Lots of folks have questions about credit cards but may feel shy about asking for fear of being seen as not savvy. Here’s a list of frequently asked questions about applying for credit cards to bring you up to speed on what you need to know about the credit card application process.

Can I apply for a credit card?

In general, if you’re 18 years of age or older (the age limit may be lower in some states) and are a U.S. citizen, you have the legal right to apply for a credit card with any U.S. bank or financial institution.

Do I have to have a bank account to get a credit card?

In most cases, credit card companies won’t consider issuing credit to someone that doesn’t have at least one bank account in their own name.

Do I have to have a bank account with the bank that issues the credit card?

No – in most cases. As long as the credit card issuer can determine your credit worthiness, it doesn’t matter where your bank account is. There is one exception. If you apply for a secured credit card, you must keep a ’security deposit’ of a certain amount in the institution chosen by the credit card issuer (usually their own bank).

Can I apply for more than one credit card at a time?

You can apply for as many credit cards as you want, but you should be aware that multiple credit card applications can affect your credit score negatively. You should shop around to find the best rate you can on a credit card, then apply for ONE credit card.

Do rejected applications hurt my credit score?

My favorite store just offered me 20% off anything I buy today if I fill out a credit card application right now. Even when I told the girl that I had bad credit and wouldn’t get approved, she said it didn’t matter. It doesn’t hurt anything to apply – is that true?

See above. Every time you fill out an application for a credit card, you’re giving the company permission to request a credit report from one of the credit reporting agencies. Those requests are kept on file on your record for anywhere from three to five years, and the number of requests are just one of the things that determine your credit score. If you’ve applied indiscriminately for any credit card offer you see, it could lower your credit score and make it more difficult to get a loan when you really need one.

What should I look for when filling out a credit card application?

Read all the fine print on the contract. If you’re filling out an application online, make sure you click on links to read the terms and conditions. If you’re not careful, you may end up signing an agreement to pay an application fee, a processing fee and/or an annual fee – which they’ll happily charge to your new credit card and start collecting interest on immediately.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author bio and live links are left intact.

Low Interest or 0% APR Credit Cards Take Your Pick

While many credit cards offer rates hovering between 20% and 24%, some of their competitors offer far lower interest rates, including introductory offers of zero percent interest and ongoing rates below 10%. These rates, obviously, make it much simpler to transfer and pay off balances quickly. Low interest credit cards are in high demand currently and credit card providers have provided a wide variety of low interest and 0% APR offers to keep their place within the steep competition in the credit card market. You could even find some retailers offering 0% APR credit cards, often including purchase rebates and/or discounts. Some credit card providers even offer the 0% APR for up to 15 months. Utilizing a low interest credit card offers an excellent opportunity when making large consumer purchases as well.

Because the market for consumers with excellent credit is so competitive, low interest credit cards are often available with no sign up or annual membership fees. Many times, these fees will keep the cream of the crop credit customers from applying for their cards. If your credit is unblemished, you can take your pick off offers and you should never have to pay a fee to acquire a low interest credit card or 0% APR credit card ever. The fees are only for those with poor credit, who are a significant risk for nonpayment. Shop around until you find a credit card company that is willing to compete for your business by eliminating fees.

The obvious benefit of a low interest credit card is that you will spend a lot less money over time on interest and fees. One thing to watch is the length of the introductory period. Many cards offer low or zero percent interest for several months, and then the interest rate jumps directly up to 20%. Make sure you read the fine print of any credit card offer before you sign up. The more information you have about your credit card upfront, the fewer unpleasant surprises you will face down the road.

One of the most popular ways to save money with 0% APR credit cards is to transfer a balance from a higher interest loan to a new credit card account. Sometimes, the introductory credit card rates are even better than auto loan rates, so there are some who would transfer their remaining car loan debts onto a new credit card and save on interests, knowing they can pay off the balance of the car before the introductory period expires.

Be aware that cash advances may come with their own fees, and with their own correspondingly higher interest rates. There may be separate interest rates for balance transfers, new purchases, and cash advances. While one way low interest credit card companies make money is from the percentage they gain from retailers and merchants, they also make a significant amount of money from people who do not take the time to read all of the specific terms and conditions that go along with their new low interest credit cards. Again, read the fine print before signing up!

