Credit Card Rewards

Just as the term itself suggests, student credit cards are credit cards meant exclusively for students, many of whom are yet to earn a documented income with employment. Credit card issuers are mindful of students and their credit challenges so they make accommodations for students when building student credit card offers specifically. Typically, the only constraint when applying for a student credit card is the age of the student, and as mandated by the law of the country, which is typically 18 years old and above at the time of application. In many ways, a student credit card is very similar to traditional, run-of-the-mill credit cards. But the major difference, is the standard APR, or interest rate, levied for card purchases, which is relatively higher than a traditional credit card APR.

Credit Card Use & Credit Score

Student credit cards provide more financial flexibility for young students. But, while it may come in handy when paying the rent, paying tuition, purchasing books, and other necessary items like food and clothing, unbridled card swiping can sometimes lead to financial trouble, especially in the form of poor credit scores and damaged credit histories. To a certain extent, this can be blamed on a lack of education or awareness as young people, often times, will not think too much about the concept of credit scoring or the idea of building a good credit history. As a result of this lack of awareness, they will typically not restrain themselves from using the credit card freely either.

The danger of poor credit scores will not become readily apparent, but will certainly become apparent when the student approaches a bank for credit at a later point in time. Credit profiling or credit scores, as determined by any of the three credit bureaus, represent an individual’s credit life history, and black marks on credit histories, however they are acquired, will make it difficult, at worst, and more expensive, at best, to secure the lowest possible interest rate on the loan or financing. So, consequently, even if one manages to get the home loan or car loan, for instance, the interest rate, in order to accommodate the increased credit risk perceived by the bank, will be higher than normal, and in turn, much more expensive for the borrower. The bottom line is that student credit cards represent a potential risk to future economic standing if the cards are not used judiciously.

Using Student Credit Cards

As previously mentioned, it is clear that uncontrolled use of a student credit card can easily damage an individuals budding credit scoring and credit history profile. But on the flip side, intelligent spending and timely payback can go a long way toward building a solid credit history and credit score. Using the card for necessary purchases that are well within his/her payback capabilities and making the payments well within the due date can improve ones credit rating tremendously.

Credit Bureau Reporting

The rules of credit bureaus are pretty straightforward. The amount of money that an individual borrows will be reflected in his or her credit report and the credit limits that each person can retain will be reflected in the amount of credit that the individual has previously “borrowed” and has paid back on time. Simple, right?

One additional point of interest … the credit card company is supposed to report each transaction that is been done on a particular credit card account to the three major credit bureaus promptly. But this does not happen in every case. More specifically, secure student credit cards or prepaid cards, often times will not report transactions to the major credit bureaus. Therefore, it is the users responsibility to make sure that the credit card transaction history is indeed being reported to the credit bureaus and is being done done in a timely manner. Remember, an unnoticed credit transaction does not do any good to improve your credit history.

Trying to repair credit rating scores is not something you can do overnight. Neither is it something that someone else can do for you. There are ways to help you repair credit ratings, but you really do have to want to improve your rating to an acceptable level.

If you have been denied credit, chances are it is because you have a poor credit rating. To find out for sure, you can request a free copy of your credit report to see what information the report contains. Once you see that you have a lot of outstanding bills with missed or late payments, then you will have to take the necessary steps to repair credit rating. Although this wont happen overnight, there are ways to improve your credit rating.

One of the easiest ways to improve your credit rating is to start paying your bills on time. Many people have a poor credit rating simply because they are negligent in sending in the payments because they do not realize how important this is to their credit rating. Even if you have plenty of money coming in to pay your bills each month, you could still have a low credit score and have to start to repair credit rating.

If you are having difficulty making your payments, there are still ways that you can improve your credit rating. One of these is to contact your back and arrange for a debt consolidation loan. When you use this money to pay off your outstanding bills and make the payments on the new loan on time, it goes a long way towards the repair of your credit rating. Creditors look favourably upon this because it shows that you really do care about your credit and want to improve your credit rating.

Another of the ways to improve your credit rating is to contact the creditors to see if they will take a lower monthly payment. When you are able to manage a lower payment and have it in on time, then you are also taking steps to repair credit rating. Creditors will usually work with you to find a manageable amount because they do want to receive their money back. You can also start with the lowest amount and make higher monthly payments to repair credit rating. In this way you are rebuilding your credit and getting your bills paid off at the same time.

There are some simple steps to repair credit ratings, but it takes some effort.

