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As competition in the UK credit card industry has consistently increased in recent years, credit card providers have been searching for more and more ways to attract customers to their own package of products. Most have gone about this by dropping prices with credit card rates available today that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. It is now possible to find 0% credit card interest rates not only on balance transfers but also on purchases. While these rates may only be available for limited introductory periods of a few months, it is easy to see how prices have continued to drop across the market as credit card providers have been searching for new ways to attract customers.

Interest free and credit card may sound like a couple of words that really do not belong together in the same sentence. And the fact is that just a few short years ago, you would have been absolutely correct. There was a time not too long ago when there was no such thing as the 0% credit card. Now however, they are everywhere you look, literally. You cannot even open your mail any more, or answer you phone without being offered some amazing sounding deal on 0% credit cards. They are becoming more and more common and it is therefore important to realise the pros and cons of many of the most common deals that are out there so that you make sure that you get for yourself the very best deal on a 0% credit card possible.

The first thing to remember in any case is that there are two main types of 0% interest that you will be offered and these are very different deals. The first will be 0% on balance transfers and the second will be 0% on purchases. It is needless to go into the difference between a balance transfer and a purchase but suffice it to say that there is a very significant difference and there will be many cases where one of these offers will be of great value to you while the other will be practically useless. The trick is to make sure you make sure what you are being offered and only sign up to a deal that you are confident will fit your needs and benefit you as much as possible.

The best place to start looking for one of these 0% credit cards is on the internet. The fact of the matter is that in recent years the UK credit card market has really saturated itself with amazing sounding deals and the competition is so high among credit card providers now that it is really quite easy to get a 0% credit card.

The two exceptions to this and the groups that will find it more difficult to get a 0% credit card will be people with bad credit ratings and people with no income. Hopefully, in either of these two cases, the situation will not last forever and you will merely have to wait a little while until your position improves and then you will have no problem at all getting 0% credit cards. The only real thing to remember with 0% credit cards is that the free credit will only be for a couple of months and after this time you will have to pay interest. And secondly, everything you spend on that credit cad has to be paid back eventually so take care not to let that spending get out of control.

Don’t despair if you are not accepted for many of the credit cards on offer. It may be your credit rating is not what some credit card companies are looking for. If this is the case you will have to do a little more work and that starts by aiming a little lower. Try applying for a run of the mill credit card with no 0% deals, use it for a while. During this period your credit rating will be building up. Once your credit rating is up to scratch you can then apply for these mouth watering 0 per cent introductory deals.

Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb
For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about credit cards, please visit us at 0% Balance Transfers and Compare Credit Cards.
http://www.creditcards-gb.co.uk

If you have ever had credit cards, paid a bill monthly, or obtained a loan, you have a credit rating. When you make payments to a creditor, they report these payments to credit reporting agencies that compile your credit report and track your credit history. If you miss a payment, or even worse, your debt gets sent to a collection agent, this affects your credit rating negatively, and may prevent you from obtaining more lines of credit when you need them in the future.

As soon as you realize you are in this situation, it is crucial that you immediately begin to make an effort to repair your credit rating. To most people, this seems like a difficult thing to do, but doing nothing to repair your credit will only prolong the damage for up to seven years. Until your credit is better, you will find that you are barred from any type of loans or even activities that require credit, such as renting a car.

One way to repair your credit is to obtain a secured credit card. You may wonder how this is possible with bad credit, when you will most likely be declined when filling out a credit card application. However, without a credit card, you will have a hard time proving to creditors your responsibility in making payments on time.

Try a secured credit card. Secure credit cards are marketed specially toward individuals with poor credit. These credit cards work when the customer applies a deposit equal to their credit limit. For example, if you make a deposit of $100, your credit limit will be $100. The credit card company then be use your deposit toward any balance on the credit card resulting from late payments.

This type of credit card is risk-free for the company that issues it, because they can always deduct the balance from your deposit, so it makes sense to issue these cards to people with poor credit. One drawback to secured credit cards, however, is the annual fee that most regular credit cards don’t charge.

After you have obtained one of these secured credit cards, use it sparingly but regularly, and make sure you mail all of your payments on time. This will enable you to slowly, but surely, repair your credit. You will demonstrate to your creditors that you are trustworthy, responsible, and pay your bills on time.

