Credit cards can help you build credit while offering convenience
Credit cards can be convenient when you need to make a purchase or pay a bill, and they also have the potential to help you save money if you can recoup part of your expenses through incentives. In addition, you can use credit cards to establish a positive credit history by practicing sound money management.
Despite having a similar appearance, debit and credit cards function significantly differently. Here are some crucial credit card statistics to know if you’re new to utilizing credit.
What is Credit Cards
A credit card is a physical card that can be used for withdrawals of cash, making purchases, and paying payments. The most straightforward way to conceive of a credit card is as a kind of payday loan.
Your credit card provider assigns you a predetermined credit limit when you open an account. In essence, this is the sum of money that the credit card company permits you to use for purchases or bill payments. As you charge stuff to the card, your available credit is decreased. After then, you reimburse the credit card company for the amount you spent from your credit limit.
How Credit Cards Work
Credit cards can be used to pay bills as well as buy purchases offline or online. Your credit card information is transmitted to the merchant’s bank when you pay with either one. In order to proceed with the transaction, the bank must first obtain permission from the credit card network. The card company will next need to check your information and decide whether to allow or reject the transaction.
If the transaction is approved, the money is given to the shopkeeper, and the amount of the transaction is deducted from the available credit on your card. Your card issuer will give you a statement at the conclusion of your billing cycle that lists all of the transactions for that month, your old and new balances, the minimum payment due, and the due date.
Between the date of a purchase made with your card and the due date indicated on your statement is the grace period. If you pay your payment in full by the due date within this time, no interest is charged.
However, your card issuer may assess interest if you carry a balance from month to month. The annual percentage rate (APR) on your credit card is the annualized cost of holding a balance. If your card has an annual fee, it will also be included in your APR along with your interest rate.
The variable APR on the majority of credit cards is based on the prime rate. Although the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 established tight limits on when credit card firms may and may not raise your rate, this implies that your card’s APR may alter over time. 1
A penalty APR that might reach the 30% range is imposed if your credit card payment is 60 days overdue.
Fees for Credit Cards
Credit cards come with a variety of fees in addition to the interest rate. Balance transfer fees, or costs levied for transferring your balance to another card, are examples of additional charges. These fees are typically expressed as a percentage of the transferred balance, like 2%.
In addition, there can be over-limit fees, which are assessed if the card’s limit is exceeded. There are, of course, late fines that are incurred if the minimum payment is not made by the deadline. Keep take mind that the issuer may also cancel any introductory rates you received if you’re late with a payment.
