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, don't you think?
The instructions that come with the application will let you know how the scheme works.
You must open up a bank account with the bank once that bank approves you.
Big deal!
They make it appear that you have won some contest or something and people will feel "good inside" that someone has approved them.
But that's not all....
The minimum amount you must deposit is $200 but you can deposit as much as you want.
In return, you get a Mastercard or VISA credit card with a credit limit up to the amount you deposit.
What a great honor!
This is no break! Think about it. If a stranger gave you $200 to hold for him until Friday wouldn't you feel safe in granting them a $200 loan? I mean it's their own money you've got. If they default, you've got the full amount to pay off the loan. It takes a twisted mind to take $200 from you, grant you $200 credit with your own money plus charge you astronomical interest rates just to take the money from your hand and give it back to you.
That's insane!
Of course, to combat this insanity, the great and wonderful banks claim to help fix your credit report. They say that if you maintain payments in a correct fashion, this information will be reported to the credit bureau.
Yea, right!
When Shell calls the credit bureau to check your credit for a gas credit card, your report shows 47 defaulted loans and a bankruptcy.
However, there is one company that you make payments to on-time. Big deal. Don't you think the rest of your bad credit will still be the deciding factor in Shell's final decision. You bet you bottom dollar!
Look at this: the bank makes money from the interest of your deposit.
The bank also makes money by charging you 18% to 22% interest for the right to use their Mastercard or VISA. Plus the bank is guaranteed their money because if you don't pay on time, they take the money out of the bank account you opened with them along with any interest you have accumulated.
Why would anyone with $200 to deposit want a credit card with a $200 limit?
If you have $200 and want to buy an item for $200, go out and purchase it. That way, you'll own it lock, stock and barrel. No interest, no payments, no hassle! Plus, you won't owe your soul to the company store sort-of speak.
Credit is ofcourse a wonderful thing if you use it intelligently.
I know people who charge $100 at the beginning of the month and use that $100 to make $300. It's free money for 30 days. Then, when the bill comes, they immediately pay the entire balance and come out smelling like a rose with $200 to the good.
Or how about the legendary direct marketing millionaire "Harv T. Eker", who used his credit card to buy a "near-bankrupt" business for $2000. Within a year, he turned that business around into a multi-million dollar company.
Now that's intelligence!
On the other hand, credit is also needed in certain circumstances for establishing clout. You can't call in a telephone order unless you can charge the purchase to your credit card. This delays you getting items you want now. I guess that's a bumer for some people out there with no credit cards.
Credit Card How To
If you are like millions of other people on the planet, you likely have at least three credit cards with balances of ten to twelve thousand dollars. In addition, you are probably still only paying the minimum payment.
By now, you know that this will never alleviate your credit card pain. Debt elimination probably feels like an unattainable goal. Stop hoping for a miracle there is a plan that will have you debt free in no time!
Who wouldn't want to achieve debt elimination? No one! Credit cards grow at an exponential rate. What if you could turn this credit card snowball effect to your advantage?
Snowballs start out small and unassuming by rolling them around they will grow in a hurry! Now apply this concept to paying down your balance, start with a little extra and watch it snowball until the card is clear of any balance!
Snowballing your credit card balance to achieve debt elimination is not difficult. You take a little each month and add to what you are already paying. You take the balance down faster and therefore the interest you pay, which in turn grows the amount of your next payment that goes toward principle, this is the credit card snowball effect.
There are many people who will tell you to pay off the card with the highest interest rate first. This is what that plan will look like:
List all your credit cards
Choose the one with the highest interest rate
Add extra money each month to the card with the highest rate until it is paid off.
Rinse, lather then repeat for each credit card in your wallet.
There seems to be nothing wrong with the above example for debt elimination, and sometimes it is that simple. Nevertheless, situations are not all created equally and there will be times that demand a different solution.
Interest rates will vary from one card to the next. Some will be extremely high and some will have lower introductory rates. All things being equal paying off the highest interest rate would sound reasonable, nevertheless consider the example below.
To put this in terms that make sense consider the interest on your different cards and how your balance affects that number. Say, you have a credit card with a $5,000 balance at 10% interest; this means your monthly interest is fifty dollars. On the other hand, say that the other card has a $2000 balance at 20% interest rate. Your monthly interest would be forty dollars. The higher interest rate is actually cheaper per month.
The above example just goes to show that higher interest is not always the enemy of your debt elimination. The credit card snowball effect will quickly take your balance to new heights. Particularly if you are only making the minimum, payment required.
To use the credit card snowball effect your plan might look more like this:
Create a list of all your credit cards and their rates.
Start with the one that accrues the highest interest every month.
Begin concentrating all the extra money you can toward that credit card.
Pay only the minimum on the rest of your cards until the first is paid in full.
Continue in this manner until all cards have a zero balance.
Looking at it, this way it is easy to see that this will be the fastest road to debt elimination. It is important to always consider financial issues from many angles. This is doubly true with credit cards.
Both Andre Vas & Philip Crafton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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