High interest rates can be a massive drain on your finances. If you are stuck with loans or credit cards at high rates, it can seem as though practically every cent goes to pay the interest and that the principal balance never seems to shrink. That means you may think it might be a wise move to consolidate credit card debt and reduce your annual interest rates to a figure that is more manageable. On the surface, it may seem prudent to transfer a credit card with a annual percentage rate of 16 percent to another card carrying a lower rate, such as 13 percent. But before you make the balance transfer, be sure you investigate the fine print of your contract with the lower-rate card, as you may find that there are “hidden” fees that could come back to bite you when you actually do consolidate credit card debt.
So what should you look out for?
Some credit card companies charge a “balance transfer fee” that you will have to pay when moving the balance from your higher-rate card to the new credit card. In many cases this fee is a flat rate, one time charge of $35 or $45. However, some consumers report that they’ve been shocked to learn that...