Product NameBalance TransferPurchasesRewardsTypical APR (Variable)Product
Reviews
MBNA Balance Transfer Card
MBNABalance Transfer Card
0%
16 months
2.9% fee 
0%
3 months
No rewards
16.8%APR
Read
review
  • Benefits from positive payment order
  • Transfer money to your current account
  • Free text message alerts/mobile banking
  • No transfers from MBNA or Virgin cards
  • 18.9% APR on transferred balances
Barclaycard Platinum
BarclaycardPlatinum
0%
16 months
2.9% fee 
0%
3 months
Shopping
Petrol
Eating Out
16.9%APR
Read
review
  • Barclaycard Freedom reward scheme
  • Pay for items up to £15 with Contactless
  • Leading online account servicing
  • No transfers from other Barclaycards
Nationwide Building Society Gold
Nationwide Building SocietyGold
0%
15 months
3% fee 
0%
3 months
No rewards
16.9%APR
Read
review
  • Benefits from positive payment order
  • Recommended for overseas spending
  • Commission free purchases abroad
  • No transfers from other Nationwide cards
Virgin Credit Card
VirginCredit Card
0%
14 months
2.98% fee 
0%
3 months
Travel
Wine
16.6%APR
Read
review
  • Benefits from positive payment order
  • 10% off Virgin Holidays
  • 1 month free at Virgin Active
  • No balance transfers from MBNA cards
  • 18.9% APR on transferred balances
Egg Credit Card
EggCredit Card
0%
until
01/12/2011
3% fee 
0%
until
01/01/2011
Cashback
Shopping
Insurance
17.9%APR
Read
review
  • Cashback at over 1,500 online retailers
  • Free purchase protection insurance
  • No choice of card design
Barclaycard Gold
BarclaycardGold
0%
until
Nov 2011
2.5% fee 
19.9%
-
Shopping
Petrol
Eating Out
19.9%APR
Read
review
  • Barclaycard Freedom reward scheme
  • Great if your credit score is average
  • Low balance transfer fee
  • No balance transfers between Barclaycard
BT Credit Card
BTCredit Card
0%
13 months
3% fee 
0%
3 months
BT
16.9%APR
Read
review
  • Benefits from positive payment order
  • 1p off phone bill / £1.50 spent
  • Transfer money to your current account
  • No balance transfers from MBNA cards
  • 18.9% APR on transferred balances
Halifax Plus
HalifaxPlus
0%
13 months
3% fee 
0%
3 months
Rewards
16.9%APR
Read
review
  • Cover against online fraud
  • Discounts on travel, shopping & dining
  • Choice of card
  • No balance transfer from Halifax & BoS

How much money will I save by applying for a Low Interest card?

This depends on your existing credit card balance and your spending habits. You can use our credit card calculators, and the details of the cards in our comparison table above to calculate how much you will save.
  • Use our Balance Transfer Calculator – if you are planning to do a balance transfer
  • Credit Card Repayment Calculator – if you want to work out the repayments on your new card
  • Example Scenario:
  • Jack makes a $1000 purchase on his credit card which has
an interest rate of 10% p.a. He repays the purchase 50 days later.
If he took a year to repay his purchase, he would repay $1100, with $100 of interest (10% of 1000 = 100)
His daily percentage rate would be 10/365 = 0.028%. Since his purchase took 50 days to repay, his interest repayment would be 0.027% of ($1000 x 50 days) = $13.70 of interest paid after 50 days. (Note: All calculations were rounded to 2 decimal places)
How and where can I apply for a Low Interest Card?
Go back to the top of this page and select a card from the comparison table, then click the Apply button. This will securely transfer you to the relevant banks website, and when you complete the application it will be through there secure online application service. There is no fee for applying from this page – consider it our favour to you!
Now you know everything there is to know about Low Interest Credit Cards!

How Do Low Interest Rate Credit Cards Work?

