This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding credit,credit card,zerocredit,how to get credit. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about credit,credit card,zerocredit,how to get credit.

Practically everyone in the United States has credit cards. From teenagers to retirees, almost everyone has at least one credit card. Everywhere we go we see ads – in the television, radio, newspapers, billboard advertisements – on credit cards. Some credit cards are even mailed directly to our homes. But what are credit cards, why should you have one and what are some of the risks involved?

Simply stated, a credit card is a financial arrangement between you, the consumer or the card holder, and an institution such as a bank. The arrangement specifies that you borrow money from the lending institution with the promise that you will pay them back in the future. The institution agrees that it will provide the money you need and in-turn you are expected to return payment over a certain period of time. Your payment will include not just the amount of money you borrowed, but also an additional charge based on a pre-defined rate of interest.

Credit can provide various services, making it an indispensable tool for today’s consumers. These include:

Convenience. You saw this wonderful dress in a shop. Perfect for tonight’s party, you thought. But you don’t have money right now. Thanks to your card, you can buy anything you want right now. Credit cards give you that wonderful allowance not to bring that much cash and to order goods from catalogs. In addition, many of the online-based shops and stores, such as Amazon.com, mainly accept payment using credit.

Emergency Protection. For emergency situation, credit cards can be an extremely helpful tool that could be your friend that could pay for your emergency needs, like when your car conked out in the road, or your mother gets hospitalized, or any emergency situations that you need money but can’t get it from the usual means.

Putting you in the right budget. Want to keep a detailed record of your expenditures? Credit cards can do that.

Security. In today’s world, carrying large cash has become a problem. If your cash gets lost, there’s no way you can retrieve it. Compared with credit cards, money cannot be returned back when it got lost or stolen. If your card, for example, got broken or it got lost or someone stole it from you, you can always ask for a credit card termination or cancellation. You will have another card, a new one that will replace it in a few days.

Traveling. If you’re quite a traveler, whether across the town or country, or outside the US, it is relatively easier to travel with a credit card.

When used responsibly, credit cards can help improve our daily lives. With credit cards, life can be much easier. However, the joy of using credit cards can quickly change to a curse!

Are you starting to get notices from creditors to pay or “else”? Are you worried that you might lose your properties like your house because of credit debt? Chin up: Dealing with credit card debt is not as hard as you may think.

And, if there’s any consolation, you’re not the only one facing such situations. At some point, many people like you face financial crises with credit card debt.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

Here are some simple tips to help you cope with your credit card debt:

Make a Budget.

If you want to have a grab of your financial situation before you lose everything, making a budget is what you should do first. Assess how much do you get from your income or other means and your expenditures. For example, if getting that posh apartment means you have to limit your meals to once a day, then it is not a great and sound budgeting decision. Your goal is ensure that you can answer for all the basic necessities: food, housing, clothes, health-related costs, among others.

Contact Your Creditors.

Remember: Running away from your creditors is not the answer. It is not a solution, and may in fact lead you to bigger problems. If you are having trouble paying off your debts, address this immediately with your creditors. State to them sincerely and fully the reason why it has become hard for you to pay these debts, and check if they could give you a revised payment arrangement that will put you at ease on your payment terms. Do not let creditors turn over your situation to someone or an agency to do the collecting for them, as this means that they have given up on you.

Address Debt Collectors.

There is a law that gives certain conditions for debt collectors as to when and how they should ask you to pay. The federal law, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, clearly states that those collecting debts may not bug you, give false assertions, or do practices that are not fair when they are getting to collect money from you.

Get Credit Counseling.

You could also consider getting the aid of groups or institutions that will help you in your problems. If you managed to have an improved payment arrangement of your debt with a good credit counseling organization, creditors may approve of your proposition and accept your modified arrangement plan..

Bankruptcy.

Generally, personal bankruptcy is known as the last choice to fix your ballooning credit debt. A bankruptcy unfortunately stays on your financial information report for years. Getting additional credit, buying a house, sometimes even getting a job might be hard for you. Technically, however, it is a legal way of addressing your credit debt.

Enjoy the use of credit to make your life easier. . .BUT don’t let it become a nightmare! Learn to use your credit responsibly.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of credit,credit card,zerocredit,how to get credit. Share your new understanding about credit,credit card,zerocredit,how to get credit with others. They’ll thank you for it.

After receiving over 60,000 comments, federal banking regulators passed new rules late last year to curb harmful credit card industry practices. These new rules go into effect in 2010 and could provide relief to many debt-burdened consumers. Here are those practices, how the new regulations address them and what you need to know about these new rules.

