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It is not uncommon for families or individuals to find themselves in the midst of credit card debt. Many people wonder if credit card debt consolidation is for them. What is involved in this process? Basically, a credit card balance transfer takes place so that all your credit cards are consolidated into one card. You receive one statement and deal with one company for the full balance of all your cards. Several companies offer this type of deal, and a Citi credit card is a good example.

Benefits:

Credit card debt consolidation can lower your monthly payments, which is very appealing to those in need of tightening their budgets. Combining all your credit card bills into one means that you only pay one bill. If you were paying the minimum balance of fifty dollars on three credit cards each month, you were paying a total of one hundred and fifty dollars on credit cards alone. The interest you were accumulating was at a high rate, as well, extending the time you are required to make payments and the total balance to be paid off.

But if you were to transfer the balance of all three cards onto a new Citi credit card, you would combine the balances and accumulated interest into one new balance. The Citi credit card offers free interest on balance transfers for twelve months to qualified card holders. So you will no longer be accumulating interest on the unpaid balances, at least for the first year. During this time, you can either pay only the minimum fifty dollar (for example) monthly payment, saving yourself one hundred dollars out of pocket each month, or you can continue paying the one hundred and fifty dollars monthly to quickly reduce your debt and avoid the interest that will arrive after twelve months.

In addition, with a credit card balance transfer, you will often get a better interest rate. The basic Citi credit card offers an interest rate of 10-12% after the first year on your balance transfers. Both of these benefits add up to more cash for other expenses.

Drawbacks:

The drawbacks to credit card balance transfer are worth considering before you make a decision about your credit card debt consolidation.

When you transfer your balances to a credit card with an interest-free trial period of six months to a year, keep in mind that the interest will go up after the trial period is up. So if you haven’t paid down your balance by then, get ready to accumulate more interest and make more payments.

Also, most card companies will include in the terms of service agreement a clause about default. Defaulting on your agreement about the interest-free trial period can include making a late payment, making a payment that doesn’t go through, or going over your line of credit. When you default during your trial period, the interest-free part of the agreement is made null and void. This means that you are no longer entitled to the free interest on your credit card balance transfer. Most companies will assess a very high interest rate after a customer defaults. The basic Citi credit card comes with a default interest rate of about 30%. That is a huge portion of your balance and will cost you a great deal of money.

Back to the Articles

Yes, low APR credit cards are on the rise. Many credit cards are competing for your business to give you the best and lowest rates available today. There are so many credit cards from you to choose from that they are doing all kinds of things to get your attention including lowering their interest rate and giving you no annual fees.

Why is this happening? Because there are so many credit card companies. They all want your business and this is an attractive incentive to get you to apply and own one of their credit cards. If you choose a low APR credit card over one with 19.99 percent you are sure to go with the lower APR.

The only problem is that sometime these 0% and low APR credit cards are only promotional ways to get you to apply and then later your interest rate will rise. Many credit card companies have low APR credit cards for a certain amount of time such as 3 months, 6 months and some up to one year. You will have to compare to find out which one keeps the lower APR after the promotional period to ensure you are getting the best deal around.

No matter what the reason low APR credit cards are here to stay as long as the companies are competing for your business. Just remember to compare everything they offer besides the lower interest rate. You may find that several credit card companies are now offering other wonderful incentives for you to apply with them such as reward programs.

No matter which company you choose, you will enjoy the low APR credit cards even if it is only for a limited time. You will be able to save money on your purchases because you will not have to pay any interest until the promotional period is over. Just be sure your balance is very low when the interest rate kicks in and you will be fine.