Once that initial 0% interest period is over on your credit card, the APR kicks in and the charges start to mount up. Savvy credit card customers have been playing the credit card balance transfer game for some time now and taking advantage of a generous system. By transferring the outstanding balance to a new card with another 0% interest period, a clever customer can pay off an outstanding balance rather than seeing the monthly repayments vanishing in interest charges. But are the card companies waking up to this practice of card jumping, and can it adversely effect your credit rating?
Card jumping can affect your credit rating. It's a common misconception that those who build up a debt on their credit card and pay high APR are the ones that are most likely to be rejected for future credit or have a poor credit rating. The truth is that the card companies love these customers, as the interest they pay keeps the credit card lenders in business. It's the ones who attempt to beat the lenders at their own game by repeatedly taking advantage of 0% offers time and again that are at higher risk of ending up with a lower credit rating and a handful of potentially damaging rejections, lessening their chances of obtaining any kind of credit.
You can take much more control of your financial position by breaking through the mists of credit agencies and obtaining a copy of your credit report to see if card jumping has affected your rating. All three agencies in the UK will (for a small fee) send you a copy of your report so that you can see exactly what information is being held on you and, far more importantly, that it is accurate. The report will detail your financial history as well as other general information such as your address, occupation and income. If there's even one small mistake it can damage your chances of getting credit of any kind in the future. Frequent instances of card jumping could be one of the things that hold your finances back.
Many of the market leaders have more than one product on offer so multiple applications have a very good chance of being rejected. The lender isn't stupid - they will realise what someone who sends out multiple applications is trying to do. The chances are that person knows their credit rating may be poor and is probing the market, trying to find a lender that will let them slip through the net. A cluster of rejections on a credit history could send your credit rating through the floor, minimising any chance you had of cashing in on any 0% offers. This 'Black data' is added to your credit report for all the other lenders to see and you're left in the cold with no chance of transferring balances between tempting offers. How you run your financial affairs leaves a paper trail that can be easily followed by lenders back to a history that categorises you as a poor investment for the credit card companies. If you are going to transfer balances between cards, pick one that suits all your requirements and concentrate on that application, rather than attempting a scattergun approach.
If you are looking to transfer the balance of one card onto a 0% offer, the best policy is to look for a card that has a long 0% introductory period so that you are not attempting to transfer balances every six months or so. Short-term credit card balance transfers catch the eyes of the lenders and are signs of customer disloyalty, something lenders are loath to promote for obvious reasons. Some cards offer an introductory 0% period of up to 16 months. By moving your balance onto one of these cards you can stay with the same provider for a longer period of time, therefore drawing less attention to yourself by card-hopping too frequently and building up your reputation as a loyal customer. It also gives you a greater opportunity to pay off a larger amount of the balance at 0% interest. If you haven't paid off the debt completely by the time the offer runs out, the amount that you will be looking to transfer will at least be considerably reduced. Again, this gives you a greater chance of being accepted by the next card you choose to move to.
Juggling your finances to take advantage of 0% transfer offers between credit cards is a difficult (but not impossible) balancing act of reducing your costs whilst maintaining a good credit rating. If you abuse the system, it will catch up with you in the form of a poor credit rating and rejection letters. But if you use the system carefully and sensibly, you can benefit by cutting your payments and your debt considerably. There are plenty of very good offers for credit card balance transfers to 0% cards available. Check the comparison sites, as these offers are updated regularly with that latest offers. - 15224
Card jumping can affect your credit rating. It's a common misconception that those who build up a debt on their credit card and pay high APR are the ones that are most likely to be rejected for future credit or have a poor credit rating. The truth is that the card companies love these customers, as the interest they pay keeps the credit card lenders in business. It's the ones who attempt to beat the lenders at their own game by repeatedly taking advantage of 0% offers time and again that are at higher risk of ending up with a lower credit rating and a handful of potentially damaging rejections, lessening their chances of obtaining any kind of credit.
You can take much more control of your financial position by breaking through the mists of credit agencies and obtaining a copy of your credit report to see if card jumping has affected your rating. All three agencies in the UK will (for a small fee) send you a copy of your report so that you can see exactly what information is being held on you and, far more importantly, that it is accurate. The report will detail your financial history as well as other general information such as your address, occupation and income. If there's even one small mistake it can damage your chances of getting credit of any kind in the future. Frequent instances of card jumping could be one of the things that hold your finances back.
Many of the market leaders have more than one product on offer so multiple applications have a very good chance of being rejected. The lender isn't stupid - they will realise what someone who sends out multiple applications is trying to do. The chances are that person knows their credit rating may be poor and is probing the market, trying to find a lender that will let them slip through the net. A cluster of rejections on a credit history could send your credit rating through the floor, minimising any chance you had of cashing in on any 0% offers. This 'Black data' is added to your credit report for all the other lenders to see and you're left in the cold with no chance of transferring balances between tempting offers. How you run your financial affairs leaves a paper trail that can be easily followed by lenders back to a history that categorises you as a poor investment for the credit card companies. If you are going to transfer balances between cards, pick one that suits all your requirements and concentrate on that application, rather than attempting a scattergun approach.
If you are looking to transfer the balance of one card onto a 0% offer, the best policy is to look for a card that has a long 0% introductory period so that you are not attempting to transfer balances every six months or so. Short-term credit card balance transfers catch the eyes of the lenders and are signs of customer disloyalty, something lenders are loath to promote for obvious reasons. Some cards offer an introductory 0% period of up to 16 months. By moving your balance onto one of these cards you can stay with the same provider for a longer period of time, therefore drawing less attention to yourself by card-hopping too frequently and building up your reputation as a loyal customer. It also gives you a greater opportunity to pay off a larger amount of the balance at 0% interest. If you haven't paid off the debt completely by the time the offer runs out, the amount that you will be looking to transfer will at least be considerably reduced. Again, this gives you a greater chance of being accepted by the next card you choose to move to.
Juggling your finances to take advantage of 0% transfer offers between credit cards is a difficult (but not impossible) balancing act of reducing your costs whilst maintaining a good credit rating. If you abuse the system, it will catch up with you in the form of a poor credit rating and rejection letters. But if you use the system carefully and sensibly, you can benefit by cutting your payments and your debt considerably. There are plenty of very good offers for credit card balance transfers to 0% cards available. Check the comparison sites, as these offers are updated regularly with that latest offers. - 15224
About the Author:
Paul Dury is a financial expert who writes articles for various financial-based websites. If you would like to learn more about a credit card balance transfer you can read more here.
