Why student loans are better than credit cards

Feb 4
00:25

2005

Vanessa McHooley

Vanessa McHooley

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

You need some more money for college expenses this semester. Do you whip out a credit card to pay for your books, or do you apply for a federal or private loan? Well, consider the options

mediaimage

-With a federal loan,Why student loans are better than credit cards Articles your interest rate will be low (around 5%) and your payments will be deferred until 6-9 months after graduation.-With a private loan, the interest rate will be slightly higher than with a federal loan but will still be lower than average. In addition, you will only need to make interest payments until after graduation.-With a credit card, on the other hand, the interest rate can be as high as 21%. Interest begins accruing almost immediately, and you need to begin paying off the bill the next month.This is not to say that credit cards do not have a place in your college life. It is good to have one national card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) on hand to help you build a positive credit history and to provide security in emergencies. When you decide to apply for a card, compare annual fees, interest rates, and introductory offers. And to keep yourself out of debt, try to—-Pay your balance each month to avoid interest charges-Pay your bill on time to avoid late charges-Avoid cash advances, which come with large finance charges and interest that begins accruing immediately.This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more on how Student loans are better than credit cards at http://www.NextStudent.com.

Also From This Author

How to Search for Scholarships

How to Search for Scholarships

Finding scholarships for college or a major university is a lot like picking an actual college. It is not an easy process or something that just happens overnight, but rather, it takes hard work, dedication, and a lot of research to find the scholarship opportunities that are best for you. On the one hand, you are putting a lot of time, work, and effort into finding a scholarship. But just think about the thousands of dollars that you can save by obtaining a scholarship for college.
Parent Loans

Parent Loans

If you are entering college soon, but have no idea how you are going to pay for anything from books to your actual tuition fees, chances are that you are going to be relying upon your parents in some way, shape, or form. For most first-time college undergraduates, college or university tuition is either paid through grants, because parents’ financial information allows the use of grants, scholarships, because of academic or athletic prowess, or loans, because students can not pay for college or a university outright.
No-Cost Student Loan Consolidation

No-Cost Student Loan Consolidation

A no-cost student loan consolidation – doesn’t that just sound too good to be true? Think about it. You have just accrued thousands of dollars in debt through student loans after 4 years of college, or possibly even more. Then, a company offers to take all of your loans off of your hands, put them into one central loan, and do it all for free! Well, while it might not be too good to be true, it all depends around your particular situation, which could make this a “free” process, or could still work out to the benefit of the consolidation company that you are working with throughout the process.