Credit Cards The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances In your opinion, do consumers spend more per month on average when they use a credit card or cash?

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Credit When a bank loans money to a person and trusts that it will be paid back Line of Credit –Max dollar amount that can be borrowed

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Credit vs. Debit cards CharacteristicsCredit CardDebit Card What is it?Pre-approved creditA card (looks similar to a credit card) that is linked to an individual’s bank account Payment processCharged to an individual’s account and they may pay later Money is immediately deducted from the bank Is interest charged? Yes – because money is being borrowed from the credit card company No

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 How do you obtain credit? 5 C’s of Credit worthiness –Character- person’s honesty and reliability determined by their history of repaying bills on time –Capital- evaluation of a person’s net worth –Capacity-income a person has available to repay loan determined by job longevity and having few other loans –Collateral- property which can be seized if loan not repaid –Conditions- general state of the economy

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Types of Credit CharacteristicsClose-end CreditOpen-end credit (revolving credit) DefinitionA one-time loanCredit is extended in advance Purpose of the loanSpecified in application May be used for a variety of purposes PaymentsSpecified number of equal payments Vary depending upon amount charged Loan amountAgreed upon during the application process May be increased for responsible consumers ExamplesMortgage, Automobile Loan Credit Card

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Why use a credit card? Advantages –Convenient –Useful for emergencies –Often required to hold a reservation –Purchase ‘big ticket’ items earlier –Easy form of debt consolidation –Protection against rip-offs and fraud –Establish a good credit rating What are advantages to using a credit card?

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Why use a credit card? Disadvantages –Interest is costly –Additional fees are common –Tempting to overspend –Privacy is an increasing concern –Personally responsible for lost/stolen cards –Identity theft easier –Can lose financial freedom from overspending What are disadvantages to using a credit card?

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Interest The price of borrowing money to make a purchase and paying it later Interest is referred to as the annual percentage rate (APR) Credit is often compounding interest which is interest added upon interest each month based upon the amount charged The interest rate varies greatly between credit cards

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Interest Amount charged to credit card APR Minimum Payment Time to pay off the credit card Total amount of interest paid Total paid for credit card balance $2,00018%$ months$1,077.25$3, $2,00010%$ months$443.00$2, $2,00018%$ months$573.00$2,573.00

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Schumer box A display with the costs of a credit card in an easy to read box format on most applications and solicitations Required by The Federal Truth in Lending Act Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Annual percentage rate Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Annual percentage rate (APR) – Interest rate charged for amount borrowed in terms of per dollar per year The lower the interest rate, the better

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Grace period Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Grace Period – Amount of time allowed before finance charges are applied

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Minimum finance charge Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Minimum finance charge – Minimum amount charged for card use

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Balance calculation method Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Balance calculation method for purchases- Method used to determine balance for finance charges

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Annual fees Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Annual fees- Yearly charge for credit card ownership

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Cash advances Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Transaction fees for cash advances – cash withdrawal fees

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Late payment fees Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases Grace Period for Purchases Minimum Finance Charges Balance Calculation Method for Purchases Annual FeesTransaction Fees for Cash Advances Late Payment Fees 19.9% Not less than 25 days $.50 when a finance charge at a periodic rate is charged Average daily balance method (including new purchases) $20 per year 2% with a minimum fee of $3 $29 Late payment fees – Penalty fee for payments not made by the due date

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Additional benefits Additional benefits of a credit card may include the following: –Rebates (money back) –Products or services given to the consumer Frequent flyer miles –Additional warranties –Travel accident insurance –Credit card registration –A low introductory APR What would you be willing to do for additional benefits on your credit card? Pay a higher annual fee? Pay a higher interest rate?

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Receiving a credit card Credit Application A form requesting information about a person’s ability to repay debt Completed by the consumer This step may be skipped if the consumer has been “pre-approved” by the credit card company Credit Investigation A comparison of information on a credit card application to their credit report Conducted by the credit card company Award or denial of credit Consumer receives the credit card and can activate and begin using it Consumer does not receive a credit card. They can request information about why they were denied credit.

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Assignment-Take home Credit Card Interviews- Yellow Handout –Choose three adults (over 21) Write first name and age –Ask the following questions How many credit cards do you have? How many do you actually use? When did you get your first credit card? Why do you have a credit card? Do you pay off your cards each month? What do you believe is the biggest advantage to a credit card? What do you believe is the biggest disadvantage to a credit card?

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Charges, payments, and credits Understanding the bill Charges, payments, and credits – The transactions which occur with the use of a credit card –Important to keep receipts to compare them to the bill for accuracy Closing date – Last day for transactions to be reported on the statement Closing date

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Finance charges Understanding the bill Finance charge – Charges assessed for credit card use Minimum payment due – The minimum amount to be paid –If this amount is paid and a balance is left on the account, additional finance charges will be included in the following month’s balance Minimum payment due

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Understanding the bill Due date – The day by which the company requires a payment to be made Past due amount – The required amount not paid before the due date Due date

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Understanding the bill New balance – The total amount owed on a credit card Credit Line – The maximum amount of charges allowed to an account New balance Credit line

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Understanding the bill Over the limit fee – credit card companies will charge consumers a fee if they charge over their limit within one month Over the limit fee

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Safety tips Sign card with a signature and “Please See ID” Do not leave cards lying around Close unused accounts in writing and by phone, then cut up the card Do not give out account numbers unless making purchases Keep a list of all cards, account numbers, and phone lists separate from cards Report lost or stolen cards promptly

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Fair Credit Billing Act Helps to protect consumers while using a credit card to make purchases It allows the consumer to not pay for a product or service for which the consumer has a complaint Billing disputes are covered within the Fair Credit Billing Act for credit cards If products are not delivered or if it is not what they consumer requested, any amount of money that was credited to the card above the $50.00 fee that consumers are responsible for will be issued back Debit cards do not have the same protection –Making credit cards a safer form of payment for online purchases

© Family Economics & Financial Education –Revised August 2009– The Essentials to Take Charge of Your Finances – Credit Advanced Funded by a grant from Take Charge America, Inc. to the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Take Charge America Institute at The University of Arizona G1 Any questions?