Credit Card Terms Everyone Should Know

Published on: 15 April 2023 Last Updated on: 13 May 2023

Whether you are a new credit card holder or have been using it for a while, you must have come across some credit card jargon that is hard to decipher. For instance, if you decide to apply for a credit card online, you might need to understand the annual fee, interest rate, and other charges applicable to that card. Even though all credit cards work in the same way, they differ a lot in terms of the benefits and rewards they offer. So, to make it easier for you to understand the basic credit card terminology and choose the best one, here is a quick guide for you.

Annual Fee

Card companies may charge annual fees on credit cards. This might range from a few hundred to a few thousand depending on the benefits you can avail yourself of on the card. However, certain providers may waive the fee for the first year, while others, may offer credit cards that are free for a lifetime. So, depending upon the kind of benefits you seek, you may choose a lifetime free credit card or a card that has an annual fee but may waive it off on spending a certain amount.

Credit Limit

This is the overall spending limit or credit line provided by the card issuer. There are several criteria such as your credit score, income, repayment history, as well as the length of your relationship with the bank that determines your credit card limit. Banks may sometimes offer you higher limits if you already have high limits on your existing cards along with a strong repayment history.

Additionally, when checking your credit card limit, there are further three terms that you must be aware of Total Credit Limit and Available Credit Limit.

Total Credit Limit: This is the credit limit granted by the bank when the card is issued. The total limit can also be increased when you request for the same or if you accept a limit increase offered by the provider.
Available Credit Limit: This is the credit limit that is available on one’s credit card at any one moment. In other terms, the available credit limit is the difference between the entire credit limit and the card’s current outstanding balance.
Cash Limit: Card issuers also offer a certain portion of your total credit limit as cash limit. This defines the amount of cash you can withdraw using your credit card. However, cash withdrawal from credit cards should be the last resort as cash withdrawal is not eligible for the interest-free period and even a small amount can escalate to a huge debt.

Billing Cycle

The billing cycle refers to the period between the closing of the previous statement and the new statement date. Your credit card provider compiles your statement at the end of your billing cycle, and you have until the due date to make the payment.

Due Date

This is the specified monthly date by which all outstanding payments must be made. To avoid late payment penalties and high-interest charges on unpaid dues, you must make the payment on or before the due date.

Total Amount Due And Minimum Amount Due

At the end of each billing cycle, a new statement is generated and it shows the dues that you owe on your card. Total amount due, as the name suggests, is the total sum that you owe to the issuer, and on making full payment, no charges will be applicable.

However, if you cannot afford to pay the total due, card providers give you the option to pay the minimum amount due to keep your card active and avoid late payment charges. It is usually 5% of the total due and also includes any active EMIs, additional fees, charges, etc. An important thing to note is that on making only the minimum payment, the rest of the outstanding balance starts attracting finance charges and new transactions become ineligible for the interest-free period as well. This is why you should always pay the total due and not just the minimum amount.

Finance Charges And APR

Interest rates on credit card balances are known as finance charges and APR is the annual percentage of interest. It is the rate of interest on all transactions from the date of the transaction until the cardholder’s balance is paid back in full. Note that interest on credit cards is compounded on a daily basis.

Being acquainted with these terms will ensure judicious use of the card and help you stay out of debt.

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Abdul Aziz Mondol

Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.

View all posts

8 Factors That Play a Role in How Long-Term Disability Premium Is Calculated

Even if you know how beneficial long-term disability insurance can be, you may not know what to expect as far as rates are concerned. It’s not easy to just throw out a few figures; rates vary from one person to another, and they depend on various factors. Below, we’ll explain some of these factors in greater detail. 1. Your Age As we age, we’re more likely to suffer a long-term disability. Because of that unfortunate fact, insurance rates increase with age. Keep in mind that your cost for long-term disability insurance will never be as low as it is today, and consider purchasing a policy as soon as possible. 2. Your Income In the long-term disability insurance niche, the terminology is a bit misleading; it should really be known as ‘income insurance’. Because it is designed to protect or replace your income, it pays more if you make more. Therefore, rates are higher for those with elevated incomes. In most cases, long-term coverage costs from one to three per cent of your gross yearly income. 3. Whether You Smoke Those who smoke are more likely to become disabled in the future. Not only do they pay more for health and life insurance, but they also pay more for disability coverage as well. If you smoke, consider quitting; if you don’t smoke, don’t start. 4. Your Job As a worker, your long-term disability insurance rate is determined based on your job’s risks or physical demands. For instance, if you’re an office worker, you may pay less than a manual labourer would pay. 5. The Definition of a ‘Disability’ Every policy has a unique definition of the term ‘disability’. Most question whether you can do your previous job, or whether you’re unable to do any work at all. The looser the definition, the more you’ll pay for coverage. A policy covering ‘own occupation’ disabilities will pay out if you can’t do the same work, even if you could hold a different type of job. However, a policy covering the ‘loss of earnings’ will bridge the gap between your pre- and post-disability income. Finally, an ‘any occupation’ policy will only pay out if you cannot perform any type of work. By considering this from Darras Law, you will get the help needed to encourage your insurer to fulfil its obligations. 6. The Potential Payout While your policy’s cost will, of course, depend on your income, not all long-term disability policies pay 100% of what you make. Some pay just a fraction of that amount; the closer the policy comes to a 100% payout, the higher the rate you’ll pay. 7. Elimination Period Length A policy’s elimination period is sometimes referred to as a waiting period. It’s the time that has to pass between the onset of your disability and when the policy starts paying out. A policy may come with a 30-, 60-, or 90-day elimination period, and those with shorter periods will cost more. 8. The Benefit Period A disability insurance policy’s benefit period is the length of time it will pay out following the waiting period. Two- and five-year policies are common, as are lifetime policies and those that pay out until retirement age. The longer the benefit period, the more the policy will cost. In Conclusion Now that you’ve gained an understanding of the factors affecting your long-term disability insurance rates, your next step should be to determine how much coverage you need. While an insurance agent can help you find a new policy, a local disability attorney will help you get the benefits to which you’re already entitled. Read Also: 4 Expert Tips For Finding The Cheapest Insurance For You Your Simple Guide To GAP Insurance Tips For Breaking Into Finance And Banking

