The balance transfer credit card can help you save money if you have an outstanding payment to make on one or more high interest credit cards. You can use the balance transfer feature to transfer you balance from your high interest credit card to the credit card with the lower rate of interest. Accordingly, you pay less on the balance transfer credit and save money. These low interest credit cards or balance transfer credit cards have an introductory period, which can generally last for six months or a year. The interest rate that you pay in the introductory period is either zero or negligible. Since the interest rate is low or zero, you can make your credit card payments on the principal amount a whole lot faster. You get a regular APR on the card after the introductory period is over. Here is a look on the 5 tips on find the best balance transfer credit cards: 1. Check how long the introductory period lasts. Though it is normally a year, it is not obligatory. Sometime you can have a free promotional period for 18 months or sometimes you can have a negligible interest rate for the life of the balance. You have to check how high will be the APR charged after the promotional period is over. Will the interest rate rise by a few percentage points or is the increase going to be drastic? Though some credit card companies will sugar-coat the entire thing about the rise in interest rate, you have to proactively ask them or at best, read the credit card fine print or the documentation in its entirety. 2. When you are looking for the balance transfer credit card, go through the terms and conditions for payments. Is there any annual fee for the card? What are the late fees and over the limit fees? How are you going to be penalized for defaulting on the payments? Do you stand to lose the introductory APR if you default? Some credit card companies automatically increase the APR, and keep it higher than normal, after the promotional period, if you do not make prompt payments. 3. Most balance transfer credit companies readily offer the facility to transfer larger balances to people who have a good credit history. The ones who do not have a good credit history may not be able to avail the benefit to transfer a large balance. It is important to make it clear with the balance transfer credit card company about the maximum amount that is allowed to be transferred. 4. Check if there are fees for balance transfer. If you are transferring a huge amount, the balance transfer fees can really be on the higher side. Stay away from such murky offers because ultimately there is not much sense if you are paying more for the transfer of the money to be saved. 5. You may get a zero percent or a negligible interest rate from the balance transfer credit card but there can be a catch to it. As per there terms and conditions, you may not be able to make a credit purchase on your card for a certain period. Alternatively, you may be offered a promotion to buy something within a certain period. Ask the balance transfer Credit Card Company about what kind of purchases you can make during the promotional period of 0% or low APR. There are some balance transfers credit cards, which offer you cash back for any new purchases on the card. You however do not get cash back on balance transfers. The cash back offer is a good thing if you hope to use the balance transfer credit card for a longer period of time. |
