|
Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt!: Phone Calls to Banks That Saved More Than $43,000 in Interest Charges and Fees | 
 enlarge
| Author: Scott Bilker
Publisher: Press One Pub.
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $16.95
You Save: $3.00 (15%)
New (5) Used (11) from $15.37
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 59860
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 0964840154
Dewey Decimal Number: 332.02402
EAN: 9780964840157
ASIN: 0964840154
Publication Date: March 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: 35
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Learning how to talk your way out of credit card debt is the quickest, easiest, and most efficient way to start saving money! It's true! You can call your credit card banks to negotiate a better interest rate and have fees waived! However, it may not be as easy as picking up the phone and asking. That's because bank representatives are trained to deter you from pursuing the deals you deserve. Overcoming their tactics can be difficult when you don't know what to expect. Scott Bilker, author of Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt, and creator of DebtSmart.com, has spent 10+ years making banks compete for his business. Now, he's sharing his personal phone calls to banks that saved more than $43,000 for himself, his family, and friends! These 52 phone calls, out of the hundreds he has made, demonstrate exactly what worked, what didn't, and why. In each call transcript, for anonymity, banks have been renamed as dog breeds and their reps as bugs.:) In this book you will discover proven negotiation strategies, and build your confidence, while learning how to: (1) get annual fees waived; (2) lower your current interest rates; (3) shop for the best credit card deals; (4) get late-payment, overlimit, and cash-advance fees waived; (5) compare loan options and calculate savings; (6) dispute charges and get all your refunds; (7) negotiate account settlements; and much more!
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 A great read for debt problems! August 28, 2008
J. Keith (Shoreline, WA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Scott writes in a straightforward, common sense style that includes many good tips and advice on how to regain control over out-of-control credit card debt. The best thing he always points out is be willing, in fact, enthused about talking to your credit card people. They are there to help. They are there to help YOU find a way to reign things in and get it back to a manageable amount. Don't be afraid. Be open, ask questions, show your willingness to admit the problem exists and that you are honest, hardworking, and ready to make a good effort to get any problems taken care of as soon as you can. You can get a lot of interest reduced, and some fees waived if you are willing to talk about your problem and show good faith toward resolving it.
When Credit Card Companies Compete for Your Business - You Win! August 6, 2008
James C. Intriglia (Conifer, CO USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you are carrying balances at a high APR rate and your credit card company refuses to lower the rate, then take action and "spank their bottom lines" (page 222). Find a better credit card offer, transfer the balance, and wait a few months for a low-interest rate offer from the same bank to appear in your mailbox. This strategy worked for me and saved me a considerable sum in monthly interest payments.
This was the first strategy I employed after my first night reading Scott's book. The interest I saved paid for my investment in Scott's books many times over. Let me tell you how I applied Scott's strategy to win an incredible promotional offer from the very same credit card company that refused to lower the APR on my account balance.
When I called the credit card company they flatly refused to lower the 26.99% APR. I told the representative that I would find a better rate and transfer the entire balance to their competitor, at which point they would lose the cash flow from my monthly interest payments. The representative still refused as did the supervisor that I spoke with soon after, in spite of agreeing that they would be better off with some monthly interest payment rather than none at all.
I did find a better offer soon after. I transferred the entire balance to a competitor, and then maintained a $0 balance on the account, as Scott advised. Several months passed. I then received a mail offer from the same high-APR credit card company. As I read the terms of the offer, I realized that the same company that could not lower my rate was now offering me a balance transfer deal of up to $4000 at a promotional rate of 3.99% APR Fixed until the balance is paid off (page 233).
Where can you get a $4000 loan @ 3.99% interest fixed, with an unlimited amount of time to pay off the balance? As Scott suggested, credit card companies do take notice when you do take action and transfer balances to a competitor.
I used half the available credit line ($2000) to "fire a shot over the bow" of another stubborn credit card company that I had warned previously about their absurd APR rates. The remaining $2000 balance @ 3.99% percent fixed rate to financed a much-needed home repair.
Needless to say, Scott's strategies are now a part of my own financial management strategy respective of managing debt and improving cash flow. I continue to reduce my debt and reinvest money that I would have otherwise been paid to credit card companies. I have only scratched the surface respective of all of the strategies that Scott provides in his book and via his website.
I highly recommend "Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt" to consumers who carry a balance on their credit cards. It is an excellent guide for those of us that want to learn how to better negotiate with credit card providers to reduce interest rates and uncover the best offers available. If you want to save thousands of dollars over the life of your credit card loans, then this book is a must read for you.
