Thursday, February 28, 2008

How Many Credit Cards Should You Have?

So how many credit cards make you have got in your wallet. Bash yo have got got promises of better rates, lower fees, more than airmiles or better fringe benefits causing your wallet to be full of cards and your letter box full of better offers.

Most Americans carry five to 10 cards while some have five modern times this amount. This is jump to cause mayhem on your credit score, never mind being able to manage them.

So how many credit cards is enough. Whilst experts hold that there is no exact number it is more than than realistic to observe how much you pass and more importantly how much you can pay off monthly. Credit agencies warn that the more than cards you have, the bigger hazard you have got got for debt and detrimental your credit rating.

A good regulation of pollex is to maintain up to six and to do certain that they are the major ones, MasterCard, Visa, Discovery and American Express as they acceptable almost anywhere. It is most of import to pay them regularly and on clip to avoid any additional charge and happen a credit card with low interest rates. Credit cards that offer reward points, air miles or cash back give you something back and the interest rates on these cards doesn't have got to be low if wage off the credit every month.

Beware of shop credit cards. Each clip you open up a new shop credit card 20 points are taken off your credit score. This is because they are issued to all and sundry, to people who can't otherwise obtain credit. Shop cards are often opened, especially leading up to Christmastide to get 12% to 15% of purchases but mind the interest rates are much higher. It's mulct to obtain the discounts, wage off the balance and stopping point the card. If your shop regularly at the same shop then by all agency unfastened a credit card to obtain discounts, coupons, fillip points and other fringe benefits but just have got the card from that 1 store.

Keep your debt ratio low, under 50% is good. If your credit card have a bounds of $3000 don't carry a balance of more than than half, $1500. If you desire to do a large purchase then divide it onto two cards. Creditors make not like to see a card almost up to its credit limit, they will look at you as person who is using too much credit, a greater hazard who may have got problem paying off the debt. Idealy you should maintain your balance low, less tha 30% on each card.

Make payments on time, one or two late payment can really convey down your credit score and addition the rates on your other cards. Remember you are the individual responsible for payment.

Credit cards when used sensibly and carefully are great. They offer the user so much cosumer protection and they are so convenient. If you have got got credit cards then you have credit history. Obtain a transcript of your credit report, check it for any inaccuracies and right any problems. Then slowly, one per month, there is a ground for this, stopping point fresh accounts so as to have got the suggested number. Keeping the oldest cards, especially if you never missed payments, do sense as you then have got a drawn-out and successful credit history.

Having fewer credit cards do it so much easier to manage them. It is easier to retrieve payment days of the month and so avoid late payments and the concern of late payment fees. Also as credit cards addition their minimum payments it will impact your monthly spending just to ran into the minimum payment. Just remember, it is you who is responsible to do your payments and maintain on top of your credit.

No comments: