How A Prepaid Debit Card Can Help You Rebuild Your Credit
Consumers today are up to their eyeballs in debt. And many people don't realize it until their good credit has been devastated.
As a result, many credit repair agencies are popping up all over the internet, on television and in the newspapers making sweeping guarantees that they can erase your bad credit and remove bankruptcies, judgments, liens, and bad loans from your credit history - forever!
Consumers are flocking to these credit repair clinics in droves. However, estimates show that credit repair companies have defrauded consumers in the United States alone out of more than fifty million dollars.
The truth of the matter is that depending on the extent of the damage to your credit history, the best strategy could be a self help strategy - not giving away hundreds or even thousands of dollars in up-front fees to an agency that in the end may do nothing to restore or improve your credit.
After researching the topic quite extensively, I found one great method that works well for some people is a method I call "beating the credit reporting bureaus at their own game".
I report about it in more detail on my Prepaid Debit Card Site (www.debit-card-guide.com), however, in brief, this strategy involves taking advantage of signing up for prepaid debit cards which offer a built-in credit reporting feature.
A prepaid debit card is a great solution for a lot of people because the money you spend is your own and in most cases you cannot spend over the amount you have in your account.
This is a good solution for people who may have had difficulties with debt or bankruptcy in the past because a prepaid debit card is a great tool for developing invaluable financial management and budgeting skills.
A major bonus of some prepaid debit cards today is that during the sign-up process you are offered an opportunity to sign up for an additional service that will help you rebuild a bad credit history by having your monthly payments reported to one or more of the major credit reporting agencies.
Subsequently, each month your card's issuer credit reporting partner will process your payment record and verify that your payment is properly posted to the credit bureaus' records.
There is a small additional fee involved for this service each month, however, the fees are minimal by comparison to the sometimes outrageous fees and interest payment some credit card companies charge people with bad credit.
This fee is usually billed to you through your prepaid card each month and enables you to show a continuous history of activity within the credit system.
These prepaid debit cards help you rebuild your credit so you can get on with your life and is just one of the many self-help strategies that I recommend.
To learn more about rebuilding your credit through the use of a prepaid debit card simply do a search in one of your favorite search engines for prepaid debit cards or visit www.debit-card-guide.com for more specific card information.
Copyright 2005. For more information about Prepaid Debit Cards, check out THE definitive guide to prepaid debit cards of all kinds including: prepaid mastercards, payroll debit cards, debit gift cards, virtual credit cards, offshore, US and international debit cards, at: http://www.debit-card-guide.com
MORE RESOURCES:
 China Daily | Fallout From TJX Credit Card ... InternetNews.com - By Andy Patrizio: More stories by this author: The indictment of 11 criminals involved in the TJX credit card theft incident shows that cybercrime is indeed ... Video: Feds Charge 11 in Massive Retail Hacking Case Credit card thieves ran a polite, professional help desk 11 charged over US credit card theft |
 Earthtimes (press release) | US Consumer Credit Increases $14.3 Billion in June (Update2) Bloomberg - Consumer credit rose by $14.3 billion, the most since November, to $2.59 trillion, the Federal Reserve said today in Washington. In May, credit rose by $8.1 ... Consumer credit rose $14.33 bln in June US consumer credit rose at double the pace forecast in June Consumers release their credit cards from musty wallets |
Credit Crunch Videos Sky News, UK - Equity, bond, and money markets were reluctant to accept that this was going to be a global banking problem, leading to a massive credit crisis. ... Credit crunch and banks: from the Rock to a hard place Many happy returns, credit crunch The butterfly effect: How a blip became a credit crunch |
 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 |
The End of Credit Card Consumerism U.S. News & World Report, DC - For more than four decades, our shopaholic nation has shown an insatiable desire to spend until our credit cards melt. And throughout this era, ... |
 Reuters | Credit Suisse auction-rate debt suit may start frenzy Reuters - ST Micro alleges in the August 6 complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, that by late 2006 Credit Suisse knew that collateralized debt ... UPDATE 1-CS reinitiates IT hardware sector with "market weight" Fannie Mae expects smaller credit losses in 2009 Credit crunch cripples European insurers' profits |
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 ... Credit Suisse sued by semiconductor firm Credit Suisse sued over 'auction' debt Auction-rate triage |
 Boston Globe | Credit expenses lead to $2.3 billion loss for Fannie MarketWatch - The company reported credit-related expenses of $5.3 billion in the quarter, which more than offset revenue of $4 billion. Fannie Mae also took a charge of ... Fannie Mae posts $2.3 billion loss as credit costs rise Fannie: Sun will come out tomorrow Fannie Mae Posts Fourth Straight Loss, Cuts Dividend (Update2) |
 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 Retail Hacking Ring Charged for Stealing and Distributing Credit ... |
Settling the credit score CNNMoney.com - Having a good credit rating is more important now than ever, but determining exactly what yours is gets complicated. By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff ... The FICO Score- Unregulated Discrimination? Back-to-school shopping tips |
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