1. Late Payments

Some credit card companies went to extraordinary lengths to cause cardholder payments to be late. For example, some companies set the date to August 5, but also set the cutoff time to 1:00 pm so that if they received the payment on August 5 at 1:05 pm, they could consider the payment late. Some companies mailed statements out to their cardholders just days before the payment due date so cardholders wouldn’t have enough time to mail in a payment. As soon as one of these tactics worked, the credit card company would slap the cardholder with a $35 late fee and hike their APR to the default interest rate. People saw their interest rates go from a reasonable 9.99 percent to as high as 39.99 percent overnight just because of these and similar tricks of the credit card trade.

The new rules state that credit card companies cannot consider a payment late for any reason “unless consumers have been provided a reasonable amount of time to make the payment.” They also state that credit companies can comply with this requirement by “adopting reasonable procedures designed to ensure that periodic statements are mailed or delivered at least 21 days before the payment due date.” However, credit card companies cannot set cutoff times earlier than 5 pm and if creditors set due dates that coincide with dates on which the US Postal Service does not deliver mail, the creditor must accept the payment as on-time if they receive it on the following business day.

This rule mostly impacts cardholders who often pay their bill on the due date instead of a little early. If you fall into this category, then you will want to pay close attention to the postmarked date on your credit card statements to make sure they were sent at least 21 days before the due date. Of course, you should still strive to make your payments on time, but you should also insist that credit card companies consider on-time payments as being on time. Furthermore, these rules do not go into effect until 2010, so be on the lookout for an increase in late-payment-inducing tricks during 2009.

2. Allocation of Payments

Did you know that your credit card account likely has more than one interest rate? Your statement only shows one balance, but the credit card companies divide your balance into different types of charges, such as balance transfers, purchases and cash advances.

Here’s an example: They lure you with a zero or low percent balance transfer for several months. After you get comfortable with your card, you charge a purchase or two and make all your payments on time. However, purchases are assessed an 18 percent APR, so that portion of your balance is costing you the most — and the credit card companies know it and are counting on it. So, when you send in your payment, they apply all of your payment to the zero or low percent portion of your balance and let the higher interest portion sit there untouched, racking up interest charges until all of the balance transfer portion of the balance is paid off (and this could take a long time because balance transfers are typically larger than purchases because they consist of multiple, previous purchases). Essentially, the credit card companies were rigging their payment system to maximize its profits — all at the expense of your financial wellbeing.

The new rules state that the amount paid above the minimum monthly payment must be distributed across the different portions of the balance, not just to the lowest interest portion. This reduces the amount of interest charges cardholders pay by reducing higher-interest portions sooner. It may also reduce the amount of time it takes to pay off balances.

This rule will only affect cardholders who pay more than the minimum monthly payment. If you only make the minimum monthly payment, then you will still likely end up taking years, possibly decades, to pay off your balances. However, if you adopt a policy of always paying more than the minimum, then this new rule will directly benefit you. Of course, paying more than the minimum is always a good idea, so don’t wait until 2010 to start.

3. Universal Default

Universal default is one of the most controversial practices of the credit card industry. Universal default is when Bank A raises your credit card account’s APR when you are late paying Bank B, even if you’re not or have never been late paying Bank A. The practice gets more interesting when Bank A gives itself the right, through contractual disclosures, to increase your APR for any event impacting your credit worthiness. So, if your credit score lowers by one point, say “Goodbye” to your low, introductory APR. To make matters worse, this APR increase will be applied to your entire balance, not just on new purchases. So, that new pair of shoes you bought at 9.99 percent APR is now costing you 29.99 percent.

The new rules require credit card companies “to disclose at account opening the rates that will apply to the account” and prohibit increases unless “expressly permitted.” Credit card companies can increase interest rates for new transactions as long as they provide 45 days advanced notice of the new rate. Variable rates can increase when based on an index that increases (for example, if you have a variable rate that is prime plus two percent, and the prime rate increase one percent, then your APR will increase with it). Credit card companies can increase an account’s interest rate when the cardholder is “more than 30 days delinquent.”

This new rule impacts cardholders who make payments on time because, from what the rule says, if a cardholder is more than 30 days late in paying, all bets are off. So, as long as you pay on time and don’t open an account in which the credit card company discloses every possible interest rate to give itself permission to charge whatever APR it wants, you should benefit from this new rule. You should also pay close attention to notices from your credit card company and keep in mind that this new rule does not take effect until 2010, giving the credit card industry all of 2009 to hike interest rates for whatever reasons they can dream up.

