We sure love our plastic.
Americans now owe more than$1 trillion in credit card debt.
Apparently our national motto is Charge it.
You know what wedontlove, though?
Those sneaky credit card fees.
Its annoying when credit card companies add fees on top of the hefty interest theyre already charging us.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Ask one of these companies to help…
1.
These fees typically range from$25 to $500.
Theres no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards dont expire.
We checked Crediblesannual rewards calculator, and it estimates $417 in annual rewards based on our spending habits.
*Annual Rewards amounts will change based on the amounts you enter.
The monthly spending category names and definitions may vary among issuers, and categories may not align one-to-one.
The information for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has been collected independently by The Penny Hoarder.
The Penny Hoarder is a partner of Credible.
If youre traveling overseas, look for a card that doesnt charge this fee.
If youdoget charged, ask customer service to waive the fee.
Threaten to switch to a card that doesnt charge foreign transaction fees.
It wont work if you dont try…
3.
It can save you hundreds of dollars in interest.
Many cards will tempt you with a 0% interest rate on balance transfers for a year or so.
Many cards charge you an up-front fee of 4% to 5% on the cash youre borrowing.
They also charge way higher interest rates on cash advances compared to regular purchases.
So your high-interest cash advance will linger like a persistent hangover, sucking up money.
Credibleis an online marketplace for personalized prequalified rates for loans.
Stash has a neat feature called Smart-Save.
It calculates when youve got cash to spare, then saves a small percent of it.
you’re able to adjust your savings rate and withdraw at any time.
Perhaps the best part is all savings in your Stash account will earn interest.
5, 6 and 7.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
He has paid too many late fees in his life.
Receiving prequalified rates does not guarantee that the Lender will extend you an offer of credit.
You are not yet approved for a loan or a specific rate.
Rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
Lenders reserve the right to change or withdraw the prequalified rates at any time.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
