Credit Cards For Bad Credit Can Help Rebuild Credit
Once they work through the circumstances that caused their financial downfall and they are beginning to work their way out of the jam, they may start thinking about getting their life back in order. The convenience of a credit card can help them rent a car, make purchases online, pay bills online or over the telephone and they miss not being able to have one. They hear about credit cards for bad credit and begin to believe it is a viable option to help rebuild their credit rating.
There are three basic types of credit cards for bad credit, unsecured, which typically come with a high initial cost and high interest; prepaid credit cards and secured credit cards. Of the three, a prepaid card offers the least opportunity to re-establish their credit rating, but they can offer the convenience they desire with usually less upfront costs.
High Interest Paid For Financial Sins
Secured credit cards are offered to just about everyone with bad credit and it is one of the easiest ways for someone to get credit cards for bad credit. Once all the initial fees are paid, the cardholder is required to deposit a minimum amount of money into an account with the financial institution. Their initial credit limit is based on the amount of the deposit, minus the costs associated with opening the account.
Once the credit cards for bad credit account is active, it is treated like an unsecured card with required payments as well as penalties for late payments and missed payments. Since many of the penalties are deducted from the account holding the deposit, the card's credit limit is reduced by each deduction.
The credit cards for bad credit initial expenses are considerably higher and in many cases a majority of a person's initial credit limit can be eaten up by application fees, program fees, annual fees and other charges. Interest rates are usually at the top end of the limit. Despite all the charges many believe it is a worthwhile investment in helping to rebuild their credit rating for the future.