What To Look For In An Instant Approval Credit Card

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

When you need to get a credit card in a hurry, you want to go for an instant approval credit card. These credit cards are readily available, but are especially for those who have excellent or good credit ratings. Here are some things that you need to know about how to select which instant approval credit card may be the best one for you.

Select The Kind Of Card You Want

There are so many different kinds of instant approval credit cards - but only one will be the best match for your needs - and wants. For instance, if you fly a lot, then you will probably want an air miles credit card because it will result in savings on your airline tickets and can even get you some free flights, after a while. If you drive all the time, and stay in hotels, then you probably want either a gasoline card, or a hotel card, that will allow savings for your travel expenditures. Figure out your biggest costs each month and try to get a card that will give you the most savings in that area. Regular purchases, like groceries, prescriptions, and gas, will also get you a 1 to 3% savings on some credit cards, too.

Check Out The Fees

Each credit card has fees attached to them - somewhere. The truth, though, is that some instant approval credit cards have a lot less fees than other ones. This might be because the credit card companies are hoping you won't read the fine print - or something. Anyway, you are smarter than that, and need to make sure that you find out about all fees that apply - before you get the card. There could be annual fees, activation fees, minimum balance fees, processing fees, and many more.

Look At The Introductory Offer

This introductory offer on an instant approval credit card is what makes a credit card look so good. In the offer you can often get 0% APR interest, and the option of being able to make balance transfers with 0% APR interest. Some cards will even allow you to have 0% APR interest for the life of the transfer. This means you pay no interest at all for transfers you make to the new card. Be sure to find out beforehand if there is a fee for the transfer - some cards ask for 4%, others are free.

Consider The Interest

The rate of interest on an instant approval credit card can vary anywhere from about 10.99% all the way up to 18.24%. Of course, you will actually not pay any interest if you pay the monthly bills on time, and in full - even after the introductory time period is over. But if you are prone to leave a balance on the credit card, then you will be losing the benefit of reaping full rewards for your purchases.

In order to make a final selection for your instant approval credit card, you want to compare offers from several companies. After you apply, remember that you still cannot make any purchases until you actually have the credit card in your hand - which should be in about a week.