Credit reports and scores often confuse consumers

Most people who are of an age to care about their credit are aware that the three main credit bureaus, Experian, Trans Union and Equifax, maintain credit reports on them. The bureaus keep track of loans, credit cards and bankruptcies and make note of whether each consumer pays his or her bills on time. Most people are also aware that their credit history is also available in the form of a credit score, which is, in essence, their overall credit worthiness reduced to a three-digit number. Beyond that, many people have, at best, a vague understanding about how their financial transactions are regarded by the credit bureaus. There are a number of myths and misconceptions about credit reports and credit scores and how they are affected by things people do financially. Here are a few examples of these popular misunderstandings: A consumer has only one credit score - Not true. Each bureau keeps track of financial transactions independently of the others and may have more or less information to work with than the other bureaus. Plus, until recently, each bureau used their own scoring system. In all likelihood, if a consumer were to contact each bureau to obtain his or her credit score, the result would be three completely different figures. Your salary affects your credit score - Your score is simply a reflection of how well you handle the credit available to you. If you earn more money, you might have more available credit, or not. Either way, the score is simply a reflection of what type of credit you have and whether you pay your bills on time. How much you earn is not part of the equation. Canceling a credit card raises your score - Not necessarily true. Credit bureaus examine how much of your available credit you are using. Less is more; the bureaus like to see that you are using as little of your available credit as possible. If you owe a lot of money on credit cards and you cancel an unused account, it may look like you are using a larger portion of your available credit. That will actually raise your score! Marriage merges credit reports - Your credit report is your own. That will not change if you get married. Jointly borrowed money will show up on both reports and will affect both of your scores. And just as marriage doesn't merge the reports, divorce won't separate the joint items. If you get divorced and your ex doesn't pay on your joint loans, your score will decrease. The process of compiling credit scores is a complicated one. It's understandable that many people don't entirely understand how the system works. Perhaps the best way to keep tabs on what is going on with your own finances is to check your credit report regularly. You can get a free copy at AnnualCreditReport.

Balance transfer disasters

There has been a rapid growth in the availability of zero per cent rates in the credit card industry. These have been caused by the combination of very low national interest rates, and the injection of fierce competition from American lenders such as Capital One. The UK credit card industry is now recognised as one of the most sophisticated and competitive credit card markets in the world. One of the most popular innovations in the past number of years has been the introduction of the zero per cent balance transfer. This has revolutionised the finances for many indebted customers. How it works is if you have very high interest charges on one of you’re out standing credit card balances, then you can transfer it to a new credit card. In exchange for getting your business in this way, the new credit card provider will give you a zero per cent interest rate on the sum transferred for a period of usually, six to nine months. While taking advantage of these zero per cent offers is highly advisable, as it can save you literally hundreds on interest charges, there are still precautions that you should take if you wish to avoid some costly mistakes. The first thing to realise is that there are different types of zero percent. What you will most likely come into contact with is zero per cent on balance transfers or zero per cent on purchases. You must not confuse the two. If you have zero per cent on balance transfers then that will not mean you have zero per cent on purchases, so any purchases you make during your zero per cent period will not be at zero per cent but at your standard rate. This can be very important if we look at the situation using an example. Supposing you have five thousand pounds on a credit card a 15%. If you transfer this to a card that gives you 0% on balance transfers for nine months you will save hundreds on interest. However, supposing the new card has a standard rate of 15% also. Now, if you have your five thousand on it safely at 0%, but suppose you make one hundred pounds worth of purchases. And then you pay back one hundred pounds; the one hundred you pay back will be applied to the first one hundred of the five thousand-balance transfers. This will leave you with 4,900 left at zero per cent on the balance transfer, and 100 as a purchase that attracts the standard 15%. In this way you can quickly see how a zero per cent balance transfer can become a 15% purchases balance.

