Individuals who find themselves in credit trouble often bring this about through spending on unsecured loans. These loans include credit cards and medical bills, advancements of money without anything put down to secure the debt. Spending this "free" money often spirals out of control as individuals do not have anything on which to curb their habits. The result is overextension to the point where they must seek help in order to repair their credit, which results in a bad credit score. To make matters worse, individuals with a bad credit history will find that they have trouble getting any credit in the future on unsecured loans, and without this access many can expect their standard of living to come down. Many credit card companies now offer credit cards that can be used by individuals even with bad credit. Secured credit cards, as they are sometimes called, give people with bad credit a chance to once again use a credit card and the opportunity to repair their credit on their own. Unlike other credit cards, these types of cards usually operate on a secured loan basis. In order to be approved for this loan, individuals must first open up an approved loan account with a financial institution designated by the credit card company. This loan will be on a fixed amount, anywhere from $300 to $5000 and upwards. In order to secure the loan, individuals will be asked to put up collateral against any default of payments to the institution. It is vital to recognize that in the case of a default, the collateral may be put up for auction; often this will be the cardholder's house or other property. In itself, this often provides enough incentive for people with a bad spending history to get back some self-control. Because of the secured nature of the credit card through the loan, an individual holding a secured credit card is able to determine his or her own credit limit. This limit is set according to the amount of the loan that is taken out. Holders of this type of card can also take advantage of programs which can help with credit repair. As is customary with secured credit cards, they make monthly reports to the three credit bureaus of the United States. These bureaus are the companies in charge of assessing the credit ratings of individuals from all over the country through access to certain financial information. With this information, they also compile credit scores and keep up to date with financial habits in order to help an individual's credit score to go back to a positive number. These credit cards usually offer introductory rates of around an APR of 14.9%. Users of these cards can also expect to pay a fee annually and are comparatively low due to the secured nature of the card. Finally, holders of secured credit cards have access to the Internet options available through the issuing bank. Online services usually include an easy to use application form, access to accounts and account management 24 hours a day, and answers to a number of frequently asked questions.
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