Fight Fees with Low Fee Credit Cards
Do you have credit cards? Do you know exactly which fees you pay, and how much of your monthly payment is devoted to such fees? If not, you’re in good company; too many of us don’t know exactly what we’re paying for when we make our monthly payments. And card companies have been accused of making credit card terms and conditions too complicated for the average card holder to understand. What’s a consumer to do?
First, know what’s out there. Fees come in the form of annual fees, late fees, penalties, fees for cash advances, fees for international purchases, and even fees for paying your bills over the phone. Fees are a slight nuisance to us, but they are big business for card issuers, who took in $25 billion in late and other fees in 2006. Yikes!
There are some steps you can take to reduce the amount of money you pay out in fees. First, sign up for a card that does not charge an annual fee. Never use a credit card to take out a cash advance at an ATM. Those cash advances incur an average 3% fee upon withdrawal, and begin to accrue interest right away. Some interest rates on cash advances can reach 25%! That’s throwing money away.
