Small Business Credit Card – Keeping Business and Personal Separate

It can be a challenge for small businesses to acquire the proper funds they need to set up shop and/or to keep it running smoothly. It is also difficult to keep business and personal accounts separate and to build business credit. As a new business owner, a small business credit card might be just the thing you need. If you have an established business, than a business credit card may be a convenient way for you to manage your cash flow or provide emergency funds when your money gets tight.

Personal Liability For Corporate Spending

Lenders are not quick to give lines of credit or business credit cards to new start-ups and small business that do not have an established business credit history. Banks use your personal history when considering you (and your business) for credit. You will be personally liable for all spending using your business credit card and reports will be made by the three consumer credit agencies (Equifax, Experian and Transunion), rather than business credit agencies.

Having your business credit card accounts linked to your personal accounts isn’t the best situation. Large lines of credit for your business may make your personal financial situation appear worse than it really is. If you’re late on a payment or default on a business account this could damage your personal credit history too. Less than good credit can affect your purchasing power and increase your interest rates. You lose options and money. The bottom-line – use a business credit card wisely and keep a clean credit report.

Shopping Around For The Best Credit Offers

If you already started looking around for small business credit cards, you know there are hundreds of cards to choose. From zero percent introductory rates and no annual fees to frequent flier credits and cash back rewards. How can you possibly know which one to choose?

The great thing about small business credit cards is that they offer a few more perks that cater to the needs of business owners, as compared to personal credit cards. Low APRs… large credit lines… grace periods beyond 30 days… frequent flier programs… no fee employee credit cards… Take time to shop around. Depending on your spending requirements and business needs, you can find a business credit card that works best for you.

Building Your Credit

Once you’ve opened up a new business credit card, use it to make purchases on a regular basis and pay off your balances each month. Pay close attention to your personal credit report, ensuring that it stays free of errors, late pays and delinquencies.

After two to five years, you can request that your business accounts be separated from your person accounts. If you can prove that your business is viable and your personal credit history is squeaky clean, then most banks and business credit card issuers will remove the personal liability clause. All business’s financials will be reported exclusively to business credit agencies and your business spending will no longer be linked to your personal accounts.

Although small business credit cards aren’t considered capital, they can be a tremendous help in the running of your business. In tough times just starting out, it can also add a sense of security. Establishing business credit is difficult but with a little basic knowledge business owners can enjoy many benefits of financial freedom. From making purchases online or cashing in on those frequent flier miles, you can effectively manage your cash flow and even save money with small business credit cards.

Relief from credit card debt is a concern that crosses the minds of most all consumers at one point in time of their lives. You should not feel bad if you should find yourself in a bad credit situation where you need to repay even a modest amount of credit card debt. Most all households across the United States have some type of credit card related debt and many of them need to at some point eventually seek out the services of a credit card debt relief service.

Consumers will find that debt relief from your credit cards can take on many different forms. The first step that you as the consumer should take is to owe up to whatever it is that you owe and what about your spending habits needs to be changed.

Are you someone who has the tendency to spend money that you don’t really have? Has a horrible medical issue arisen in your family that has resulted in turning to credit cards in order to take care of monthly expenses? Whether you find yourself in one of these situations or another one all together it is very important that you at least try to make the minimum payments until you can seek out a much better solution to your issues.

If you have a large debt to income ratio it is likely that seeking out a credit card debt relief is going to be your best option. Being committed to changing your spending habits is needed for debt relief services to be most effective.

Credit card debt relief services can help you work with your credit cards companies often reducing the total amount that you owe and help you get back on track to getting all your debt paid off. In time you will find yourself in a much better financial position and using your credit cards much more responsibly.

Small Business Credit Card – Credit Card Services For A Business

If you are a new business and looking for a credit card, chances are you want a small business credit card. Because you are a new business, resources may be limited as well as manpower. When youre looking for that new card, you should consider the credit card services for a business that the issuer provides.