If you find that you are not able to pay off your credit card balance every month in full, low interest rate credit cards are your best choice in a card. You do not have to pay an enormous amount of interest if you carry a balance forward from month to month any longer. Gone are the days when a 20% interest rate was acceptable. You can find very low rate cards that are packed with extra features to help keep your debt under control.
How low interest rate credit cards work
Any time you make a purchase with the credit card you are borrowing money and using credit. You have the option of repaying the entire amount when you receive your statement by post, or you can pay a smaller amount and carry the rest of the balance over to the next month. You will be required, however, to pay at least the minimum requirement, which is usually 2% of the entire balance.
If you decide to use credit and borrow the money for a month you will have to pay an interest charge,. This interest is different from card to card, and it is up to you to do a card comparison to find the best low interest credit cardsyou can.
Transactions

When you read the advertising for low rate interest cards you might assume that this rate is applied to all the transactions you make. This gets a lot of people into trouble because they don't realize that the rate only applies to purchases and not to any other transactions necessarily. Most cards have a separate interest rate for cash withdrawals, balance transfers and other transactions done on the card. If you are not aware of what interest rates apply, you can end up getting quite a surprise at the end of the month when you receive your statement.
Another thing you should know is that a cash withdrawal does not only apply to taking money out of an ATM machine, but it also applies to buying traveler's checks, foreign currency and making any type of gambling transaction.
If you use your credit card abroad you may have to pay extra fees. Almost all credit cards have a foreign transaction fee, which is charged whenever the card is used overseas. Usually this amount is about 2.75% of the total transaction amount.

How to compare low interest rate credit cards
Here are some of the most important things you should look for when doing a card comparison.
1. Annual fee
Try to find the best card that meets your needs and has the lowest annual fee. The annual fee should not be a deciding factor for choosing the right low interest rate credit cards, but if you find two cards that are very comparable the one with the lowest annual fee should win.
2. Interest rate
When you are comparing interest rates you want to look for the lowest APR. This is the annual percentage rate including the annual fee and interest charges. It is especially important to find low interest rate credit cards if you are not able to always pay off your balance in full every month and will probably have to pay some interest charges from time to time.

3. Introductory rates
You may be able to find a great deal on a card with very low introductory rates. Some cards will even offer a 0% interest rate on purchases or balance transfers for a limited amount of time. If you want to transfer a debt over from an existing card, or have a big purchase that you want to make, you may want to look for one of these deals. If you use smart shopping to pick out the best low rate credit cards, you will come out ahead in the end.
4. Rewards programs
If you're the type of person that likes to collect points and save up for rewards then you should look for a card that offers this type of scheme.
5. Hidden fees  and charges
You should find out what types of fees and charges apply to the card. You will be able to find out this information by reading the small print on the website before you fill out your application. You may be charged a fee for using an ATM, for using your credit card abroad or for various other transactions. If you find out all about these charges then you'll be better prepared to use your card resourcefully.
Low interest rate credit cards are best for people that cannot always pay off the balance every month. Many Australians are in that situation right now and that is why these low rate cards are so popular. It is nice to know that you are covered if you can't make the whole payment one month, and that's what a credit card is supposed to represent anyway: a form of security when times get a little rough.
How To Compare Low Interest Rate Credit Cards
There are so many different types of credit cards available, so choosing the right one for you can be a daunting task. Low interest rate credit cards are one type of card that can a good money saver, but only for the right type of consumer. Read on to learn if a low rate credit card is right for you. Getting the right credit cards to meet your shopping and repayment needs is key to saving the most money. Credit card policies are not a one size fits all deal. What saves the most money for one consumer might actually cost another consumer hundreds of dollars more than they should be spending.

Are low interest rate credit cards right for you?

