5 Tips on How to Fill out a Credit Card Offer (cont.)
Contributed by Deborah Zeitler
Does the company offer a balance transfer for other credit cards?
If you receive a credit card offer that has a better overall rate than an existing credit card account you have, you might want to transfer the balance from the old card onto your new card, if it's allowed. Don't make your decision based only on what the monthly interest rate is, instead look at how it compares with your other card overall. Compare the terms, including the Annual Percentage Rate, the length of the grace period if any, and the annual fee for the card.
Find information about who the credit card offer is from
Unless the credit card offer you receive is from a company that you already do business with, you might want to consider finding any information available about the company's reputation for customer service. A reputable company that's been in business for a long time will be a member of the Better Business Bureau, who will give you information about the company at no cost to you. The Better Business Bureau also has a web site, where the information you need can be easily accessed.
It's possible that the credit card company could be a member of the Better Business Bureau, and yet the BBB might have no information about them. This simply means that no one has filed any complaints about them, in which case, no news is good news!
