Credit Trouble Warning Signs

Featured Debt Relief Credit Card

If you have fallen into the credit trap and have a credit card debt to pay off then the HSBC Credit Card can help you find your way out of trouble with a 0% balance transfer offer for the first 6 months plus a $0 annual fee for the life of the card. The HSBC Credit Card is a great credit card to get back in control of your finances.

• $0 annual fee
• 17.99% p.a. on purchases
• 0% p.a. for 6 months with 2% handling fee on balance transfers
• Cash Advance Rate of 21.99% p.a.
• 55 days interest free
• Minimum Income Requirement of $20,000 p.a.
• Up to 55 days interest free on purchases.

Read the HSBC Credit Card terms and conditions.

While it is true that you can use credit cards responsibly, even the smartest among us sometimes fall into the credit trap only to find we are in way over our heads and have amassed a mountain of debt.

Fortunately, there are some warning signs you can look out for that can help you realize you are getting in too deep BEFORE that mountain gets too hard to climb. You may be in credit trouble if you:

• Have maxed out one or more credit cards.
• Regularly spend more on your credit cards than you pay back in your monthly bills.
• Are only making the minimum payments, or less than the minimum payments, each month.
• Are using cash advances on one card in order to make a payment on another card.
• You are not entirely sure how much you owe.
• You are hiding your spending habits from your spouse or partner.
• You are dipping into savings to try to meet your payment obligations.
• You regularly find yourself having to buy everyday necessities like food on your credit cards because there is nothing left in your checking or savings account.

The above are a few of the most common warning signs of credit trouble. If you recognize yourself in some (hopefully not all!) of these, then it may be time for a financial overhaul before you get yourself into a lot of trouble. Credit card debt caused by out of control spending or improper budgeting can really take a toll on your well-being, stressing you out and putting you and everyone around you on edge, and that is not even taking into consideration the actual money part!

Repairing your credit and getting out of debt is a lot of hard work, but if you really set your mind to it, you can overcome the problem. In fact, if you catch that problem in time, you may be able to nip it in the bud. For example, you may find that transferring the balance to a new card with a lower interest rate is enough to help get you back on the right track, along with some much-needed spending discipline to avoid piling more debt on when you should be paying it off instead.

To keep yourself disciplined, start by making a budget and then sticking to it. Do not make any unnecessary purchases, and do not use your credit card anymore for any reason unless it is a true emergency and you have no other options available to you at all. Unnecessary purchases are things like your expensive cup of coffee every morning from the local coffee shop, going out to a restaurant for lunch every work day, purchasing electronics or DVDs things of that nature.

You can then put the money you save by not buying things you do not really need towards your credit card debt. The extra money will help you make more than the minimum payments each month, and this is very important, because by only making the minimum payment, you are doing nothing to pay off the interest rates that are racking up on you.

That sounds pretty simple, and it really is it is just difficult to actually put it into practice. If you find that despite all of your best efforts, you are just not able to make a dent in the debt you have accrued, then it may be time to consult a financial counselor and get some professional help. A financial counselor can help you determine what you need to do, help you map out a plan, and then help you execute that plan in order to get out of debt.and once you do, make sure not to make the same mistakes again in the future, or all of your hard work will have gone to waste!

Check out today's featured offers:

Westpac Low Rate	Citibank Clear Platinum	Qantas AMEX Discovery	ANZ Platinum
0% p.a. for 6 months on purchases & balance transfers	2.9% p.a. for 12 months on balance transfers	$0 annual fee Up to 10,000 Bonus QFF Points	0% p.a. for 6 months on purchases & balance transfers

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Popular Credit Card Offers

			Interest Rate (p.a.)	Balance Transfer Rate (p.a.)	Annual fee	Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)
	Westpac Low Rate Card - 0% Offer	A credit card with a low rate offer on both balance transfers and purchases, plus a low annual fee.	0% for 6 months (reverts to 13.49% )	0% for 6 months	$45	21.49%
	Citibank Clear Platinum Card	Competitive interest rate on purchases and balance transfers offer.	11.99%	2.9% for 12 months	$99	21.74%
	St George Vertigo	Take advantage of this great offer from St.George with a low rate on purchases and a low balance transfer offer.	13.24%	0.99% for 12 months	$55	21.49%
	ANZ Platinum Credit Card	An introductory interest rate offer on balance transfers and purchases, plus a $0 first year annual fee.	0% for 6 months (reverts to 19.24% )	0% for 6 months	$0 annual fee for the first year( $87 thereafter)	20.99%