4. Two-Cycle Billing

Interest rate charges are based on the average daily balance on the account for the billing period (one month). You carry a balance everyday and the balance might be different on some days. The amount of interest the credit card company charges is not based on the ending balance for the month, but the average of every day’s ending balance.

So, if you charge $5000 at the first of the month and pay off $4999 on the 15th, the company takes your daily balances and divides them by the number of days in that month and then multiplies it by the applicable APR. In this case, your daily average balance would be $2,333.87 and your finance charge on a 15% APR account would be $350.08. Now, imagine that you paid off that extra $1 on the first of the following month. You would think that you should owe nothing on the next month’s bill, right? Wrong. You’d get a bill for $175.04 because the credit card company charges interest on your daily average balance for 60 days, not 30 days. It is essentially reaching back into the past to drum-up more interest charges (the only industry that can legally travel time, at least until 2010). This is two-cycle (or double-cycle) billing.

The new rule expressly prohibits credit card companies from reaching back into previous billing cycles to calculate interest charges. Period. Gone… and good riddance!

5. High Fees on Low Limit Accounts

You may have seen the credit card advertisements claiming that you can open an account with a credit limit of “up to” $5000. The operative term is “up to” because the credit card company will issue you a credit limit based on your credit rating and income and often issues much lower credit limits than the “up to” amount. But what happens when the credit limit is a lot lower — I mean A LOT lower — than the advertised “up to” amount?

College students and subprime consumers (those with low credit scores) often found that the “up to” account they applied for came back with credit limits in the low hundreds, not thousands. To make things worse, the credit card company charged an account opening fee that swallowed up a large portion of the issued credit limit on the account. So, all the cardholder was getting was just a little more credit than he or she needed to pay for opening the account (is your head spinning yet?) and sometimes ended up charging a purchase (not knowing about the large setup fee already charged to the account) that triggered over-limit penalties — causing the cardholder to incur more debt than justified.

The new rules place restrictions on how much credit card companies can charge for these account setup or membership fees and requires that they spread out these fees over at least a six-month period if these fees consume more than 25 percent of the account’s credit limit.

What now?

It’s 2009 and these rules don’t take effect until 2010. So, credit card companies have one year to wreck havoc on consumers (not that they haven’t been doing so over the past 30 years). So, you’ll need to keep your eyes open for an increase in tricks designed to plummet you into more debt and make a habit of insisting that these companies abide by the new rules of the game once they kick into action in 2010. However, there are three universal points to live by to get the most out of these new rules: always read your cardholder agreement and notices, always pay on time and always pay more (much more) than the minimum monthly payment.

Time to Get Out of Debt

These new rules may also have other side effects. Some credit card companies are already lowering credit limits and increasing the minimum monthly payment amount from around two percent of the outstanding balance to as much as five percent. So, some cardholders may see their payments double and this could cause a lot of problems for cash-strapped consumers. This just means that there is no better time than now to start getting yourself out of debt and out from under the thumbs of the credit card banks.

There are a few ways to get out of debt. Bankruptcy is often an obvious option for people financially pinned against the wall, but the 2005 bankruptcy law revision made it more difficult for many consumers. Consumer credit counseling is another option that’s popular, but it involves more organizational relief than financial relief. Debt settlement is growing in popularity because it provides financial relief through negotiated reduction in the amount owed, but people looking to enroll with a debt settlement company should make sure they are dealing with a well-established, reputable company. Alternatively, some people trying to get out of debt can negotiate their own debt-reduction settlements with the help of do-it-yourself debt settlement kits.  Do-it-yourself debt settlement kits are available online and are less expensive than a professional, third-party debt settlement program.

Should I File For Bankruptcy?

Consider the questions listed below. If you answer yes to three or more of the questions, you should speak with a bankruptcy lawyer right away. We can help. For a thoughtful, caring assessment of your situation and your options and for answers to your bankruptcy questions, contact our San Francisco bankruptcy law office today.

1. Do you pay over 20 percent interest on any of your debt?

2. Have you been served with legal papers, are you being sued, or are your wages already being garnished?

3. Are you receiving harassing calls from creditors?

4. Do you routinely spend more than you earn?

5. Is it difficult for you to see a way of getting out of debt?

6. Can you only afford the minimum payment required on your credit cards?

7. Do you panic when faced with an unexpected expense, such as a car repair?

8. Do you skip payments on some bills in order to pay other bills, transfer balances, or use cash advances on one credit card?

9. Have you experienced a change of employment such as a job change, loss of employment or loss of overtime that impacts your ability to keep the status quo?