8 Reasons to Have a Pre-employment Background Check in Facility

It is risky to entrust your business to a total stranger who is seeking a job in your organization. For your business or organization to reap maximum benefits, it is important to make sure that you have a team of employees who you can trust. You don’t have to entirely depend on contract terms as the primary basis for the trust! Make sure that you have background knowledge of the employees before even employing them. 8 Reasons to Have a Pre-employment Background Check in Facility The following are the reasons why you need to have a pre-employment background check facility in your organization. 1. Keep away from criminals: Having criminals in your organization is very risky. They can steal from you, tarnish the name of your organization or cause scandals which can even lead to permanent closure. To make sure that you are not employing criminals, it is important to have a background check before hiring any employee. It is vital to make the job seeker to provide the relevant criminal records or what is commonly referred to as “Certificate of Good Conduct”. By doing this, you will be sure that you are not employing a convict and your organization is safe. 2. Scrutinize documents for authenticity: Some of the people seeking jobs may forge documents to make their resumes look impressive. If the employer is not keen, underqualified staff may be hired! Having underperforming staff has detrimental effects on the organization’s profits and operations. It is important to make sure that the documents provided by the prospective employees are authentic and verifiable. You can call the particular institutions indicated to verify the information. In this modern age, it is possible for a high school drop-out to possess a degree! Go through the paperwork to ensure that every detail provided is correct and true. 3. To ensure the proper social conduct: Many companies or organizations spend a lot of money to brand their image. It is very important that the image is upheld to the highest standards to make sure that it remains trustworthy in the eyes of investors and the public. To safeguard the organization’s image, it is necessary to have a background check of the employees to ensure that their social conduct doesn’t compromise what the organization stands for. You can go through their social media accounts and see what they post. If you find that a particular employment seeker has consistent ideologies that compromise the organization’s image, drop him/her. 4. To employ sober people: Most organizations today carry out pre-employment drug tests. The organizations require sober and productive employees, not drug addicts! Drug users normally underperform their duties and cause many workplace accidents. The accidents not only result in physical harm but also huge losses which become difficult to recover from. Furthermore, the insurance cost increases due to such accidents. Your business or organization does not have to go through such risks if you are able to avoid them. Have the employment seekers to take a drug test for the illegal drugs. You can employ a urine drug test, blood test, hair follicle or even a saliva drug test. 5. To ensure physical and medical fitness: Most jobs require the physical and medical fitness for maximum productivity. Certain medical conditions can only be worsened by the type of work being done. Example, a construction company may avoid people with respiratory conditions like asthma. It is important to ask for a medical report for particular tests to ensure that the employees are fully fit to carry out different tasks without taking medical leaves. 6. To check past employment records and reasons for being laid off: Research has shown that a person’s behavioral character is likely to remain the same under similar authority or conditions. Before offering employment, make sure that you have checked the employment records of the job seeker. You can do so by going through the recommendation letters provided or calling the organizations indicated. You don’t need to employ a person who was fired for coming to work late, stealing or even insubordination. There is a likelihood for your organization to suffer from the same! 7. To make sure that the employee is legally eligible to work in the country: It is against the law to hire illegal immigrants or underage people. To make sure that none of these happen, make sure that you have a proper pre-employment background test facility in your organization. For non-citizens, ask for work visas and all the legal documents. Make sure that you ask for the national identity cards for the citizens. You don’t want your organization to be on the wrong side of the law! 8. To ensure a high level of responsibility: A job seeker might possess the sufficient education and skills for the job but is irresponsible when it comes to filing taxes (tax-noncompliance) or repaying loans. It might seem to be a non-issue until the same predicaments hit your organization. In your background check facility, make sure you inquire about tax certificates and loan statements. You need to employ people who show some degree of responsibility even in the small matters! It is always better to be safe than sorry. Make sure that you have a fully functional pre-employment background test facility in your organization! Read Also: Go For A Better Legal Job In 2018! Things To Look Out For While Hiring Health App Developers

