May, 2010

Credit Card Refunds – When and How to Ask for Your Money Back

Im sure most people have dealt at least once with unsatisfactory service. Quality complaints, products not up to standards or not what you wouldve expected. And, in the good American fashion, what did you do? You disputed the charges with the credit card companybank, being almost sure that you wont be charged anything right? Well, it might not have been the best decision. And heres why:

The money back guarantee condition only applies if you are indeed eligible to get the money back. If you just had a change of heart and decided you dont want the product you just bought, chances are you wont see a penny if the company that you bought it from and from where you request the money back now decides to dispute the case.

In this case, itll be almost as if youre going to court with that company: your bank and the company will present their arguments before a chargeback committee which will decide on whose side the truth lies. And if they rule in favor of the company, not only you will not get the money back, but youll also pay a chargeback fee So the entire thing might end up costing you more than expected. So heres my advice:

Dont just go and dispute just about any charges you dont like anymore Some people do this thinking they can get the money back AND keep whatever product they have purchased. You might be in a lot more trouble then youd expect and its just not worth it. First off, when you buy something, especially over the internet, read carefully the Terms & Conditions of the website. I know, it sounds boring and its a lot of legal stuff you dont really want to know, but it could prove important should you not be satisfied with your purchase.

If, for whatever reason, you dont want the productservice anymore, contact the company you got it from. Get in touch via email, phone, regular mail or other means, but talk with them and hear what they have to say. You might get a better deal than just your money back. If the company has a no refund policy written in their T&C, this doesnt mean its written in stone. Exceptions can be made if there is no other way.

Of course, if all else fails, go talk with your bank. They can advise you regarding the next steps you can take to solve the problem. But if you follow the instructions above, you shouldnt get there. Or if you do, you have great chances of getting your money back.

Getting those bills in the mail is not much fun – especially the credit card bills. But what if, every time you got a bill, you also were informed about how much money your purchases had earned – wouldn’t that make it more interesting? That is exactly what credit card rebates does for you. Many credit card companies are now offering rebate credit cards, giving you a percentage back. We have offered a description of what to look for in your new rebate credit card and how to get yours, quickly and easily.

Compare The Interest

Getting credit card rebates sounds like a really good idea – and it is. A few years ago – about 15, or so, there was a standard fee that everyone had to pay if they owned a credit card. Only more recently did the credit card companies begin to vary from this pattern of standardization -apparently the competition demanded new ideas. Now just about all of them have some kind of unique way to get people to sign onto their card.

A rebate credit card is really only better for you if you are in the habit of paying it off each month, when your bill comes in. This kind of card is normally a little higher in interest than a regular credit card would be. This is their way of offsetting the expense. As long as you pay the bill each month you will not have a problem. If, however, you allow your bill to be carried over into the next billing period — well, the truth is that your card really won’t do you much good. You could do better with a regular credit card.

Look For Annual Finance Fee

Rebate credit cards will often charge an annual finance fee. Some cards will waive it for the first year, but then you will be charged in successive years. The fee can also vary quite a bit, too, going from as low as 15 to as much as 135 per year.

Notice The Caps

Quite a number of these cards carry caps on just how much of a monthly (or yearly) rebate you can receive. It may differ, too, in the different kinds of purchases you make. They often will give you one rate for groceries, medicines, and gas, and another rate for purchases you make at certain stores, and then another rate for your general purchases.

Watch Your Statements

The actual amounts that you receive from your rebate credit card will often depend on which of the above categories the purchase is placed into – this is often their prerogative – but still, gas is gas. In order to ensure proper crediting, you will need to verify your purchases, each month, the rebates that are given to you.

Note The Time Frame

A rebate credit card often uses the rebates part of it as an attraction for you to get the card — and it is a good one, too. Keep in mind, however, that the rebates may not keep coming — but usually are good only for the first year of the card. Other cards may only give the initial offer for three months, and then drop down to a lower credit card rebates level after that. By shopping around, you will quickly find that there are many different conditions for similar cards.

You also will want to read the fine print about possible late payments — just in case. A late payment may be all that is necessary to put you in a category of paying the highest possible interest. So, be informed, and enjoy as many possible benefits as you can, too.

Getting your own credit card rebates is a great way to go – but there is one that is even better. When you shop around, before you sign up, try to get a rebate credit card with 0% APR, and low interest. This way, as long as you make the monthly payment in full, you will be saving on interest, and get those wonderful rebates, too.

It is simply getting ridiculous the charges credit card companies are imposing on consumers who are late making payments. Yes, creditors have a legal right to do what they are doing, however ethically speaking that is certainly open to debate! Let’s look at some ways you can avoid costly credit card late fees:

1. Pay your bills on time. This one is obvious. When you get your bill, open it up and pay it right away. Waiting means forgetting or hoping that your payment arrives on time.

