Control your personal finance   free website content | contact | privacylink partners
Home » Credit cards
Money articles

» Personal finance
» Credit cards
» Saving money
» Debt elimination
» Budgeting
» Investing
» Business
» Real estate
» Making money
» Miscellaneous
» Career
» Loans
» Promote your business
» Insurance
» Bankruptcy

» Archive

What are secured credit cards?

By Jakob Jelling
www.cashbazar.com

Secured credit cards are cards that are backed by money deposited into a savings account. Basically the credit company is taking little risk since your savings will cover the money you spend.

Unlike most credit cards, which allow you to spend money you do not have, secured credit cards will limit your spending depending on the amount you have in your savings account. The secured card limit will be a fraction of the money deposited in your savings account, sometimes even 100%.

The minimum amount of money you are required to maintain in the savings account can differ among secured credit card offers. It can be in the hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The main benefit to secured credit cards is that they can help you rebuild your credit history. If you need a credit card but are denied from most companies because of your poor credit, secured credit cards may be your only choice. If you maintain your spending and pay your bills on time, you will soon repair your credit and be eligible for other credit cards and loans.

If you have declared a bankruptcy, not many credit card companies are going to be willing to approve you. A secured card can help you fix your credit situation.

People with bad credit will be charge high interest rates whenever they are approved for a loan. Rather than paying those high rates, it is advisable to a fix your credit score. A secured credit card can be a handy tool in your credit repair toolbox. Eventually you will bring up your credit score so you are eligible for low interest loans. You can possibly save hundreds and thousands of dollars just through reduced interest rates.

If you have no credit history, secured credit cards will let you build one. If you use it wisely, you can start building a good credit report before you go out and apply for a home or auto loan.

People with poor or no credit who want a credit card for their purchases can apply for a secured credit card. You will not have to carry cash with you everyplace you go.

However, secured credit cards will not let you spend beyond your limit. This may be a drawback or a benefit depending on your situation. If you frequently accumulate debt by spending over your limit, secured credit cards can help you bring a stop to that.

Even though the credit card company has secured the loan with your savings account, it is still possible to hurt your credit score through secured credit cards. If you do not pay your monthly bills on time, you will accrue interest payments on your balance since the balance amount is not automatically deducted from your savings account.

Therefore just like any other credit card there are many different things to consider when acquiring your secured credit card. It is important to look at the various fees and interest rates associated with a secured credit card. Also you need to pay off your bills on time so that the secured credit card can actually help your credit score rather than hurting it.

Many companies offer secured credit cards therefore you can shop around to locate the one that is the right fit for you.

About the author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

Search CashBazar

Google
 
Web www.cashbazar.com


Latest money articles

» Controlling the price changes in futures markets
The lock-limit is one way that the markets can be controlled.

» How much will price changes effect stock trading?
Price elasticity is an economics term that refers to the way that price changes of stock can affect the demand for that stock.

» Large volume trading in steps
Program trading is a term that is also used in at least two different (though similar) meanings.

» How many stock options are available?
Open interests are not a feature of all stock market trades. In fact, open interests are calculated based on options and futures trades.

» Protect your portfolio from large losses
If you are worried about the stock market, then you might want to consider portfolio insurances.

» Insure your investment without limiting returns
Are you looking for a way to trade on the stock market without having to deal with all of the risks?

» Regional funds explained
Increase your portfolio diversity with funds from other regions.

» What is a derivative?
Invest in commodities without buying the commodities themselves.

» What is an option?
An option is an agreement that a commodity or stock will be available for purchase at a set date.

» Should I always pay a commission when buying mutual funds
There are three main types of mutual funds when it comes to commissions.

» Find the lowest risk investment portfolio
If you're trying to find a good investment portfolio, then you may want to look at the Treynor measure.

» The difference between PAX World Funds and The World Funds
The first type is purchased through the company PAX, and these funds focus on socially responsible companies.

» The Alpha factor explained
A new method of differentiating between different investments.

» How good is your planned investment
A company prospectus is a legal document that has been filed by the company that you might be thinking about investing in.

» How do I find the best investment advisor?
If you're looking for the best investment advisor for you, you should make sure that you pay attention to the type of investments that that advisor usually recommends.

» How to find the best full-service stockbroker - ask questions
Before you decide who you should choose for your full-service stockbroker, make sure that this is the best option for you financially.

» Investing in commodities
Investing in commodities is not too hard to do - the real problem comes in when you are trying to decide which commodities you should invest in, and when it is better to buy or sell a particular product.

» Don't wait to get your retirement payments!
If you're looking for an annuity, there are a variety of different annuities to choose from.

» Multisector bond funds explained
If you are looking to invest in bonds, but you are not sure that you want to deal with making all of the purchases on your own, bond funds might be the right option for you.

» Private annuity explained
The biggest difference between a regular annuity and a private annuity is that private annuities take place between two individuals, instead of between an individual and an insurance company.

» Avoid estate taxes with a life insurance trust
If you're looking for another way to insure yourself with a life insurance policy that will avoid any taxes after your death, then you should look into getting a life insurance trust.

» What is a Section 1035 policy exchange?
Don't lose insurance money when you change policies.

» Who should consider annually renewable term life insurances?
If you're looking for a good insurance policy, then you should probably take a good look at your financial situation, and at what you can count on being your situation in the future.

» Death benefit only plan explained
If you need life insurance, but you are not able to afford the regular price for life insurance, then you might want to look into a death benefit only plan.

» How to save money on your homeowner's insurance
In the case of homeowner's insurance, the most common way to reduce the amount of money that you will be paying each month is to increase your deductible.


Make money online

Please visit Sitetube.com and learn how to profit from your website.