BigSoccer Personal Finance and Credit Repair: New low 2% APR

Are they checks on an account that you already have or on new accounts?

If it's checks on an account that you already have call customer service and request that they stop mailing any correspondence to you other than your statements each month. No statement checks, statement inserts, solo mailers, promotional mailers or direct mail. You can also tell them not to try and sell you anything over the phone when you call in, and also not to refer all of their affiliates to you.

 

Ooh, I'd already gotten off the phone list but I didn't realize I could get off the mailing list, too. Awesome!

 

Sorry if this was discussed previously.... I don't have time to go back and reread both threads all the way through, but it's along the same lines as the current subject, sorta.

There is an opt out list for pre-screened credit card offers too. I received 5 of them in the mail in one day, two from the same company! And I was fed up! So I went here to opt-out. I researched it and that is definitely a legitimate site. You can also call 1–888-567-8688 to opt out. I noticed a difference within a week! It's great!

 

It's better just to use their prepaid envelopes to mail them your coupons.

 

Yeah, that's pretty funny! And I hope people really do that! But I don't wanna waste my time on them. I'd rather utilize that time to waste posting on BS all day!

 

Hehe. I work in a highly confidential job where I have to see and protect social security numbers (and quite a bit of other highly confidential info - bank account information, deferred compensation information, and all personal information related to that kind of stuff) everyday. You can trust me. But since you don't, here's a link to the information on the Federal Trade Commission's site. And if you don't trust clicking on links, I know I don't, go to the Federal Trade Commission's site and search for prescreen opt out. It'll give you tons of info on the laws that were created to put this into effect.

 

I totally agree! I'm constantly trying to get my mom to stop reading her junk mail. I think it may have been responsible for a virus on her computer (which I use too) a while back. Didn't do any damage, but it was hell to make sure nothing was messed up. My main concern with that though is that she will get some "offer" and click through and start giving away her info. She's already received emails like this that she tells me about. And she's scared to use her bank account because she got some fake email saying she owed taxes to the state of Illinois (she's been in California for more than 45 years!) and she thinks they're going to take her money if she doesn't provide them with some info (which I refuse to let her do). Once I even caught her filling out one of these forms cuz she thought she won a prize or something! Scary as all get out!

 

Yah....coupons. Or, you know.....bricks, or somesuch.

 

I have a question!

If this has been already asked, just let me know and I will go back and read through the posts.

So, I just made two late payments in a row to my credit card bill (Capital One).
Both were late by a day, though it probably does not matter.
How much damage did I do to my credit history/record?

 

Phew! Thanks for the info.

 

My Transunion score jumped 25 points this month, a combination of an increased credit line along with a late pay now being more than a year old really helped.

 

Ahhh, nice.....and did you call the Dave Ramsey Show to register the oh-so-cool, over the air "Boo-yah"?

 

Ramsey doesn't really care too much about Credit Scores, he'd rather do without them. But I am debt free, so I could do the whole "freedom" thing.

 

Reopen the older account. With a secured card you'll have to put down a deposit (enough to cover the credit line) and they may not even report payment history to the bureaus until you're out of the secured stage which is generally 12-18 months.

 

I know a few people who've done this, all in all, it's certainly not a bad option if you can afford to front $500 or $1000 for the loan, and don't mind paying the difference between the CD rate and the rate on the loan.

 

The trick for secured cards is to get through a real bank like Bank of America that will report your payments and unsecure you in about a year, assuming you stay on top of your bills.

Sachin

 

Definitely, I know with Citibank in the past it's been iffy about reporting to the credit bureaus during the secured period, but as long as you've been on time with your payments they'll generally unsecure after 12 or 18 months.

 

No matter what you do, do not get an unsecured card through a lender like First Premier Bankcard, Orchard Bank, Legacy card, or one of these other subprime lenders. The cards will usually have credit line's of $250-300 and set up fees and annual fees that usually eat up 50-60% of the credit line before you even get the card. A secured card is a much better option than these subprime cards.

 

Back in the dark days of my poor credit, I had a secured CC from BofA. I paid it off every month for a year and they returned the money with interest, unsecured me and raised my limit.

Now it's all just hookers and blow for me.

Sachin