Properly researching the card offer in advance will definitely save you a lot of headaches in the future. Do not be one of the many victims of credit card debt; instead, use your low interest credit card to your financial advantage. The key is to find and utilize the available information. The more information you can gather, the better decision you would make. It would be a shame to rejoice over a newly gained low interest or 0% APR credit card, just to open up your bill after the first month of purchases to find an unpleasant surprise. Low interest credit cards could be a real financial lifesaver, but they could easily become a trap for the unaware. Stay ahead of the game, and know what you are getting into before you apply.

The statistics are truly mind numbing and continue to get worse each and every year. At the current rate about 1% or one in a hundred families will be forced to declare bankruptcy at some point and over 90% of Americans’ disposable income is spent paying back debts.

Not a happy picture but as bleak as that sounds running won’t change it but knowledge may and so, let’s take a quick snapshot at a few of the current credit card debt statistics facing so many Americans today.

The American Consumer spends over 1 trillion (that’s a 1 with 12 zeros) per year on credit card purchases. Not a big deal in and of itself but the problem lies in that they end up carrying over and paying interest on about half that amount or $500 billion. This translates into a balance of between $5,000 and $8,000 per family, with about $1,000 per year going just to pay the interest.

That’s just the average – many people owe much, much more!

Excessive Debt Costs Everyone Money
Many American receive at least one new credit card offer in the mail every day. The money being spent to service the debt industry is truly immense. Billions are spent administering, calculating and marketing the various aspects of the credit card industry.

Few industries or people escape unscathed, at least in the long run by debt. The burden that bankruptcy puts on the court system or the cost to government of providing subsidized debt counseling, are just a few examples of how debt effects the nation. In addition, consumers with excessive debt have less to spend and when money isn’t flowing, it hurts the economy.

Whatever Happened to Saving?
Debt is becoming increasingly more common. Not long ago, even a little debt was considered to be absolutely unacceptable. When you wanted something, you saved up for it and bought it ONLY after you had enough money to actually pay for it. And, if you had less than perfect credit, you couldn’t even get a credit card. Look at consumer debt figures as little as 50 years ago and they were absurdly low – the way most of the non-Western world is today.

The reasons are many and everyone has an opinion but regardless of the reasons, the art of saving, at least in the “western world” seems to have been lost. Outside of a 401K or similar vehicle offered at your place of employment, virtually nobody is saving enough for retirement. Banks are starting to have to offer ever-higher interest rates to get people to put money anywhere near a savings account. In fact, few people even have a savings account anymore. Most people have a checking account and that’s it. Our society and progressed into a “now” culture and the virtues of patience that help grow this country seem to have been lost. Whatever it takes to live life in the present with little regard for the future, appears to be the prevailing sentiment.

Is Over Spending the Culprit?
Ok, I’ve been a bit harsh up until now but I don’t want to give the impression that the only reason you’re in debt is because you continuously and frivolously overspend. Other factors are involved.

Truth be told, many people get buried in debt because of the loss of a job or an illness and they use credit cards to pay for basic expenses. As a result, they fall into the downward interest trap spiral as their debt grows out of control from just a few thousand dollars initially borrowed to pay for essentials.

Most people do have a reasonable sense of what they can afford and they don’t just go out and use credit cards to buy any and everything. Getting heavily into debt is usually a combination of many factors but the problem lies in people leaving balances on their credit cards for too long and not realizing just how deadly compounding interest really is to their financial well-being.

It is estimated that about a third of people fail to pay off their credit or store card balances in full every month, and therefore pay interest on the balance. If that applies to you, the chances are you could save money by applying for a new credit card which offers zero (or low) interest balance transfers.

The way this works is that you take out a new credit card offering such a deal and immediately ask them to pay off the debt on your old card. The balance on your old card then becomes zero, and the entire balance goes on to your new card instead, with its zero or low interest rate.

A number of card issuers offer these deals. Zero rate offers typically last from five to twelve months. If you are confident that you can pay off the entire balance during this time, they are a good choice for saving money.

If you think it may take longer to pay off the outstanding balance, a better option may be to apply for a card which offers a low rate for the entire life of the balance (i.e. until it is repaid). American Express offers a fixed, low APR for the life of the balance with its Platinum card.

