Aug

These days, life without a credit card would be hard to imagine. We have become so used to the convenience of plastic, we dont leave home without it. (Sound familiar?) While you cant dispute the ease and convenience of not having to consolidating student loan in home loan refinance rate at the supermarket, petrol pump or pub, here are some handy credit card reminders.

1) Say no to cash advances

Some people just dont get it, but the bank does. The Interest-free periods offered on credit card accounts never apply to cash advances. In the majority of cases, you will pay interest on the cash right from the second you withdraw it from the ATM or over the counter. The dollar penalty can really add up, so its best not to do it. Ever.

2) Watch out for Store Cards. Loyalty can cost you

How often have you been at the cash register and asked if you would like to apply for a store card? Probably plenty of times. Department stores such as David Jones and Myer may Home refinancing calculator you the benefits of customer discounts, added warranties and extended credit, but they aren't cheap. Although you dont pay an annual fee, the interest rate can be considerably higher (sometimes several percent) than alternative credit cards. Its fine to use them for store specials and loyalty benefits, but pay the balance in full by the due date. In this way you avoid being whacked with huge interest charges.

3. Choose a card that matches your lifestyle.

Think about your spending habits and patterns. For example: if you use a card for extended credit and don't pay off the full balance each month, just a basic payment, choose a card with a lower rate. It may not offer any interest-free period, but the lower interest rate should save you more dollars over time.

If you use your card for everyday groceries or filling up the car, go for credit card with maximum interest-free days. Make sure you pay it off in full each month. This way you get the benefit of up to 55 interest-free days on purchases, as well as rewards, discounts and frequent flyer points. But watch the annual fees on rewards cards.

4. Interest-free periods are void unless you pay in full

Dont let your credit card get out of control. To avoid paying interest on your purchases, you must pay the full balance that figure in black and white on your statement (not just the minimum payment required) by the due date. If you don't, be warned. You will be charged interest right back to the date of purchase on each item. In effect, you forfeit the interest-free period on those purchases.

5. Search beyond the local banks

These days, theres a lot more choice out there - not just the usual local banks. Look at credit unions, building societies, community banks, boutique and online banks. Chances are you may get offered better interest rates or lower fees than the big banks because these new providers are anxious to win business or they are non-profit organisations. We put this theory to the test. We tried HSBC and came up with 5 different types of credit card.

6. Do you qualify for a relationship discount?

If you consolidate your banking business and finances with one lender or bank, you can qualify for a special treatment. Loyalty does have its rewards. You can enjoy home and personal loan interest rate discounts, term deposit bonuses, savings account fee waivers and of course, credit card annual fee waivers.

7. Do you qualify for annual fee waivers?

If you spend enough on your credit card on an annual basis, some institutions offer to waive the annual fee. For instance: If your card spend is more than $5000-$10,000 a year, you could choose a card with all the benefits you want and avoid the annual fee. However, make sure you use your card to make purchases you were going to make anyway. Spending up big for the sake of reducing fees or earning rewards points is false economy.

8. Sweet deals? Don't be distracted by them.

Introductory discount rates, fabulous reward programmes and special insurance offers. Some lenders offer enticements on credit cards that can make a big impression on first glance. Be practical. Look at the overall, ongoing cost of credit of any card option. Compare the standard interest rate, interest-free period and annual fees - and weigh these up against the real value (if any) of the added extras.

Credit cards are great. But remember that you are the one in control and responsible for your debt. If you cant resist a bargain or a shopping centre blitz, leave the card at home. Pay cash.

Cathy Howley is Creative Manager and Copywriter at Options Strategy, Melbourne. The digital agency with the strategy edge. options-strategyoptions-strategy If youre looking for a credit card, you could try hsbc.au/1/2/personal/credit-cardsHSBC credit cards.

After you've created a website, it needs to be updated every so often. There are countless reasons why updating is significant but the number one reason is to retain the publics appeal in stopping by your website.

In most of the cases websites are created as a business portal, to keep in touch with family birth control patches friends and also as a matter of personal interest Websites can be used for many different reasons; the possibilities are endless. You need to make auto insurance rates comparison want to return to visit your site again. You may want to keep family and friends abreast of changes in your life, encourage others to start a hobby or other interest, or provide hard drive recovery service with goods and services.

People will want to visit your website again if new and useful information is regularly added. Updating your website is easy, and it can be done in a number of ways. You may use a website builder, or one based on the web to keep you site updated.

Another way to create or modify website coding is by using software such as XSitePro, Word, or even notepad. But since some of these are advanced use programs, users will need coding knowledge to be successful in utilizing them. Many programs will require a FTP software to upload the website, however XSitePro includes one build in.

It's also vital to plan regular updates to your website. Planning updates on a regular basis helps you to think about what you are going to present on your website ahead of time. This will help to keep the new content of your site organized. This is vital when you need to create content that is clear and can be read and understood quickly.

Another aspect to updates, which is more important for people who are interested in a business type of site, are to present information to your customer base on a regular basis and keep them interested in coming to your website. If you're interested in attracting visitors with a high page ranking, this is vital to that process.

The ranking of a site is helped when it is updated, because that means the content of the site is being refreshed, and search engines like that. This is extremely important if you are optimizing the content on your website.

Business and commercial customers, along with people who are interested in bringing in traffic, are expected to update content on their websites regularly. For people who are building pages for family and friends it is not necessary to update the website based on keywords or phrases that will drive the ranking of the pages.

To keep people interested, personal pages should be frequently updated. This allows family and friends to continuously be aware of the events in your life. These websites are designed to look like scrap books and generally contain lot of pictures in it. You can also update a calendar of events to let everyone know what is going on with you and your family.

Updating your website is easy with xsiteprowebsitedesignbuilderXSite Pro, visit my website today and I'll show you why.