2. Pay online. Paying via your computer is faster than mail services, but there is still some lag time from when you authorize a payment and when the payment is finally credited to your credit card account.

3. Automatic payment. If your credit card provider permits it, have them automatically deduct a set amount from your account every month. That way they’ll get their funds well in advance of their due date.

4. Fight it. Just because the credit card company said that your payment was late doesn’t mean that it was late. Call them up and ask them to reverse the charge — now as high as 39 — and to adjust their records accordingly.

Allowing credit card companies to run roughshod over you is one sure way to worsen your credit card woes. Know your rights and take action as required.

Credit Card Interest Rates – Why It’s Important To Understand How They Work

Einstein put it best when he said, “Compounding interest is the greatest mathematical discovery of all time”. Now the question you need to ask is, “Do I want this force working for me or against me?” If you own a credit card and you carry-over balances from month to month then you’ve got that amazing force called compounding interest working against you.

In this article, I’ll attempt to explain how this “force” works against you month after month after month, in the form of interest upon interest. And perhaps, by helping you to gain a better understanding of how this “force” works and how important even a small change in the interest rate you are being charged effects you and families financial future. And hopefully, it will also inspire and motivate you to do whatever it takes to pay off your credit cards and initiate some type of savings plan so you can put this “force” to work for you.

Credit Card Interest Rates are Compounded
The interest you pay on your credit card balances are compounded, which means that you pay interest on the interest from the month before. A simple example would be that if you were being charged an interest rate of 2% per month, you would not be paying 24% per year. In reality, you would be paying 26.82%. A neat little trick that credit card companies use to pick up an additional point or two of interest is to calculate interest on a monthly rather than on a yearly basis. You pay more but you don’t know you’re paying more.

A Brain Teaser
Here’s a little brain teaser based upon what you’ve already learned. Would you rather have 1 million in cash or 10,000 in some form of savings account earning you a compounded interest rate of 20 percent per year?

Hmm, let’s see how that 10,000 would grow after 10 years – 61,917 or 20 years – 383,375 or 30 years – 2,373,763 or 50 years – 563,475,143.

After fifty years, you would have over 500 million. Of course, you would have to take inflation into account and if we used a figure of 5% per year, then that 500 million would have the buying power that 10,732,859 does today. Not a bad return on your investment of 10,000 but on a side note it also exposes another lesson in how the compounding rate of inflation destroys wealth but that’s the subject of another article.

Clearly, that question was a bit tricky because there’s so many variables to take into account that would influence what decision you would ultimately make – but you get my point, the power of compounding interest and by the way… it’s the primary way credit card companies make their money is a powerful “force”. It’s also the way pensions work and the reason the prices of things seem to rise massively as you get older. Be afraid… or at the least very wary of compounding interest.

Compounding Interest Can Really Add Up
Now, let’s look at a more real world example. Let’s say you have an average unpaid balance of 1,000 on a credit card with an APR of 15 percent.

First year interest would be 150. However, this amount is then carried-over and added onto the balance and interest is charged on that. As a result, year two interest would be another 172.50 for a total of 1322.50 and it continues to build year after year. Year three, four and five would look like this – 1,520, 1,749 and 2,011.

As you can clearly see, after just five years at 15%, you would owe double what you borrowed and after 10 years you would owe four times. I know it’s hard to believe but once again this simple “real world” example dramatically demonstrates the power of compounding interest.

If you let something like that carry on long enough, you end up paying on that same amount of debt for years and years and end up paying back many times what you originally borrowed and in some instances you still may not have completely satisfied the original debt. Unfortunately, most people simply don’t take the time to think through this out and they feel that the high and never ending payments are simply their fault for spending too much money to begin with.

The Three Percent Difference
You may feel that there’s not that much difference between a credit card that charges an APR of 15% versus one that charges an APR of 12% but then again after reading this article I’m sure you’ve realized that there is and so – that’s exactly what I’m going to show you. Remember the previous example that showed you would owe over 2,000 after only five years at 15% after borrowing an initial amount of 1,000.

That same example at 12% reveals the following: Year one – 1120, year two – 1254 and years three through five – 1404, 1573 and 1762 respectively. After the same five year period you would have saved nearly 250 or almost 25% in interest from a mere 3% difference in APR. Quite dramatic and hopefully it will help you convince you to make the necessary decisions to pay-off your credit cards and start saving so that you can put, “the greatest mathematical discovery of all time” to work for you… rather than against you.

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