If you are currently paying interest on a balance with your current card, it makes sense to transfer your existing store or credit card balance to another provider. There are a few points to watch out for, however.

1. Check if there is a charge for balance transfers

Balance transfer fees are becoming more common as credit card issuers try to recover some of the money they lose by offering interest-free periods. Fees range up to 2% of the total balance. However, there are still several card providers offering free balance transfers.

2. Remember to pay off your balance every month

Even though the card issuer offers an interest-free period, you will still have to make the minimum monthly payments by the monthly due date, or you will be charged interest.

3. Avoid spending extra on the card used for the transfer

Most credit cards pay off balance transfers preferentially, so if you incur any other debts on the card, they will not be discharged until the entire transferred balance is paid off. That means any new spending will be trapped on the card, accruing full interest charges. If you are using your new card to service a balance transfer, therefore, do NOT use it for additional spending as well use another card instead.

4. Switch again when the introductory period expires

If you have failed to pay off the balance completely once the 0% introductory rate for balance transfers expires, you could apply for another card and transfer your balance again. However, if you plan to do this you should always remember, in the month the 0% deal ends, to move the debt again to another 0% offer. This means you will need to apply for another card about six weeks before the introductory period ends. You will need to be well organized and remind yourself to do this.

5. Note that your credit rating may suffer

If you apply for a number of credit cards, especially at the same time, your applications will be noted by the credit reference agencies, and your credit score may suffer. The most important preventative measure is to spread card applications out. Do this and most people with reasonable income and no bad debts will be fine, though be aware that there will be a small risk to your ability to get competitive credit in future.

Having decided on the type of balance transfer deal you are looking for, do take the time to study the market and see what is available. Do not simply fill in and return the next credit card application form that arrives in the mail. Credit card comparison sites such as www.finest-credit-cards.com can make this easier for you by listing all current card offers for you to choose from, and also have a range of articles offering unbiased advice and information.

All across the United States, there are hundreds and hundreds of banks and credit card companies looking for your business. This day and age, banks and credit card companies are in competition with each other, trying all they can to get your business. To try and get your business, they offer different credit cards with various incentives, rebates, and other perks.

Before you make your decision and choose a credit card, you should always compare what each company or bank has to offer you. If you get an offer in the mail for a credit card, you should go on the Internet and look into it more. You should also make sure that you read the fine print as well, to see if there are any type of hidden fees or other costs associated with that card. Many times, with offers in the mail, credit card companies or banks will try to sneak hidden fees and costs in there.

When you start to compare offers, you should make sure that you look at the APR and the fees. The APR is very important, as this will tell you your interest rate. You want to get the lowest APR possible with your credit card. If you look at a credit card that has an unusually high APR, you should immediately rule it out. Credit cards that come with high APR rates can easily lead you on a roller coaster towards credit card debt. No matter how good your credit may be, high APR rates can leave you with charges that are really difficult to pay.

Among the many options available to you, youll have three primary choices for your credit card – Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. These three giants are the leaders in credit cards. Visa and MasterCard dont issue the cards themselves, they have banks and other companies issue on their behalf. American Express, or AMEX, is the only one that does everything themselves. AMEX issues their credit cards, maintains their own networks, and doesnt use any type of third party.

If you like to travel, you will probably want to choose either Visa or MasterCard, as they are accepted all over the world. American Express is the least accepted of the three, although the company is upgrading their networks every chance they get. Before too long, AMEX will be accepted virtually everywhere. Right now though, AMEX isnt accepted in all areas of the world.

Discover is another type of credit card, although it isnt near as popular as the three above. Discover does have some great benefits to offer you, although it isnt accepted in other parts of the world. Most people who have Discover credit cards stay local and use their cards in the event of an emergency. If you dont have a credit card and have been thinking about getting a Discover card, you should really think about that decision and choose either Visa or MasterCard instead.

All in all, there are a lot of credit cards to choose from. That final decision though, is entirely up to you. There are a lot of great companies and banks out there, although its up to you to find the best credit card for your needs. You can choose to go with a company or bank thats local to you, or get online and look for your credit card. The Internet can be a great resource for credit cards, as long as you know what you want. If you know what you want before you go online – youll save yourself a lot of time and money.

