No Fee Balance Transfer, 0% Intro APR Credit Cards Still Exist

07-07-2010 by admin

Ever since zero percent introductory annual percentage rate (intro APR) credit cards were introduced to the American market several years ago, they’ve been very popular. All types of consumers have been taking advantage of 0% offers. Most consumers use 0% deals to save money by avoiding interest charges on their credit card debt, while other money-savvy consumers use 0% offers to make money by playing the 0% credit card arbitrage game (also known as “stoozing.”) Many 0% card offers come with a catch: you have to pay a fee for transferring a balance. There are, however, a few select credit card products out there where you don’t have to pay a fee for the first or initial balance transfer.

Feeless, 0% intro APR balance transfer deals — perhaps the most sought-after 0% deals on the Internet — are a dying breed. Dying, but not dead. The pool of banks that offer feeless 0% deals has been shrinking. Why? Because the banks and card companies know that by eliminating the balance transfer transaction fee, a balance transfer “surfer” can transfer a card balance to a card, sit out the interest-free period, then transfer the balance out to a new 0% deal — thus denying the bank any opportunity to make money off the surfer. The balance transfer transaction fee gives a bank the opportunity to get at least something out of the deal.

The Discover More family of credit cards, offered by Discover Financial Services (DFS), has been exceedingly popular for transferring credit card balances. Why? Because, heretofore, with any Discover More card, you could transfer a card balance and pay no interest on the transferred funds for 12 months, with no balance transfer transaction fee. But that’s not all: with Discover More, you could (and still can) get a 0% rate on new credit card purchases for 12 months to boot. Its no wonder that the Discover More family of credit cards has been a top-ranked collection of cards at many top-rated websites.

But DFS recently made a change to the terms and conditions associated with the Discover More family of credit cards: you now have to pay a fee for transferring a balance; the minimum transfer fee is $10. The Discover More group of cards still offers great value, with a 0% intro APR rate on both balance transfers and new purchases for one year, but the nascent balance transfer transaction fee may turn off some folks out there in the market for a hot, 0% card deal.

OK, now for the good news: Bank of America, Washington Mutual (Wamu) and Pulaski Bank still offer consumer credit cards where you can transfer a balance at zero percent for 6 or 12 months (depending on the card) and pay no balance transfer fee. Furthermore, Capital One has business cards that provide an option to transfer balances without assessing a balance transfer transaction fee.

If you plan on hunting (or continuing your hunt) for an attractive 0% card deal after reading this article, remember two things:

In your search for “no transfer fee” 0% deals, you may find articles, blog posts or other website content with claims that feeless 0% deals no longer exist. Don’t buy it. Feeless 0% balance transfer offers can still be found today — even with certain business cards — if you know where to look. Credit card deals are constantly evolving, so if you’re planning on signing up for a specific 0% offer that you’ve had your eye on for a while, try not to drag your heels. The sexy, feeless balance transfer offer you find today may be gone tomorrow. Thankfully, the selection of “no fee” 0% deals is still quite healthy, so you don’t have to panic if the offer you wanted disappears.

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How To Get A 0 APR Mastercard

06-02-2010 by admin



The quickest and easiest way to get a 0 APR Mastercard is to do an online search. You will find hundreds of search results that link to sites offering special introductory deals. However, the best way to find, research and choose the best credit card offers is to use a credit card comparison site. These sites vary in quality but the high end services offer a lot of helpful information on debt management and wealth creation as well as specifically about credit cards. They also provide detailed comparisons between the various credit card offers so that you can easily see the differences. This will help you make the best decision quickly. Most of these sites also allow you to apply online for your credit card. This makes the whole process very quick and easy.

Transferring your current credit card balances to a 0 APR Mastercard is a fantastic way to save a significant amount of money immediately. Let’s face it, monthly credit card bills can place a significant amount of stress on individuals and families. By freeing up the amount of money you are currently spending on interest, you will be able to redistribute your income to meet current needs and so avoid the continuing debt cycle.

By choosing to take advantage of a 0 APR Mastercard you can also gain a longer term and even permanent financial benefit. If you are in a position to use your interest savings to pay down your credit card balance, you will be able to become debt free a lot sooner and consequently save a lot of money over time. If you cannot do this because your budget is currently over-stressed, you may be able to factor in some of the savings to add to your minimum monthly credit card payment. While it is certainly important to enjoy a financial breather from your balance transfer if you need it, it is also important to gain as much long term benefit from it as possible.

Balance transfers to zero or low rate introductory credit cards are also increasingly being used as a temporary debt consolidation solution. If you currently have more than one credit card you can actually apply to transfer all their balances to a single 0 APR Mastercard. While this might not seem like a smart move considering that after the introductory period, normal interest charges will apply, it can give you an opportunity to alleviate excessive financial stress and reorganize your finances. You can also take advantage of the savings to reduce your overall debt. At the end of this period, you can re-evaluate your options and choose the lowest cost pathway to becoming debt free.

The benefits of getting out from under high interest rates are enormous and immediate. If you choose to use some of your interest savings to pay down your credit card balance, you will gain long term benefits as well. You can even choose to transfer your new balance to another 0 APR Mastercard at the end of your introductory term to avoid paying standard interest rates again.

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Zero APR On Balance Transfers With No Balance Fee – An Overview

08-01-2010 by admin

Even if you have a good income, you could be facing escalating credit card debt. There are times when this can not be avoided. However, you can get it paid off without too much hassle. A 0 apr on balance transfers is possible.

