|
Three Banking Tips to Keep Money… In the
Bank!
A credit card annual fee is an expense that you must pay per
year in order to keep your credit card. The good news is that
these fees are generally very low. Most annual credit card fees
vary from $10 to $75 a year. Rewards cards fees are usually
higher than this, and annual fees are normally used in the form
of points and percentages. For example, 10 points is the
equivalent of 10% of your credit line. When paying an annual
fee for a credit card, this usually brings down your interest
rate.
Some credit cards have no annual fee, but their interest rate
will be higher than those of a credit card with an annual fee.
So you’ve got to ask yourself, depending on how long the card
is in your possession and how much money your card is worth,
which option will be better in the long run. Should you pay an
annual fee every year for a lower interest rate, or should you
purchase a credit card with no annual fee, but a higher
interest rate?
Some credit card companies will sometimes offer to waive your
annual fee if you spend enough money each year using your
credit card. While this seems like a good idea and it’s easy to
make big purchases with one swipe of your credit card, you must
consider that you are probably going to end up paying more in
the long run. Would you rather pay $10 per year, or have to
spend 5 years paying off the $5,000 extra dollars you spent
trying to avoid that annual fee? Credit card companies want
your money, and some things, such as a waiver for annual fees,
can often be tricky to see around.
Credit card companies will try to trick you into buying their
card by flattering you with certain deals on annual fees. One
example mentioned above is the waiving of the annual fee, but
other card companies are even more inconspicuous. Some say
they’ll give you no annual fees for the first year, but their
interest rates will be higher. Some offer a low fee for the
first year, but this will also make a higher interest rate.
Credit card companies that offer a low annual fee for the first
year normally have higher annual fees than usual, and you’ll
usually end up paying the difference between your ‘low annual
fee’ and the company’s normal annual fee somewhere within your
interest rate. Sometimes, when your annual fee is waived for
the first year and the interest rate is high, the interest rate
will not decrease when you begin to pay your annual fee.
Annual fees can be good and bad—you just have to be careful and
consider each aspect from different angles before making your
decision.
Credit cards can be useful, but there are many fees that come
along with them, and some of the fees are hidden. Not only must
you pay back what you spent, but there are many other things to
pay off as well. Some of these fees include interest rates,
annual fees, late payment fees, set-up fees, credit limit
increase fees, cash advance fees, and others. These fees will
be elaborated on below.
Interest rates are additional fees you pay while paying back
what you spent on the card. These rates change depending on
other factors about your credit card. For example, the amount
of money you’re paying back can increase or decrease interest
rates, and whether or not there is an annual fee on your credit
card can change your interest rate as well.
|