The holidays are over and done… or so you thought. A sobering reminder of how costly the month of December can be is when your credit card statement comes in with a total that includes all your holiday purchases and they amount to more than what you originally planned to spend. If you’re not sure where to start on paying your balance down, you have three options:

1. Pay it off in full
   This, by far, will save you the most money because you will not pay extra money on your purchases in interest.
   
   
2. Pay down your credit card in monthly installments until the debt is paid off
   This is the most expensive option because you will pay interest on your purchases until pay off the entire credit card balance.
   
   
3. Transfer the balance to a credit card like Signal Financials’ Signature Visa ^®1 Cash Back Credit Card, that offers you multiple ways to save.
   Transfer the balance on your credit card to a card like this, which doesn’t charge a fee to new cardholders for the balance transfer. This will allow you to make your monthly payments without paying interest for the first 6 months (which in financial lingo translates to 0% APR promotional rate²). If you already have the card, then you may still qualify for the savings on interest for a 6-month period.
   
   This is by far the most advantageous method of paying down your holiday debt, after paying off the balance in full.

You can also get cash back rewards when you apply for Signal Financials’ Signature Visa ^®1 Cash Back Credit Card.This cash-back credit card has a 0% APR promotional rate² and the first six months is interest free.

In addition, you can receive 5% unlimited promotional cash back on home-related purchases³ for the first 12 months. This means you can get cash back when you need to make purchases for new appliances, décor or when your handy-man comes to fix any damages to your home.

If overseeing a household is not really your thing yet that’s cool too. With this card you also get 2% unlimited cash back on all purchases⁴…every day. Talk about a deal.

There are plenty of ways to join Signal Financial FCU. Complete the easy online application here and relieve yourself from that holiday bill stress.

Additional Card Benefits:

• No annual fee.
• No foreign transaction fee.
• No limit on how much cash you get back.
• 0% intro APR²on all purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers for the first 6 months after card activation. After 6 months, the standard variable rate will apply, 11.75%-13.75% depending on credit worthiness.
• $0 intro fee⁵on all new balance transfers and cash advances for the first 6 months after card activation. After 6 months, a fee of $10 or 2.5% of the transfer/advance (whichever is greater) will apply.
• 0% promo APR⁶on all new balance transfers and cash advances for the first 6 months after the transfer or advance with a fee of 2.5% or $10, whichever is greater. After 6 months, the standard variable rate will apply, 11.75%-13.75% depending on credit worthiness (ongoing offer for the life of the card).

For more useful tips, information and advice on financial empowerment, follow us on Facebook at: facebook.com/SignalFinancialFCU.

We’re also on Twitter and Instagram at: @signalfcu

— Written by Leah Dorsey

1 Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for the Signature Visa credit card may vary and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. The interest rate for purchases and cash advances is determined by the Prime Rate published in the Money Rates section of the Wall Street Journal. If the prime rate has changed on the last day of the quarter, your APR will change within the first fifteen (15) days of the next quarter. Minimum interest rate for the Signature Visa is 11.75%; maximum interest is 13.75%. Interest rates for the Signal Visa Signature consist of the Prime Rate + margin and depend on the member’s creditworthiness. Cash back benefits apply only to purchases made with the member’s Signature Visa credit card. Cash back is credited to the member’s credit card account at the end of each billing cycle. Member must be in good standing to receive cash back benefits. Cash back will be removed from the member’s account if the qualifying purchase is returned/refunded. Rates, benefits, and fees are subject to change at any time without notice.

2 Promotional 5% cash back offer available on new Signal Financial FCU Signature Visa credit cards for the 12 months after card activation. For existing cardholders, 5% cash back offer is available from April 8, 2019 to April 7, 2020. After 12 months, cash back returns to the standard cash back rate of 2% for all purchases. 5% cash back will be credited to the member’s credit card account for purchases made at qualifying merchants in the categories of home improvement, home decor, and home repair.

3 2 Offer of 2% cash back is a standard feature of the Signature Visa credit card and applies to all valid purchases made with the Signature Visa credit card, subject to other restrictions.

4 No balance transfer fee or cash advance fee will be charged for the first 6 months after card activation. For any new balance transfers or cash advances initiated 6 months or more after card activation, a fee of $10 or 2.5% of the transfer/advance (whichever is greater) will apply.