Tuesday, November 4, 2008

How to effectively manage your business credit cards

By Mark Turner

There are many reasons why a business credit card may be good for business, some of them involving card features and some of them involving the creative use of offer periods etc. If you are thinking of applying for a card for your business, financial experts recommend that you look carefully at your business' aims, objectives and forecasts so that you can choose the card most suited to your requirements. The best place to find all of the details about a business credit card is online where they can be compared, and even applied, for quickly and simply. It is recommended that you take time to consider all of the options available first.

The first thing that these cards provide is an easy way to make purchases and keep track of those purchases. Using a credit card means that you don't have to handle petty cash when you make an in-store purchase, arrange for invoices to be sent out or arrange accounts with service providers. Purchases can be made instantaneously 'on the spot'. These cards also negate the need for cheques, which can be costly, incur handling charges, and can take many days to clear.

Other advantages come at the end of the month when statements are sent out as these can help with monitoring finances, cash flow and so on. Also with credit cards there is only one bill that needs to be paid at the end of the month. All of these features help make managing your company's finances simpler and easier. More than one card can be ordered so that more than one employee can have a card. Each individual card can be set up with different spending limits so that people with different levels of responsibility can handle different amounts.

Features that are similar to personal credit cards include: 0% balance transfer periods; 0% on cash purchase; and perks such as Airmiles. You can also withdraw money from cash machines and use the card abroad. Financial experts recommend that you use these features in the same way that you would with your personal cards. For example, you may want to transfer you balance to another card at the end of a 0% period so that you can avoid paying interest as much as possible.

Financial advisors generally agree that it is extremely unwise to draw cash out on a credit card, be it a personal or business card. Often there are charges for drawing cash out of a cash machine with a credit card and the interest rates are higher than on card purchases. Many advisors even go so far as to say that you should never draw money on a credit card.

It will be good to know that business credit cards are offered with many enhanced security features. They use the same chip and PIN technology as other cards and also have a security code on the back. Internet fraud is often covered by the card provider's fraud guarantees so that if money is fraudulently stolen it will, in most cases, be returned. Similarly business accounts are monitored by intelligent fraud protection programs, so that any unusual spending is noticed and questioned. Finally you will be able to access your company's accounts online, providing an easy and efficient way of keeping an eye on your company's finances. These online banking systems also come with a host of added features that can make business even easier. - 15224

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