Credit cards may seem to be easy to understand and use, yet, there are various concepts and issues that should be taken into account when shopping for a card and when deciding to use one.

Interest Rate

Interests are a sum of money calculated by multiplying a rate and an amount. The interests paid when the credit card balance is not completely paid off, are calculated by multiplying the interest rate and the amount left unpaid. Basically it is the amount of money charged by the card issuer for lending you the money you used to buy goods or services.

Interest rates are stated as percentage and usually as an APR, which stands for ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE. When you are shopping for a credit card you want the APR to be as low as possible. Nevertheless, though maybe the most important thing, the APR is not the only factor you need to consider when requesting a credit card. Additional Fees and Costs, Penalty fees, balance transfer fees, etc. should also be taken into consideration.

However the interest rates are imposed, each card issuer decides the interest rates based on the risk of the financial transaction, just like a loan process. And at this point is where your credit history becomes important. If you have multiple stains on your credit history, chances are that you will end up paying a high interest rate. The opposite is also true; an excellent past credit behavior will contribute to a low interest rate being charged.

Are Rewards Worth It?

There are also some credit cards that though they charge higher interest rates, also offer different benefits like rewards in the form of goods, airline tickets, etc. You should make sure that you're interested and will make good use of this rewards, otherwise there is no reason for choosing this kind of cards. It does not make sense paying higher rates and fees for services you will not use or do not desire.

The Risk Of Minimum Payments

If you happen to have financial difficulties and are not able to pay off the whole balance, you should be very aware of the concept of minimum payment. The minimum payment is the lowest amount of money that you can pay to the credit card company, otherwise, the lack of payment or the fact that you did not meet this minimum payment will be recorded to your credit history and significantly compromise your ability to obtain finance.

Also though you can pay the minimum payment, you should always try to pay as much as you can, otherwise, even if you stop using the card, due to interests the outstanding balance will always grow and you may end up being unable to pay even the minimum. This will lead to more penalty fees, higher interest rates and eventually your debt will be turned over to collection agencies and you will start receiving harassing calls from them. Finances need to be taken seriously as any decision you make on this matter will affect your future for many years. Spending more than you earn will eventually lead to bankruptcy.