This article is in relation to Australian credit card providers. I’m sure you will find that the same or similar information will be true for credit providers in your country/region. Why is it that these types of business are all about ‘Buyer beware” especially when even our respective governments teach us that these same companies are to be trusted…(Banks, Financial Institutions)?

An Australian consumer advocate group, Choice, has released information from a study carried out on 20 credit card companies here in Australia.

It showed that the amount of interest charged on credit cards varies greatly between providers, (when the provider starts and stops charging interest and how fairly they apply the interest free days as actually advertised interest rate).

The fairer credit providers were shown to be Heritage building society, Bendigo Bank, Certain GE cards, and Teachers Credit Union, while the most unfair credit card providers mentioned in the study were, American Express (no surprises here), Commonwealth Bank, Bankwest, ANZ, and also Westpac.

The tricks of the Banking trade make it very difficult, if not nearly downright impossible for the consumer to compare the merits and relative benefits of competing card providers’ as the headline interest rate is only part of the story.Most card companies backdate the interest rate to the purchase date, if your repayment on the credit card is late (this means that if your one day late you will pay the whole interest amount on the preceding 55 days) or even if you might under pay by a slight amount (ie:- if you make any shortfall, even as low as $5.00) and if this happens on an amount of, say, $2500.00 that is really going to hurt. Consumers would be very surprised to know that if they had 2 credit cards with exactly the same interest rates and used them in the same way, (similar purchase amounts and repayments of interest etc) they could be charged twice as much interest on one credit card for overdue interest than on the other.

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The process of applying for a credit card can often be a long once.

After the application form has been filled in (a time-consuming task in itself) consumers are often left waiting to hear whether they’ve been accepted for weeks at which point they may not have time to complete the process.

For this reason, instant decision cards are proving increasingly popular, particularly for consumers with a blemish-free borrowing record.

Instant decision cards can also have the advantage of encompassing a whole range of standard plastic card types.

For example, some 0% balance transfer card offers are available through an instant approval process which could potentially save those who are paying high-interest debts on other credit cards money in the long term.

Finally, since instant decision credit cards tend to use the major credit reference agencies – such as Equifax – to make their decisions, it can be easier to predict the lender’s decision than with a traditional online card application.

This is because consumers are able to view these credit records themselves.

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Deciding on what type of credit card to apply for depends on your past credit history. I had no idea how important maintaining good credit was until I lost my credit cards. You’ll want to avoid bad credit at all costs but sometimes we simply run into circumstances beyond our control.

Many people lose their privilege of having a credit card due to missed payments and create a bad credit rating in their credit bureau file. I had previously owned six cards and lost all of them because of a change in my financial situation that made it impossible to keep up payments. The result was mountains of debt and bad credits.

If you need to rent a car or book a hotel in the future, good luck. These companies want a credit card number in case there is damage or if someone takes something they shouldn’t have. I’ve also been stuck when my car broke down, only to find when I tried to rent one, the rental company refused me due to lack of a credit cards as a result of my bad credits.

Booking vacations and hotels are a struggle without a credit card as well. On a recent business trip I had the embarrassment of having to pay with cash at check-out time. I’m felt as though they must have known I didn’t have a credit card and thankfully my business partners weren’t there to see me. I can now proudly book hotels, vacations and car rentals with ease with my First Millennium Platinum Card.

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If you’ve thought about starting a business or already have, getting a business credit card with a bad credit history may be tough. As a business owner you may need to do credit checks on your customers as well so you understand a company’s reluctance to give you credit based on bad credit rating. This can deter anyone from even getting their own business going. It shouldn’t as there are ways around this dilemma.

As a business owner you need to have some sort of credit card to streamline your finances and it’s important to manage the business finances separate from your own. The terms on the card will be determined by your own credit history. Don’t be discouraged by the job that is in front of you, some of the most successful business owners were bankrupt and down on their luck at some time.

Bad credit isn’t a business death sentence; it is only a hurdle to overcome with a little patience. First, you will want to find a bad credit lender that offers secured or unsecured credit cards. Remember, when you apply for any card, check out the terms and interest rates or any special offers. You could try your own bank first but they will most likely want collateral or equity as security. Sure the interest may be low, but that’s if you even get approved.

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If you’ve ever need money in a hurry you probably wished you had a credit card. They are handy for those little emergencies or those last minute purchases. Chances are you have had them in the past and may be like the millions of other consumers who fell on hard times and lost them. Now with bad credit, getting another will surely be a feat. That’s not necessarily true today. There are cards that can be approved quickly regardless of your bad credit history.

