Thursday, November 8, 2007

If You Want Credit Cards Bad Credit Doesn't Have To Stand In Your Way

A few years ago, when people applied for credit cards bad
credit was like a death sentence. After all, the good
credit card companies don't want to deal with someone who
has a tarnished credit history, right? That's no longer the
case. In todays world of credit cards bad credit doesn't
have to be a death sentence. It's just a matter of knowing
the road.

What Kind of “Bad” Is It?

The first thing you need to ask yourself is just how bad
your credit really is. When applying for credit cards bad
credit isn't always that bad. For example, someone who
consistently pays their car payment and credit card
payments late is going to have worse credit than someone
who has an unpaid medical bill or two.

And Just How Bad Is It?

When applying for credit cards bad credit is never a good
thing, but it's important to know just how bad your credit
really is. You may think you have bad credit because of a
blemish on your report, but if your score is still above
700 your credit is actually quite good.

If you're applying for credit cards bad credit might indeed
limit your options. If your credit score shows that you're
a high risk to lenders, you'll need to understand your
options. The lower your score, the fewer options you have.

What Options Are There?

When it comes to credit cards bad credit can indeed cost
you. If your score isn't too bad you might just qualify for
a lower credit limit. If, however, your credit score is 550
or 600, you might have to apply for a secured credit card
and you'll more than likely have to accept a credit card
with an annual fee or a higher interest rate.

Know When To Say No

When everything is said and done, bad credit is never a
good thing. However, that doesn't mean you should take
abuse because of it. When applying for credit cards bad
credit can bring the predators out like blood in
shark-infested water. Don't fall for the games.

Never send in money to a credit card company before
receiving your credit card and never pay in advance for the
privilege of applying for one, no matter what line of
foolishness the company tries to sell you. There are many
who try to take advantage of those who already suffer from
bad credit and their schemes can have you in worse shape
than you're already in.

And remember, in today's world of credit cards bad credit
can be an obstacle, but it's definitely not the end of the
road nor is it the end of your financial future.


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For more tips on bad credit credit cards, saving money and
avoiding getting taken, check out the bad credit credit
card section at CreditCardTipsEtc.com, a website that
specializes in providing credit card tips, advice and
resources.
http://www.creditcardtipsetc.com/bad_credit_credit_cards

Is Credit Repair a Scam ?

If you want to find an industry with a horrible reputation
look no further than credit repair. Over the years I have
seen countless companies coming to my office wanting me to
send all of my applicants for a mortgage who had bad credit
to them. Most of them stated the same thing, “I will
get it removed.” Let’s face it, if you owe the
debt, it will not be removed. Most of the creditors sell
debts owed to collections companies. These collections
companies will not go away until you settle on the debt or
pay it in full. The 3 credit bureaus do have to respond to
a dispute within 30 days which must be verified. If the
dispute is not verified, it must be removed. Credit Repair
companies will dispute derogatory information on your
credit report for you, but you can do the same thing
yourself for free. You can also dispute items from your
credit report on-line now.

Online bureaus for dispute:
- Experian =
https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?c
ode=DISPUTE
- Tran union = http://www.transunion.com/entry/disputeonline
- Equifax = http://www.equifax.com/online-credit-dispute/

The advantage of using a reputable credit repair company is
they dedicate all their time during your normal working
ours to dispute inaccuracies on your credit report. Most
working people don’t have time to do this. So you are
paying someone else to do this since you don’t have
the time to do it yourself. So is Credit Repair a scam?
Well not exactly. They are a legitimate business as long as
they give you the correct information. Can they get
information removed you owe? They can if the bureaus
don’t respond in time, and believe me the bureaus are
set up to respond quickly. There systems are automated now.
They can blast through a dispute letter in a few key
strokes. The Bureaus will also disregard repetitive
disputes as “frivolous.” Credit repair
companies claim that if the following inaccuracies are on
your credit report, it has to be removed.

Credit Bureaus reporting: $190.02
Should be reporting: $190.20

The FTC claims that this is false.

So the big question is Credit Repair a SCAM? Well there are
a lot of credit repair companies out there that just take
your money, and hope you go a way. So make sure you get
references when using a credit restoration company. There
are reputable companies out there, and there are companies
that just take your money.


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At http://www.my720fico.com you can get a Free copy of your
credit report with scores. We also provide lots of articles
to help with educating you in regards to your personal
credit.