Low interest rate credit cards are one extremely popular type of cards, but how do you know if they are right for you? You should consider low rate credit cards if you are the type of spender who likes to uses their card regularly and carry a balance, small or large, over longer periods of time. You should look into a low interest credit card if this describes your spending and payment habits:
  • You use your card regularly to make frequent purchases
  • You make your payments on time, but typically don't pay them off in full
  • You have a good, well established, credit history
  • Your income is stable and consistent
Getting qualified for low interest rate credit cards can be difficult, but it is well worth it if you use your card a lot and tend to have a balance from month to month. Low interest credit cards are essential to keeping your interest rate low. You will have to have a proven credit history to be able to qualify for low rate credit cards. This is because the credit company will not make as much money off of you in interest. They are willing however to make a trade off of some profit for low risk and reliability. To make sure that they are getting reliable consumers, many credit card companies are willing to agree to lower interest rates. But they will not give a low interest card to someone who has a poor credit history. You have to have a proven record to qualify for these exclusive low rates.

How to know when low interest credit cards are not the ones for you.

Not every consumer will qualify for a low interest credit card. Also, many consumers that would be eligible to qualify for low rate credit cards might be able to find a better deal elsewhere. So do not assume that low interest credit cards are the smartest option for you just based on the fact that you have the credit history to qualify for one. You should stay away from low interest rate credit cards if any of this describes you:
  • You don't use your card very often
  • You tend to use your card to make large purchases and pay them off right away
  • You almost always pay your balance in full from month to month
  • You always pay off your balance before the end of interest free periods
  • You are looking for a way to consolidate and transfer your balance to another card
  • You have little or no credit history
  • Your credit history is poor
  • You have had problems in the past making payments on time
  • You have been unable to meet past credit card payments due to a lack of money
Low interest credit cards do not meet the needs of every consumer. They are great for people who regularly use their credit cards and tend to always carry a balance. Consumers who do not use their cards in this manner should take a look at comparing low interest rate credit cards but should not limit themselves to choosing one. Consumers who keep a credit card to use on rare occasions for large purchases should probably not pick a low rate credit card. Especially not if you plan to pay the balance off in a short amount of time. If this is how you tend to use your card, you would be better off looking at credit cards that allow for a 0% interest rate for a fixed amount of time, usually up to a year. These cards are great for those who use their cards occasionally and pay them off within a short period of time. If that is how you tend to use your card, having a low interest credit card instead would actually wind up costing you more in interest, despite the low rate. You should also stay away from low rate credit cards if you are looking to transfer your balance from another card. There are better options for consumers who use their cards this way. If you can qualify for a card with an introductory 0% interest rates on balance transfers, then this may be a better way to go. As long as you pay off the balance before the introductory rate expires. However, if you are going to be keeping the balance for a long time, you still may want to consider a low interest credit card. Low interest rate credit cards are not the best options for everyone, but for the right consumer they are an extremely smart decision. So based on this information, if you think a low rate credit card is right for you, continue on to Part 2 of this article to learn how to choose your card.
After you have determined that low interest rate credit cards are the right choice for you, you still have to decide exactly which one to pick. Picking a specific card can be just as hard as deciding what type of card you will like. There are just so many different features, fees, and options to look at.
Low interest rate credit cards tend to be fairly simple as far as credit card policies go. The main feature of the card is obvious: a low monthly interest rate. Thus one of the first things you should look at is the rate of interest you will pay on your balance.

Consider the features and fees to see if you are getting a good deal

Low interest rate credit cards offer a low rate to reliable and qualified customers because it can help save them money. You will want to make sure that your low interest card doesn't gouge you with other fees.
You want to make sure the rate and fees for these features are low as well:
  • Low interest rate (obviously)
  • No annual fee
  • No cash transaction or cash handling fee
  • Low foreign transaction fees
  • Low introductory rates
  • Extra features
These are just the basic features you should keep in mind when choosing amongst different low rate credit cards. Depending on how you use your card, some features will be more important to you than others. Here we will discuss the important features in greater length.

