Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Pros And Cons Of Student Credit Cards

It is hard for the students to avail the services of the usual credit cards as most of these credit cards need to be countersigned by the parents or guardians. This measure is helpful for the parents at large but is a bit inconvenient on the child's part. So, in such a situation prepaid student credit cards come as saviors and allow students to use their money when and where they want.

These prepaid student credit cards are getting popular with time as they do not require students to get them cosigned by the parents. Owing to this; the students actually feel getting mature and independent. But as these types of credit cards do not function like the usual credit cards do, so you had better know how these work beforehand.

The prepaid student credit cards basically are a type of credit cards on which the students need to deposit a certain amount of money. Moreover, you must know that these credit cards are not like the usual credit cards in Canada which can be used to borrow money via ATMs or banks etc but in fact you can use only that amount which you have deposited on your card. For instance, if you have deposited $200 on your prepaid credit card, then you can spend only this $200. So, this means that you only get to use the money that you earlier on preserved on your prepaid credit card and cannot use it like the usual credit cards. Once you have used the entire amount you initially deposited on it; you need to refill your card in order to use it again.

However, there are a few advantages with the use of student credit cards against regular credit cards. First and the foremost you can never run into debts as long as you use these prepaid credit cards. Moreover, with even a meager amount of around $75 you can get started with a prepaid credit card in Canada. This has made really easy for the students who usually possess less amount of money to put on the credit cards.

Furthermore, a long term benefit is that it helps you build your credit scoring. So, all those Canadian students who are serious about acquiring good credit scoring, you had better go for a prepaid credit card. The best thing about these credit cards is that nearly everyone of you can avail these cards as they do not investigate your credit history and have a really low minimum amount to deposit on. So, the moment you start using these cards, the detail of your monthly progress will be provided to the Equifax and TransUnion Canada.

Apart from this, these credit cards are a great way to master the art of money handling. As you will be depositing money on these cards, so you will learn to be careful about its usage as well. Prepaid student credit cards help students to understand the value of saving and spending wisely. These types of prepaid credit cards are best for meeting your daily expenses and will save you with the hassle of carrying paper money. But, you have to be 18 years old and should be a Canadian citizen in order to avail the services of such credit cards in Canada.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cashback Credit Cards Secrets

Credit cards operate such that when merchants accept a payment by credit card they pay a percentage of the transaction money to their bank or money provider as commission. It is customary for renowned banks to share this back with their customers to make loyal customers and attract more with their rewarding credit card service. Banks very successful catch customer's attention by offering various deals and services on use of their cashback credit cards.

Credit card commission can be shared in the form of points like purchase discounts, package deals, gas filling etc, AirMiles, or a monetary amount. The money however that is given out has a special name, cashback credit cards. Banks then use from 0.5% to 2% of this money as service offers on cashback credit cards. This rebate is not done weekly or monthly, but annually to make sure that the customer doesn't take and use the credit card for a full year service. Reimbursements given out by the banks to customers is either in the form of credit or individual checks. Canadian cashback credit cards also have extended guarantee dates, theft insurance, baggage delay insurance and car rental insurance as part of their offers.

The advantages of cashback credit cards include the usage of free money where buying things is necessity, want, and even fun for some elite groups, hence they benefit most from their refund on luxury items. Now it depends on you if you want to search for cash back rewards on your own, or get it from your bank, that is ever ready to grab you up as their potential new customer.It has been noted that some banks offer an all time high cashback of 5%. Good customers who pay off their credit bills in full by the end of the month get selected for better credit ratings that earn them bonus points. A particular mastercard in Canada offers 'price protection' by making you a refund of equal to $100 on price difference if you get a reduce price inside 60 days of your purchase.

Now, cashback credit cards are not all good, as they do have some bad points too. Firstly, the lure of rewards encourages customers to make unnecessary purchases making it difficult to settle the balance. Secondly, some banks charge a high rate of APR that just adds to the customer debt. Thirdly, customers should make sure to read the terms and conditions before signing up. One thing to be aware of is that the rates that banks charge initially, is just for 6 months, with a gradual drop to 1% when customers go for purchases.

