credit cards
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- quamb
am going to get myself a credit card so can be purchasing lovely goods on the net (esp. pay for domains and server).
what company should i go for? any bad/good experiences?
- JazX0
yeah any company that is going to charge you 18%, that a bad one, try and keep your rate down near 9 to 10%. some companies will allow you to not be charged a % for the firsdt something months. where are you livin again?
- auricom0
Citi isn't too bad, i've been at 7% for a year, same with NationalCity.
used them to get all my software and fonts.
- JazX0
thats a good rate 7% go with that man, seriously, I never heard that one, however you have to worry about the APR change rates and shit.
- BonSeff0
find a bank in your area that offers a check card that runs through visa/mastercard but gets deducted from your checking acct.
- quamb0
yeah will take a trip to the bank i think.
dont have a check acct either. never needed one.
am in melb, so am guessing its different all round anyhow- though am hoping for something cheap and safe for the net.
those blue amex ones a pretty.. mmm.
- BonSeff0
dude! how do you get around in life without a checking acct?!?
seriously! i want to know
- JazX0
yeah you need that a DEBIT CARD, where it acts as a VISA or MC but comes from your checking. I agree you need checking, lol!
- JazX0
One is based upon actual credit which a financial institutions permits you to have as a CREDIT CARD and one comes from your bank account as a DEBIT CARD. It's like comparing, hmmm let' says HTML wich is free to use as long as you know it and Photoshop which you have to pay for or at least crack. lol.
- pr20
yeah man, Credit Cards are pure Evil (i really mean it!). You need a debit card with Visa logo on it.
Never ever let yourself to be stuck with a credit card company -- they are all semi-legal thieves.
- lind0
Credit Cards aren't evil -- at least with Citi (Visa/Mastercard).
It's a nice convenience as long as you pay off your balance each month without fail. That's the most important thing.
- JazX0
look guys, you will want to build up good credit, so you can one day use it to purchase something larger such as a house mortgage, etc. however with that being said, you must use caution so you are not building up debts you cannot pay back without claiming bankruptcy. So be careful and you might want to get one for Credit and one for Debit in case of emergency and make sure you pay off your full balance every month. This is how AMEX works, you have to pay off the balance otherwise they screw you. Visa and MC are a bit different, depends on the financial institution that the card is set up under.
- JazX0
quamb, you sound new to this, basic principle is that the bank you get your card through will charge you a % so they make money off of you. That interest rate (%) ranges generally between 7% to 19%, depending upon, basically, the contract you sign so be careful. The money they make depends on the principle balance on the account, so let's say you spend $200 in one night on something, they charge you a % off of this amount. Hope that helps.
- pr20
...and each of those thieve is just waiting for you to send your check 7 instead of 10 days prior to the due date. "Ups...! I'm sorry but you check arrived late (yeah right!!!) i think we have to charge you a $30 late fee... Oh, we are so sorry... You were $29 dollars short of your credit limit. Now we have to charge you another $30 but this time for going over the limit..."
- pr20
and...
"But please, trust us! You don't need to count your spending at the end of teh year... you might discover that your $1000 spendings actually costed you $1600..."
- JazX0
there are those types of things as well, but you can set up making payments online as well such I do with Discover Card and pay no %.
- quamb0
yeah i understand the concept of interest rates- aint that duh
i get around without a check account due to working under an 'umbrella' type company who we have an accountant type guy managing all this.
credit cards sound scarey, i hate that. though would love one just for net related things.
*scratches head*
- pr20
dude! You still don't get it. debit card with a Visa sign acts like a credit card. You can use it everywhere a Visa credit card (including internet) is accepted.
- quamb0
hey- soz am tirrred. * _ *
debit card seems to be the go, thanks for the advice.
- Nirvous0
Two Words: Compound Interest
- ribit0
You can get by without a checking account outside the US... Most companies (and people) in Europe give you their bank details, and you just do an online transfer (free within Europe). Some will charge you extra to pay by check.
Debit cards have the advantage you can get cash-back at supermarkets too...