UK Credit Card Tips & General Advice

As Christmas approaches, many of us in the UK will be considering taking out a new credit card to purchases those all essential gifts. With a plethora of card offers out there, deciding which card,if any, is best for you can seem a little daunting

What follows are some useful tips and advice that hopefully will help make your decision a little easier and clearer.

Loyalty/Bonus Cards

As people's circumstances vary so do the credit card deals on offer. If you intend to clear your bill each month, the interest rate on your card becomes irrelevant as you won't have to pay it. Therefore you should consider going for a card that offers some form of loyalty bonus such as redeemable points, cashback or air miles.

Interest-Free Offers

These cards are particularly useful for those don't clear their balance each month. Shop around for cards that offer 0% interest on balance transfers and purchases. The length of these offers tend to vary, so choose one that is appropriate to you needs i.e whether you intend to use the card mainly for purchases or a balance transfer.

Some cards allow you up to 59 days to pay for purchases before being charged interest on them, thus giving you some breathing space to pay for your goods or/and services.

Special Offers

One way to save money on your card debt is to take advantage of the many debt-transfer offers available from most banks. These offers are usually exclusive to new customers and allow you to pay off your debt from a more expensive card at a lower rate for a limited period.

Cash

Although you can withdraw cash from ATM's with your credit card, it is best left as a last resort as, although convenient, you will pay for the privillage through a steep interest rate.

Plus Points

Using the plastic to pay for expensive items such as jewellery, electrical goods or goods bought online, gives you the piece of mind of consumer protection i.e under the Consumer Credit Act, the card company are liable ( as is the seller of said goods or services) if there is a breach of contract.

This is especially handy if the goods either arrive faulty/damaged or don't arrive at all due to the supplier, for example, going bust. If any of these scenarios were to arise, you should have the money spent redeemed to your credit card.

Charges

Most cards will levvy a charge against you if you fail to pay your monthly repayment on time, with penalties usually around 20. You will also incurr a charge if you go over your set credit limit. Setting up a direct debit to make your monthly payment will eliminate the possibility of being late with your monthly payment and thus avoid that nasty charge.

What Card Then?

Deciding what credit card to apply for really depends on your personal circumstances and requirements.

If, for example, you intend to do some serious short-term shopping, a card that offers, say six month interest free on purchases, would be more suitable.

If you know in advance you wil be unable to clear the balance in the short term, then a card that offers a low rate for the lifetime of the balance, would be suitable as you will save a graet deal in interest paymnets compared with a card that resorts to a higher rate after any offers expire.

If you are able to clear your balance each month, then going for a card that offers rewards, such as cashback on purchases, would be most prudent.

Joe Kenny writes for the Loans Store offering secured loans and offer more information on car loans and other loan topics available on site.

Mortgage Leads, Selling Over the Telephone

When a loan officer or mortgage broker purchases a mortgage lead from a mortgage lead company, their very next step is to call the customer.

This is not as easy as it sounds, because we all know you never have a second chance to make a first impression. So you want to be prepared before you make the call.

By being prepared I mean have a few mortgage products you want to go over with the customer that you believe will meet their needs based off of what information you were given on the mortgage lead.

Also, mortgage lead companies will sell their mortgage leads up to as many as five times. So, you may end up running into some challenges if the customer is already working with another loan officer.

Or, perhaps they have even lost their nerve.

Here are a few scenarios you may run into and how you can lessen the impact should you be confronted with such a situation.

Purchasing or refinancing a home is a very big financial deal, so it is understandable if your customer gets cold feet.

Say something to this effect in the nicest voice you have . . .

Oh, Im very sorry to hear that, after looking at the on-line form you filled out, I was able to fit you into one of our loan programs that I am sure you would have some interest in.

If a prospect says to you that they are working with another loan officer, they either really are, or again, they have lost their nerve.

Say something to this effect . . .

Im really sorry to hear that. We offer some really nice mortgage products and I only wanted to take a few minutes of your time to go over some of our mortgage programs.

Although these approaches will get the customer talking the majority of the time, there are the times when it does not work.

Here are a few other things you can do . . .

Most mortgage lead providers supply you with an e-mail address, so e-mail them with some attractive mortgage products and tell them briefly about the benefits of working with you and your company.

Also, you can mail them out some flyers with some mortgage products that you believe would meet their mortgage needs along with some of your business cards.

Whatever happens on your sales call, do not give up after one objection. If you have not been having success with your leads, than you need to change your approach.

Also, you may end up having to leave a voice mail which is not at all uncommon these days.

Should you have to leave a message, be sure to be direct and to the point. Let the customer know who you are and why you are calling, and give them a reason to call you back.

Tell them you have a product that you believe they will be interested in and it is very important that they call them back.

To sum it all up, no single mortgage lead is a slam dunk, no matter how good it looks on paper. Nine times out of ten you will be faced with some sort of challenge. So do your homework and be prepared to face your challenges head on.

Jay Conners has more than seventeen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry. He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage marketing and resource site for loan officers. He is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.comMortgage Leads

Secured auto loans: for your automobile

If you are waiting for the right time to come so that you can buy the automobile of your choice then stop waiting! With the secured auto loan borrower can enjoy easy installment for this dreamed automobile.

Studying the buying habits of the borrowers, it is resulted that 60% of the automobile buying is through secured auto loan. While talking about secured auto loan, borrowers collateral plays a vital role in availing lower interest rate, easy repayment option and larger amount. Collateral can be borrowers home or his new automobile.

Secured auto loan can be used for buying new or used automobile. Secured auto loans offer people to buy automobile of their choice i.e. color, model, style etc. Under secured loan borrower finds easy to avail the car or motorbike.

Secured auto loans is economical way to finance an automobile, as it also deals with the other expenses on your automobile like maintenance and upgrade, paint, buying accessories and music systems, servicing etc.

Secured auto loan is easily accessible by everyone i.e. homeowners, tenants, students, self employed, salaried etc. but with little difference of terms and conditions. Secured auto loans repayment term ranges from 3 to 6 years.

Secured auto loan can be accessed from the financial institutions, banks, dealers, online lenders, etc. Online mode offers easy and simple way to avail the automobile i.e. while sitting at office or home.

Online mode provides easy and convenient way to compare and contrast the quotes of different lenders, moreover while comparing borrower can use online loan calculators to get the exact figures.

So, borrower must select an authorized lender for availing the bike loan so that he can enjoy flexible terms and conditions and get the bike of his choice. Moreover, with the online mode borrower can avail quick and fast cash.

Secured auto loan helps the borrower to avail the new or used automobile at easy and flexible rates.

Simon Peyton has done his masters in finance from CPIT. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the residents of the UK. He works for the Loans Fiesta. For any type of Secured Auto Loans, bad credit secured loans, unsecured personal loans, secured loan uk,secured homeowner loan in uk,secured home improvement loans visit http://www.loansfiesta.co.ukMortgage Leads