{"id":29883,"date":"2019-12-06T13:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T18:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=29883"},"modified":"2020-04-18T06:52:45","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T10:52:45","slug":"make-sure-you-have-the-right-credit-card-before-heading-south-for-the-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/make-sure-you-have-the-right-credit-card-before-heading-south-for-the-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Sure You Have the Right Credit Card Before Heading South for the Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"
Over the past decade or two, there has been a trend of retirees from the Great White North of Canada making their way south of the border to escape the harsh winter months. When you look at the January temperature charts in Saskatchewan and realize there is a negative sign attached to it, it\u2019s difficult to blame anyone trying to avoid it.<\/span><\/p>\n The phenomenon popularly known as snow birds refers to retirees who live in more Northern regions of North America who move into warmer regions towards the south during the winter months and return north once the weather has become more hospitable.<\/span><\/p>\n Before you head down south, you would be wise to properly prepare yourself. Even though things might seem pretty similar down south but with better weather, there are some real differences that, if ignored, might get you in a headache or two during your stay. When it comes to having access to reliable funds, it pays to have the <\/span>best credit cards<\/span><\/a> you can find sitting safely in your wallet.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are a few things you should consider before officially signing up for a credit card. The first and most obvious is what their interest rate would be. The interest rate on your credit card balance greatly determines how much you will need to make in minimum payments and payments in general when the bills start coming in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The greater the interest rate, the greater the proportion of your installments will go towards interest instead of towards paying down principle. This will increase the amount of time you will have to take to pay down the balance in full and greatly increase the amount of money you will eventually pay in interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The annual fee is also something you should know about before signing up for any particular credit card. This is because some credit cards can charge noticeably hefty fees just for the privilege of staying on with them. Sometimes, the fees can add up and might make staying on less logical than switching to another card.<\/span><\/p>\n There can also be many fees that are not explicitly mentioned beforehand but are in the credit agreement you sign. Therefore it is so important for everyone to at least give the credit agreement a look over before putting their signature on the dotted line. Unfortunately, almost no one does this. Do not be like most people.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Those considerations mentioned above are the main caveats for most credit cards in the world, and influence people\u2019s decisions <\/span>when choosing which kind of credit card to apply for<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 With that being said, it does not hurt to look for the fringe benefits that some credit cards offer. In fact, these fringe benefits can really add up sometimes.<\/span><\/p>\n The most common fringe benefit people look for would be the rewards points system on the card. Not all credit cards have rewards points systems built into their policy, but those who do usually work in the same general way. You will get points for every amount of money you spend using your credit card. Once the rewards points have accumulated to a certain level, you will be able to use it.<\/span><\/p>\n There are several ways credit card companies can go about this. Some simply send you a gift card of a certain amount for every number of points you have accumulated. Some credit cards will allow you to use those rewards points as if it were a debit card and put it towards purchases made to vendors who have partnered with the credit card company to accept their rewards points.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another important factor to consider that is specific to a would-be traveler is the credit card\u2019s ability to be <\/span>accepted in foreign countries<\/span><\/a> and jurisdictions. Again, even if you are just hopping over to the States, the currency used is nonetheless different. As such, many credit cards are not able to work because they do not have a currency conversion feature.<\/span><\/p>\n This would usually not be an issue in most cases since purchases are usually done with a local credit card. But with snow birds and other Canadians that travel south for the winter, this becomes an issue when they are looking to make purchases with their credit cards.<\/span><\/p>\nThings To Consider Before Settling On A Credit Card<\/strong><\/h2>\n
On The Lookout For Perks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Currency Conversions<\/strong><\/h2>\n