True Cost of Credit Cards

I came across a good article the other day that helps to explain how credit cards work when you only pay the minimum balance.  It is worth reading to remind yourself that there is great power that comes in disciplining ourselves to live within our means and save a little each month that can go towards bigger purchases later.

It is easy to find ourselves buried under credit card debt in a huge hurry.  Make a commitment to yourself to pay off any debt you are carrying as quickly as possible.  To those of you who don't have a balance, I have to say, "Way to go!  Keep refusing to charge items you can't pay for."

The True Cost of Credit Cards

Credit Cards Make Buying Things Easy, But At a Significant Cost

By Jeremy Vohwinkle, About.com Guide

Credit card offers are hard to resist. It would be tough for most people to pass up an offer for a 56 inch plasma television worth $2500 for only $50 a month on a credit card. Even though many individuals can afford a $50 monthly payment, they may not realize that they will end up paying more in interest than for the original cost of the television.

It is a common mistake to let yourself get used to paying only the minimum amount that is due on your credit card bill. A small monthly payment may seem insignificant. However, the payment may not look so insignificant when you understand the true cost of credit cards and interest.

Take for example, let's say that you really did go out and buy a new plasma television for $2,500. You used a credit card that had an annual percentage rate (APR) of 18 percent. In addition, your minimum monthly payment may be as low as $50 like in the example mentioned above. However, in order to calculate your total long-term costs you will need to know how your minimum payment was determined.

A minimal payment is typically determined by using a percentage of your entire balance. The percentage amount is usually about 2 percent but can vary depending on the card. Keep in mind that the minimum payment goes towards the interest charge and to the original amount that you owed. In this case, the original amount was $2,500.

For the $2,500 plasma television, 2 percent of your original debt would be $50. With an APR of 18 percent, your payment would cover $38 in interest and $13 towards your $2500 liability. After the first payment, you would still owe $2487. The basic formula is:

1.    Divide 18 percent by 360 days of the year which equals .05 percent.

2.    Multiply .05 percent times 30 calendar days which is 1.5.

3.    Finally, multiply 1.5 by the $2500 original balance which equals $37.50 ($38 rounded) in interest.

The True Cost of That Purchase

If you paid only 2 percent of your total balance due every month, it would take 334 months to pay off your debt. In other words, it would require 28 years to pay off a $2,500 liability. The television will probably have stopped working long before you have paid it off.

Even if you decided to pay for 28 years, you would also have paid $5897 in interest. Your true cost for the 56 inch plasma television would end up being $8397.

Letting Interest Work For You

However, image what you might have earned if you had put the $50 into a savings account for 28 years. Even at today's current low rates it would have been a substantial amount.

For instance, let's say you started a savings account or opened a CD with a 5 percent rate and deposited $50 every month for 28 years. Also, let's include what you would have paid in taxes with a tax rate of 25% on the income that generated.

Your total savings would have been $29,648. You would have earned $17,130 in interest income. Your total tax cost would have been $4,283. After taxes, you would have made an extra $12,847. You could have paid for the television in cash and had plenty of money left over.

Don’t Fall Into the Credit Card Trap

A lot of individuals get tempted by the credit advertisements and deals that are too good to be true. However, when you look at the long-term consequences, the low monthly payment offers will usually cost you a lot more money.

It is a good idea to learn about how much a credit card transaction would really cost before going through with the purchase. You can check for yourself at About.com's credit and debt management calculator section. This section has a special “minimal payment credit card calculator” that can tell you:

·         Your total cost with minimum payments.

·         How many payments it will take to pay off the entire balance with minimum payments.

·         How different rates will affect the total costs.

Credit companies usually make huge profits by offering teaser rates and low minimum payments. It is one way of maintaining their income by keeping consumers in debt for 10, 20 or even 30 years. Instead of adding to their income, you might consider building a savings account by depositing what you would have spent on your minimal monthly credit card payments.

Credit cards can play an important role in our lives. They can provide emergency funds for a major car accident or another critical situation and allow you to recover quickly in a time of need. If you have to use credit, pay your bill in full each month. If you have to rely on making smaller payments try to pay at least $10 over the minimum payment and only charge items that you can truly afford. This can save you thousands of dollars in interest charges.