| Savings | 3.62% | | One Year CD | 4.90% | | 30 Year Mortgage | 6.29% | | 4 Year Car Loan | 6.91% | | Personal Loan | 14.46% |
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| | | Using the Web to Find a Card |
Not only can you
find card deals on the Web, sign up for them and have your card in the
mail to you the same day, you can also take care of card business online.
A good place to
start: Go to our credit card search
page and choose "online cards" from the top pull-down menu.
YAHOO! FINANCE TIP
Another good place to start is the
Yahoo! Savings Finder,
where you can not only find the cheapest card for your needs, but also compare over 200 cards, and apply online!
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A lot of card companies
have Web sites that let you do a lot of administration with digital ease.
You can look at your statements, pay bills, talk to company problems solvers,
download your information into your own computer and even download pre-prepared
tax numbers.
Some will let you
know if your statement has been sent, others will let you know if you
are approaching a problem -- maybe you're nearing your credit limit. Some
will tell you how your perks (like frequent flier miles) are piling up.
Decide just how valuable these services are before you
sign up with a card. If they are super convenient it may be worth
paying a little extra for the card as you trade money for time.
But before you do,
understand fully what each little online offer means. An online credit
card bill payment may actually take longer, or cost more, than a snail
mail payment for example.
Also be sure to
check you card company Web site for security -- that's your private financial
(and personal) information up there, so you need to be sure you go with
a card operation that has a secure Web site. A site that does not tell
you exactly how they protect your privacy may not be the best pick.
Some card companies
on the Net offer you the chance of going completely paperless. It can
be convenient, but there are those experts who argue that having a paper
record may be a very good thing if you get into a dispute with your card
company.
Using the Net offers
you and the card company a lot of conveniences -- but don't assume all
that ease will translate into savings. Ask the same questions you would
if you were on the phone or looking at information the card company had
mailed to you. Find out ALL of the costs and potential costs associated
with the card. The Net may offer no real savings, just a different way
of doing business.
Bankrate gives you the Best Rates, but you can surf over
to Visa , MasterCard,
American
Express, Discover,
or Diner's
Club to get a feel of how online card company sites work before
you get down to the serious work of applying.
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