If you have outstanding debts and are not managing to make the payments on them then you are still unlikely to get a bad credit card to help you out.  You really need to be at a point where your debts are paid and you are ready to rebuild your standing with the financial world.  No-one will offer you more credit if you have yet to pay off any old debts.

The idea of getting the bad credit card is to rebuild, and when you get it you’ll realise that it isn’t like any other credit card you’ve had before; you know the ones that got you into this position in the first place!  The bad credit card will not allow you to spend over your means and will insist upon you paying each month by simply putting an interest rate on your balance that would scare anyone into paying on time, every time.  Should you mess it up, you’ll mess it up early and something can be done to stop the problem getting any worse since your credit limit will be very low.  As you pay off more and more of your credit card the higher up your credit rating will go, and perhaps even your available credit limit.

You must however remember to be very careful with this credit card, just as you would if it were any other.

Where to begin with a credit card service like Barclaycard is probably the hardest task a blogger like me could ever do, so i guess i’ll start at the beginning.  I won’t bother telling you all about their interest rates and things like that though because you can get that Barclaycard information here.

Acount Management Online

This is a must for everyone these days.  We’re all too busy to get to a bank and read mail and the ordinary things like that so we’d much rather run our lives online.  Barclaycard’s online account management system allows you to check your balance, purchases and make payments online.  You can also opt for optional text alerts to your mobile phone when your payments are due.

Protection from Fraud

This has to be one of the most important things today, and Barclaycard do their best to help you with it.  With Barclaycard you will not be liable for any fraudulent activity with your credit card as long as you notify them as soon as you realise your card or details have been stolen.  Along with this Barclaycard also promise to monitor any unusual spending activity with your credit card in order to make you aware of possible fraud before things get too bad.

Protection from Identity Theft

There is a confidential helpline available from Barclaycard in order to help if you think you may have been a victim of identity theft or if you just want advice about avoiding it.

There are many more features from Barclaycard Platinum services and i’ll continue them in a couple of days.

Again, as i said in my last post about 0% interest on balance transfers, it’s all about what sort of factors you’re looking for from your credit card.  If you want great interest rates and you need to transfer a balance then you might choose a different card than someone who is just starting out with a credit card.  It’s important to evaluate your needs.

The best ones on the market will always be the ones that offer you the most cashback, it’s that simple really to tell the truth.  However, do look out for hidden charges for things like transfering a balance.  Sometimes your credit card company will charge you a percentage of your balance transfer and you really need to look out for it because it could surprise you.

I’ll run over a few of the best cashback credit cards over the next few days, but the ones that are the forerunners at the moment are the ones that are offering the simplified system of cashback credit straight to your credit card, like Freedom from Barclaycard.  These guys have their heads screwed on quite well when it comes to the reward system (they ought to have after their years of experience).

The freedom reward scheme works on all the cards from Barclaycard i think, and it won’t be long before all the other companies are providing their customers with a scheme that’s exactly the same, but just with a different name.  The beauty of the Freedom reward scheme is that you don’t have to collect points and spend them in a particular place, or buy a set of glasses you don’t want, and all that other junk that credit card companies used to throw at you.

With Freedom you generate cash on your card, it’s as simple as that.  Each time you make a purchase on it you’ll see how much cash back you’ve earned on the card and you’ll have to opportunity to take this off your purchase should you wish to.  This is really good because you can keep a track on your cashback savings without a statement and all that other rubbish; it’s just there on your credit card ready for you to use whenever you want to.  What a great reward scheme, from a really great big player in the credit card business.  Barlclaycard have still got what it takes!

So once you’ve done your grocery shopping on your credit card, you’ve put the money aside or moved it to another bank account, and you’ve paid off the outstanding balance on your credit card statement at the end of the month without getting any interest?  Well, if you have then bloody well done to you!

So now you’re probably about ready to ask the question: What’s the point in this when i can afford my shopping anyway?

Well in answer to your question allow me to pose another one to you.  Do you have a credit card that offers reward points or cashback?  If the answer is yes then you can surely work out that you’re getting rewards and cashback for doing virtually nothing!  You aren’t paying interest to your credit card company, yet they are still rewarding you for using their card.

Now there is also another huge unseen advantage to paying off your balance like this every month, particularly if you’re young.  This sort of financial dilligence will be recognised by other financial institutions, including banks and morgage lenders.  If you pay off your credit card balance each month without fail and you have no bad debts, you are much more likely to be able to gain credit elsewhere for other life changing opportunities.  Having a good credit history in this day and age is a must!

Today i’m showcasing (as it were) Barclaycard.  Now this is a credit card you can trust isn’t it?  Well lets see.  They have been around since the sixties, in fact they were the first company to introduce the credit card in 1966!  Well that has to go in their favour when we compare credit cards doesn’t it?  And then what else?  Oh yes, they had Rowan Atkinson on those fancy spy adverts didn’t they, where he kept no getting everything wrong.  So they’ve been around for ages and they have money to burn on advertising.  Should this be enough to make you want to apply for one of their cards?  No it shouldn’t.

What you have to do is a little more work sadly.  Sorry.  Go to their website and check out their offers.  They do a variety of different cards to suit each person.  I particularly like there low rates on balance transfers (sometimes 0% depending on which card you choose) and even more so i like the way their interest rates stay low, sometimes as low as 6.8%.  That’s not too bad at all.  They do rather depend on you having a very good credit rating though so don’t bother applying if you don’t.