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How to Get Out of an Upside Down Auto Loan
Getting upside down on car loan, sometimes also referred as underwater on car loan means your loan exceeds the current value of your vehicle or in other words you owe more on the loan than you could expect to get by car sale or trade-in deal. As you can’t pay off the loan with the income from selling the car due to the negative equity in auto loan, so you’re stuck with the car and the loan payments.
Of course, nobody likes being upside down on their auto loan whereby the car you want to trade-in is worth $6K and you still owe $10k on it. Despite the fact, almost 40% of the Americans end up being upside down on their auto loans.
Following are the reasons which act against the people to gain equity out of their vehicle while turning them upside down on their loan. However, being upside down can only be problematic to those who are looking to trade-in their car while owing on auto loan.
>>Low down payment or no money down A lot of borrowers avoid making down payment thinking of saving their cash on hand, but it ultimately adds on the interest amount.
>>Longer term Getting a car loan for five years or more can also increase your chances of owe more in interest than you will on the car. Thus, even if your payment seems affordable, in the true sense you are paying a lot more in interest.
>>Rolling old car payment to new car loan Some people with an intention to get rid of this situation transfer their old car’s remaining balance into a new auto loan. And thus add extra debt on their new auto loan which makes them to increase their monthly payments while being upside down all over again.
>>Higher interest rate: While accepting vehicle loan, it may happen that you are forced to take a higher interest rate either due to bad credit or any other reason which leads to raise your payment to interest more than principle.
>>Paying high for car: This happens especially when you buy an automobile from a private seller without checking the blue book value, and end up paying more on your car. While also when you purchase a car you cannot afford.
How to get out of this situation?
Prepayment: Prepayment could be an excellent way to pay off the loan faster. However, you need to make sure that your current loan does not include any prepayment penalties that could restrict you from paying additional cash. Thus, you can make extra payments each month and can get rid from being upside down.
Refinancing upside down car loan: Car loan refinancing can also be a good option to lower the interest rates while redefining your loan terms such as shortening your term period which can help you from being upside down. However, sometimes lenders does not provide you traditional refinance car loan, in such a case you can opt for a home equity loan which is a type of secured loans and have comparatively lower rates. Getting this loan can help you to pay off your loan quickly without spending extra cash.
Avoiding the situation in future:
Making the down payment (at least 20%). Not having loan terms more than 5 years. Prefer buying a used car as new cars depreciate much faster. Keep your car loan payment limited to 20% of your income.
4 Things the Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards Have in Common
Anyone who has ever dealt with balance transfer credit cards knows that some of them tend to outshine the others. In fact, the difference between one balance transfer credit card and another can be like the difference between night and day.
So how do you determine which balance transfer credit cards are the good ones and which aren’t? By looking for these four telltale signs.
1. A Low Interest Rate
Almost all balance transfer credit cards have a low interest rate when you sign up for the card, but the best balance transfer credit cards have interest rates that stay low.
Oftentimes consumers jump at the chance to transfer their credit card balances to a card with a impressively-low interest rate, not realizing that the rate jumps up after six months or so. If you do this, once the introductory period ends, you may be in worse shape than you were before.
If you have a $3,000 balance on your credit card and you’re paying 16.99 percent, it can be tempting to search for balance transfer credit cards with a 0-percent introductory rate. But ask yourself — what is the interest rate going to be when that 0-percent period is over? If it’s higher than 16.99 percent, do you really want to transfer your balance to that card?
Instead of worrying about a low-interest introductory period, look for balance transfer credit cards that offer a low interest rate for the long term.
2. Whatever Happened to Grace?
Do you remember the good old days? Back when a 30-day grace period was the norm? Those days are long gone. Nowadays you’re lucky if you get a 20-day grace period and some credit cards aren’t offering grace periods at all.
Interest isn’t the only thing you should concern yourself with when looking at balance transfer credit cards. Make sure that the credit card you apply for has a grace period of no less than 20 days.
3. They Want You To Pay What?
With balance transfer credit cards competing so hard for business, you’d think they’d be willing to bend over backwards to get your account. Not so…
Surprisingly enough, many balance transfer credit cards charge a balance transfer fee to transfer your debt. Usually the fee is calculated as a percentage of the balance being transfered and, depending on how high your balance is, that fee can amount to quite the pretty penny.
Do yourself a favor — only apply for balance transfer credit cards that don’t charge a balance transfer fee. Regardless of what the other credit card companies want you to think, they ARE out there.
4. The Importance of Online Access
Most credit card companies offer online account access nowadays, but the scope of that online access and what is required to get it often differs. Some balance transfer credit cards make you pay for online account access and others charge you a fee to make payments online.
Before applying for balance transfer credit cards, make sure that the cards you are interested in offer free online account access and don’t make you pay for the privilege of online payments.
With credit card debt becoming the norm and so many companies offering balance transfer solutions, it’s important that you find the credit card that fits you perfectly. Don’t settle for just any old balance transfer card. Pay close attention to the above four tips to find the best balance transfer credit cards on the market.