In modern society, many people have adopted a buy now and pay later mentality about purchasing. This has caused problems for many people when they fall on hard times and are unable to pay their bills. This problem has come to the attention of some lenders who have developed a range of bad credit credit cards to accommodate people who fall into this financial category.
Bad credit credit cards have benefits for both the lenders and the consumers. Lenders have noticed the potential to charge higher interest rates, raise fees and increase profits making this business very lucrative for them. These cards help many customers to increase credit score and have returned purchasing power back to those who otherwise would have no other options.
There are many types of credit cards for consumers to choose from like prepaid, secured, and unsecured. Prepaid cards are generally just a debit card where the consumer is able to deposit his or her own funds. These cards have no effect on credit score and are not reported to credit agencies. As convenient as prepaid cards are to have, they are not helpful in rebuilding your credit.
When trying to rebuild your credit, think about secured credit cards. These cards are secured by funds that you deposit in to a savings account. This protects you the consumer from getting in over your head, and also protects the credit card company to know that they will receive the funds if you are unable to pay your debt back. These companies will typically report to a credit agency.
Having trouble establishing credit? Bad credit credit cards can be your answer. They are frequently unsecured, but have a higher interest rate and fees for late charges. Keeping your payments paid will not only increase your credit rating but will also raise your credit line which more often than not starts at around $500.
Customers should decide carefully when choosing a credit card. Be sure to find a card that suits your current needs and that also has terms and conditions that are favorable to the customer. Check your online credit score regularly to ensure that your score is being correctly reported.
By: Daniel Lesser
Posts Tagged ‘Secured Cards’
Secured Credit Cards Help with Bad Credit
March 22nd, 2010
If you’re reading this article right now, there’s a good chance you have bad credit. Does bad credit make you a bad person? Absolutely not. As the years go on this earth, the debt continues to go on as well. In fact, over thirty to forty percent of all Americans have some sort of debt that doesn’t include their mortgage. So, the question is, “What do you do when you have awful credit and no where to turn?” The answer is quite simple, apply for a secured credit card.
A secured credit card is a great way to re-establish your credit. Instead of applying for a bad credit credit card and have a low success rate of being approved, you should turn your head to a secured credit card where your chances of getting approved are almost one hundred percent. With such a high approval rate, this is why many people turn to a secured credit card when they are looking to re-establish their credit.
If you’re not familiar on how a secured credit card works, I’ll guide you through the process. Keep in mind that this type of card is very different than a regular credit card. When you apply for a secured credit card, chances are they you’ll be approved. This is because you’ll have to supply the credit card companies with a deposit The reason you’ll have to supply the companies with a deposit is because if you don’t pay off your bills, they will have something to fall back on.
Depending on what credit card you apply for, most credit cards only make you supply them with anywhere from three hundred to five hundred dollars to start. Usually, whatever you supply the credit card company with, this is going to be your credit limit. So, if you try to spend more than what you deposited, you’re going to find that you’re going to get denied for the purchase.
When you’re looking to apply for a secured credit card, make sure that the card you’re looking at reports to all of the three major credit bureaus. Most of the time, the credit cards will. If not, this will defeat the purpose of applying for a card to establish your credit all over again. Yes, a secured card will help build your credit because you’re technically still “borrowing” money from the company to prove that you can pay it off. Like I mentioned above though, if you can’t pay it off, the company will take away from your deposit. You’ll want to avoid this though because like in the past with your credit, you’ll want to avoid it because it will affect your credit.
If you’re looking to re-establish your credit and you have had no luck applying for credit cards, make sure you tend to avoid the bad credit credit cards and go the secured credit card route. If you learn your lesson from your credit past, you should make a change in your spending and you’ll be able to get the better cards and have better credit in no time.
By: Tom Tessin
