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Credit cards can be a great asset as they allow you to have access to a line of credit that you may not have otherwise if it were not for the credit card. Used right they can really aid your cash flow each month. On the other hand, if you have already accessed this line of credit and find yourself now in the position of having to pay this debt back and want to do if fast, then there are some things you can do speed up the paying-back process (which will also save you lots of money on interest payments!).

1. Create a Household Budget

Before you can start reducing your debt you need to figure out why you are going into debt and find ways to change your spending habits.

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In the current economic environment you will find that California was hit extra hard by the home foreclosure crisis. Many people are suffering and have lost their homes because of it. Some reasons California was hit so hard could have very well been avoided.

1. Banks were lending to unqualified borrowers 2. Too many builders were over building and dumping properties onto investors 3. Real estate agents were artificially inflating home prices in new subdivision through phase releases 4. Home owners had no financial reserve for a rainy day 5. Homeowners borrowed money on variable rate loans 

Had homeowners, banks, builders and real estate agents avoided these five mistakes California’s home foreclosure crises probably would have been simply a hick-up instead of a crisis.

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Credit card issuer Chase recently launched the “British Airways Visa Signature® Card,” a fairly aggressive airline rewards credit card that comes with an astonishing 50,000 mile bonus upon your first purchase.

On top of that, it offers an additional 50,000 bonus miles if you spend $2,500 on the credit card during the first three months.

100,000 Mile Bonus

With the 100,000 miles in hand, you’ve got enough for two (2) transatlantic flights.

In other words, you can fly to Europe and back twice if you live in the United States, free of charge, less taxes, fees, and surcharges, which I suppose can add up.

You also earn 1.25 British Airways miles per $1 spent on standard purchases and 2.5 British Airways miles for each $1 in British Airways purchases.

Travel Together Ticket

Additionally, if you spend $30,000 in any single calendar year, you can earn a “Travel Together Ticket,” which is a companion airline ticket used in conjunction with the card member’s award flight.

The British Airways Visa Signature® Card also waives all foreign transaction fees, being one of the few credit cards to do so (Discover and Capital One offer similar credit cards).

And when you apply for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, you are automatically enrolled in the British Airways Executive Club.

Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malev, Qantas and Royal Jordanian are partner airlines.

Annual Fee and Charges

The downsides to this card, aside from a lack of introductory 0% APR, are the annual membership fee of $95 and any fees and taxes that must be paid on flights, as they’re now fairly hefty.

Beware: A flight to Europe may have fees of a few hundred dollars…

But if you don’t carry balances and love to travel, this card does have the potential to save you quite a bit of money.

Most people in debt are bombarded by offers to become debt free within 30 days. Even if they seem too good to be true, many have fallen victim to these scam programs. The worst thing that can happen to you after the falling into a debt trap is realizing that a program of debt reduction is not effective. The simple rules listed below can help to choose the debt settlement program that works for you.

The online research can be extremely useful, so before you decide to enroll in a debt settlement program, see the various options available online. This will give you a fair idea of the legitimacy of the company and then you can decide to work on your debt with them. Read more…

*Welcome to our weekly credit lessons to brush up on your credit know-how!*

I’ve worked at Credit Karma long enough to have picked up on some terminology related to consumer credit: hard inquiry, credit score algorithm, credit utilization, derogatory mark, and more. For the most part, entire articles could be written on each of these terms, each one comes with its own implications for your credit score and credit health.

Here’s a basic glossary of credit terms, helpful as a reference tool, for those new or knowledgeable on credit, to help you better understand your credit life.

Bankruptcy: Filing for bankruptcy means that you have requested legal assistance to pay off your debt. Bec

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President Obama’s home foreclosure program, Making Home Affordable, is a program that provides a number of government-subsidized options for homeowners who are struggling. The goal is for these homeowners to avoid home foreclosure, which helps get the American economy back on track.

There are four different programs available to homeowners under the Making Home Affordable program.

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) allows homeowners to modify the terms of their existing mortgage to make it more affordable.

For homeowners who have a second mortgage, and have already modified their first with HAMP, the Second Lien Modification Program (2MP) provides the opportunity to modify that second mortgage, so that both payments are more affordable.

The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) is for homeowners who have loans that are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

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