The most important feature: a low APR

It should go without saying that the most important aspect of low rate credit cards is their interest rate. The APR refers to the interest rate charged on the purchases you make over a period of one year. The APR also would include the annual fee associated with your credit card. Many low interest credit cards do not charge an annual fee. This is ideal for pretty much every credit card user, because it is a fee that everyone would have to pay otherwise. Getting the lowest APR possible will depend on the strength of your credit score, which measures your overall credit history as a consumer. You will have the best opportunities if your credit score is high. To qualify for a low APR you might also have to make higher minimum payments. These features ensure that you will be a reliable customer for your credit card company, which enables them to give you a special, competitive rate.

No cash transaction or case handling fee

This is one of those features that may or may not pertain to the way you use your card. If you plan to use your low interest credit cards to make cash transactions, you will want to make sure that the low interest rate still applies. Cash transactions include making ATM withdrawals, receiving cash back when you make a purchase, and the purchase of traveller's checks or foreign money. Even gambling purchases can be considered a cash transaction. These types of purchases may not be eligible for the low interest rate and may also have other fees.

Balances fees, foreign purchases fees, and other fees

Credit cards love to charge fees for their services and even low interest credit cards are no exception. You need to watch out for the interest rates and fees associated with balances that result from extenuating circumstances, such as from balance transfers or from purchases made abroad. You should make sure that the low rate credit cards you look at will not charge excessive amounts in these situations.

Introductory promotions and other specials

Low interest rate credit cards may also offer a number of different promotions to draw in new customers. They may offer super low rates initially, or a rewards program to offer you different ways to get a small return from the purchases you make. None of these features are absolute essentials, but they are extra features that many consumers really like. One of the most common bargains is an introductory interest rate of 0% for as long as a year. This would be great if you are considering making a large purchase, can pay it off within a year, and want to put it on a credit card. Low rate credit cards may also offer a rewards program where you can accumulate points based on the purchase you make with the card. You can redeem these points for cash, gifts, or other neat specials. Just remember that these types of features are extras and not essentials when it comes to making a decision. Low interest credit cards can be an extremely smart decision for the right consumer. You will need to have a strong credit score and credit history to qualify for these cards. If you think you can qualify for them they are well worth the time to look at, since credit card companies are willing to offer better deals in exchange for a reliable consumer base. Low interest rates, no annual fees, and low or no fees on many of the other features are what you want to look for when you are comparing different low interest rate credit cards. Not all cards will offer the same features. You want to make sure that the card covers all the important bases, such as having no annual fees and a low APR, before you look at the other fees. When you look at the various fees associated with the different cards, feel free to take into account how often you will use the service. If you never plan to travel abroad, it might not matter to you if their foreign transaction fee is high. Only after all of these things are considered should you look at the extras and bonuses offered by the card companies.
How To Use Low Interest Credit Cards
There are two aspects to low interest credit cards. On the one hand, they're great if you fall into the habit of not paying the full statement every month. On the other hand, if you leave debt to keep mounting up - even at a low interest rate - you're still faced with paying it off one day. We all know that feeling. You get your monthly statement from your credit card company and your first thought is ''I don't recall using it so much this month'' and then you realise you don't really have the ready cash to pay it all off. The good part is that even if you still have some outstanding debt, at least it's on low interest credit cards and your bills won't get out of control. Nonetheless, you should still try to budget your income so you have a day-to-day oversight of your spending and your savings.

Managing Your Account Online

The best way to achieve this is by making use of the online account management services that low rate credit cards generally offer these days. An online account management service lets you view your low interest rate credit cards' statements on a secure website at any time of your choosing. The security of the website is important because it means no-one else can look at your financial dealings. But you can see exactly how much is outstanding on your low rate credit cards and you can make payments as you go to cover the bill, rather than waiting for a big bite out of your savings at the end of the month. An outstanding feature of online account management is that many banks and building societies offer this service for all their products, not just low rate credit cards. This means you can look at, and deal with, all your accounts at a kind of one-stop shop. The Egg credit card goes a step further. You can add all your accounts to the Egg management service, even if your accounts are not with Egg. Now that's a really helpful service. Be sure to add all your low interest credit cards to this service.

