If you're being squeezed by the high interest rates and fees charged by your credit companies, it might be time to rethink your financial strategy. In today's marketplace, credit card companies compete for your business. You can take advantage of free credit cards and balance transfer options to make purchases, manage your credit card debt, and avoid paying high interest rates and fees. The first key to taking charge of your credit card debt is to understand the options available to you. Free credit cards not only offer you a cushion of financial security, but when used wisely, they can also help you lower or erase the interest rates you're currently paying. In effect, the money you spend each month on interest charges becomes money you can use to pay down your debt or to spend as you see fit. As an example, if you have a $7,000 balance on a credit card that charges 18 percent APR, and you're paying $210 (3 percent) per month, it will take you over 18 years to pay off the debt. In the process, you will have paid $6,698 in interest! If, however, you took advantage of the balance transfer option on free credit cards with a 2.99 percent APR, your $7,000 debt will be paid off in a little under 11 years, with a total of $611 paid in interest charges. That's a savings of $6,087! When you receive offers of free credit cards and balance transfer offers, it's important to read the fine print. Sometimes, the initial low interest rate will jump to a high interest rate after six months. Other times, though, the low interest rate will be

maintained throughout the life of the loan. Increasingly, consumers are seeing the wisdom in using free credit cards and balance transfer to manage their debt. While it takes some time and diligence to keep track of the various offers and to use balance transfers to your advantage, the benefits are well worth it. Balance transfer is also a good tool to use if you've gone over your credit limit on one of your credit cards. Many credit card companies charge outlandish monthly fees when the cardholder exceeds his or her credit limit. By anticipating this problem and having free credit cards available that offer balance transfers, you can easily transfer a portion of your initial credit card debt to a second card, thereby avoiding penalty fees. Free credit cards and balance transfer options are important components of financial health, and can allow you to manage your debt painlessly.

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