Getting a secured card fast is easy with a down payment or some sort of collateral but maybe you don’t have any. Then try for an unsecured credit card. That being said, there are some things you need to know to avoid paying high upfront fees or ridiculous interest rates. This is all can sometimes come standard with unsecured credit cards. Since past economic crisis has caused companies to tighten up their approval procedures, there are some things you should know before you go looking.

Determine why you may want the credit card in the first place. Is it for those unexpected expenses or to work on repairing your bad credit? Chances are it’s probably both. Prepaid cards are the easiest card to get but they aren’t really traditional credit cards. You have to put money on them to spend. So those are out of the question. Not to worry, there are quite a few bad credit programs available to you.

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Getting hit with unexpected setbacks like job loss or costly medical bills can make it nearly impossible for a person to make ends meet. It can happen to anyone really. Impending bad credit and financial stress is usually the grim outlook. That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will get turned down when you apply for a credit card in the future.

An individual can easily still get a credit card in their name, even with a very poor credit history. Simply by applying for a card like the First Millennium Platinum Card and making good on payments, they can start to bring their credit rating back up. At the same time, they benefit from the advantages of possessing a credit card. There usually are quite a few charge card agencies which will extend guaranteed credit to individuals with bad credit.

Completing the Application

The two most common cards are secured and unsecured. Unlike prepaid cards, they will have an available credit limit and do have an impact on your credit rating. Secured cards usually require some money down. This ensures the provider should you default on payments, they will be able to recover some or all of the money. Unsecured cards don’t require any deposit and at the time of application, you will be approved based on the usual methods. Unsecured card providers are normally the only ones who do credit checks and even then, you could still be approved with a bad credit history.

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If you are looking for a credit repair guide then read on and follow the advice in this article. Repairing your credit score is not something that you can do overnight it can take quite a long time and a lot of work, and once you get some good results then it will take more work to maintain a good credit score. This article looks at how you can repair your credit by getting a copy of your credit report and fixing any errors that it may contain. The purpose of this article is to help you with this process by presenting you with a simple credit repair guide.

The first thing that you need to do is to contact the major credit bureaus, these are Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. You are allowed to request one copy of your credit report from them each year for free. You can contact them online, by mail, or by telephone.

Once you have got your credit report you need to sit down and carefully study it. Check it for errors, there may be errors about your identity such as your name and where you live. There may also be errors relating to your spending and borrowing habits. For example, if you find a reference to a missed payment on a loan or credit card and you believe that you did in fact meet this payment in time, you need to contact the credit bureau and request that they investigate this error. If they cannot prove that you are wrong then they must remove this error from your credit report. The letter that you send them is known as a dispute letter.

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Credit score repair is a process which can be carried out by anybody. There is no need to employ a credit repair company, all they will do is charge you a fee for doing some work which you are capable of doing yourself. The following top 10 tips will show you just how easy credit score repair can be if you put your mind to it.

1) Get a free report on your credit rating from one of the top three credit bureaus which are Experian, Trans Union and Equifax.

2) Find out your credit score, this is different from your credit report and you may have to pay a fee to get this.

3) Examine your credit report for errors, if you find any send the credit bureau concerned a dispute letter.

4) If you find doing this too difficult then consider using a credit repair company, but they will charge you some money for doing this work for you.

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If you are interested in boosting your credit score then this article will provide you with some good information about how to do this. Everybody who wants to borrow money, whether a loan, mortgage or credit card, needs to have a good credit score. If you do not have a good credit score then you will either be refused finance, or you will pay much more interest for it. This article will look at the two main methods which are credit score boosters. You really need to do both of them if you want to improve your credit score.

The first credit score booster is to get any errors contained in your credit report remedied. You need to apply to the credit bureaus to get a copy of your credit report. You can apply to Experian, Equifax or Trans Union. Each credit bureau will send you a free copy of your credit report each year if you request it. Once you get your credit report go through it carefully and fix any errors. You fix errors in your credit report by sending the credit bureau concerned a dispute letter. You can find template dispute letters by searching on the web.

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Basically, consumer credit counseling services will assist you with budgeting and offering debt repayment options. It aims to avoid from having you to file for bankruptcy as the numbers of bankruptcy claims are on the rise. Bankruptcy should always be a last resort as you credit score will never fully recover from such a step. Most consumer credit counseling services (CCCS) will offer you ways on creating and maintaining a budget and debt management programs. These services are normally available online, over the phone or in person and are subjected to a fee.

With so many CCCS agencies it is nearly impossible to specify what each and every agency will or will not do for you. Basically, their services encompass the following:

· Lower or waive off interest rates

· Stop the late fees

· Lower the monthly payment amount

· Provide money management education

· Negotiate debt repayment plans

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