If you really have to rely on balance transfers make sure to find the ones that offer you the longest Intro APR period. Like I said before, 6 month is the minimum. Many cards give you 18 even 21 months special APR on balance transfer and purchases. One thing to keep in mind is that although the monthly payment is very low you will need to manage to pay offer the entire balance at the end of the intro period. If you have a huge amount transferred from the old card you should pay a bit more than the minimum due – the better way to do it is to divide the entire balance by 21 months or whatever the number of months the financial institution is giving you. Let’s say you have $5000 credit card debt, you should pay about $240 each month for the next 21 months. There will be no surprise at the end. Another thing to keep in mind is never make any purchase with the new card. Some cards offer different intro APR and period for balance transfer and purchase. Don’t mess them up. You can apply for a different card just for purchase you need to. Just remember to pay off the balance each month so you don’t have to repeat the “balance transfer method” again. Once you forget the pay the entire balance you will end up accumulating more debts instead.

Some people have way more cards to use than they really should. In the case you forget to pay the bill when balance is due you should contact the credit card issuers first to find out if they are willing to waive the late fee and financial charges. Most of the time, if you don’t have a history of late payment and always pay in full in the past, they will credit back the fee in the next statement. My recommendation is to cut down the number of cards you own, especially the company or department store credit cards you signed up just to take advantage of one time saving.

In the next post, I will talk about other ways of avoiding credit card bills.

First, ask yourself – do I need a credit card? In most cases you do. Owning a credit card is the first step to build up your credit history, especially you have little or no credit history at all. Before you are able to take a car loan or apply for mortgage you will have to have excellent or good credit. Having a credit card on your hand can make life much easier even though you don’t plan to make any big purchases like a car or a house. It’s a secure way to make buy small and big items without having to carry a lot of cash. If you lose the credit card, you simply lost a piece of plastic. Call the customer service and you will not be responsible for any unauthorized purchases.

From time to time you may receive pre-approval letters from various card issuers telling you that you are qualified for a new credit card. You can fill the forms and wait a couple weeks to get card mailed to you. Applying for credit cards online is much easier and more secured. Not only can you compare types of credit cards by issuers, reward programs, interest rates, credit history requirements you can also apply directly online and get approved in 60 seconds or less. There are way too many cards to choose from and I am sure you will be confused about what types you should apply. Cash back, reward points, travel reward, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover? You can select the criteria and select the right card for yourself. Another advantage of applying online is that you get notified of your application status and know exactly when the card will arrive.

Can everyone apply for a credit online? No matter what your credit score is, there is always one card that fits your needs. No credit or bad credit? Get a secured card. Excellent credit and want more rewards? Get a cash back card. Frequent travelers? Redeem points for travel promotions. If you already own couple of credit cards and want to explore advantages of what other cards offer, there are tremendous amount of free information online that offers you tips and tricks of applying for a credit card online.