Archive for the ‘Credit Tips’ category

Student Credit Card Applications – Three Things You Should Know

January 20th, 2010

Student Credit Card Applications   Three Things You Should Know photoA lot of my friend have a credit cards. I also want to have a credit card but I doubt. Have a credit card same pile of debt.

Before you fill out your student credit card applications, there are three things you should know. Having a credit card is a big responsibility and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Be thorough when you investigate your options and use these three time proven tips to make sure that you commit to a card that meets your lifestyle and needs.

One: Interest Rates

An important consideration before choosing a card is the annual rate of interest that you will be charged on your purchases. Some cards offer a low or zero percent introductory rate for the first few months the account is open. After six or 12 months, the account reverts to the interest rate that the company usually charges, and this can be in the double digits. Be sure you know exactly what you will be charged for interest and whether the rate applies to new purchases only or to balance transfers as well.

Two: Grace Period

The next thing you need to know before you fill out your applications is what the grace period is. This is the number of days the lending company gives you before you start getting charged interest on your purchase. By paying for your purchases during this window, you save on interest charges.

Three: Annual Fees

The third thing you need to know before you fill out student credit card applications is whether the card you are considering has an annual fee. This is a set fee that is automatically charged to your credit card account each year, whether you actually use it or not.

Your Credit – Does Closing Accounts Help or Hurt?

January 9th, 2010

Your Credit   Does Closing Accounts Help or Hurt? photoMy friend tell to me about his financial problems. He told to me if their parents have a lot of debt to the bank. After my friend tell me, I doubt to apply loan to the bank.

When applying for a mortgage loan, you might hear your lender say that you have too many accounts open and that closing some of them will help strengthen your credit score. So you might think, I guess I could do without some of my older accounts when, truth is, closing some of those aged accounts might hurt your score rather than help.

Credit scoring actually benefits you when you use it wisely. Paying your bills on time and not racking up large balances on your cards will naturally not hurt your score. Having a bunch of unused lines of credit will. The key is to use available credit in moderation and being responsible with those cards over a measure of time.

Two reasons why closing your accounts could negatively affect your score is as follows:

When you close older accounts, the ones you have left will make it appear that your credit history is younger than it is in reality. So if you go and apply for a mortgage and someone says the loan is contingent upon you closing some of your accounts, be sure to close more recent cards rather than the ones you’ve had for some time. Again, closing more aged accounts will hurt your score.

When you close credit accounts, your available amount of credit will be reduced and the percentage of debt used vs. available credit will rise dramatically. This will make you appear to be a credit risk driving your credit down. Lenders refer to this figure as a debt utilization ratio, which is looked at closely.

Say you have $600 of outstanding charges on your credit cards. You have 3 credit cards with $2000 worth of credit limit on them which totals $6000 of available credit. This would put your debt utilization ratio at 10% (600/6000). Keeping your debt use at 10% or lower of available credit will result in your best credit score.

Now suppose you are asked by your lender to close one of those accounts. Your credit limit would then be a total of $4000 increasing your debt utilization ratio to 15%(600/4000). This would likely result in your credit score dropping if everything else on your credit history didn’t change.

So if you are asked to close some of your credit lines in order to qualify for a mortgage, go ahead and do so, just go about it carefully. Close the newest accounts and keep older ones open. It’s still likely that your score will drop down, but only for a short time. You can bring the score back up by paying down existing debt after closing on the mortgage, reducing your debt utilization ratio.

This is easier said then done, but getting yourself into the practice of paying off your balance in full each month and not carrying over any debt is really the best way to drive your credit score high. Your financial situation will then be healthier overall.

Since credit can be a serious addiction, you may consider closing some of your credit cards if you tend to make unwise decisions with them. Some tend to max out card after card. Not only will that cause you financial hardships, but it will cause your credit score to plummet drastically.