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Negotiating a lower APR

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By PioneerPets | February 01 2010 | Permalink | TrackBack(0) | 988 Views | 1

 
 

Hi There,

I have one credit card on which I do not carry debt. Although I use it regularly I pay the balance in full each month. A couple of times I have been literally a day or two late with my payment and now my APR is at 30%. It seems very high considering that I am such a responsible credit card user. Is there a way to negotiate a lower APR for myself?

Marni

CATEGORIES: Credit cards

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EXPERT ANSWERS (2)

A 30% rate on your credit card is outrageous. You can and should call and ask them to reduce the rate. If they refuse, be prepared to pay off any remaining balance and close the account. If there are "rewards" or "points" that you do not want to lose, you may need to be prepared to spend these prior to closing the account. Even before you call you should check out other cards with more favorable terms.

by:  Dan Candura | February 01 2010
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Isn't it amazing what the credit card companies are doing! You should open a new credit card account, perhaps using the bank where you have your primary checking account. If your 30% card has no balances and no annual fees, you could leave it dormant and unused. One of the benefits of the new credit card law is that the credit card bill must be mailed 21 days before the due date. This will definitely help give you the time to get your payment in the mail. You may also want to consider setting up electronic payment, where you can control the date much more precisely than depending on mailing paper checks. Again, using your current bank may be a way to get support for any questions that you have.

by:  Chuck Johnson | February 02 2010
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COMMUNITY ANSWERS (1)

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http://www.lifetuner.org/topics/19-credit-cards/articles/2-how_to_get_a_lower_interest_rate
check out this link on LifeTuner - it's an article that advises on how to get a lower interest rate, including a suggested script.

by:  ditycon | February 09 2010
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