There is A Way To Save Yourself From Student Loans in 2021

Student loans can be helpful. You take out a loan to enroll in higher education, which can land you in better job opportunities, increasing your income. But of course, it can be a bit tough to save while you repay your student loans. Regardless, there are ways to save yourself from student loans, especially if you can manage the interest loans and pay more than the minimum. Here are effective ways to save yourself from student loans and pursue your dream job. 1. Pay Off Your Student Debt Faster The easiest way to get rid of your student loans is to pay faster. If you can, send massive payments to your loan servicer every month and do so ahead of schedule. Another method is to make half payments every two weeks instead of the full monthly payment. When that happens, you send the equivalent of an additional payment every year. Of course, you may not have the discretionary income to make the extra payments. However, you can get a side job and earn extra income on the side to increase your income. You have the power to do so. Here’s a little bit of motivation: consider how increasing your monthly or weekly payments can help you become debt-free faster. You can even save interest costs on top of that. You can use a student loan repayment calculator to show you how the smallest payments affect your student loans. 2. Find Out The Type Of Student Loans You Have It's essential to know the type of student loans you have and develop a repayment plan that helps you. If you have federal student loans, visit the National Student Loan Data System. You can check your student loans there. There are four broad categories of student loans: graduated, standard, extended, or income-driven repayment. Let’s go through them. Standard plan: Your loan servicer will divide the total amount of money you owe with the standard plan and spread it over ten years. If you pay the same amount for the next ten years, you'll finish paying your student loans. Graduated plan: Just like the standard plan, this plan lasts for ten years. However, you start your monthly payments by paying less. Your payment for each month increases every two years. This option is ideal for borrowers who are sure that their income will increase in the future. Extended plan: With this plan, you pay a lower amount over a long period. Income-driven repayment (IDR) plan: The IDR plan lets you pay off your student loans for the next 20 or 25 years, depending on your chosen plan. But the payments will always be what you can manage every month. After 20 or 25 years, any amount you haven't paid yet will be forgiven. If you choose this plan, you'll have to certify your income annually. There are limited private student loan forgiveness options available for student loans. You’ll have to call your loan servicer to find out any available options for you. 3. Make Extra Payments, But Do It The Right Way There's no penalty whatsoever when you pay more than the minimum or pay your student loans early. However, the prepayment comes with a caveat: loan lenders may apply the additional amount to the next month's payment. When the student loan servicers do that, it pushes your due date forward, but it won't help pay off your student loans faster. What you need to do is to instruct your lender, either through the mail, phone, or online, to apply any extra payments to your current balance. In addition, remind them to keep next month's due date the same. You can make additional payments any time in the month. Another way is to make a lump-sum loan payment on the due date. Whichever you choose, you can save lots of money. 4. Refinance If You Have Good Credit And A Good Job Refinancing your student loans can help you get rid of your loan debts faster, and you don’t have to make additional payments. When you refinance, it replaces several student loans with one private loan, usually at a lower interest rate. If you want to make faster repayments, choose a new loan term that’s less compared to what you have left in your current student loans. Going in for a shorter loan term may increase your payments each month. However, it’ll help you clear off your student loans faster and save money on interest. Final Thoughts The strategies explained above can help you pay back your student loans and save money. But not all the repayment methods can help you do that. Some repayments are designed to help you manage your debts, such as income-based repayment plans. These plans can help you clear off your debt on time and in full. Now, even though it can help you today, you'll end up paying more money in interest charges over your loan life. It is worth mentioning, some educational institutes like Navient were forced to close due to fraudulent activities. These institutions are to compensate students who are affected. Check to see if you apply to these compensations If you don’t have a clear solution, you may need to talk to a student loan expert. Read Also: Understanding the Steps in Debt Collection How to Reduce the Cost of College Textbooks How To Impress A Recruiter If You Are Still A Student

Credit Card Terms Everyone Should Know

Annual Fee

Credit Limit

Billing Cycle

Due Date

Total Amount Due And Minimum Amount Due

Finance Charges And APR

Use Online Event Payment To Streamline Your Payment Process

Can I Convert My 401k To A Gold IRA?

Abdul Aziz Mondol

Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.

Leave a Reply

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8 Factors That Play a Role in How Long-Term Disability Premium Is Calculated

8 Reasons to Have a Pre-employment Background Check in Facility

There is A Way To Save Yourself From Student Loans in 2021

Credit Card Terms Everyone Should Know

Annual Fee

Credit Limit

Billing Cycle

Due Date

Total Amount Due And Minimum Amount Due

Finance Charges And APR

Share this Article

Use Online Event Payment To Streamline Your Payment Process

Can I Convert My 401k To A Gold IRA?

Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related