Credit - Convenience Can Be Costly

Convenience Can Be Costly

You've just opened your credit card bill and attached to your statement you find a "convenience check" included. It may already be filled out with a dollar amount such as $300, $500, or even $1,000. Your mind fills with ideas of what you could buy with this "instant" money. A new summer wardrobe, a nice dinner and tickets to a concert, a weekend getaway.

But before you go off on a shopping spree, you should be aware that your "convenience check" is nothing more than a cash advance on your credit card. Cash advances on credit cards carry many extra fees, often overlooked or misunderstood by consumers.

Here's a quick look at the types of fees most card issuers charge for a cash advance:

1) Upfront fee of 2-4% of the amount advanced. On a $1,000 cash advance your fee will range from $20-$40 in addition to the interest charges.

2) Higher interest rate than on purchases. Many credit card companies charge 18% or more on cash advances. In addition, most companies apply only a small percentage of your monthly minimum payment toward the cash advance.

Some require that you pay down the balance on your purchases first before applying payments to the higher-interest advance. In other words, you'll be paying fees and interest on your cash advance for a long time, especially if you only pay the minimum payment.

3) Cash advances normally carry no grace period. This means interest charges accrue as soon as you withdraw money or cash the convenience check.

By law your credit card company must disclose any fees associated with a cash advance. The easiest way to find out what fees are charged is to carefully read your credit card statement or to call your credit issuer's toll-free customer service number and ask questions.

Credit card companies charge these fees for two main reasons. One, to cover the costs to process this transaction which are often higher than a regular credit card purchase. And secondly because of the percentage of defaults among credit advance users. These costs are then passed along to you the consumer in the fees and interest rates associated with a cash advance.

The next time you are tempted to cash that convenience check or withdraw money from an ATM using your credit card, be sure you understand the fees and long term effects of using a credit card cash advance.

© 2004, www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com
Author: James H. Dimmitt - James is editor of "TO YOUR CREDIT", a weekly free newsletter. Subscribe to the newsletter by visiting http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com.

Car Insurance | Car Rentals | Health Insurance | Weight Loss | Life Insurance

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |

Supercharged Secret 3, Credit Card Utopia
TURBO-CHARGED KILLER RATE SAVING INFORMATION!Let's just take a brief moment to recap:If you've been following along on this journey with me, learning the 5 Super-Charged secrets to Credit Card Utopia, then you now know 2 very important things:

You now know how to take advantage of zero to low interest credit card offers.

You now know that there is safety in numbers, and you know the magic "Who's Who" of the major credit card companies. You know that one of them, in my opinion, stands out for consumers.With me? Good. These are both essential foundations that you need to follow in order to live in Credit-Card Utopia.Now, let me flavor it up for you.What could ...(related: Credit)

5 Ways To Prevent Credit Card Late Fees
Paying a credit card late fee is the same as throwing your money away. Late credit card payments can also hurt your credit score. The payment tips and strategies here will show you how to prevent these costly fees.When credit card companies process credit card payments, every single detail is extremely important. Get even one of these small details wrong and you will have to pay credit card late fees.The Fair Credit Billing Act requires credit card companies to cred...(related: Credit)

Tips For Credit Card Surfers
Moving money from credit card to credit card to take advantage of interest free balance transfers and effectively borrowing money for free. It's even possible to make money by borrowing money, transferring the debt to an interest free card and investing the cash in a high interest savings account until the interest free period expires.However, if you plan on being a serial card surfer, there are a number of things you need to do.Firstly. Make sure you read the terms and conditions of the card to which you're transferring your balance and are aware of exactly what you're signing up for. Some cards, for example insist that you spend a certain amount per month on the card in order to qual...(related: Credit)

Collection Agency Secrets For Collecting On Bad Debt
Getting worried that one of your clients, customers or patients will never pay? Have you given up on a customer who's essentially said he won't pay? Congratulations--being stiffed by a customer or patient is a milestone in the growth of a business or medical practice. But even the most hopeless of bad debts can sometimes be collected-collection agencies have been doing it for years. H...(related: Credit)

Learn How To Improve Your Credit Score
Having a damaging credit record can hurt you in many ways. It may prohibit you from making an important purchase such as a home, car, computer or vacation. Without a healthy credit report you are severely limiting yourself from possible lenders. If you do find a lender you will undoubtedly be charge exorbitant interest rates far exceeding what recipients would receive if their credit history is in good standing. So how can you fix your credit score if you've been less than diligent with repayments to creditors? Well contrary to what many advertising scams will tell you, you can't fix your credit overnight. In most instances it takes 7 years for a payment infraction to be deleted from your credit report. If you were to file bankruptcy i...(related: Credit)

Online Credit Report And Online Credit Reports
Online credit reports are easily accessible to those interested in viewing them. If you have wondered about what kind of credit score you have, you can go on the Internet and look at your online credit repo...(related: Credit)

7 Consumer Credit Laws You Should Know If You Are Trying To Repair Your Credit
There are seven consumer credit laws you should be aware when dealing with your credit.1. The Truth in Lending ActThe customer had to be told the true cost of borrowing, so they could figure out exactly what the charges would be. You must be informed, in writing of the finance charge and the APR before you sign any contract. Also, you need to be informed of the method they are going to use to calculate the balance on which you pay a finance charge.This Act gives you a chance to change your mind when you use your home as security in a transaction. The first 3 day right of rescission gives you 3 business days to cancel the transaction...(related: Credit)

Grants, Loans, Free Credit Cards And Credit Repair: The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth
You got creditors calling you everyday. You could lose the car or house. Your teetering on the edge financial ruin - then you see an ad that may safe your butt! Typical headlines say something ...(related: Credit)

Credit Card Traps: How To Spot Them On The Spot!
They arrive in your mail - a conspicuous looking mail piece from some "official looking" bank claiming that you have been Pre-Approved for a Mastercard or VISA credit card.Of course, you don't have to have any credit. You can even have bad credit or have just filed bankruptcy or even be rated as a "slow payer."It doesn't matter because these companies want to give you a second chance! These companies want to make it easy for you to obtain a credit card because they only want your money!How the thing works is that you must send $35 to receive an application that provides you with a name and address listing of banks willing to give you a VISA and/or Mastercard without any credit approval.That's a stiff price to pay for a sheet of paper, do...(related: Credit)