Credit card services for a business when looking for a credit card?

Sure. A small business credit card can provide you with more than extending credit. After all you are new and small. You may need all the help you can get.

Financial institutions understand the additional control and constraints a business needs over their credit. Business card offers vary just like personal credit cards, although some of the incentives are the same. However, various issuers go even further with their business credit card offers and add credit card services for a business.

When looking for a new small business credit card, you want to keep in mind that although youre new and small, you dont intend to stay that way. You want a credit card that can grow with you. Here are a few features to consider when looking for that new small business credit card.

- After the initial APR introductory offer, what is the regular interest rate?

- Is there a yearly fee?

- What is the line of credit and can it be increased as time goes by?

- Is there a limit to the number of credit cards that can be issued on the account?

- Do they offer airline mile points?

- Is there a cash rebate program?

- Do they have partnerships with leading retailers for office equipment and supplies so that they will offer discounts when using my business credit card?

- Is my account accessible online so I can manage my daily expenses?

- Is there an extended payment term for larger purchases?

- Does this offer include quarterly and yearly reports?

- Can this information be transferred directly to my companys accounting software program?

- Is there a choice of how I receive the summary of my expenses?

All of these benefits are not offered for every business credit card. But, the right combination for your situation can save you time and money. Choosing the right small business credit card can add significantly to your bottom line.

You probably see a lot of credit card offers on a daily basis whether it’s on television, the internet, a magazine or in the mail. In the advertisement, you probably see or hear APR mentioned several times in the form of Introductory APR, Standard APR, Cash Advance APR, Balance Transfer APR and Default APR. The differences between these APRs might be confusing at first but they are pretty simple to understand.

Introductory APR refers to the initial interest rate you receive for purchases on the credit card when you first get it. This Introductory APR is usually really low (around 0%) and lasts between 6 and 12 months.

Standard APR is the interest rate the credit card goes up to after the Introductory APR period is over.

Cash Advance APR is the interest rate you receive for cash advances.

Balance Transfer APR is the interest rate you receive for any credit card balance you transfer over to your new credit card. As a side note, if you have a high interest rate credit card and the new credit card company’s Balance Transfer APR is lower than your present credit card’s interest rate or if they offer the Introductory APR for balance transfers, transfer your balance to the new credit card if you can pay the balance off within the Introductory APR period.

Default APR is the interest rate your card goes up to if you are late on payments or go over your credit limit.

Credit Card Debt Reduction – 3 Tips To Lowering Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt can be reduced through lower rates or negotiating for reduced balances. With reduced interest, you can pay off the principal quicker with the same monthly payment. The other approach is debt settlement, which eliminates part of your debt at the cost of your credit score.

1. Transfer Balances

Credit card companies are always offering introductory deals, such as 0% on transfers. Usually such offers last for several months, giving you the chance to make sizeable payments on your principal.

If you have several credit cards, choose to transfer the account with the smallest amount. Pay off that account, then take that cards monthly payment and apply it to your next lowest balance. Soon you will be creating a snowball affect, swiftly lowering your debt. Make sure to close paid off accounts to raise your credit score and keep from adding to your debt.

2. Negotiate Lower Rates

Credit card companies are also willing to lower rates. You can try to do this on your own, but you will have more success with a debt management company. For a monthly fee, they will lower rates with credit card companies and handle your monthly payments.

Debt management plans can affect your credit temporarily if your creditors report delayed or reduced payments. This might prevent you from opening new accounts for a year or more. However, with such plans you can be out of short term debt in less than five years with a much better credit score.

3. Settle For Reduction In Debt

Debt negotiation is the most drastic step to lower your credit card debt since it has long term affects on your credit. A debt negotiation company can settle some of your debt with creditors. Lenders will then report the reduced amount to the credit reporting agencies, which will keep it on your record for seven years. Debt negotiation is similar to bankruptcy and can prevent you from qualifying for conventional credit for a couple of years.