How I Raised My Credit Score 40 Points In 24hrs. And Saved $658 A Month In Interest

Its never easy to talk about credit. Not with friends, not with family, not online, and, most of all, not with myself. Yes, I let a monthly payment go by here and there. Ive maxed out my share of credit cards. Ive bought cars that I really couldnt afford. I ate out. A lot. At expensive restaurants. And I always ordered the lobster. I always knew, in the back of my head, that I was teetering on the brink of credit destruction. Yet I couldnt bring myself to admit that my credit was going downhill. I continued applying for credit cards anyway. I didnt want to run them up, honestly. It just happened.

One day, reality gave me a swift kick in the rear. I grew weary of renting, so I decided to pursue the proverbial American Dream and purchase a home. I sort of knew that my credit was troubled, but I kidded myself into thinking that it couldnt be that bad. I went to a mortgage company to finance my dream. When I got there, I filled out an application, and they pulled my credit report. I truly was not prepared for what the loan officer said to me next. Im sorry, sir, he said, your application has been declined. I was absolutely stunned and numb. I could not believe my ears. My dreams were decimated in mere seconds. I left the office so dumbfounded that I didnt even remember the drive home. I got back to the apartment and I torched every Homes For Sale magazine in the fireplace.

From that very moment, I resolved to clean up my act. Not knowing much about credit, I had to swallow the last ounce of pride I had and called up the loan officer I met with. They have general guidelines for approving mortgage loans, he explained. One of the major factors that go into an approval is your credit score. Quite simply, the higher your credit scores, the better your chances of being approved. Whats more, the higher your score, the better the terms of your mortgage; that is, better interest rates, better payments, and lower down payments to name but a few. In my particular case, my score was low. Their minimum requirement is a score of 620. My score was 604.

The only way that I could get an approval for a home loan, he said, was to raise my credit scores. The good news, he said, was that he could refer me to their sister company. They specialized in approving mortgages for people with challenged credit. In fact, they have been known to approve loans for people with scores as low as 500!

With a glimmer of hope, I contacted the company he spoke of, known as a subprime lender. Sure enough, they had good news for me. We received your application from our sister company, and Im happy to tell you that we are able to approve you for a mortgage!

Something didnt feel quite right, though, so I asked about the terms of the mortgage he approved. It turned out that their loan was going to cost me a whopping $7896.00 in additional interest for the first year, which amounted to roughly an extra $666.00 per month! That was about twice what I used to pay on my car. Think about thatbecause my scores were so low, I had to pay the equivalent of two car payments in order to purchase a house. Heck, I couldve bought a Mercedes with that kind of money, although I probably wouldnt have been approved for a car loan anyway. Not only would the extra interest have a disastrous impact on my bank account, it would price me completely out of my dream home a terrifying thought indeed.

While I celebrated the approval, I shuddered at the terms. I begrudgingly went forward with the lending process. Although I loathed that extra interest, I hated the thought of not owning a home even more. In the meantime, I resolved to find another way. Either I could sign their loan and pay almost $8000 extra just in interest, or I could try again with the first company after raising my score. To me, the choice was clear. At the time, there wasnt much I could afford anyway, let alone two cars worth of payments. I resolved not to pay any more than was absolutely necessary to purchase the house. I had to repair my credit! With no money in the bank and no room on my credit cards, I simply could not fathom spending $400-$500 on a credit repair agency. My creativity had to exceed my financial means for me to get the results I needed.

I was able to obtain a tri-merge credit report and found my aggregate scores were 604, 576, and 606. A tri-merge refers to a single credit report that contains information, including scores, from the three major credit reporting bureaus; namely, Experian (formerly TRW), Equifax, and TransUnion. Each has a unique formula for scoring your credit. Many mortgage companies will use a tri-merge report to determine whether your creditworthiness deserves an approval. Depending on the mortgage company, they will consider one of your three scores and go from there. In my case, the loan officer advised that I needed to get one of the numbers up to at least 620.

Throughout the course of my research, I found a lot of resources that explained the credit repair process. One of the most common methods is to write letters to the credit bureaus, disputing the erroneous information on my credit report that caused my scores to decline. In fact, the credit bureaus themselves explain this process. Basically, you scour your report and locate invalid entries, such as an incorrect credit limit, or even an entry thats not yours. Then, you write a letter to the credit bureau explaining that the information is wrong and ask for it to be removed. If they manage to confirm that the entries are correct, then it stays on the report. If they cant confirm it, off it goes. Make no mistake; this technique is quite effective if done correctly. The problem is credit bureaus, by law, have thirty days to investigate the information. That doesnt even include the time it takes to mail my dispute, and for them to mail an answer back letting me know what happened. At best, it would take about 40 days before I knew anything. I simply could not wait that long. Plus, there was no guarantee that they would remove the information anyway.

