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Bad Credit Credit Cards: Repairing Credit

by Daniel Lesser

Many people like me get into trouble in their college years. During their first taste of real freedom, they also get inundated with free credit card offers. They enjoy spending however and whenever they want, then find themselves unable to make the necessary payments and mired in debt.

My credit was shot before I finished college. However, I grew up, got a good job and found myself needing credit cards and needing to rebuild my credit history. It took some time but bad credit does go away and one of the first steps can be to get bad credit credit cards. My credit is now perfect and getting the best rate for a mortgage was a snap.

Be honest with yourself and make a sincere assessment of your situation. You'll need to get a copy of your credit score and find out what your numerical value is. It may seem hopeless now, but there are concrete steps you can take to get back on your feet and have a new credit beginning.

The next thing you should do is decide between a credit card guaranteed through a bank or financial institution or an unsecured card with a very high interest rate. After you have started the process to obtain your credit report, check with your bank and analyze you usage of the account. Is bouncing checks in your history? Do you keep an up to date log? If the answer is yes to either, you should consider the "bad credit credit card" options.

So you've decided on the "bad credit credit cards" route. You do have choices so check out the options available. Will this be secured with a deposit of your own money? Will it be unsecured but with a huge interest rate? What is the annual fee? After a period of good repayments, will they drop the interest rate? Can you pick you're the day each month to pay so you can match it up with your paycheck? Do they have any bonus programs? What are the minimum income requirements?

Don't just grab any card. You have choices and rights, and need to investigate each offer carefully to make sure you're getting a good deal. In particular, be careful with the interest rates on cards you consider. If a card's interest rate on purchases exceeds 20%, then do not consider that offer any further. For someone with poor credit, a card with interest under 20% is a good find.

Now that you're on your way to getting back on track, keep on top of your credit score. Take a look at an updated score every so often to check that your new credit card company is reporting on-time payments. If you're not noticing a difference, call your card company to request it. By the time you're wondering, "What is my credit score?", you'll see it start to climb again.

In college I got into real trouble with my credit. I filled out free applications, charged left and right, and was unable to pay the balances that kept racking up more and more in interest. After college, I got serious about turning my credit around and now my score is perfect. Make an honest assessment of your credit history. Ask, "What is my credit score?" Try bad credit credit cards, which have several options to help you back on your feet. Obtain credit report figures on yourself from time to time, just to make sure your credit continues to improve as you make your payments on time.

Published September 22nd, 2007

Filed in Finance

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