If you
have a great
credit rating
and no debt, then you could be
in line
to make some money. And you
can do
it using
the tools that
credit card tarts have been using for years.
The Credit
Card Tart System
Credit
card tarts have used
the incentives offered
by lenders
to their advantage for quite
a long
time. These incentives often consist
of 0% interest on balance transfers for
a fixed period of up
to 12 months. Borrowers
who have
a debt apply for
a new
0% credit card
and transfer that debt
to the new card.
They make repayments
as they normally would, but
the balance owed
is reduced since no interest
is being charged.
When
the incentive period is
due to end,
credit card tarts look
around for a new 0% deal. They apply for
the new card
at least six weeks
before the expiry of the
old 0% deal, so they have plenty of
time to
transfer the outstanding balance
onto their new 0% card.
This serial card switching allows borrowers to clear debt
without paying any interest. Lenders have begun to fight back
as they
are losing
hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of interest. Many of
them now charge a balance transfer
fee of
about 2%. However,
there are still some fee
free balance transfers
available, which is
good news fro debt-free
consumers looking to use the system to make some money.
How To Earn Money On
A 0% Card
To make money
from a 0% balance transfer
card, it is necessary to have a good
credit rating
and to
get two new credit cards. One credit card has a 0% balance transfer rate. This must be a card that
does not charge a balance transfer fee. The second allows credit card cheques at no additional charge.
The
borrower can use the balance transfer card to transfer a sum of money onto the card that allows credit card cheques. The borrower can then
write a cheque for that
amount and pay it into a high interest savings account. This strategy
only works if the interest earned is more than the amount being paid. Borrowers can use the same technique to get a low interest loan. Long term balance transfer rates are lower than standard interest rates on loans.
But
Is It Legal?
There is nothing to prevent borrowers from using their cards
in this way. As long as they make repayments on time and in full,
there are unlikely to be
complaints. It is
also essential to keep credit card applications to a
minimum so there are no red flags on the borrower's credit report.
There's no reason why borrowers who stick to
these rules and make
payments on time shouldn't make a bit of money from their credit cards. And while they're shopping around for the perfect credit cards, it's worth checking out the other incentives as well.
Joe Kenny writes for the personal finance
sites http://www.cardguide.co.uk and also
http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk.