What Are Retailer's Credit Cards? Why Do You Need Them?
The ads for them are everywhere. Retailer's credit cards promise to let us buy with no money down and no interest payments for as long as two or three years!
However, are these retailers' credit cards really the deal they seem to be? Let's take a look at what happens when you take on a credit card from a retailer.
It is true that these retailer's credit cards do typically offer a 0% interest rate and allow you to make purchases with no payment s for as long as the first two years; although this is usually limited to specific purchases. Let's suppose for instance that you sign up for a retailer's credit card offered by a furniture store. You might have with this card a discount of 10% on the purchase, along with having to make no down payment and no payments needed for two years.
That's great, if you can swing it. However, there's a caveat. If you don't pay off that credit card balance IN FULL within the time the store gives you to pay off the balance (let's say, two years), you might think that you're going to be charged interest beginning the first day after the end of that introductory period, but that's usually not true. In fact, you're also likely going to be charged interest retroactively to the day of the purchase, and it may also very well be compounded during those months, usually every 30 days or every billing cycle.
So, you have to be careful here. If you want to use one of these retailers' credit cards, you have to be willing to be very, very conscientious and pay off the balance on that credit card before your introductory "special" period ends. If you don't, you're going to be paying a lot more for that purchase than you intended to -- and here's the thing; a lot of times, retailers' credit card interest rates are HIGHER than those of your traditional Visa or MasterCard. Therefore, you're also going to be hit with a higher interest rate for those purchases.
If you're not sure that you can pay the entire balance within the introductory period, don't apply for the retailer's credit card. You are much better off not incurring this kind of debt; if possible, pay cash for these large purchases. If you cannot do so, then use a regular credit card instead ? the lower interest rates will end up saving you a lot of money over time. While you may lose out on the discount offered on the purchase price, you'll still be saving money by avoiding these retroactive interest charges.
In conclusion, then, a retailer's credit card can be a good thing to have if it's a store you shop at a lot and you regularly pay down your balance completely. However, if you don't shop at the store a lot and are only signing on for a retailer's credit card as part of a "special" deal in hopes you'll save money in the long run, be careful. Retroactive interest charges will come back to bite you if you don't pay down the balance by the end of the promotional period, and you'll be left paying a lot more than you would have if you had paid cash or even used a different credit card.
Finally, remember that no matter which credit card you use, you're going to end up paying a lot in interest charges if you don't use responsibly. So shop carefully, and pay down your credit card balances as soon as you can; in fact, it's a good rule of thumb to have that you never carry balances on credit cards for more than 30 days. Credit used responsibly can be a good thing, but you have to be careful just two you get it from.
However, are these retailers' credit cards really the deal they seem to be? Let's take a look at what happens when you take on a credit card from a retailer.
It is true that these retailer's credit cards do typically offer a 0% interest rate and allow you to make purchases with no payment s for as long as the first two years; although this is usually limited to specific purchases. Let's suppose for instance that you sign up for a retailer's credit card offered by a furniture store. You might have with this card a discount of 10% on the purchase, along with having to make no down payment and no payments needed for two years.
That's great, if you can swing it. However, there's a caveat. If you don't pay off that credit card balance IN FULL within the time the store gives you to pay off the balance (let's say, two years), you might think that you're going to be charged interest beginning the first day after the end of that introductory period, but that's usually not true. In fact, you're also likely going to be charged interest retroactively to the day of the purchase, and it may also very well be compounded during those months, usually every 30 days or every billing cycle.
So, you have to be careful here. If you want to use one of these retailers' credit cards, you have to be willing to be very, very conscientious and pay off the balance on that credit card before your introductory "special" period ends. If you don't, you're going to be paying a lot more for that purchase than you intended to -- and here's the thing; a lot of times, retailers' credit card interest rates are HIGHER than those of your traditional Visa or MasterCard. Therefore, you're also going to be hit with a higher interest rate for those purchases.
If you're not sure that you can pay the entire balance within the introductory period, don't apply for the retailer's credit card. You are much better off not incurring this kind of debt; if possible, pay cash for these large purchases. If you cannot do so, then use a regular credit card instead ? the lower interest rates will end up saving you a lot of money over time. While you may lose out on the discount offered on the purchase price, you'll still be saving money by avoiding these retroactive interest charges.
In conclusion, then, a retailer's credit card can be a good thing to have if it's a store you shop at a lot and you regularly pay down your balance completely. However, if you don't shop at the store a lot and are only signing on for a retailer's credit card as part of a "special" deal in hopes you'll save money in the long run, be careful. Retroactive interest charges will come back to bite you if you don't pay down the balance by the end of the promotional period, and you'll be left paying a lot more than you would have if you had paid cash or even used a different credit card.
Finally, remember that no matter which credit card you use, you're going to end up paying a lot in interest charges if you don't use responsibly. So shop carefully, and pay down your credit card balances as soon as you can; in fact, it's a good rule of thumb to have that you never carry balances on credit cards for more than 30 days. Credit used responsibly can be a good thing, but you have to be careful just two you get it from.
About the Author:
Steven J. Talrechi is a veteran on credit for over 10 years. He writes about various topics on said field, including applying for a credit card, and different credit card offers.
posted by Debt Consolidation Loan at
11:25 AM
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