Getting an instance decision on a credit card application

The process of applying for a credit card – or for any other form of finance for that matter – hasn’t always been a simple one, and there was a time when it seemed to take forever to find and apply for a credit card, and even then you had to endure a further lengthy [...]

Victims of lost data could get free credit checks

According to a recent report the 25 million victims of the data that was lost by HM Revenue and Customs could be entitled to free credit checks from the country’s major credit reference agencies. Although the government has been in talks with credit reference agencies over the provision of free credit reports for those affected [...]

Credit squeeze could get worse

A recent report has shown that the global credit squeeze that has had a hold on the UK since last summer could still get worse, which could spell increased misery for households. Lenders have said that both consumers and businesses could suffer, and that they are bracing themselves for an increase in the level of [...]

Life of balance transfer credit cards

Many credit card users have benefited from balance transfer credit cards over recent years, as these credit cards have enabled savvy consumers to save a fortune on interest on their credit cards debts. Most standard credit cards charge very high rates of interest, and those that do not pay their balances off in full each [...]

How are credit card firms increasing rates?

There have been numerous reports of late that have shown that the cost of borrowing on a credit card was on the up, and whilst the interest rate is now at the same level as it was in 2006 the cost of borrowing on credit cards, and many other forms of finance, has rocketed during [...]

Tighter credit condition even hit wealthier consumers

Whilst anyone on low income will most likely have experienced the recent woes when it comes to getting credit as a result of the tighter credit conditions that have come into play because of the global credit crunch, it also appears that many wealthier consumers have also been affected. According to a recent report credit [...]

Report shows families under financial strain

A recent study that was conducted by the Centre for Policy Studies has shown that many families in the UK are still under considerable financial strain. Taxes, bills, and living costs have risen far more quickly than wages, and this has made it difficult for consumers to stretch their monthly income as far as it [...]

Competition Commission to crackdown on PPI

Payment Protection Insurance, otherwise simply known as PPI, has been at the centre of controversy for some time now. Over recent years there has been much evidence of this type of insurance being mis-sold, and the past couple of years has seen the Financial Services Authority really cracking down on the lenders and providers that [...]

Is Britain the most expensive place to live in the Western world?

Is Britain now the most expensive place to live in the Western world? This is what many people may well have been asking themselves over recent months, with house prices that are out of this world after a ten year boom, rapidly rising bills, increased petrol and food costs, below inflation pay rises, and blundering [...]

More people spend more money on their credit cards on Saturdays

A recent report has highlighted how many people spend far more money on their credit cards on Saturdays compared to any other day of the week. In fact, the research indicated that over our lifetimes the average cardholder will spend in excess of half a million on a credit card just on Saturdays, reflecting the [...]

Consumers not careful enough over plastic card security

With plastic card fraud on the increase, and fraudster finding increasingly sophisticated methods through which to rip people off, it has become increasingly important for cardholders to exercise caution and take steps to protect themselves against card fraud. However, officials from one consumer campaign group have stated that they are concerned over the slack attitudes [...]

Many people paying mortgage with their credit card

A credit card is something that most people in the past have used because it offers convenience, ease, security, and a fallback in case of financial emergencies. Many people use a credit card because they can earn rewards by spending on it, and others simply like the convenience and security of not having to carry [...]

Rise in credit card complaint levels

According to a recent report there has been a sharp rise in the level of credit card related complaints. Over the past year the level of complaints relating to various areas of credit cards has rocketed, according to officials, with a number of factors resulting in consumers making complaints. The figures come from the Financial [...]

Is Britain prepared for the credit crunch?

The global credit crunch made its way to the UK last summer, and since then has been wreaking havoc in the financial markets in the UK. Many industry officials have said that these effects are set to continue over the coming year and beyond, but just how prepared is Britain for the ongoing effects of [...]

Credit card firms try to tempt consumers into expensive cash withdrawals

As if households in the UK haven’t got it hard enough when it comes to their finances, it appears that some credit card firms are playing on the financial instability of their customers by trying to entice them into taking out cash from a cash point using their credit card. The credit card providers lead [...]

Good credit card payers being penalised by credit card firms

Many consumers that use their credit cards regularly, repay the balance in a timely and responsible manner, and are not knee deep in debt, are being penalised by credit card companies according to a recent report. The report suggests that credit card companies are penalising good paying customers because they are not generating enough profit [...]

Get your card provider to cut your interest rate

An industry official has suggested that many customers could be paying for too much interest on their credit cards, stating that credit card companies have failed to cut the interest rate on cards despite three recent cuts in the base rate from the Bank of England. In fact, industry experts state that credit card companies [...]

Cheque use in UK continues to decline

Recent reports have shown how the use of cheques in the UK is continuing to decline, further fuelled by a number of leading retailers now placing a ban on the use of cheques, branding them time consuming and costly to process given the reduced popularity of cheques as a method of payment. Paying by cheque [...]

Rejected Credit Card Applications - What Now?

Most of us know how it feels to be rejected for credit. There is hardly anyone out there who has not, at some point been rejected, and most of us still are for a good proportion of what we apply to.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of, applying for credit is just one of those things [...]

Credit Card Protection - How Covered Are We?

Many credit card and bank account holders are being spoon fed, allsorts of flannel and that’s what it is flannel about all of the protection that they are offering us when it to fraud on our credit cards.
So many now are telling us that they are offering credit card protection for fraud on our purchases [...]

Making Money With Credit Cards

So here’s the thing: if we exclude those people that are disciplined enough to pay off their credit card balances every month and aren’t actually interested in playing the system for all its worth, then we can see the credit card world is divided into two:

those who are up to their eyes in debt
those [...]

Credit Card Minimum Payments – The True Cost OF Living On The “Never Never”

The most unfortunate thing with making a purchase on your credit card is that at some point you are going to be asked to repay the debt incurred. Now, when the statement arrives you’ll have 3 repayment options:
(i) repay the entire balance;
(ii) repay a sum of the balance, but not all; or
(iii) make the minimum [...]

Increase in debit card popularity

A recent report has shown that there was an increase in the use of debit cards at UK retailers last year. Over the course of last year the level of spending on debit cards at retailers across the nation is said to have spiked by around 11%. Whilst consumers tend to enjoy the convenience and [...]

Be careful with your PIN

Most people know what a pain in the backside it can be to be standing at the cash point machine or in a queue of people in a shop only to realise that our debit or credit card PIN has escaped our minds completely. From time to time many of us have a mental block [...]

Barclays accused of trying to get consumers to get deeper into debt

Barclays Bank has been at the centre of fresh controversy recently after being accused of encouraging consumers to get even further into credit card debt. Credit card debt levels in the UK are already through the roof, and experts feel that the introduction of a new card from Barclays, which is due to be put [...]