Undaunted, I continued my quest to boost my credit scores quickly and inexpensively. Time was running out, however. The closing for the subprime mortgage was only days away. My persistence was rewarded when I managed to discover little-known methods that I utilized to increase my score. As a matter of fact, my Equifax score went from 604 to 644 in only 24 hours! Like a thermometer next to a blue-hot flame, my score shot up 40 points, literally, overnight. I went back to my loan officer, and he was flabbergasted. Never had he seen anyone raise their credit scores so quickly and dramatically. He put my application back through. Miraculously, I was approved!

I saved myself hundreds of dollars a month, and thousands of dollars a year by being able to raise my credit scores. The best part is that, because of the techniques I used, it only took a matter of days and not months like the credit bureaus would have you believe. Theres an adage that says Cash is king. These days, its more accurate to say that Credit is king. Your credit scores have so much impact on your life that it would be catastrophic to take them lightly. By raising your credit score, you can experience the same kinds of savings that I achieved. Youll be able to better afford that dream home or dream car, and youll realize the benefits for years and years to come.

Five years ago, a consumer could apply for a credit card and receive not only confirmation of approval, but also the cards 16 digit number and expiration date in a matter of minutes. Getting a credit card online was truly an instant process. And an easy one. Especially for identity thieves, who could max out a persons virtual credit card before the actual plastic arrived in the unsuspecting consumers mailbox. Problems such as these ultimately led to the phasing out of instant online credit cards.

At present, American Express offers 60 second decisions upon submission of an online application. If approved, the consumer is given notice of his or her status, not their numbers. If the consumer does not immediately qualify for online approval, then notification of approval or denial is sent via mail. Consumers with good to excellent credit looking for an instant credit card, therefore, should consider American Express credit cards.

Most credit card issuers generally take anywhere from five to seven business days before reaching an approval decision and getting the plastic in the mail. With some companies, consumers can expect to wait as long as 30 days. Clearly, the days of the instant credit card are gone.

Individuals without excellent credit that are in a rush to get a new credit card can now expect to wait at least five business days to get the card they applied for. Having good credit facilitates and expedites the decision process. However, those with average and borderline credit scores are often left in credit decision purgatory.

So what should one do if they truly need an instant credit card? One solution is to consider applying for credit cards from different issuing banks. Since each bank varies in its application processing time and approval criteria, applying for credit cards from different companies can expedite the process of obtaining an instant credit card, while also providing an opportunity to make a more informed decision on which credit card to accept and use over the long term.

Perhaps the end of the guaranteed instant online approval era of credit cards is not such a bad thing. The more stringent and time consuming application process currently in place provides consumers and credit card companies immeasurably better protection against identity theft. It also gives the consumer time to evaluate the interest rates and rewards offered by the instant credit cards they apply for and make better decisions about which credit card to use.

Prepaid credit cards have been around for over ten years now, although they are just now coming into the spotlight. Prepaid credit cards are basically credit cards backed by major credit card companies that offer you the ability to deposit money onto the card and then use it for purchases. You are not allowed to spend anything more than you have deposited in most cases. It is a great way to teach students good financial responsibility. There are a lot of advantages to prepaid credit cards, and only a few disadvantages. However, before committing to any prepaid credit cards, you should be clear on the companys rules and fees.

No Credit Checks

One great thing about prepaid credit cards is that there is usually no credit check required. This makes prepaid credit cards ideal for those with lousy credit scores or even those without any previous credit to build their credit. If you have bad credit, this is a nice way to slowly rebuild your credit score. Creditors will see the card on your report and see if you use it responsibly and often.

No APR

Many prepaid credit cards offer no APR on money deposited and your purchases. Some do charge high interest rates on your balances however, so beware. There is no reason you should pay a monthly interest rate on money you have deposited or on purchases. Therefore, you should certainly look for cards that offer no APR.

Fees

Just like the bank, some prepaid credit cards charge fees on your transactions. Some prepaid credit cards will charge you ATM fees or cash withdrawal fees. These are the most common fees with prepaid credit cards. Some cards however may try to charge you a monthly usage fee. Try to get a prepaid credit card that does not charge this monthly fee. They exist out there, so just search. You will save yourself a lot in the long run by avoiding a monthly fee on your prepaid credit cards.

Direct Deposit

Prepaid credit cards often have the ability to allow you to directly deposit your check onto your card. This eliminates the need to go to the bank each week. This is the perfect option for the cardholder that uses their prepaid credit card for everything. Take advantage of these convenient options, as they can save you time. The truth is, prepaid credit cards are responsible ways to spend money. They give you the option of using your money anywhere credit cards are taken without leaving you with a high monthly bill.
Prepaid credit cards can also offer reward programs and other incentives similar to regular cards. They are convenient and low risk. As with any credit card, make sure your prepaid credit cards have terms which with you agree. It is better to read everything before rather than later.