Reducing your credit card debt will have long term benefits for you. Less credit means better rates when you do want to apply for financing, especially with a home or car purchase. No matter which option you choose, research companies carefully and compare their services and fees.

People spend a lot of money on credit and with consumer debt levels continuing to rise dramatically, people are spending a larger and larger proportion of their incomes on credit and financing charges in particular. Car payments, mortgage payments, credit cards, store cards, personal loans, all forms of debt and bank overdrafts; they all combine to take up and eat away at an ever-increasing proportion of our income. Therefore it is more important than ever that we make sure we are getting ourselves the best deals possible when we shop for credit.

Shopping Around for Your Credit

The cardinal rule when seeking to take out new credit, especially for credit cards, is to shop around; this should be a prerequisite for almost any product that you buy, be it financial or not. Shopping around for credit cards is made even more important because of the fact that interest rates can vary so much between lenders. While some credit cards offer rates of around ten per cent, others are up in the region closer to thirty per cent. You do not want to be paying more than you have to for anything, and especially not for your credit card.

What is APR?

The APR is a useful figure for using when comparing rates as it is a standard figure calculated in the same way by all lenders and means you can use it to compare the true cost of credit no matter who you are borrowing from.

Use APR to Compare the Credit Cards on Offer

Using the APR is a very powerful tool; in fact the majority of the population owe the credit card company and are currently paying these exorbitant rates of interest. If you are with the majority and know that you cant pay your balance in full then you should be seeking the cheapest credit card deal available.

By comparing all the interest rates available from different lenders, you will not only find which card is cheapest, but also which has the best extra incentives, and other advantages which I will explain briefly below.

But Theres More – Reward Credit Cards

The APR, as we have mentioned, is a very important factor in the credit card comparison process. However, other important factors to consider are whether you will gain from any promotional benefits that the credit card company is providing. This can be a personal matter, but your interests can be catered for with many of the various reward credit cards available. You can earn reward points or cash back with many of the deals available online, basically getting some of the benefits that the credit card company make from you returned to you. However please note, that many of these reward deals do have a higher rate of interest and if you dont clear your balance every month then these free gifts could turn out to be extremely expensive.

Online Credit Card Deals

Luckily, shopping for credit cards online has become far easier than it used to be. Today, you can visit the websites of lenders and find all the relevant information right there. You can even fill out online application forms and get a quote instantly, and find out if you qualify for their offers or not. This is a major benefit of shopping online as the more card providers you check out, the better chance you are giving yourself of finding the absolutely best deals available online.

Get To The Credit Card Comparison Site

Another advantage of shopping for credit online is that you can visit a website that provides rate comparators and will tell you all the offers currently on the market and all you have to do is choose the one with the best rates. The link will be provided so you can go straight to the lender from the website you are visiting and in some cases you will even be able to apply for credit from various providers at one easy to use site.

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Business credit cards have become popular as a source of financing for small businesses. The banks that issue business credit cards and many industry observers have identified small business credit cards as a potential area for significant growth. The personal credit card market is saturated, and the corporate business credit card market, is relatively small.

The small business credit card market presents financial institutions with a really good business opportunity. Those banks that do offer small business credit cards noted that business owners are spending more and more every month and that they carry higher annual balances than the average personal credit card holder. This holds the promise of higher fees and interest revenue.

Generally, the business credit card carries credit limits that are double the amount of the average personal credit card. But where the personal credit card is almost pushed to the maximum on its credit limit, the business credit cards outstanding balance is normally only about 75% of the credit limit. In spite of this, the risks on small business remain high. This is the reason why most business credit card issuers are very careful when processing and approving start-up businesses applications for business credit cards.

