During the days when the federal bank interest rates were at its lowest, back in 2002 and 2003 to be specific, countless credit card providers offered 0% APR credit cards to many consumers. Needing only to pay the outstanding balance, smart consumers were able to charge up to their limits without incurring monthly interest charges. The question that some people were asking when these cards were at their peak of popularity was this: how do credit card providers make money off of this type of plan? Well, good question! Let’s examine 0% APR credit cards and the way they really work and if they are still available to you today. You just might be surprised at the answers!
Annual Fees. Depending on the credit card provider, some card holders have been charged an annual fee for the privilege of having a 0% APR credit card. Annual fees for some of these cards generally run from $15 to $20, even higher.
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Are you wanting to apply for a new credit card but feeling hesitant to perform the credit card application online? If so, you need not be concerned. Advances in the technology of secure e-commerce have made online credit card applications literally safer than filling out a paper application and mailing it through the US Postal Service. Here’s why.
SSL Technology
First, banking institutions that offer online credit card applications use the most up-to-date technology to ensure that their web sites are protected against intrusion and data theft. This technology is known as SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a transmission protocol that “encrypts” any data sent between the bank and your computer, such as all the personal information you need to fill out when applying for a credit card.
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If you are carrying a balance on one or more credit cards you already have, you may want to think seriously about applying for a new 0% balance transfer credit card offer.
Now you may be wondering how an issuer can possibly offer 0% balance transfers on credit cards, but it’s true. Many leading banks offer interest free balance transfers. That’s right, you can transfer balances from your current credit cards onto the new card that you apply for and pay 0% interest on the balance for up to 12 months. What’s more, some programs have absolutely NO fees to make the transfer, though you must qualify by having excellent credit. Other programs charge a 3% fee of the amount you transfer, but many banks commonly cap the fee at $75. That means that transferring more than $2500 will not cost you any additional fees.
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If you have not yet established a credit record for yourself or you are in the process of rebuilding your credit, getting a credit card can greatly help you. The fact is, credit cards are one of the best ways to build a credit history and increase your credit worthiness.
If you wondering why you need to build your credit, consider the following reasons:
1. Having a credit history makes it far easier to obtain utilities like gas, electricity and phone services in your personal residence. Without a credit history, you may be asked to put down a large cash deposit to ensure that you will pay all your bills on time.
2. If you plan to ever buy a house or condo, the higher and more extensive your credit history is, the better the rate you will obtain for your mortgage.
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Getting instant approval for a credit card – and sometimes getting immediate access to use it – can now be done in less than 60 seconds. No muss, no fuss like the old days when getting a credit card took a month or more. If you weren’t aware of how instant your approval could be, now is the time to find out.
Internet Technology and Security – Behind the Scenes of Instant Approval
How did the instant approval credit card come about? The answer is that the Internet has completely changed the way card-issuing banks can research consumer information and make a decision about an applicant’s credit worthiness. Nearly every major financial institution that issues credit cards – including Chase, CitiBank, American Express, HSBC, and others – now allows you to use the Internet to fill out their application online with complete security, submit it with the click of a button, and then count the seconds while they make their decision. And in most cases, if your credit is good to excellent, you will be approved instantly and a credit card will be on its way to you within days.
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