 Negotiation of credit cards July 24, 2008
Mark Mundy (ca)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased this book several years ago, and have been using the "system" ever since first opening it. The comment that this book teaches you to lie is not true. That particular person said that no banks were sending out credit offers now a days because everyone was over extended. While you may not get very many 0% offers, you will still get offers for lower rates then you already have. Take advantage of those. A reduction of 3 to 4 percentage points will make a difference in the time it takes to pay off your debt. Thanks to Scott and his teachings I have taken my debt load WAY down and am my highest interest rate is currently at 2.99% with a majority of it at 0%.
Scott's website provides valuable information, and tips for keeping more of your money in your pocket.
 Talk Your Way Out if Credit Card Debt June 30, 2008
Constance Fox (Riverside, CA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The book was OK, but it did not give me the answer I was looking for. It might be great for someone else. I wanted to lower my interest rate on my credit cards and even though I tried the ideas in the book I could not get the credit card companies to lower my rates. Sorry, I was really hoping it would work.
 It's About Lying to Lower Your Interest Rate June 6, 2008
Kelly Ann (fairfax, va USA)
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book tells you to Lie to your Creditors to get lower interest rates by telling them that you have a lower-interest rate offer with another bank. This book is out of date with the current times. Banks are not sending credit offers to anyone right now because everyone is over extended and maxed out on their credit cards. Even if I was comfortable enough to call and then Lie to my creditors - I think they are more than aware that I don't have another offer from anyone else - and would probably be glad if I did - so that I would pay off their balance. This is not for someone who's in a real credit jam - and in these days- summer of 2008 - credit card co's are Not sending any offers to anybody. I've never missed a payment or been late - but my credit limits have been chopped across the board. There are pages and pages in this book repeating the same phone script - the only option to a lower interest rate is to lie that you've got a better offer. No other options or scripts than that.
|
| Worthwhile Reading | Three Tips to Help Planning Retirement
By Brenda Cyr
Thinking about retirement is not usually on the top of our list of things to do. Then suddenly we reach the point in out life when retirement is close to becoming a reality. At that point, you really need help in planning your retirement. Sure, we think about it from time to time, but never take any action on our thoughts. Don't let lack of action destroy your retirement, and leave you working well into your seventies. Use these three tips to help plan your retirement and to get started today.
1. Be Realistic about Retirement. Most people don't take the time to sit down and figure out how much money they will need for their retirement. Here is an easy way to plan what you'll need for retirement. Take the amount of money you are now living on per year, and subtract the amount of money you can save once the kids move out, and you downsize to a smaller home and car. Take that amount and multiply it by how many years you think you will need to live on your savings. The average life expectancy is 80 years.
2. Make a Budget. This will be one of the biggest helpers for planning retirement finances. Take out a sheet of paper and write down all your monthly expenses. Include your utilities, credit cards, groceries, and everything that you spend money on through the month. Make sure that you add a set amount for retirement savings. The next step is to subtract this amount from your take home income. Do you have anything left over? If you do, that is excellent. You can use these savings for a rainy day account.
3. Cut Back on Expenses. You already knew this was coming. You have a budget, and know what you are spending; now it's time to see where you can cut back so you can put more money into your retirement account. You don't have to cut out all the luxuries in your life, but you might find that by renting movies more often, rather than taking the family to the theater will let you enjoy more luxuries when you retire.
These three tips will help you get started saving for your retirement. Of course, there are many resources available to help planning for retirement. There are many aspects of retirement to consider as well- your health, your social life, your leisure activities and hobbies. By following these three tips, you will be taking action to help you plan for the best retirement possible.
Are you really ready to retire? Get our free report- How to Supercharge Your Retirement, and make sure you can enjoy the retirement you deserve. Visit http://www.RetirementPlanningHandbook.com today.
|
|
|
|
|
| | Retirement Facts | | Whether a worker is offered and participates in a retirement plan at work depends greatly on what type of worker the person is:
• Public-sector workers have the highest level of participation in a retirement plan (75.8% in 2004), while parttime workers typically are not offered a retirement plan or rarely participate when they are.
• Among all workers, less than half (41.9% in 2004) participate in a retirement plan.
• Among full-time, full-year wage and salary workers, more than half (56.6% in 2004) participate in a retirement plan.
|
|
|
|
