March 19, 2008
How to Use Low Introductory Rates to Consolidate Your Debt
Are your debts getting bigger and bigger? If so, maybe it’s time to contemplate consolidating your debt, and it might be a good idea to pay particular attention to your junk mail, too. Start with the many credit card deals you find your daily mail. A new credit card with a very low introductory rate could present a beneficial plan of action to save you money and get rid of debt.
Not infrequently, credit card offers will try to draw in new customers with an enticing interest rate for a limited time after signing up for the card and initiating a balance transfer. In lots of situations, the rate of interest will be as low as 0% APR. And, if you’re lucky, you can maintain this extraordinary rate for a year or more.
It’s possible to use this great introductory interest rate to your advantage, when the bills start piling up. Even if the interest rate is more than zero, a low introductory rate credit card can help you eliminate some of your debts and make bill paying tolerable.
Think over transferring as many of your debts onto the new credit card to save money and reduce your monthly bills. This will enable you to keep more of your money by consolidating the balances from your higher rate credit cards. This scenario offers you the opportunity to get rid of all your credit cards if you can manage to pay off the balance during the initial rate time limit. Keep in mind, every dollar you pay towards the balance goes towards the amount due.
This is the trick to taking advantage of introductory rates on credit cards to dispose of as much debt as possible at the lower interest rate. Make a commitment to pay as much on your new credit card as possible each month. For example, if you rolled over the balance from three credit cards totaling $1000, this may slightly lower your monthly payment amount, but don’t just pay the minimum each month. If you can afford to pay more and still stick with your budget, you can save a lot of interest and future payments.
Debt reduction using this scheme can be beneficial, but delicate, so be sure to carefully read the credit card’s terms and conditions regarding the introductory interest rate. Most credit cards set the low intro rate at six to nine months while other cards might give you up to a year. Keep the expiration date in mind to decrease the unpaid balance so you’re not stuck with the balances you rolled over from your original cards when the initial rate runs out.
By paying attention to the terms of the low rate credit card, you should be able to positively impact your financial circumstances by reducing your debt. In no time at all, you’ll notice that bill paying becomes easier and you’ll have a few bucks left over to spend on fun stuff again.
Filed under Finance by Ralph Bennett