You can find the best choice of credit cards and pre-paid cards at www.CreditCards.us (http://www.creditcards.us)

Ever thought about paying off your credit card balances? Maybe you would like to be debt free just to reduce your stress. Or perhaps you need to be debt free to retire.

If you have Microsoft Excel running on your computer at home or work, you can use Excels NPER function to calculate how quickly you can pay off a debt such as a credit card balance.

The NPER function calculates the term, or number of regular payments, needed to pay off a debt given its interest rate, payment amount, oustanding balance, balloon payment (if any), and, optionally, the type-of-annuity switch.

The type-of-annuity switch is a little complicated, but here’s how it works. If you set the type-of-annuity switch to 1, Excel assumes payments occur at the beginning of the month, following the annuity due convention. If you set the annuity switch to 0 or you omit the argument, Excel assumes payments occur at the end of the month following the ordinary annuity convention.

But let me show you how the function works in theory and in practice. All of this will become quite clear, I’m sure.

The function uses the following syntax:

=NPER(rate,pmt,pv,fv,type)

For example, to calculate the number of $100 monthly payments required to pay off a 9% credit card that has a $10,000 balance, you enter the following formula into an Excel worksheet cell:

=NPER(.09/12,-100,10000,0,0)

The function returns the value 185.53, representing roughly 185 payments and then another roughly half payment. Notice that to convert the 9% annual interest to a period interest, the formula divides the annual interest rate by 12. Notice, too, that the payment amount, as a cash outflow, shows as a negative value while the loan balance, as an implicit cash inflow, shows as a positive value.

One final note: The NPER function rarely returns an integer, or whole-number result. As in the preceding example, it commonly returns a fractional value, indicating that after the last regular payment, an additional fractional payment will also need to be made.

Credit cards are ubiquitous and relatively easy to obtain. The process involves filling out a credit card application form, which is a relatively straightforward process. All the same, it is advisable to have an idea of how credit cards work and the right way of filling out a credit card application.

An individuals credit history has a major bearing on the approval of his credit card application. Credit card companies can access an individuals credit history from various credit reporting companies. Applicants too should carefully read the application form and ask relevant questions about the credit card company. Unless the credit card is from a company that one is already doing business with, it is advisable to get an idea of their customer service and check for information on the Better Business Bureau. The Federal Government requires that the credit card applications elaborate the terms of credit clearly for the benefit of the applicant. This makes it easy for applicants to arrive at a decision regarding the right credit card for their circumstances.

Since credit card usage varies between people, there are different types of cards available; however, for a majority of people a low interest rate credit card works best. The credit card application mentions whether the APR is fixed or variable. The variable rate varies with the prime rate fixed by the Federal Reserve. A variable APR may not be a good idea for those who carry their credit balance forward. Other features such as the annual fees, grace period, and transaction charges should be understood. This helps in comparing offerings by the various card companies and in understanding the compatibility of these offerings with ones lifestyle.

After approval of the application, the card is mailed to the individual. It is advisable to read the accompanying literature carefully and file it safely for future reference.

In order to understand the various terms used in a credit card application and to get other helpful advice, an individual can research on various websites that offer easy-to-understand explanations.

When you find yourself in the midst of credit card debt, you may wonder if there is any way to pay off your balances without accruing so much interest and becoming trapped in what seems an inescapable cycle. If you can go online, visit the America Express website at http://www.americanexpress.com to see what they have to say about credit card debt consolidation. The American Express credit card offers a six month period without credit card interest. This means that if you transfer your balances from your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover cards, you will not accrue any interest on these balances. You only receive one statement and deal with one company for all your cards.

Benefits

Credit card debt consolidation lowers your monthly payments, which means that you will be paying out less each month than you have been. This is great news for those people with high monthly bills. You will have more access to cash and be able to apply that money either to the principle of our debt or to other needs.

The American Express credit card would be the only card you carry. So you would receive only one statement each month. If you are paying forty dollars on three credit cards right now, then you pay a total of one hundred and twenty dollars each month. A lot of that money goes to pay off the interest you are accruing on each card. So the principle balance keeps growing. When you transfer your balances to American Express, you are only responsible for the one payment each month. If this payment were forty dollars, for example, you would have freed up eighty dollars. Using this eighty dollars to pay on the American Express bill and therefore on the principle balances of your other cards is advisable, but not necessary.

