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Negotiating Rates with Your Credit Card Company
Ok, let's face it, everybody hates high credit card rates, and
they drain hard earned money out of your wallet. As a valued
consumer, it is apparent that you learn how to negotiate to get
the absolute best rate that you possibly can. The good news
however is that it doesn't have to be a difficult or
time-consuming process. In fact, it can be very easy indeed if
you know what you're doing. In this article we will discuss the
ins and outs of credit card negotiating to ensure that you get
the best possible rate with the least amount of effort.
- First and foremost, you should figure out if you even want
to continue using your current credit card company ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/best-credit-cards.html
). Are you pleased with the overall service that you are
receiving? Do you like their benefits? If the answer is yes
then you can proceed. If not, you should stop reading this
article and start looking for a better company.
- Second, you should evaluate your paying history and make
sure that it is positive before you call to negotiate. If it is
positive then you have power and if it isn't then you'll be
negotiating from a position of weakness and that might not be
good. Instead, you should wait until it is more positive before
you call them to negotiate rates.
- Third, if you have a good history then remember this when
you call. In essence, you'll have extremely high negotiating
power. The company needs your business in order to be
successful and with clients they lose big time. Therefore, you
should always display this "take them or leave them attitude"
while conducting your negotiations.
- Draft up a script and memorize it. It can be as simple as
"Hello, my name is Bill and I have been a cardholder for X
years and I consistently pay my bills on a time. Well recently
I have been receiving all types of credit card offers from XYZ
bank indicating that I qualify for an extremely low interest
rate of X and am considering leaving you and going there if you
can't offer me a lower rate. Is this something that you can
help me with?
- Practice, practice and practice some more with your script
until you are completely and totally used to it. Once you are,
contact the company. Read your script and see what
happens.
- If you get a hard nose customer service representative then
don't threaten her. Be agreeable and ask to speak to his/her
supervisor. If that is not possible, be nice to her and try
again she may have some leeway. If you like your present
company, you can even try negotiating interest rates, annual
and even those yucky late fees.
- However, if you're fed up, have an alternative company in
the wings, and your current company won't budge with their
rates then be willing to take your business elsewhere. After
all, you hold the power so don't be afraid to use it! They key
however is to not bluff but to follow through with your threat.
Close the account, ask for them to send you notification in the
mail, cancel the credit card and use another card.
In conclusion, you can be successful with the negotiating
process if you follow the above mentioned tips. If your current
company is unwilling to cooperate then you should simply take
your business elsewhere. You're better off with another credit
card company that values your savvy negotiating skills!
About The Author
Claire Bowes is a successful freelance writer and owner of The
Credit Card Centre ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk ) where you
will find further advice and tips on the best credit card deals (
http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/best-credit-cards.html
)and 0% credit cards ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/0%-credit-cards.html
).
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