All You Need To Know About Credit Cards

In current times, credit card has become an integral part of everyone’s life. People use these plastic cards for nearly every financial transaction today, from paying their phone bills to purchasing items in grocery stores. No matter where a person goes, credit cards serve as a substitute for cash. Often these cards are referred to as plastic money. 

Having a good card allows you to enjoy a large number of benefits. Firstly when you have the card you do not have to carry a huge amount of cash with you when you go out shopping. Sometimes people find something while shopping which they need. Unfortunately they are not carrying enough cash to pay for it. When you have a card you can simply buy using the card and pay your dues later. While shopping online the easiest way to pay is via card. For most travelers and tourists the card has come as a boon since in foreign countries the card takes care of the trouble of converting travel funds to local currency. 

Credit cards are issued by various banks to its customers. When the holder buys something with the card he actually borrows the money from the bank and later pays it back. You do not have to pay interest on the borrowed money if you pay it back within a stipulated time. Beyond this time you need to pay interest at defined rates. Each card has a credit limit which is the amount of money you can borrow and a mandatory minimum amount, based on your total purchases, which have to be paid every month.

Before you go ahead and get yourself a card you should be clear about a few things in your mind. How much can you borrow using the card before you run into serious debt? For what purpose are you taking the card and how will you use it? 

There are innumerable card providers in the market, each offering a different package regarding credit card rates and various other benefits. You are to decide which the card most suitable for you is. A friend or relative maybe happily enjoying a card which has certain benefits but this does not mean that you will need the same card since your requirements maybe different. If you do not get the card which is most suitable for you, there is a chance that you can incur a financial loss.

Well there are business credit cards which are tailor-made for people who are running their own business. They have a higher credit limit because usually business overheads are paid using them. Zero interest credit cards have zero interest in the introductory phase and then later switch to normal rates. The introductory phase can stretch from 6 months to one year. Low interest credit cards have the lowest possible interest rates but they do have certain drawbacks like an annual fee or a very low credit limit. You may get a huge number of benefits for using Reward System cards like airline mileage points, gasoline points and hotel reward points. These are just some of the various types of cards which are available.

You can compare the benefits of each type of card from various banks at their Websites based on their interest rates, balance transfer rates, annual fees and other added benefits.