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Having bad credit obviously keeps you from being approved for larger loans or higher credit limits, but bad credit can also cost you money in the long run. If you have been putting off improving your credit score (which you can do yourself or hire a credit repair company to help), you might want to consider these ways that it could be costing your money:
Bad credit can cause some serious issues when it comes to interest rates. The lower your credit score, the higher the interest rate you may be charged. This goes for almost any financial situation; credit cards, loans, mortgages. So if you own a car, house and credit cards, you could be wasting thousands of dollars a year in high interest rates. Even raising your credit score a few points could lower your interest rates enough to save money. If your credit score has changed since opening a loan, look at refinancing to lower your interest rate.
If you have a really high interest rate on your credit card and can now qualify for better credit cards, it would be a good idea to sign up for a balance transfer credit card. Many balance transfer credit cards come with a 0% intro APR perk so that you don’t have to pay interest on your balance for up to a year and a half. Here’s a list of good balance transfer credit cards that offer a 0% intro APR.
If you are renting an apartment or applying for a mortgage, you may have to put up a lot more money up front. Most landlords don’t trust people with bad credit, so they will be more likely to charge a larger security deposit. You also might have to put down a larger down payment on a house if you want to qualify for a mortgage with bad credit.
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