What You Need to Know When Using Credit Cards

By Bobbie McKee

Credit cards are used as forms of payments now more than ever. Being a widely used at restaurants, hotels, mail order, on-line shopping, gasoline stations, grocery stores, dental and medical care, church bazaars, as well as telephone and television advertised products. They are truly convenient and help a lot in regular transactions. They are also ideal for making a payment online due to the protection provided by.

Credit
Credit cards act as a short-term loan if you find something you would like to purchase eliminating the need to carry large sums of cash. It’s a sweet deal if it’s properly used and today it can be even sweeter if you use cash back or a rewards card.

Most are issued by banks, stores and other businesses to allow people to buy things on borrowed money. They allow you to pay all or only a tiny portion of what you borrowed each month and can help you build a payment history.

These cards can let you choose how much you borrow and how quickly or slowly you pay back the loan. There is even credit counselors and credit repair clinics that can help customers who have gotten in over their heads.

Rewards
Rewards credit cards are constantly improving because it is how these companies compete with one another to gain new customers and to keep the ones they have. Most shoppers are comparing the points earned on various rewards cards, or the gift cards you receive.

Rewards cards don’t reward if you carry a balance from month to month. These cards are designed to “reward” consumers for their loyalty by giving something back to the cardholder; various rewards programs exist including points, cash back, frequent flyer miles or merchandise. While all cards sound great at first glance, it’s important to do a little in depth research on each before you select one. What you miss in the fine print might cause your card to reward the credit card lender instead of your wallet.

If you are carrying a balance from month to month instead of paying it off at the end of each month, you’re not likely to earn anything from the rewards after you pay out the interest.

Apr
Card deals are constantly evolving, so credit consumers who plan on signing up for a specific 0% offer they've had their eye on for a while shouldn't drag their heels. It is important to be careful with these cards, since most of them contain very high APR’s and you should be able to pay them off in full at the end of each month.

APR’s change with the economy, but lower is always better. When you are at the point where you are ready to apply for a card, you have likely seen lots of information about APR's and now are absolutely confused and perplexed by all the seemingly amazing credit offers out there. Trying the lowest APR on a card application IS confusing because there are different rates for different scenarios.

Let's clear up some of the confusion about credit card APR's. Most 0% Intro APR cards charge a transaction fee for transferring balances, but "no fee" zero percent intro APR balance transfer offers still exist, are they are now the most sought-after cards. The Citi® Platinum Select offers a 0% fixed introductory APR for 12 months from account opening on balance transfers. Also consider the Simmons Rewards Card, which offers a 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and a low 8.

Offers
If you never fly you probably wouldn’t want a card that offers frequent flyer miles as rewards, but if you are a frequent flyer, this type of card may be your best bet. There are different cards that come with certain special offers and it is really a good idea to check out the various offers before grabbing a card.

About the author: Bobbie McKee specializing in providing a comprehensive list of the latest credit card offers. You can search for Credit Cards For First Timecredit Card Holders or you can choose from over 130 credit card offers Full permission to reprint this article is given provided this box is kept unchanged.