Common Credit Cards Fees

Getting a credit card is not all, but aware of the common fees that are associated with it. Credit cards fees come in various shapes and sizes and they can subsequently add up to a significant amount of money.
It is recommended to list the most common credit cards fees and when you might get charged. Different types of credit cards charge different kinds of fees and knowing and understanding these in advance will help you to use it wisely.
• Annual Fee:
Annual fee is a yearly fee charged to you as the card holder for using it. Usually the fee is charged annually and some creditors allow you to pay it on monthly or quarterly basis. The fee usually ranges from $25 to $300 per year. Mostly secured cards, charge cards, rewards cards and subprime credit cards charge annual fees. There are also many cards with no annual fees. If you choose a card with annual fee, make sure the benefits the card offers outweighs the cost of the fee.
• Application Fee:
Application fee is the fee charged by the credit issuers for processing your application for credit. All credit cards and mostly secured credit cards charge application fees. But there are many creditors who do not charge an application fee. Such fee usually vary from $10 -$50 per application. You can ask the creditor to waive the fee or apply for a credit card without an application fee.
• Balance Transfer Fee:
Balance transfer fee is charged, if you are transferring the due balance from one credit card to another. There is a small fee usually 1-3% is attached to every balance transfer. It is charge once per balance transfer. Use a credit card that doesn’t charge balance transfer fees.
• Cash Advance Fee:
Cash advance fee is charged if you make a cash advance against your credit limit. Usually 1-3% of the advance per cash advance transaction is charged. The fee may be accessed either as a flat fee amount or as a percentage of the cash advance amount. Cash advance fee typically have higher interests rates than the interest rates for purchases. Such fee doesn’t have any grace period, meaning interest begins accruing on the balance as soon as you borrow it.
• Finance Charge:
Finance charge is an interest fee charged for the convenience of carrying a credit card balance beyond the grace period. Creditors have different methods to calculate finance charge. APR and the balance is used to calculate it. All cards except those with zero percent interest rates charge this fee. To avoid finance charges pay you balance in full before the grace period expires.
• Late Fee:
Late fee is fairly self-explanatory which is charged if your payment arrives after the invoice due dates. This fee usually ranges from $15-$39 each billing cycle. Many credit cards have tiered late fees based on your available credit card balances. To avoid late fees, make your payments on time or call your card issuer ahead of time to make payment arrangements.
• Over-The-Limit Fee:
Over-the-limit is a penalty fee which is charged when you make purchases above your credit limit. All cards with a credit limit charge over-the-limit fee. This fee varies by credit card issuer but usually ranges from $15-$39. According to the federal law a creditor requires your permission before processing a transaction that will cause you to exceed your limit.
• Reward Recovery Fees:
Reward Recovery Fees is applied only to cards that offer various rewards for your purchases and using the card. For example, frequent flier cards. If you don’t make your payments on time on your rewards cards, you may forfeit all the reward points you accumulated. Many card issuers allow you to reclaim the points you earned by charging you a fee.