Taking steps towards repairing your credit will eliminate the risk of keeping your credit rating “poor” for up to seven years. However, after seven years the black marks on your credit will finally be taken off, so waiting is always an option. If waiting is not an option, take the necessary steps toward credit repair. Obtain your secured credit card, use it responsibly, and reduce the seven-year sentence of bad credit.

For more free credit repair information like this article, please visit: Free-Credit-Repair-Advice.com

When you are first establishing your credit, you can make a huge difference in the quality of your credit report with some seemingly insignificant actions. Your credit report contains information that is used to create your credit score. Companies use your credit score to decide if you qualify for loans, lines of credit, and other conveniences. It is also used to determine how high your interest rate is for these items. So use your first credit card wisely to save yourself headaches in the future. Here’s how:

Always pay your bills on time. You have probably heard this before, but did you know that as few as two late payments can adversely affect your credit score? Always pay your bill on time or early if possible.

Pay more than the minimum balance. In many cases, the minimum balance is only enough to cover the interest that the company has charged you for your balance. Too many people let their balance get out of hand because they only pay the minimum balance and interest continues to accumulate. So pay as much over this amount as you can, even if it is only five or ten dollars.

Use at least one third of your available credit. If you get your credit card and only spend fifty dollars, then the credit-reporting agency will not have enough information to create an accurate credit history. Therefore, your credit score will be lower than it should be based simply on lack of information. So if you have a six hundred dollar credit limit, spend at least two hundred dollars and pay it back faithfully and on time.

Avoid taking cash advances. Usually, cash advances are subject to a much higher interest rate than regular purchases. This can get you into trouble when trying to pay back your balance and result in late payments.

Use your card at least once every two weeks. This will help you to establish a credit payment history over the course of a few months. Without this payment history, the reporting agency has no way to know if you will pay any future debt on time.

Rebecca Spitzer recommends Find Credit Cards if you wish to apply for a no credit credit card. See www.findcreditcards.org/type/no-credit.php for more information.

Ah, the sweet rewards of using credit!
Not only do you get immediate gratification with the buy now-pay later plastic, but now, many credit cards offer rewards and incentives for using their card to make purchases. You can get cash back, or gift cards, or ‘reward points’ that you can spend on merchandise or services from various merchants. There are also cards that allow you to designate your ‘cash back’ points to a charity - sometimes called affinity cards - and those that put your cash back into a special savings account for college.
Great deal, right? You spend your money and get something in return. The catch is, of course, that you’re paying interest and card fees to get your cash back rewards. But if you’re going to be using the credit card anyway, you might as well get something back out of it, right?
Most cash-back cards give you 1-2% cash back on most of your purchases. You’ll get a check at specified periods for the amount of your ‘rewards cash’. You can cash the check and spend the money on anything you want.
Reward cards give you 1-5 reward points for every dollar that you spend at different merchants and types of merchants. Most pay you 5 reward points for purchases made at their ‘Merchant Thank You’ network, and for purchases made at gas stations, drug stores and supermarkets. You’ll get 1 reward point for every dollar that you spend at other merchants. You can then redeem your reward points for particular items from the merchants that belong to the credit card’s merchant network.
Which is the better choice?
Each kind of credit card reward has its own pros and cons, and the better choice depends on what’s most important to you.
Cash-back Rewards - Pros
Cash can be used anywhere, for any kind of purchase.
Gives 1% - 2% cash back on all purchases.
Cash-back Rewards - Cons
Rewards points cards may give rewards of higher value, particularly for purchases at merchant networks stores, gas stations and supermarkets.
Cash-back can only be used when a check is issued.
Rewards Points - Pros
Rewards points are often higher value than cash-back. If you use the credit card for purchases made within the merchant member network, you can get as much as 5% value back when you spend your reward points.
Reward points are available to use on a rolling basis. Some card companies may require you to accumulate a certain number of rewards points before redeeming them, but reward point rewards are often more easily available than cash-back rewards.
Reward points can be used for cash rewards in some circumstances.
Reward Points - Cons
Reward points can only be redeemed from particular merchants and/or on particular merchandise.
Whichever your choice, it makes good sense to get something back when you choose to use credit. If you’re a frequent credit card user, the rewards can certainly add up. Among the merchants that belong to various Merchant Member networks are such well-known companies as airlines, Saks Fifth Avenue, Evelyn & Crabtree and Smarter Edge.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the UK credit card comparison site www.creditcards121.com/, where you can find a selection of 0% balance transfers. For US visitors there is also the comparison site www.credit-cards-info.com/ for all US interest free offers.