Unfortunately most offers claiming to be interest free credit cards are not completely so. With most of these offers it is the introductory APR that is interest free. The APR is the annual percentage rate or the amount of interest the credit card charges incur over time. With many credit cards the first six to twelve months of credit card use have zero percent interest. After this time period a standard APR is set in place.
This amount can be anywhere from 9.74% to 18.5% APR. The interest rate can make paying off your credit card more difficult. This is especially so if you have maxed out your credit card and are making only the minimum payments. The majority if not all of your payment is going towards the interest and not the due balances itself. To prevent this from occurring follow these simple steps below.
Three Simple Steps for Preventing Interest Fee Chaos
1. Choose a credit card with low interest. Take the necessary time to review the credit card details in full. Look at the Intro APR as well as the standard APR to see how high of a percentage you will be paying after a year.
2. Use your card wisely. Just because you have X amount of credit does not mean you should use it. Use your card when necessary and try to limit your charged amount to less than half of the cards maximum amount of credit.
3. Make more than the minimum amount of the monthly payment. If possible pay off the maximum amount you can afford on your credit card bills. This can help you to keep your APR stable.
Simple steps and basic common sense can keep you from having to deal with credit card debt and shockingly high APR’s. Don’t be afraid to probe your credit card company prior to applying for the card. No one likes hidden fees and many companies will not speak up about these fees unless prompted by the card applicant. This is sad but true in most cases. So take your time and you will find that there is a credit card available with low interest rates, but no interest rates are pushing it.