By Peter Kenny
If you have high interest rate credit cards with outstanding balances on them you may find that the monthly repayments that you are making on the cards are very high. In addition, if you are only making small repayments on the cards you may find that a large portion of what you pay on each balance in getting swallowed up in interest, which means that your actual balance is hardly being touched leaving you at risk of having the debt hanging around your neck for a long time to come.
This is the reason why many people have decided over recent years to transfer their higher interest credit card debts onto a convenient and affordable 0% balance transfer credit card. By doing this cardholders can save a considerable amount of money in interest payments, and as long as they remain within the credit limit on the new card can transfer balances from a range of different credit cards so that they have fewer credit card debts to deal with.
It is important to make sure that you get the best deal possible when you opt for a 0% balance transfer credit card, as getting the best deal can help you to save more money and buy you more time to repay the balance. There are a number of things that you should check when it comes to finding a suitable 0% balance transfer deal, and by taking the time to compare different 0% balance transfer cards and compare these different factors you can increase your chances of getting the most competitive deal.
Of course, one of the most important factors that you will need to look at is how long the interest free credit period is, as the longer this is the more time you will have to repay the transferred balance without being charged any interest. Some 0% balance transfer cards offer interest free periods of just six months or so, but others offer 0% interest for twelve or even fifteen months in some cases. Make sure that you compare cards from a range of providers in order to find the best interest free period.
Most 0% balance transfer credit cards charge a transfer fee, and this is usually a percentage of the total amount that is being transferred. You need to compare the various 0% balance transfer cards and compare how much each charges by way of a transfer fee, as this can vary from one card provider to another. On average the transfer fee ranges from 2-3 percent of the total amount that is being transferred.
Although you should aim to repay the balance in full before the interest free period comes to an end on these 0% balance transfer cards it is worth taking a look at the interest rate that is charged just in case your have a remaining balance by the time the 0% period expires. However, this should not be the priority, as you should aim to have the balance cleared by the time that the interest free period ends.
Peter Kenny has been writing financial articles for 10 years and is a writer for The Thrifty Scot, please visit us at Credit Cards and Compare Credit Cards
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What Is Wrong With Arsenal?
By Martin Sejas
Arsenal fans, like me and my colleague Rayed, this season have experienced a series of emotions. From the highs of smashing Fenerbache, Sheffield United, Blackburn and Porto, to the lows of playing poorly against weaker teams such as Fulham, Hull and now Stoke.
This is an emotional rollercoaster that does not do justice to the Arsenal fan, who got so close last season. It simply doesn’t make sense to be doing extremely well against decent teams, but faltering against arguably much weaker opposition. There must be some fundamental problems and I think I know what they are.
These boys can’t defend a set piece or long ball if it meant their life. I mean for Pete’s sake, can you make your weakness any more obvious to your rivals? This is the exact technique Stoke used at the weekend, employing Delap to make long throws into the box consistently and no surprises, Arsenal conceded two scrappy off his throw ins. Against Fulham, they concede from the corner, as with games against Hull and Bolton.
Sure, I might sound a little bit harsh, every team is susceptible during set-pieces, its usually the way a smaller team is able to beat a bigger team, but let’s face it, there is a disturbing pattern developing at Arsenal and its happening more often than not. We often have our hearts skipping a beat or two when the opposition team gets a set piece, unfortunately for the Arsenal fan, set pieces are enough to cause a heart attack these days.
The second problem is that there is too much overconfidence, letting players shoot from outside the box. Too much space is being given and Arsenal are being punished. Look at the Sunderland and Hull games, wonderful shots from outside the box. Sure, on a good day they would have gone over the bar and Arsenal would be blameless right now, but they should have been closed down by the defenders, regardless.
The thing that should make an Arsenal fan sick, is the Spurs match. Many argue that Spurs deserved the point, which is true, but look at all four goals closely. Arsenal let Spurs shoot from long range for each of the four goals. I am being a little bit harsh, but think about it, four long range goals conceded in one night. Either they were unlucky, the other team was very good, or Arsenal’s defending was bad. I think it was a combination of all those factors.
So there you have it, each of the games Arsenal has dropped points and it nearly always comes down to those two weaknesses. What are Gallas, Toure and Silvestre doing? What is wrong with the centre backs?
When Arsene Wenger didn’t go out and spend big on experienced players in the transfer window, he was criticised. However, he continually stated that his young squad were good enough. I believe him, but he needs to have a serious think about these defensive issues. The attack is fine, we’ve seen goals galore in some games, but in the games they are losing, I think they’re losing confidence and so the attackers aren’t scoring goals.
A defensive midfielder like Flamini is needed to fill in the void in front of the back four and stop those long range shots. The centre backs need to get their act together or Wenger needs to buy new ones. They simply cannot afford to let in these silly goals.
A tough week is ahead. Fenerbache on Wednesday and Manchester United on Saturday. United will probably be the litmus test for this Arsenal side. These inconsistent results are inconclusive. Are Arsenal true title contenders or are they just going for a Champions League spot? We will find out on Saturday if they are the real deal.
Martin Sejas is the chief writer of http://www.SportsNewsFootball.com, a leading football website for football lovers known for its fearless and critical analysis of the major issues affecting the beloved game of football.