Airline rewards credit cards choosing the best card

If flying to exotic destinations or traveling across the country on your favorite airline is something you want to do, you can get free trips with an airline rewards credit card. That’s right, by selecting the right credit card you can quickly accumulate enough points to take that well deserved vacation to the Virgin Islands or hop on a plane to visit friends in Dallas, San Francisco, New York or just about any U. S. city. Airline rewards credit cards are all the rage. Are you on your way to accumulating valuable air miles? Airline rewards credit cards continue to grow in popularity and for good reason. Depending on which card you select, you can accumulate enough points to take you and your family members on an expensive vacation with your airfare covered for free. So, how can you determine which card is best for you? By weighing the following options: Fee v. No Annual Fee – Some consumers hate paying annual fees and there are airline rewards credit cards that are fee free. Keep in mind that paying a fee may actually help you accumulate more airline miles at a faster pace. If you use your card a lot, the card with an annual fee may turn out to be the better buy. Besides, if you use your card for business purposes, your annual fee may be tax deductible. Annual Percentage Rate – As with all cards, rates do vary. If you never carry a monthly balance, than the annual percentage rate or APR won’t matter to you. If you do carry balances, there are plenty of low interest rate airline rewards credit cards to choose from. Some offer low introductory rates while others will allow you to quickly accumulate points by transferring existing credit card balances to your new card. One Airline v. Many Airlines – Some consumers have an affinity toward one air carrier and a rewards card that accumulates points for that particular carrier can be just what they need. On the other hand, there are cards which allow you to accumulate air miles that can be used on just about any carrier. This can be the best choice for the consumer not wanting to be locked into one carrier. You might not be able to take that trip to the Virgin Islands if your airline rewards credit card is with a carrier that doesn’t even fly to that destination! Mileage Plans – Read each offer carefully to learn if you can accumulate double miles, if your miles expire, and if blackout periods fall into play. Some airline rewards credit cards have sweeter deals than others; shop around for the plan that is best for you. Preset Spending Limits – Those cards that have no preset spending limits may be the best choice for you. In many cases you can also quickly accumulate points [even double points] by using your card to shop for groceries, purchase clothes, pay for gas for your car, and more. Use your card wisely and you may be able to accumulate enough points for a luxury trip once a year! Bonus Benefits – A select group of cards will give to you a free seat upgrade certificate which can be used on a future flight while other cards allow you to accumulate points toward hotel stays too. The more options your airline rewards credit cards has, the better for you! If you are looking for an airline rewards credit card, you’ll find that many of the best offers are available online. Find the airline rewards card that is right for you and begin making plans to take that important trip you have long dreamed about on someone else’s dime! Copyright 2006 Ed Vegliante.

Low rate credit cards choosing the best card

Teaser rates offered on low rate credit cards are a boon to customers. Low APR credit cards are an ideal choice for customers who carry a steady monthly balance. With so many options, finding the right low APR credit card suited to your lifestyle could be a challenge. Yet, it is worth the effort because, over the years, the cost of carrying a balance at a high interest rate could outweigh the other benefits associated with the card. Shopping for a low APR credit card implies comparing credit offers not just on the interest rate offered but also on various other parameters. Most of these low rate credit cards require you to have a good or excellent credit rating to qualify for their lowest rate. However, a decent credit rating will fetch the card at a slightly higher rate. The best way to start shopping for a new low APR credit card is to compare costs, terms, and conditions with the cards you already possess. Before switching to another low rate credit card, you should ask your current card company to lower the existing APR. If that is not possible, then choose a card that would fit best with your spending and repayment habits. Factors to Consider while choosing the Low APR Credit Card: 1) Different rates for different services offered on the same card – low APR credit cards may have differential interest rates for the variety of services offered on the card. For example, the interest rate for cash advances could be 20% but the interest rate for purchases could be 9% and balance transfers could be at 0%! It is important to determine the primary use of the card and then decide on the card that offers the lowest rate for the service that you need. 2) Variable versus Fixed Rate – The interest offered on low APR credit cards could be variable or fixed. Fixed rates tend to be low and are advisable for customers who carry a steady balance. A small change in the APR rate could make a big difference if you carry a balance on a card month on month. 3) Differential Rates for Different Balances on the Same Card – Certain low APR credit cards offer very low interest rate on certain balance amount and charge hefty interest if you cross that range. An interest rate of 9% could be applied on a balance of $500 but if your balance goes to $900, the rate might increase to 15%, for example 4) Low Interest for a Pre-Determined Time – The low interest offered could be an introductory offer or for a limited time period. This is risky, as you may have to pay heavy interest charges if you carry a substantial balance at the end of the said period. 5) Cash Back Options – Many low APR credit cards offer a certain percentage as cash back to you depending on the purchase type. The cash back percentage may be 1% or 5% and could be available on a wide variety of purchase items. 6) Balance Transfers – If you have multiple credit cards and need to consolidate, low rate credit cards offer a good option. Certain cards allow 0% APR on balance transfers with no transfer fees. Since this could greatly help in reducing debt and substantial savings in interest, it is worthwhile to evaluate the different interest rates offered. 7) Air Miles or Frequent Flyer Miles – Some low APR credit cards offer conversion of accumulated reward points to air miles to encourage customer spending. It is not a bad idea to benefit both from the low interest APR along with free air miles. 8) Grace Period (Interest Free Period) - Many low rate credit cards charge interest from day one of your purchases. However, certain cards may give a grace period and not charge interest if you repay the balance in full each month by the due date. 9) Fees – Most low rate credit cards will offer reduced or even no annual fees. Choose the one that does not add to your debt burden by charging hefty annual fees. If you consider applying for low rate credit cards, there are a variety of websites online that offer comparisons of various low APR credit cards available in the market, and can be tremendously helpful in your search for low rate credit cards.