Though it should not be considered lightly, using a 0 interest balance transfer, which is paying off the amount owed on one credit card with a different credit card, can be something to take into consideration. Up to recently a balance transfer could be done without a balance fee. Now credit card companies are charging as much as 3%.

0 interest balance transfers are normally for 6-12 months. A high balance can result in having years of credit card debt for many people. Once introductory rates expire, interest rates can go rather high in the next few years. It is not unusual for people to discover that they are now paying up to 25% on the original balance.

If you have credit cards with high interest rates, finding a credit card company that has lower fixed rates is something you may want to take into consideration. By transferring high interest credit card balances to a card with lower interest rates, you can get those debts paid off at once and have a monthly payment that is lower.

To determine if this is a good solution for you, get a calculator and all the relevant paperwork and figure out what your monthly payments are each month with your current credit cards, being sure to estimate any interest rate hikes. Then calculate what your payments would be after transferring those balances to a o interest rate credit card. These calculations may be a bit time consuming but can help you find the best solution.

Be cautious when looking at credit card offers. Some companies are known to offer easy o balance transfers with generous grace periods and extremely low payments as a come-on to get new customers. If your debt is nearly paid off or if you know you will be getting a large amount of money before the grace period is over, you might think about this. But be sure you know whether the payment will go up and by how much once the grace period expires.

Another thing to check into are any penalties, withdrawal fees or termination of service fees you might have to pay. This needs to be calculated into the picture, too.

Knowing everything you possibly can about your credit card accounts is the most useful weapon you can possess. You need to know where all your money is going each month. Call the credit card company you are thinking transferring balances to and consult with one of their representatives before you make a commitment so you know whether it is the best thing to do or not. A good representative will assist you in mapping out your payments to see how this will work out for you in the long run.

A balance transfer can be a way to make getting out of debt faster. But you need to be mindful of everything involved in the process and keep track of your rates every month. If this is manageable for you, a balance transfer could be a good way for you to get your debts paid off and become financially solvent again. Hopefully a no balance fee will be available again in the not to distant future.

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No Balance Transfer Fee Card

18-12-2009 by admin

Whether your credit card debt is out of control or you’re just trying to save money, it makes sense to try get a lower interest rate on your credit balances, and if you can transfer those balances to a no balance transfer fee card, you’ll be saving even more cash. The trick is finding a no balance transfer fee card with terms as good as a card that does charge fees.

Some plans might not sound as if they’ll save you much money, and they might not if you have only one small balance or a few small balances. If you transfer a small balance of $1000 to a card that offers no interest but charges a 3% balance transfer fee, you’ll pay about $30. If you transfer that balance to a no balance transfer fee card, but that card charges 3% interest as its low rate, you’ll pay $30 a month instead of just one time. The best choice is clear, pay the fee once and get no-interest or lower interest on an ongoing basis.

But if you’re transferring several balances, you’ll pay a fee for each one, usually about 3%. If the amounts are substantial, each transfer fee could be up to $75. Take the time to add up these fees and compare with the savings. Be sure you’re aware of how long that low introductory interest rate will last, and how high the interest will jump at the end of that period . A no balance transfer fee card with terrible terms can easily cost you money in the long run even thought it cost you nothing to transfer balances. It might be worth paying those balance transfer fees to a card with a longer low-interest period, or one in which the interest rate after that period stays lower.

It takes a little math to determine your best course of action, but almost always, transferring to a lower interest credit card with good post-introductory terms is a great way to save money. And a no balance transfer fee card can make the deal even better.

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Applying For Credit Cards Online

15-11-2009 by admin



More and more people are applying for credit cards online. With the plethora of different means for which you can apply for your desired card, companies really try to make it easy for you to apply for their credit card. Along with online auctions, and shopping, signing up for credit cards, loans and insurance has been one of the fastest growing commercial activities on the net. Part of the reason is the speed and convenience of doing so. Another part of the reason is that you can find out the offers of a huge number of providers all at one place and judge which is the best very easily.

Applying for credit cards online can be an extremely simple process. Most credit card providers have websites that give you all of the necessary information to make your decision. If you are looking for a credit card, all you need do is visit their site and judge for yourself if the terms are acceptable. You have access to a huge number of card providers online so if you want to shop around it couldn’t be easier. There are even websites that specialise in comparing different rates and different categories of card which make your selection process even easier. For example, if you want a credit card that provides a good balance transfer rate, then you can search these specific cards. Or if you want a card that has a good reward scheme, low interest rates on purchases, or any other speciality, then it will all be there at your finger tips.

Once you have decided on a card, click the link to the card providers website or application form and fill in your details. You will be asked for all your personal details, and usually that is all. The rest of the information, the card providers can access themselves through your credit report. They will take your application and review it and do a credit check. If they are satisfied that you are a good risk, they will accept your application. While this is all done in the same way as any other form of credit application, because it is online it is secure, and also a lot faster. You do not have to wait for the application to get to them in the post and it is a lot more difficult for would be fraudsters to intercept the information.

Once the card provider has accepted your application, they will mail out the necessary documents which you should read, sign and return. Within a week, they can have sent you your card, and your pin in two separate letters and the process is complete; you have just been accepted for a new credit card.

There are some rules to credit card use that you should also be aware of, determined by the type of card that you have. Normally 0% balance transfer credit cards when you are transferring balances have the basic rule of not spending on the card – anything that you spend will accumulate interest, while you continue to pay the transferred balance. In effect, negating the point of the 0% transfer.

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