0% Credit Cards
These days, credit cards in the UK are competing with each other on two very attractive offers with a headline rate of 0%. These 0% credit cards will be either balance transfers; introductory purchases offers or a combination of the two. This article looks at how to get the best out these types of card and the things to that the credit card companies want you to do and therefore the things to avoid. There is a school of thought that believes that these types of card will soon be a thing of the past as they cost the credit card companies too much profit, as consumers get wiser to the pitfalls.
A balance transfer credit card is basically an offer of either a zero interest rate or very low interest rate for a set period. The typical period is 6 months although there are variations on this and there have even been some low rates set for the lifetime of the balance. However, these are becoming rare. Once, the offer period expires then the outstanding balance reverts to the standard rate on purchases. This is very important, as at this point the credit card company will hope the consumer will not take any action and so the company can begin to earn money on the balance.
A 0% purchase offer credit card has many similarities to the balance transfer offers. The introductory rate and period are usually 0% and 6 months in the same way as the balance transfer. Also, once the period expires the outstanding balance is subject to the standard rate on purchases. It is an important point to note that the introductory rate does not apply indefinitely on purchases made in the period, but only applies for the duration of the introductory period.
It is often the case that credit card companies will offer both the balance transfer and 0% on purchases on the same card. When this is not the case it is wise to keep balance transfers and purchases separate. This is because the balance transfer portion of an outstanding balance will be paid off quicker than the standard rate purchases. Therefore an increasing portion of the balance will be subject to the standard rate and the balance transfer portion will decrease at a faster rate. There is nothing to stop a consumer obtaining a credit card with a balance transfer and a separate low interest credit card for any purchases to be made. That way the benefits of the offers are maximised.
In summary the balance transfer and 0% purchase offers can be of great benefit to the consumer provided that the consumer understands how to use the offers to their advantage. A degree of discipline is required in managing repayments. Also, the cardholder should be aware of any penalties that may cause the offer to be cancelled. Armed with this knowledge then these cards can be made to work for the consumer, but remember that when comparing credit cards to pay close attention to the typical APR, which is, always stated where UK credit cards are promoted.
Neil Brown has contributed to many financial sites including Credit Cards UK.
MORE RESOURCES:
 Washington Times | US June consumer credit rises by $14.3 bln, 6.7 pct annual growth rate Forbes, NY - Total consumer credit expanded $14.3 bln after an upwardly-revised $8.1 bln expansion in May. June's increase was well above the $6.4 bln of additional ... Consumers jack up borrowing in June Ahead of the Bell: Consumer Credit Consumer Debt Growing at 7% Rate |
 Siliconrepublic.com | US Government charges 11 in massive credit card fraud case Heise Online, Germany - The US government has charged 11 people with stealing tens of millions of credit and debit card details as part of an operation that targeted numerous ... Video: Feds Charge 11 in Massive Retail Hacking Case US authorities charge 11 with global credit data theft 11 charged over US credit card theft |
Credit Suisse Sued Over Auction-Rate Securities (Update3) Bloomberg - 7 (Bloomberg) -- Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland's second-biggest bank, was sued by Swiss semiconductor company STMicroelectronics NV for allegedly placing ... STMicro sues Credit Suisse over auction-rate debt |
 Boston Globe | Credit cards: US authorities charge 11 in global identity theft racket guardian.co.uk, UK - American authorities have uncovered a global computer hacking and credit card fraud ring spanning the US, eastern Europe and Asia, officials said. ... Gang charged for theft of 41 million credit card numbers 11 charged in connection with credit card fraud 41 Million credit and debit card numbers stolen |
 Washington Post | Here comes the credit crackdown Independent, UK - One year into the credit crisis, regulators are hard at work on new laws they hope will prevent history repeating itself. Leading investment banks fear a ... Industry group to address credit risk Panel Calls for New Risk Standards Banking Group Proposes Wide Range of Reforms |
 RTE.ie | Barclays' Profits Hit by Credit Crunch BusinessWeek - by Kerry Capell The credit crunch continues to take its toll on British banks. On Aug. 7, Barclays (BCS) revealed its first-half pretax profits fell by ... Income at Barclays declines less than analysts expected Barclays Profit Falls 34% on Securities Writedowns (Update2) UK bank Barclays 1H profit falls 35 percent |
Consumer credit jumps at fastest rate in 7 months MarketWatch - Consumer credit, excluding mortgage debt, expanded at a 6.7% annual rate in June after rising at a 3.8% pace in May. It was the biggest increase since the ... Credit-card Companies Making It Harder To Say 'charge It' CreditCards.com: Weekly Credit Card Rate Report Reform credit card industry |
 Earthtimes (press release) | Consumer credit rose $14.33 bln in June Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US consumer credit expanded at the fastest rate in seven months in June as Americans turned to credit cards and consumer loans to ... Consumer credit rose $14.33 billion in June |
BC-based Lake View Credit Union Selects Open Solutions' Core Platform MarketWatch - Lake View Credit Union has assets of more than $200CDN million and serves 15500 members through three branches. This year, the credit union celebrated its ... |
Bridge Finance Group Provides a $4.0 Million Revolving Line of ... MarketWatch - CHICAGO, Aug 07, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Bridge Finance Group announced the completion of a revolving line of credit to Access Distribution, ... |
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