10. Do you find yourself arguing with your spouse about money, or find that you are afraid to talk to your spouse about money at all?

11. Are you thinking about filing for bankruptcy?

12. Do you buy necessary items, such as food and clothing, on credit?

13. Do you make regular payments without your balances going down?

We build relationships with our clients. Our practice is centered on providing personalized service and representation in an atmosphere and culture of care.

When good people have serious financial problems, they owe it to themselves and their families to consider bankruptcy. There is no reason not to take advantage of our free office consultation and personalized evaluation from an honest and caring bankruptcy lawyer. Visit our website at www.sfdebthelp.com. Call us at (415) 963-4004 or email us at email@jclawgroup.com.

You can’t stop noticing the number of advertisements for credit card offers these days. It can be enticing to sign up as they offer attractive rates and appealing incentives. So, why should you bother with a secured credit card deal?

In some cases, secured credit card may be useful. If the finance companies often reject your application, then you lose the prospect of getting one. Without credit report, you obviously find it almost impossible to secure a card. If the court declares you as an insolvent, what are your chances of getting one? As you can see, it boils down to your personal financial situation. Nevertheless, don’t let it refrain from obtaining a credit card. You can opt for secured credit cards in such circumstances.

So, how does it work? The financial providers will require you to pledge your saving account with at least 500 dollars as collateral. Some of them may require higher deposits. Your credit limit depends on the sum of saving you have. This means that the card issuers will give a full credit line according to your account balance. Should you default your payment, you will lose your saving. Therefore, to obtain a credit card, you must have a saving account or a certificate of deposit with a minimum of 500 dollars. You will feel more comfortable having a credit card this way without worrying about over spending.

Usually the finance companies don’t accept standard card application if you have bad credit. So the other option is to apply for secured credit cards. They assess your application only based on your savings and not your credit history.

Being a college student, you know that obtaining a credit card is challenging because you need to establish your credit. You can’t get a regular one if you cannot present your credit history report. Therefore, most college students normally choose secured credit cards that demand no credit report.

Bankruptcy can prevent you from getting a normal card. The ideal way is to apply for a secured credit card. It is easier to obtain approval compared to other kinds of cards.

To determine the best deals, you check the offers from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover on the Internet. Doing online research can give you with valuable information about their offers. However, not all the offers are the same. So, you need to evaluate their offers first before you submit your application. Here is a potential list of items you should consider.

1. What are their interest rates?

2. Do they charge any extra fees such as an application fee?

3. Do they report to the three credit reporting bureaus about your application?

The best secured credit card should meet all your needs. Ideally, choose those that come with low interest rates and without application fees. Make sure that the card issuers report to the credit reporting bureaus. This will upgrade your credit score in the future provided you pay on time. This will further help you with your application for regular cards.

You need time and effort in diligently investigating and comparing different types of secured credit card deals. Whether you are a bankrupt, a student or a poor credit paymaster, secured credit cards are better choices even though you have a limit on how you spend your money. Best of all, you have a better money management because of the restriction.

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Credit card bankruptcy is a method which should be taken up when all the other sources of debt has attained without any proper results. This is a method whereby you fall under the rules, terms and conditions of the bankruptcy which will not allow you to take loans for the next 10 years.

Declaring bankruptcy is a method whereby you just have to succumb to the fact that you are left with no financial standing. Such a situation arises when practically there is no money in your bank account. It is a situation which is highly unnerving and extremely dangerous. Therefore, such cases need special treatment and special guidelines. The individuals who have faced bankruptcy in their life, they have submitted themselves to severe restrictions and limitations which have narrowed them down in such a way that they are left with nothing expect seek the help from an individual.

Credit card bankruptcy takes place only when you have completely gone out of your financial capacity to pay back any sum to the financial institutions. Such cases arise when huge amounts of credits have piled up in your bank account and you have lost the capability to pay back the due amount to the banks on time. These situations arise from carelessness on the part of the borrower or some mishap which has taken place. It is a horrific situation and everyone wants to avoid it completely.

You should always try all other options for debt relief before declaring bankruptcy. There are a large number of debt settlement companies which are available in the market. You can opt for a debt relief from them. However, all these options do not bear you fruit, only then you can opt for the credit card bankruptcy.

Debt settlement companies are widely available in just about every state however some are just flat out more experienced than others in debt negotiation. That’s why it’s so important for consumers to use debt relief networks. These networks qualify and only accept the best performing debt settlement companies. To find a legitimate debt settlement company in your state check out the following link:

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