Credit Card News
Dreaming of an interest-free Christmas
The number of people applying for interest-free credit cards surged by more than 15.6 per cent in November as cash-strapped shoppers rushed to put Christmas on plastic, new figures from MoneyExpert.com show.
Government's agreement with credit card companies
Commenting on the Government's agreement with credit card companies to give more help to customers, Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com said: "The agreement between the Treasury and credit card companies looks like a classic summit communiqué - which says a lot and means nothing.
Barclaycard issues one millionth contactless card in UK
Barclaycard has announced that it has reached its target of issuing one million contactless cards in the UK. As well as this, all newly issued Barclaycard Platinum cards will now include contactless technology.
178 Pret A Manger shops across UK to go contactless
Barclaycard and Commidea Ltd have announced that Pret A Manger, the high-street food chain, is the latest retailer to offer contactless payment facilities to its customers.
Cash shock on the cards for Christmas
Christmas shoppers tempted to hit their plastic to take out cash face paying average interest rates of a massive 24.8 per cent, new research from MoneyExpert.com reveals.
Internet shopping gift card makes gift giving easy
The new 3V Visa Internet Shopping Gift Card means that present givers everywhere can get it right this Christmas. It’s the first gift card in the UK that lets the lucky recipient shop on the internet and choose the present that they really want, because the 3V Visa Internet Shopping Gift Card lets you buy anything anywhere online that accepts Visa.
uSwitch.com: Credit card bosses and Business Secretary
In light of today's Whitehall summit between credit card bosses and Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, to discuss whether firms should cut interest rates, Louise Bond, Personal Finance Expert at uSwitch.com comments: "Finally the government is sitting up and taking notice of money making initiatives inflicted on consumers by credit card providers.
Callcredit supports APACS data sharing initiative
Callcredit, the credit reference agency, has announced its support of the APACS data sharing initiative describing the move as "an important step towards combating over-indebtedness".
Government warning to credit card companies
Sean Gardner, Director, MoneyExpert.com, said: "The credit card market seems to have been operating on a different planet as far as rates are concerned for some time now and given the recession worries it's no surprise the Government has taken this step.
Government to hold credit card summit
Secretary of State for Business Peter Mandelson and Consumer Affairs Minister Gareth Thomas will hold a Summit with the credit card industry to address mounting concerns that credit card borrowers aren't getting a fair deal in the downturn.
Enjoy Christmas without the credit card trimmings
Shoppers funding Christmas with a credit card could face debts that hang around long after the decorations come down.
Costly credit could inflate Christmas spend by 52%
With cheap credit becoming increasingly hard to find, Christmas shoppers could be forced to resort to expensive alternatives.
Consumers splurge £3.6 billion on credit card cheques
uSwitch.com's credit card cheque investigation has revealed that more than 14.1 million UK consumers have been sent more than 280 million credit card cheques in the last year, 97% of these were unsolicited. 3.2 million of these cheques have been used by consumers spending a staggering £3.6 billion.
15 million miss out on free gifts this Christmas
Only 45% of UK Credit Cardholders are using a Credit Card that rewards their spending in any way, according to research by American Express Platinum Cashback Credit Card. More than half of all Credit Cardholders (51%) do not have a reward card, 8% fewer than the 2006 figure (43%).
Lenders tighten minimum income rules for new applicants
Nearly half of all credit cards (47%) now require applicants to have a minimum income with an average of just over £18,000 needed in order to qualify, according to new research from MoneyExpert.com.