never move your budget. Another preventive measure very important to avoid credit card debt student college is to avoid going to a different credit card.




Some students tend to go to other credit cards, simply because the credit limit credit cards student College is very low. However, this is a perfect recipe for a college student credit card debt. This is how the debt of credit card student College accumulates. A credit card is more than enough for all students.




College student credit cards is really designed to be treated as a training ground to learn more about credit cards. It should not be an instrument of debt (debt credit card student College).


Just Make Plastic Money Problems Go Away




It is easy to eliminate credit card debt





Well, anyone who makes this comment is sure to be labelled as a moron. However, let me remind you of a famous quote “Where there is will, there is way”. So that is how easy it is to find a way to eliminate credit card debt. What you really need in order to eliminate credit card debt is “Will Power”.





No matter what method you adopt to eliminate credit card debt, no matter what debt assistance company you approach (for advice on how to eliminate credit card debt), no matter what your friends tell you, “Will Power” is essential if you want to eliminate credit card debt. In fact, this starts from the word go.





Just examine the last part of my previous statement “… is essential IF YOU WANT TO eliminate credit card debt”, this statement itself implies that “IF YOU WANT TO” or we can rephrase that as “if you have the will power to” eliminate credit card debt.





Will power is what you need to control your urge to buy everything from the market. Will power is needed to persevere. Will power is needed to analyze your current financial situation. Will power is needed to sit and plan the ways and means that you can adopt to eliminate credit card debt.





Will power is needed to approach a credit card debt assistance company. You also need will power and patience for researching the market for the best balance transfer plans. So really, will power is needed for every aspect of credit card debt elimination.





Since “Will Power” is the only thing you need to eliminate credit card debt, we can say that it is easy to eliminate credit card debt. However, this is easier said than done for will power for anything (be it will power to eliminate credit card debt or something else) is hard to come by. One way of strengthening your will power, that is required to eliminate credit card debt, is to portray the life after you successfully eliminate credit card debt.





Portray the peace of mind that you will get after you eliminate credit card debt. How much fun it would be!! Moreover, the sense of achievement would be no lesser either (after all not everyone is able to eliminate credit card debt).





Just think about all these good things and build your confidence and your will power to eliminate credit card debt. There is really nothing as powerful as will power. And remember “Where there is will, there is way”.


Sunday, 7 October 2012

Stop Spending It Like You Have It To Spend




“Reduce credit card debt and eliminate it before it assumes a horrifying shape” – This is really the gist of the story. So, how do you reduce credit card debt? Well, you reduce credit card debt by preventing it from increasing and by paying off what it is currently. Simple, isn’t it?





Not really. If it was that simple to reduce credit card debt, then we wouldn’t have had so many people with credit card debt related problems. We would have been able to reduce credit card debt problems and finally eliminate them (or reduce them significantly). There are all kinds of advice available on how to reduce credit card debt, but still nothing much seems to change. The problem still seems to persist and in fact, worsen.





However, it’s not that difficult to reduce credit card debt. As we just said, there is a lot of advice available on how to reduce credit card debt and the only thing you need to do is put that advice, on how to reduce credit card debt, to practice in real life. Well, no one but you will benefit if you reduce credit card debt.





So the first step to reduce credit card debt is to prevent it from taking dangerous proportions. The 2 most important ways of implementing this step are – balance transfers and use of cash.





Balance transfer is often treated as the number one measure to reduce credit card debt. This is really something that can help reduce credit card debt by slowing down the pace at which your credit card debt is getting built. It also provides you relief in terms of the APR being 0% for initial 6-9 months (and hence helps reduce credit card debt faster). To reduce credit card debt using this mechanism, you need to transfer your balance from your current credit card(s) onto another credit card that has a lower APR than your current card. Thus you reduce credit card debt by preventing it from increasing so rapidly.





The other preventive measure to reduce credit card debt is to use cash instead of card (as such, hard earned cash is difficult to get out of pocket as compared to just a credit card). So you reduce credit card debt by not adding more to it. That is the simplest way to reduce credit card debt.





However, you can reduce credit card debt only if you stick to your resolution to reduce credit card debt; otherwise it will fail miserably.


Saturday, 6 October 2012

Rolling Your Plastic Debt Into One Payment




'Credit card debt consolidation' seems to be the most talked-about term in the world of credit cards. It's true that credit cards have been very useful and convenient for us and we, in fact, treat the credit cards as a necessity. However, with every good you have evil too. In the world of credit cards, 'Credit card debt' is that evil and 'Credit card debt consolidation' is often regarded as a medicine for treating credit card debt.





Anyone who has read any newspaper articles on 'Credit card debt' would already know what credit card debt consolidation is. However, just for the benefit of others, credit card debt consolidation, in simple terms, is the process of consolidating debt which you hold on various high APR credit cards onto just one low APR credit card.





Thus, the main benefit of credit card debt consolidation is realized in terms of APR reduction (and hence reduction in credit card debt growth rate). This is touted as the most important benefit (and sometimes the sole benefit) from credit card debt consolidation. However, credit card debt consolidation comes with few more benefits as well. Some of these credit card debt consolidation benefits are widely publicized by the credit card suppliers and some not so much:





1. Initial APR: As mentioned above, lower APR is the biggest benefit from credit card debt consolidation. Since credit card debt consolidation is used by credit card suppliers as a tool to attract consumers, they generally offer a 0% APR for an initial period of 6-9 months of you joining their credit card debt consolidation programmed i.e. first few months after you get the new credit card.





2. Standard APR: Lower standard APR (i.e. the long term APR) is the other important benefit from credit card debt consolidation. Though not all credit card suppliers offer a lower standard APR with credit card debt consolidation some do design credit card debt consolidation programmers with good standard APR. These credit card debt consolidation programmers offer a trade-off between initial and standard APR rates.





3. 0% on purchases: This is another common benefit from credit card debt consolidation. The 0% interest (or some lower percentage) on purchases is offered as an incentive for credit card debt consolidation. This credit card debt consolidation benefit is again applicable only for a short initial period.





4. Easy management: This credit card debt consolidation benefit is not as discussed as others. However, one benefit of credit card debt consolidation (from multiple to single credit card) is the fact that you need to track and manage a lesser number of credit cards.





5. Other benefits: The credit card debt consolidation exercise might bring you some more benefits in terms of rebates, discounts and reward points (especially if you move to a co-branded card as part of credit card debt consolidation)