Archive for February, 2009

Bank of America Credit Cards

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Bank of America is one of the leading players involved in commercial banking and lending. They adhere to “Higher Standards” and you can experience the quality of their service by using any one of their products. They also offer a wide range of credit card option. This has made them one of the nation’s largest credit card providers, and the best of all these cards to endorse their Higher Standards. Here we take a quick look at their 3 most widely used cards: the Bank of America Platinum Visa, the Bank of America Visa Signature with WorldPoints, and the TripRewards MasterCard by Bank of America.

The Bank of America Platinum Visa – This card is an excellent all-purpose card. The bank labels this card as an “everyday credit card.” It has various useful features and there are compelling reasons to go for it. The card offers 6-month interest free introductory period. You can easily transfer the initial and forthcoming balances without having to pay any fees/charges. Hence if you want a card that offers value for money, where you can enjoy cheap and hassle-free balance transfer, this card should be on the top of your list.

The Bank of America Visa Signature with WorldPoints – This card offers one of Bank of America’s excellent reward programs for cardholders. It is called WorldPoints that is a malleable reward program where you can use the purchases against various categories: cash back, travel, merchandise, or personal services. Along with this superior reward program, you get an introductory 0% APR during the initial year of holding the card. The card has a beautiful black and silver design, making it very attractive.

TripRewards MasterCard Credit Card – If you are a frequent traveler, you should go for the TripRewards MasterCard Credit Card. It features a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers, along with very powerful reward program. For each $1 spent on retail shopping you get 2 points and for each $1 spent on qualifying TripRewards hotel stays, you get 13 points and these points are easy to accumulate.

All Bank of America cards have 24 hour customer service, online account management, and fraud protection. When you take any card from Bank of America, you get all the advantages and security provided by one of the biggest US financial company. For a card for daily use, choose Platinum Visa; for flexible incentives, go for the Visa Signature with World Points; and if you love traveling, the TripRewards MasterCard Credit Card is your best bet.

Credit Card Balance Transfer

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Today, people use credit card to cover all their expenses. These expenses can include paying for groceries, bills and petrol. It saves you the trouble of carrying cash around. Besides you get a monthly statement, outlining all your expenses. This helps you to curb your expenses. The credit card offers you the facility to meet your needs now and worry about the bills later.

Though credit cards have their benefits, they also come with their drawbacks. As you do not have to worry about money to make your immediate purchase, it is very easy to go overboard with the spending. Due to this unmanageable usage, you can easily fall into the credit card debt. If the interest rates are very high, the problem is further compounded. At times, the interest portion of the debt can far exceed the debt. To eliminate this problem, opt for credit card balance transfers.

Credit card transfer is a simple and excellent method of reducing high interest charges and consequently your monthly credit card bills. If you happen to possess many credit cards, use the lower interest cards to repay your debt.

Start by opting for the credit card whose interest is low or zero. This type of credit card is ideal to switch over your balance to. This reduced or zero interest rate, will help you save plenty of money and is the most preferred method of eliminating debt.

But credit card balance transfer comes with its own set of disadvantages. You may have to pay a fee that can be as steep as 4% of the debt. Ensure you pay your bills on time to prevent the increase in interest rates. Look out for hidden fees and charges on the credit card to which you are transferring your outstanding balance.

Some low interest or zero interest credit cards offer the special rate only for a short time. Find out the duration of the period for which this special interest rate is applicable. This will help you to pay off the balance as much as you can and then be prepared to switch over to another card with the same features.

To get the best deal on the credit card, it is necessary for you to shop around. There are various zero interest and low interest rate credit card offers, but it is important for you to note that these offers are valid only for a limited time. Always read the fine print on the offer to understand the terms and conditions applicable on the promo.

Take into account the credit limit on the card you want to switch your balance to. If the balance is more than the credit limit, you will mostly incur more charges and higher interest rates. These two factors play an important role while considering balance transfer.