Telegraph looking for tarts!

EmmaSimon

Rate tarts of course!

We are writing a feature this Sunday about people who move their debts from one 0% credit card to the next, so avoiding interest charges. I am looking for people to interview for the article, and thought this website would be an excellent place to start. If you are interested (and just to warn you we would like to take a picture as well) please contact me on emma.simon@telegraph.co.uk

I have spoken to Martin who is happy for this posting to go up.

On a related issue has anyone ever ran into trouble with credit ratings as a result of being a rate tart?

Cheers

Emma

MSE_Martin

Just to confirm the above is real. Emma is from the Tel and has asked permission and am more than happy for her to do so. (and she's said she'll be nice to people so don't worry )

Martin

Robert_Sterling_3

Deal me out.
The last thing I want publicised is my rate tarting.

smartsaver

Deal me out.
The last thing I want publicised is my rate tarting.

Me too - who would give a known 'tart' a card

MSE_Martin

To be honest I wouldn't worry about that - all info is on the credit score and they don't specifically count out in that way

martin

EmmaSimon

The point of the article is to show people how they can beat the card companies at their own game and make the most of all the introductory rates at present.

It always helps to have a real-life example. Personal finance sections are peppered with them, and nine times out of ten it is just someone plugging one company's products.

I would rather have far more useful example for readers, who can actually add something to the feature. It seems on this site, plus others like BBC forum there are a lot of switched on people making the most of their finances, rather than getting ripped off by the big providers - and was just hoping to talk to a few!

Lopo

Dont think this would really benefit anyone much.....?  ???

Even if it the article did and inspired others to try it out - someone is bound to misunderstand or simply error,...get stung when it all goes horribly wrong - before you know it there will be another suicidal in debt person out there, and I would not personally want to be a part of that.  

I did not think stoozing will come to an end but it now seems as the methods are becoming more and more public and sensationalised that the cc lenders will devise a method to make it uneconomical - the introduction of the 2% or £35/£50 fee by MBNA is only the begining.  Its clear £35 wasnt preventing people, so they upped it to £50....what is next ?

It doesnt help confessed stoozers, and it certainly wont help the cc lenders following the influx of people who then wish to give it a go and then maybe get it wrong.  To someone really in debt, they may actually suffer as a result too as the future offers could come with heavier conditions
(BIG transfer fees / actual % minimum repayments rather than £5.00!! etc....).  I'm not saying this is just for people with good credit and to those in the know... Someone genuinely in debt will seek out genuine help, stoozing is not an option for someone in debt to begin with hence advertising the benefits of stoozing in this manner is just wrong....

Imagine indicating in the papers an individual gained £80K out of thin air plus say upto £2-3k in interest yearly...to those in debt, it simply wont help.  Yes its not the point of the article, but the undertones and ingredients for making it go wrong are certainly there... People make errors, some are even detailed on this site, often even laughed at in some cases... the article consequences would worry me.

Ironically....this is just my stoozed 2 pence worth of opinion!!

Lopo

Joe_Bloggs

Lopo is a great read and always talks sense.

I was researching my confused memories and I discovered kleptocracy here. A few money saving tips are glossed over and it's old news.
After further chaotic searching I stumbled onto the word kleptography. This appears to be stealing someones story for free. If this tarting thing is so easy then it is surely worth Emma Simon and her fellow workers giving it a try in an unbiased trial. Why write second hand stuff when you do it first hand ?
J_B (The Sword of Truth is My Thingy, Erm Whatever)

deemy2004

I'll do it if the telegraph lends me £10k for 12 months at 0% ! ;D

8)

ashmit

I thought Emma was talking about people who just move their 'real' debt from card to card, rather than people who have the entire amount in savings.

I'd do it, but I'm at work all week and don't really have any spare time - and seeing as I just worked out this week it's going to take me til 2011 to pay off all my debts, I don't think I'm the most inspiring example..... :-[

Mad_gooner

I would do if it were not for the fact I work for a Credit Card company so my employers would probably not look favourably on it.