Canadian financial institutes offer a number of seminars each year to educate customers, so make sure you attend some for your knowledge and always be ready to deal with all the pros and cons when you have been hit by the sales pitch of a credit card seller.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

How Do Personal Loans Work

With global recession and ever-high inflation rate, people most of the time find themselves unable to meet their daily needs and requirements. However, to keep the cycle of life moving one needs to meet all the demands of life, due to which many people are forced to take loans. Personal loans are the most convenient loans of all and are meant for bridging the gap between our salaries and our needs.

Personal loans are widely used for various needs. They can be used for clearing utility bills, an urgent replacement of any device, medical emergency or any other situation where you do not have the required money. Moreover, you may want to buy a property or a new car and need loan for that. Sometimes people also take personal loans to go on vacations or to spend on leisure. Whatever purpose you take out the loan for, make very sure that you are able to repay them back effectively. One blow leads to the other and if you do not or cannot pay up the debts in due time, you will find yourself trapped in a financial web in addition to the negative credit marking. Loans may give you instant money but they are not a child's play.

Loans are of various types. We can categorize them in to primarily two broad categories; Secured loans and unsecured loans. The loans in which you keep your belongings as the security of the money you borrow are called the secured loans. Secured loans are usually worth a hundred thousand dollars and that is why are usually borrowed if you need to buy a property or need a very luxurious and long vacation. In addition, the period in which you can repay this loan is around 25 years.

Then the second category is of unsecured personal loans. You do not have to provide any security in the form of your belongings or a property for the loan you borrow in this case as the loan amount normally does not exceed 25,000 dollars.

Apart from the regular personal loans, there the fast personal loans; these loans can be drawn anytime to meet any of your small day to day needs. These loans are or less amount and range between a 100 dollars to a grand. However, one thing you need to focus on is that you have got to repay this amount on monthly basis as well. It may sound a bit inconvenient but that's how it works. Also, if you think about it, they do more good in helping you meet your daily requirements than the bad in paying back. So, if you are going through any financial issue you can get it solved via these loans, which can now be availed online without any hassles.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

How to Apply for Secured Credit Card

Credit cards have literally made it easier for us to spend money as we like, despite being tight on budget. As credit cards relieve us of paying in cash for the services we acquire on daily basis like in a restaurant, shopping mall, gas station etc. What we need to do is simply clear our bills at the end of the month. However, many credit cards cannot be availed by Canadians with bad credit history, students and immigrants in Canada.

However, there is still a ray of hope for all these Canadians who fall in any of the above mentioned categories. Well, if you want to get any benefits from credit cards, apply for secured credit cards. These secured credit cards have a number of advantages. But before discussing the advantages, let’s have a look what exactly does this term ‘secured CC’ mean.

Secured credit cards basically are a form of credit cards which work like any other credit cards, but what distinguishes them form others is the fact that they have a fixed amount deposited on them. This means that you can deposit an amount according to your needs with the bank or financial institution that you are getting this credit card issued from, and you can spend only that much amount. It may sound rather inconvenient; however, it is helpful for a lot of purposes

First of all, these types of credit cards are inevitable in case you are serious about rebuilding your credit score. If you have a bad credit history or no credit history, the lenders will not give you credit, and banks will also not issue you credit cards. So in such a situation, if you get a credit card which could help you in redeeming your credit history, you should go for it. These credit cards will actually start reporting to Equifax Canada and TransUnion right after you get such a card issued. Now since these cards are unlikely to get you into a debt you will be getting good ratings from these authorities.

Moreover, for immigrants in Canada, it often gets difficult to get a credit card and unless you get a credit card, you can not apply for different types of loans, which seems really necessary in these tough times. Immigrants in Canada need to start afresh, which means they have to build their credit score from scratch and for this purpose the credit cards which are secured seems most appropriate.

Apart from this, nearly anyone can avail these cards without much hassle. However, be sure to read the fine print of the company you are getting this card from. Plus, see if the interest rates are reasonable or not and ensure there are no extra fees and charges.