APR often matters the most while deciding for a credit card. It is a common (and correct) notion that credit cards with additional benefits invariably have high APRs. This is true for almost every credit card company that exists.
You may be having a credit card that has a high APR but offers you certain irresistible benefits and advantages. It may have some membership benefits that you have become so accustomed to. There can be innumerable benefits for you, but you may realize after a certain point of time that you are paying a high APR for your credit card than the other credit cards in the market. This can be a puzzling position to be in, as you do not want to lose the benefits that you are availing because of the credit card and you also do not want to pay a high APR. In this situation, is there any way to lower your APR? Well, here we discuss the possible manner of doing so.
Let us assume that you have a good credit history. In this scenario, you will surely receive lots of mails and letters informing you of various new offers and schemes. Your mailbox would invariably be filled with unsolicited letters and mails from credit card companies. Your natural instinct would obviously be to tear and throw it in the dustbin but that is not the way to do it. Check out these brochures and compare the services and APR with your credit card company. You can also check web sites and other sources for comparison between various credit card companies. Once you have done a detailed research of the credit card market, give a call to your credit card company and tell them that you got a better offer, in terms of APR and benefits, from another credit card company. It is highly probable that the executive receiving your call would try to convince you. In such a case, make sure that you talk to the supervisor who would be handling the operations. Then pass on the message that you have received a better offer from another company (probably a competitor). The supervisor may ask you to wait for some more time as there are better schemes around the corner. You have to be adamant and tell that you cannot wait. In most of the circumstances, the supervisor would cut down the APR by around 50%. Even if this happens for a period of six months, you have surely saved some money.
No problem, you can repeat the same strategy after a period of six months, unless you really get a better offer!
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. |
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