Ok, let’s face it, everybody hates high credit card rates, and 
they drain hard earned money out of your wallet. As a valued 
consumer, it is apparent that you learn how to negotiate to 
get the absolute best rate that you possibly can. The good 
news however is that it doesn’t have to be a difficult or 
time-consuming process. In fact, it can be very easy indeed if 
you know what you’re doing. In this article we will discuss the 
ins and outs of credit card negotiating to ensure that you get 
the best possible rate with the least amount of effort.


   1. First and foremost, you should figure out if you even 
want to continue using your current credit card company 
http://the-credit-card-shop.co.uk/credit-card-company.htm . 
Are you pleased with the overall service that you are receiving? 
Do you like their benefits? If the answer is yes then you can 
proceed. If not, you should stop reading this article and start 
looking for a better company.


   2. Second, you should evaluate your paying history and make 
sure that it is positive before you call to negotiate. If it 
is positive then you have power and if it isn’t then you’ll be 
negotiating from a position of weakness and that might not be 
good. Instead, you should wait until it is more positive before 
you call them to negotiate rates.


   3. Third, if you have a good history then remember this when 
you call. In essence, you’ll have extremely high negotiating 
power. The company needs your business in order to be successful 
and with clients they lose big time. Therefore, you should always 
display this “take them or leave them attitude” while conducting 
your negotiations. 


   4. Draft up a script and memorize it. It can be as simple as 
“Hello, my name is Bill and I have been a cardholder for X years 
and I consistently pay my bills on a time. Well recently I have 
been receiving all types of credit card offers from XYZ bank 
indicating that I qualify for an extremely low interest rate 
of X and am considering leaving you and going there if you 
can’t offer me a lower rate. Is this something that you can 
help me with? 


   5. Practice, practice and practice some more with your script 
until you are completely and totally used to it. Once you are, 
contact the company. Read your script and see what happens.


   6. If you get a hard nose customer service representative 
then don’t threaten her. Be agreeable and ask to speak to 
his/her supervisor. If that is not possible, be nice to her 
and try again she may have some leeway. If you like your 
present company, you can even try negotiating interest rates 
http://the-credit-card-shop.co.uk/low-interest-credit-cards.htm ,
annual and even those yucky late fees. 


   7. However, if you’re fed up, have an alternative company in 
the wings, and your current company won’t budge with their rates 
then be willing to take your business elsewhere. After all, you 
hold the power so don’t be afraid to use it! They key however is 
to not bluff but to follow through with your threat. Close the 
account, ask for them to send you notification in the mail, 
cancel the credit card and use another card.


In conclusion, you can be successful with the negotiating 
process if you follow the above mentioned tips.  If your current 
company is unwilling to cooperate then you should simply take 
your business elsewhere. You’re better off with another credit 
card company that values your savvy negotiating skills! 

Claire Bowes is a successful freelance writer and owner of the 
Credit Card Centre http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/ where
you will find further advice and tips on the best credit card 
deals http://the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/best-credit-cards.html 
, 0% credit cards and small business credit cards. 
http://the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/business-credit-cards.html