Your credit card debt will disappear a lot faster if it is not accruing interest and growing in size each month. With the American Express card, the credit card interest is suspended for six months, offering you a grace period in which to catch up with your bills. You will also receive no interest on any other credit card purchases you make in the initial interest free time period.

In addition, by transferring your debt to an American Express credit card, you will get a better interest rate. The basic American Express credit card offers an interest rate of 4.99% on your balance transfers. This low rate takes effect after the six month trial period ends. It also lasts for the life of the card, meaning that it is a fixed credit card interest rate.

Drawbacks

There are some drawbacks to transferring credit card debt onto one card with an interest free trial period. You must remember that the interest will go up after the trial period is up. Be prepared to pay on the interest you accrue and have your debt disappear at a slower rate once the interest sets in. For purchases, your interest rate will continue to climb if you are late with payments or go over your credit limit.

Credit cards are popularly used by busy people who do not have the time for breaking down their salaries to different personal and family allocations. It will really consume time if you will still segregate your money to allocate it for electric utility payments, or in buying some groceries or other items and other needs. They just resort to using their credit cards for easier payments for these acquired products and services.

But do you know that by using credit cards it can get costly? Especially if you are not aware that you have reached your credit card limit, then expect a high credit billing once it arrives. Also, high interest rates can jack up your payments. Maybe it is high time for you to avail of a zero-percent credit card.

These zero-percent interest credit cards can lessen your high monthly credit payments because it allows you to pay the principal amount that you have actually used in purchasing a certain product or service in a certain interest-free month as pre-determined by a credit card company. There are also other requirements that you have to meet before being eligible to avail of this service.

Getting the Best Deal Available

When searching for a zero-percent credit card, it will be wise if you will compare the credit card rate of several lenders. You can log-on to their website and you can find relevant information such as annual fees, interest rates, transfer rates, and interest-free periods for each card. Compare it with other lenders that you can find online.

Be sure you have a good credit history. Credit card providers will investigate your capability to pay the service that you want to avail.

And lastly, always look for some marketing gigs, or promos provided by these companies. Many lenders are offering zero percent promos as an incentive for signing up with them. Be sure to check with them when this trial period ends, so that your budget wont be ruined. After all, zero percent or not, you will have to pay for your charges later on.

When you are in the market for a new credit card, the features you have to choose from may draw you to the card. Low interest rates and the types of rewards you can get, are what draw many to reward credit cards. Those of you who have good credit, will more than likely be able to get reward cards that boast 0% APR. This does have an introductory period, normally 1 year, that goes along with your new reward card.

Youll also need to think about the type of card that best fits your lifestyle. The credit card field is very competitive, meaning that you always have a lot of offers to choose from. Reward cards and becoming very popular, with more and more coming out all the time. If you look for your reward credit card on the Internet, youll be able to compare hundreds and hundreds of offers – and decide which one is indeed the best for you.

Those of you who travel on a frequent basis, may find frequent flyer reward cards to be very beneficial. These credit cards will accumulate either points or miles for every dollar that you spend. You can then use the accumulated points or miles and redeem them for airline travel, hotel reservations, car rentals, and even cruises. These credit cards can also help you with discounts as well, which can make a vacation or business trip more affordable than ever.

If you like to pay your full balance at the end of every month, then you may find a reward credit card with a cash back feature to be the most enticing. There are some cards that offer cash rewards of up to 5%, which can equal quite a bit at the end of the year. All you need to do with cash back reward credit cards is make a purchase, and youll get money back for everything you buy.

Other types of reward credit cards include discounts on gas purchases, contributions to your savings account, and points that you can redeem for great items and things of that nature. No matter what your lifestyle may be, you can almost always find a reward credit card that fits your needs and interests. Reward credit cards are great to have, as you can buy the things you need and earn points, flyer miles, and even cash back.

If the sound of rewards with your credit card purchases sounds enticing, you should look into getting a reward credit card. These cards are great to have, as most include low APR with great reward incentives. They can save you money as well, which is great for those on a budget. With a reward credit card – no matter what you choose youll come out a winner.

You can find the best choice of credit cards and pre-paid cards at www.CreditCards.us (http://www.creditcards.us)