Bad Credit Cards - Offering More than One Way Out by: Margaret Winfrey

Bad credit cards are those specifically aimed at helping those with poor credit ratings, or even no credit ratings. Although at the moment the credit industry is feeling the pinch, there are still credit cards available for those with poor or bad credit. However, if you consider that you fall into this category, or have been experiencing difficulty obtaining a credit card because of your credit file, there are a few aspects of adverse credit cards that you need to be aware of.

The first is that credit companies offering cards to those people who have an adverse credit history are taking a greater risk than they might be with those who have good credit ratings. You might consider this unfair - perhaps there are mitigating circumstances in your past that mean that you are being declined for reasons that don't seem entirely clearer to you.

If this is the case, then you have a certain amount of control, and whilst the figures in black and white seem to suggest that the offer on the table is fixed, in many cases you might find that the underwriters have some control, and if you do have mitigating circumstances and can prove the case, then although there is no guarantee, you might find that the rate is reduced slightly. In some cases what might happen is that the account is monitored and after a period of a few months, as long as the account has been kept in good order, the rates may be reduced, the limit raised or some other benefit provided to you.

In some cases this happens automatically, and you might find that if you open a bad credit card account you will receive notification a few months later advising you that your credit limit has been raised or the interest rate lowered. This will provide you with an incentive to keep your account in good order.

Another major benefit of this relates to your credit file. If this contains adverse credit information, whether a few missed or late bills or even court judgements or bankruptcy, then it will be important to repair this and improve your credit score. If you have successfully secured a bad credit card you will have the opportunity to take the first step to achieve this. By making payments regularly, and in full if possible, with no late or missed payments registered, you can help to improve your overall score.

By improving your credit score using this credit card you provide the option in the future for opening a standard card that will almost certainly have a much lower rate of interest and fewer charges. For many people, a credit card for those with bad credit is the first rung on the ladder to recovering or rebuilding a good credit file.

Credit cards for those with bad credit are not guaranteed, and if your credit file is very poor you might find it difficult or impossible to be accepted. For most, however, options are available, although they could take a bit of finding. You should be aware of the fact that if you make too many applications to firms specializing in bad credit cards this will reflect on your credit record. Each company to which make an application will carry out a credit search, and this search will be recorded on your record, leaving a bad credit search footprint. The more such footprints, the lower your credit score.

It is often worth getting hold of a copy of your credit file so that you can see specifically what is on it that could be preventing you from being able to open a standard credit card. If the information is inaccurate, this needs reporting and you should be able to have it removed.

You may also be able to include your own notes on your file which explain certain entries, giving additional information. If notes exist on an account then a credit company cannot automate a credit check, and it will need to be flagged for an underwriter to have a look. This can help you open a bad credit card that might have a lower rate.

Bad credit cards are of great benefit to those people who have poor credit, perhaps through circumstances in the past that were beyond their control. The convenience of being able to pay using a credit card, particularly over the phone or online, is undisputed, and not having access to a card can present real problems. However, it is important to be very aware of not only the increased charges associated with bad credit cards but also the consequences of not maintaining such a card in good order.

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