Reasons to Skip Using Balance Transfer Cards As Online Debt Relief
Should you consider those low rate balance transfer credit cards when looking for online debt relief, and what exactly is the benefit to having one?
Well, as most people are already aware, money problems can arise without warning. You might have the world on a string – hold an excellent job, have a house, and of course, own some credit cards that you manage better than a lot of other people you know.
However, since this is the game of life you also know that sometimes it doesn’t play fair. You may get sick, or become embroiled in a nasty divorce – suddenly finding yourself without money, but plenty of bills. And, if your credit has started to suffer as you can no longer afford to make all your obligations on time, these balance transfer cards can seem like a dream come true!
But to be forewarned is to be forearmed, as these benevolent-appearing balance transfer credit cards can turn out to be a monster in disguise. With that, here is a quick look at the further destruction this type of card can bring you, if you don’t know the details:
These “miracle” cards appear to offer those who are struggling with their finances a golden opportunity to zero out the high balances on their current cards by accepting the company’s card, which comes with a wonderful low interest rate. And, it looks like a pretty sweet deal, it’s true. To the novice, it seems that you simply apply for the card and transfer each nasty current balance you carry, to it once you get it. Then everything is back to being perfect again!
And to make you a believer, the ads bombard you with the fact that you will have just a small monthly payment to send every 30 days, once you’ve transferred the balances on your other cards to your new one, that is. Plus that great rate is YOURS for a whole six months! But as you will see, sometimes a solution turns out to be an even bigger problem:
In the first place, there’s the question of the “low” or even “NO” interest rate for six months. Like many others, you may not be aware that this only applies to those debts you’ve transferred to the card, and not any new charges you may be racking up every week. So know ahead of time that anything that’s not considered a transferred debt, will be subject to the card’s standard rates and other fees.
And, concerning those standard rates and fees, you also need to know that they WILL go up significantly, once the introductory rate period ends. You don’t want to discover this last minute, when upon opening your latest statement you are hit with the HUGE new minimum that’s now due each month start with this one.
Also a potential trap, is the frame of mind some people develop when one card has appeared to pay off the others. A lot of people tend to forget the mess they were in earlier, and start to charge a little here, and a little there on those cards that were zeroed out. And this, of course, can lead to a much worse situation than the one you originally started out with.
So unless you are one of those rare people who are geniuses at handling cards like these, you might be well-advised to stay clear of them when looking for online debt relief. Instead, find a reputable person or firm that has nothing to gain from you but a clearly posted consultation fee, and can give you the resources you need to get you out of your mess.
