I am employed in the credit sector and really see some things that are not very nice. I thought that I would share a few tips with my fellow ebayers.

The first thing people usually want to know about credit cards is how to get a lower rate on a card. There are a few things to look at here. First of all, if your credit is atrocious you are out of luck typically. If you credit is remotely respectable then you may have some leeway. Companies typically spend a minimum of over $200 to obtain a customer. If you get something like an NFL card with an autographed helmet. The price can be even higher. Make sure in using these methods you know if you have ok credit or if it stinks. Dont tell someone you can go to another company if you are lucky that you are allowed to use their card.

Here is what you do. Call the company up and tell them you were looking at your statement and notice that the rate is higher than is typically out there. It is important here to know the going rate. If the going rate is 14% which is not horrible but is not good, dont complain if you have 11.99%. For example lets say the rate on your card is 18% and you have really good credit. You should be able to get something in the low teens. You tell them you were thinking of closing the account and switching it to another card. Sometimes you we just talk  to the first person, but most of the time you will be transfered to a companies retention department. These are the people whose job it is to keep you as a customer. The are the, in my opinion, some of the most devious people in the company that I work for. They will try to wheel and deal with you typically but not always to keep the card open. They are incented on this, but they cant give you the moon. They are incented on how much yield on the rate you give up. Best time to call is the end of the month. The people who have hit goal just dont care and will be nice. I know some reps that will give the moon up once they know they are going to hit goal. Keep in mind the card you have may have a contract withe the company for cetain rates. An example of this would be if you have an NFL card you typically pay a higher rate than if you just have a standard mastercard.

This same tip can also work with late charges, as long as you are not late all the time and have a good explanation. I was told that companies like customers to be late ocasionally. My former company actually tried to rotate due dates each month to catch people with their pants down so they would be late.

Hope this tips help. They make sense give me a positive review. I think most of my negative reviews on this one will be from people in the credit card industry. Feel free to email me with questions I love to help the little guy beat the big guy.

For money saving tips on how to avoid timeshare schemes please see my other guide on timeshares.