- 07
- Jul
It may seem like a contradiction to get another credit card if you are trying to solve a debt problem. Surely a new credit card is one more temptation to spend money that you haven’t got and get yourself into more financial difficulties. This is true to some extent as credit cards are so convenient to use and are many goods and services actually make it easier to use a card than cash at times. However, a low interest credit card for debt consolidation can help to reduce your debt provided it is used right. This article will give you some pointers on how to do this.
The credit card industry is highly competitive so banks try to make better offers to potential customers and trump their competitors all the time. New incentives are dreamed up to encourage a certain niche to use their credit card. So air miles might appeal to business people that jet all over the place to hold meetings. Whereas credit or money back on clothing purchases may appeal to avid fashionistas.
In terms of people with financial problems the low interest credit card with a balance transfer option is probably the most appealing. The main aim of such a card is to transfer your existing credit card debts to this card. Depending on the card you go for, you will have a period of time where you don’t have to pay interest on the transferred debt.
With this done, you should be determined to pay of the debts before the balance transfer introductory period is up. In this way, you will save money on interest payments. It will also help you to stay focused on paying off the debt because you know you will save money if you don’t hit the deadline. The debt payment will only be once a month too, making it easier to stay organized and not miss payments, as you may do with many cards.
This method will only work if you actively work to pay off the debt and stick to this plan without having a credit splurge. Many people think that putting the transferred balance on a six month interest free period means they don’t have to worry about it. This is not the right attitude and in six months the repayments will be causing plenty of concern.
The truth is you don’t need a low interest credit card for debt consolidation. You could get a loan instead. This may be a lower interest repayment rate than the credit card. However, if the balance transfer option on the credit card is 0% for six months then you won’t find a better deal.
However, it is essential that you can repay the debt within the six month introductory period. Otherwise, you may find that a low interest credit card with balance transfer will not save you money by comparison to a bank loan or an equity withdrawal on your mortgage. the interest rates would not stack up by comparison to these types of loans after six months.
Even if this is the case, getting a low interest credit card could be far easier than getting a bank loan. It may be a speedier and cheaper option in terms of the application too. Indeed, provided you stick to your goal of clearing your consolidated debt within the time period allocated, a low interest credit card with balance transfer could save you money and get you out of debt faster.
