Loans

Are you struggling to pay your bills, and need a short term loan, but don’t want to pay the extremely high rates traditionally associated with pay day loans and credit card advances? If so, there is the potential for good news, depending on your credit card company.

Recently, credit card companies have been trying to get people to borrow money using their credit cards, rather than using lower interest rate options such as lines of credit, and have been running a variety of promotions to help advance their goal. The most common form of promotion to entice clients to use this type of financing is the Credit Card Check. A credit card check is a regular check, just like you would write from your checking account, but instead of coming out of your checking account, the funds are removed from your credit card in the form of a cash advance. The benefit for consumers doesn’t come from the fact that they’re offering this service, but rather from the rate that is being offered when using it.

Many banks are offering rates as low as 1.99% for the first 6 months to users who opt to use their credit card checks, with rates returning to the regular cash advance rate after the 6 month promotion period.

The question is, should you choose this method of financing over a line of credit?
The answer is Yes, but only if you have the financial discipline to pay back the loan before the 6 month promotional period is up.

Banks are banking on the fact that the majority of customers who use these checks will be unable to pay back the cash advance once the 6 month period is up, and will be able to begin collecting their regular 20+% per annum rate. However, clever consumers use this as an opportunity to borrow money at a rate below prime.

Before taking advantage of this opportunity, there are a few things to consider
- Will I be able to pay off the cash advance balance within the next 6 months
- Are there any hidden service fees (Some banks tack on a percentage or two as a service charge)
- Do I need the money? Theres no point in paying interest on it now if you don’t need it.
- When does the offer expire? If the offer is valid for a few months, hold off using the checks until the cash is needed.

Anyway, for those who are looking to get a low interest loan with no hassle, this is a great idea.

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