In one bank that issues business credit cards, about four fifths of their business credit card holders have been in business for at least three years. Although this particular bank places a strong focus on developing their small business customer base, they have come to realize that there are higher risks associated with extending credit to small businesses. If you think about it, when in a bind, it would only be natural for people to default on payments towards their business credit cards before they default on personal credit cards. No one would want to impact their personal credit rating, although they might be willing to suffer some negative points on their business credit.

For this reason, most business credit card issuers will require that the business and the owner of the business accept joint liability for debt repayment on the business credit cards. Although there may be some initial grumbling about the personal liability involved, most business owners end up agreeing to this term, because the resultant access to cash and the ability to separate personal and business finances, are of great value to them. Business owners also understand that securing a business credit card early on in the life of the business, helps it to build its credit track record; and that the sooner a track record is established, the sooner the business will be able to carry the business credit cards liabilities on its own.

Small business credit cards are convenient for travel and entertainment expenses. That is to be expected. But besides these, small business owners use their business credit cards to stock supplies, to supplement their inventory of products, and to cover other daily expenses.

For a time, the interest rates on small business credit cards were much higher than personal cards, as banks relied on traditional risk calculation methods and the absence of competitive pressure. That is not the case anymore. Business credit cards offering zero percent interest rates and reward rich incentives are advertised widely. According to issuers, the uptake is high. After all, business owners mind their costs, and low interest rates and affordable fees will always be key selling points.

Credit Cards: Why You Should Pay More Than The Minimum

In today’s world of online shopping and bill servicing, credit cards have become almost an essential part of our everyday lives. No one would argue that they don’t make life easier, but it’s also true that they have a dark side in that it’s all to easy to build up debt.

Of course, it’s simple to advise against getting into debt by overspending with your card, but that advice is perhaps a little hollow for people who have already built up a balance. If you’re lucky, that balance is not yet too much of a problem, but one almost guaranteed way of setting your debt on the slippery slope is to continue spending with your card while only making the minimum monthly repayment required by your card issuer.

Each month when you receive your statement, the minimum amount you have to pay will be clearly shown, and many people choose to have this amount repaid automatically through their banks. This makes it easy to keep your account up to date, and gives the illusion that you’re keeping on top of your card balance.

The problem lies in the size of the repayment you’re making. In the early days of plastic, the minimum repayment level was generally around 5% of the balance, but over the years this has drifted inexorably downwards with 2.5% to 3% being the norm nowadays, with some cards going as low as 2%.

Why is this a problem? Surely a lower repayment amount is attractive, as your credit will cost you less each month, putting less pressure on your budget? This is true to an extent, but the problem lies in the long term. To get an idea of how bad an idea only paying the minimum is, we need to look a bit more closely at your credit card statement.

As well as showing the familiar annual interest rate, or APR, your card statement will also show the monthly rate of interest charged on your balance. A typical card might show a rate of around 1.6% a month. In simple terms, this means that each month you will be charged 1.6% of your balance in interest. Compare this to a 2% repayment, and you’ll see that over three quarters of everything you pay is swallowed up in interest charges, leaving your original debt virtually untouched.

This situation is bad enough, but it gets worse when you consider that the interest rates charged on other ways of using your cards such as instant cash or overseas use can be much higher. Monthly rates for withdrawing cash, for example, can be nearly as high as the minimum repayment percentage. If you withdraw a significant amount of cash within a month, it’s quite possible that the whole of your repayment can go towards interest, with your debt level not reduced at all.

So even from this quick look at repayment levels, it’s plain to see that if you only make the minimum payment required on your statement, you’ll be prolonging the life of your debt by many years and vastly increasing the amount of interest you’ll be paying in total. How can you avoid this?

The best way is to set up automatic payment of the minimum, so that you’ll be sure that every month you’ll at least be staying within the terms of your credit agreement and not risking damage to your credit rating. Then, at the end of the month, make an extra payment of as much as you can afford without borrowing from another source. Even if you can’t afford to pay a large amount, every little helps especially as all of it will count towards reducing your balance and not servicing interest charges.

