When you work diligently to pay off a credit card, nothing is more satisfying than seeing the balance hit $0. It’s a eureka moment – filled with accomplishment and freedom. And your next desire may be to shred the credit card and close the account. But is that the right move?
That moment, when you FINALLY pay off a credit card that has plagued your thoughts and haunted your monthly bottom line for years, or even decades, can be a moment when you want to tell the company good riddance and leave them behind forever. But, is that the right move to make for your credit score?
One of the most persuasive pieces of advice we hear about credit card spending is to limit how much you use them in an effort to reduce debt. In fact, we may even hear advice about paying off all our credit cards and then cutting most of them up until you have one left to use in an emergency.
Secured credit cards work just like regular credit cards, and you make purchases and payments as usual. But there's one big distinction — with a secured card, you have money in your account already in case you cannot repay the balance.
Just about everywhere you go today, someone is offering you a credit card, from your favorite stores, hotels, and airlines to gas stations and even amusement parks. Not to mention the countless celebrity-plagued commercials on TV promising the most cash-back or highest reward points.
It’s easy to fall for tempting credit cards offering exciting reward options. People are lured to them all the time. Unfortunately, when they do, they often get locked into exceedingly high-interest rates.
Many people are familiar with the balance transfer offers that credit card companies sometimes issue on a daily (or more frequent) basis. While these offers might seem promising, what they really offer is often more limited than it appears to be at first glance.
Credit cards give you the convenience and freedom to shop practically anywhere, either online or offline, at any given time. However, this type of freedom can also create many financial hardships if not managed responsibly.
The minimum payment trap with credit cards is one that can be incredibly difficult to get out of. Some might even refer to it as indentured servitude. Your best option is to avoid it altogether by never falling into it. It might be hard and will certainly require some sacrifices at first.
In today’s cash-back, rewards-frenzy credit card market, it’s easy to overlook the one thing that really matters … the rate. After all, it’s the rate that ultimately determines how much you’re actually paying to earn those rewards. And too often, you don’t want to know exactly how much you paid in interest to get that $50 gift card…
![The Secret in Credit Card Rates [FIXED RATE FOCUS] Graphic](https://content.stratixmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Secret-in-Credit-Card-Rates-FIXED-RATE-FOCUS-320x202.jpg)