More credit score changes looming

Back in June FICO announced they would be rolling out a new formula for calculating their credit score used by all three major reporting services. This updated product would no longer consider an authorized user account as a valid card holder and any credit information about the authorized user would be dropped. This seemingly minor change is expected to affect over 30 million US cardholders, inducing a small to moderate drop in their credit scores. Now Capital One has announced they will start, for the first time, reporting the credit limits of their card holder accounts. But how does this affect you? This recent policy change by Capital One may alter the credit scores of some cardholders. Since FICO bases around 30% of their score on credit-to-debt ratio, having accurate credit limit data available will make their scoring product more accurate. The real impact though will be mostly unknown until the changes are made and have had a chance to work through the FICO system and roll out to the credit reporting agencies. Currently only Capital One and American Express withhold credit limit information when reporting account data to FICO. The effect of these policies is widely disputed. Some argue that not having the credit limit amount available causes FICO to arbitrarily assign the outstanding balance as the credit limit. This would cause all AMEX and Capital One account holders to appear as though there cards were always "Maxed Out" or at their limits, a condition likely to severely harm one's credit score. They also believe that when Capital One starts reporting the credit limits, their account holders will enjoy a miraculous increase in their FICO score and consequential reduction in interest charges. This writer believes otherwise. Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) has been in the business of evaluating consumer credit-worthiness for over 50 years and employs nearly 3000 people. FICO credit information is used by 99 of the top 100 US banks to base the decisions of billions of dollars each year. The method for determining a FICO score is not a clear cut, simple formula. It is a large, dynamic algorithm that FICO stakes their reputation and future on. It is also adaptive, predictive and a closely guarded trade secret. I, personally, am convinced that FICO handles Capital One and American Express data correctly and estimates an accurate credit limit. This is further substantiated by the fact that American Express customers do not suffer undue harm by the AMEX policy of not reporting limits. In fact, having an AMEX card can be a major boost to your credit score. Let’s look at just one small example of how a credit limit can be estimated. Suppose four months ago you used your Capital One card to purchase a new 60” plasma TV for $3000 dollars. FICO would see this transaction and apply a credit limit of at least $3000 to your account. The actual limit would probably be some percentage higher based on the likelihood that you did not max the card out. This limit would remain on the account, maybe fluctuating with your general credit score and current financial situation. Do not forget that FICO has access to a very large amount of data over a very long period of time. When the smoke clears from this latest reporting change, the scores of most Capital One customers will likely remain about the same. Some will go up a little and some will drop slightly. Perhaps a more interesting discovery will be to see just how well FICO has been doing in estimating the credit limits of these two companies account holders.