Credit Card Debt Help Online – Comparing Debt Consolidation Services

Because of the many debt consolidation services available, those seeking credit card debt help may not know which agency to use. The key to locating the best debt consolidation service involves comparing various companies. Each consolidation service has separate criteria. Using the internet, research different companies and find a company that fits your needs.

How Much Debt Have You Acquired?

Some debt consolidation services prefer working with individuals who have amassed a large amount of debt, whereas others favor those with smaller debt amounts.

Before researching different services, gather all your credit card statements and tally the total debt. Next, search for consolidation services that offer help to individuals with similar debt totals. For example, if your credit card debt totals $5,000, do not apply with companies that require a minimum debt of $10,000.

Is the Consolidation Service Non-Profit?

There are two types of online debt consolidation services. If a service is not a non-profit, they will likely charge an upfront or monthly fee. Thus, a small portion of your monthly payment will go toward paying their service fee.

If possible, choose a non-profit debt consolidation service. These companies do not profit from their client’s misfortune. Instead, they obtain funding from other sources.

What is the Company’s Reputation?

Choosing a reputable company is the hardest part. Prior to applying, conduct ample research on a particular debt consolidation company. To begin, search online consumer reports for any complaints against a company. Furthermore, several debt consolidation informative websites offer a list of several reputable companies.

In addition, online makes comparing debt consolidation services much easier. Many sites offer side-by-side comparisons of at least three consolidation services. This way, you can review each services requirement and choose the one best suited for you.

How to Apply with a Debt Consolidation Service

Applying with a consolidation service is easy. Online applications will request detail information pertaining to debts and income. It is important to list all debts on the application. Upon review, the consolidation service negotiates better rates with current creditors, and establishes a repayment plan. Reduced interest rates and waived late fees make it possible to become debt free in three to seven years.

One of the many reasons for obtaining a business credit card is that you want the guaranteed line of credit on standby to help you maintain the cash flow of your business. Bearing that in mind, it would be prudent of you to take measures that will protect your business credit cards from unscrupulous people; otherwise, that line of credit could get abused. You should ensure that your business credit card or the corresponding business credit card number does not fall into the possession of those who will use it, without caring one iota for the financial consequences to your business.

It is not that difficult to ensure that your business credit card is shielded from unauthorized charges. Some simple ways that you can go about protecting your business credit card and by association your business are listed below:

Avoid using your business credit cards on any unsecured websites at all costs. Online purchases undoubtedly are convenient and save time, but your business credit card number and other information can be stolen if you insist on purchasing an item from an unsecured website. When making online purchases with your business credit cards, patronize only those websites with explicit guarantees about their security, those that are operated by reputable businesses, and those whose security claims are verifiable. Look for the little padlock on your computer monitor when you wish to make an online transaction with your business credit card and make sure that the site is https!

Make it a habit to check your monthly business credit card statement. If you do not have accounting personnel to keep track of your business credit card spending, you should meticulously evaluate your business credit card bills every month before paying them. If you notice any discrepancies, you should immediately report the error to the business credit card company. By doing this, you alert the business credit card issuer who can then trace the transaction and help determine if an error occurred in entering the transaction or if unauthorized charges have been posted to your business credit card.

When withdrawing money from ATMs, protect your business credit cards and PIN numbers. If your business is in urgent need of cash and you use your business credit card for cash advances, be aware of the people immediately around you. Keep an eye for people who may take mental note of your business credit card number and PIN by looking at which ATM machine buttons you press. Find a way to block anyones line of vision when you enter the necessary numbers for the transaction.

It is true that most business credit card companies and banks offer unauthorized charges protection, but remember that the way you use your business credit card is your primary responsibility. Your business and your personal credit ratings are important, so guard you business credit card as if it were a wallet full of cash. You may want to contact your business credit card issuer and ask about how you can protect your card and the methods of resolving issues regarding unauthorized charges on your business credit cards.