Security, Security, Security

A word of warning. Having one place to manage all your accounts is great but you must keep it secure. Never respond to any online or email request for your account details or password. No bank or any other financial institution will ever ask for your details by email, even if the email looks absolutely authentic.  When choosing yourlow interest rate credit cards, take a careful look at the rewards programmes or interest-free periods on offer. If you manage your spending on your low interest rate credit cards carefully, you could wind up with some very good extras like travel, supermarket vouchers or even cash back. Similarly, low interest credit cards can offer quite generous interest-free periods like other credit cards. If you're in the habit of paying off your card in full, you can enjoy up to 59 days interest free credit on your purchases or even cash transactions.
Tips To Help You Compare & Choose A Low Interest Rate Credit Card
Choosing a low interest rate credit card is a no-brainer, right? All you have to do is look for the lowest interest rate. But getting the most benefit from this no-brainer requires quite a bit of brain work.  Low interest rate credit cardsimply that, even if you don't pay off the bill in full each month, you don't get slammed with big interest charges on the unpaid balance. So if you are in the habit of using your credit card to make your regular purchases and then you don't pay the bill in full at the end of the month, you won't be severely disadvantaged. When you're checking out the best low interest cards for you, don't just stop at the lowest interest rate. Here are some tips on what to look for and how to do it - and get the most out of your credit card.

Check For Extras

See if there's a loyalty offer attached. Some banks or building societies will offer an even lower interest rate if you have a current account and a credit card with them, in other words, if you have more of your business with them. What's the situation with cash transactions? If you're going to use your low rate credit cards to get money from an ATM, buy foreign currency or travellers' cheques, do a little gambling or get cash at the supermarket checkout, look for a card that offers a low interest rate on cash transactions. Not all of them do. Otherwise, it's best to use your debit card. A debit card avoids any interest charges on cash transactions and there are no handling fees. With some credit cards, it's best to check out the fine print thoroughly. Some cards make you pay off your purchase and balance transfer transactions before you can pay off your cash transactions. Introductory Rate For a Low Rate Card There can be an extra benefit if the bank or building society offers a special or even free introductory rate. You can use that limited period to make those one-off transactions like transferring a balance in from other cards at a very low or zero interest rate. It may also be the time to make a big purchase without being hit with a high interest rate if you don't pay off the full balance at the end of the month. Check out the length of the interest free period the card offers at the end of each month. Remember, the longer the interest free period, the more free credit you are getting and the more money you're saving.

The Joys Of Capitalism

An added inducement for getting a low rate card is an offer to give you cash back just for using the card. That's right! They pay you for doing what you were going to do anyway.  And while you're checking out the differences between low interest rate credit cards, always remember to ask that most basic of questions - is there an annual fee? Don't make the mistake of thinking the low interest rate on your card is always fixed. Most rates are variable and move in line with changes to the cash rate announced by RBA.

When Low Rate Cards Should Stay In Your Wallet

Low rate cards are not good for large one-off purchases like white ware for the home or big pieces of furniture. If you're going to make those kinds of purchases, do it with an introductory rate credit card, which sometimes give you 10 months' worth of credit at a zero interest rate.  Nor are low rate credit cards good for balance transfers where you're trying to consolidate all your credit card debt onto one low rate card. For these transactions, it's best to use a fixed for life balance transfer credit card or a 0% balance transfer credit card.

Summary Of Tips

So, in summary, here's a list of tips and questions to help you get the best out of your low interest credit cards:
  1. Choose your card after careful research.
  2. Is there an annual fee?
  3. What is the introductory interest rate?
  4. How long does the introductory rate last?
  5. What is the long term interest rate?
  6. Is there a loyalty programme attached to the card?
  7. Is interest charged on cash transactions?
  8. Can you get cash back just for using the card?
  9. If you put a lot of business the card issuer's way, will you get an even lower interest rate?
  10. Is the interest rate on the low rate card fixed, or does it vary with the central bank's monthly decisions?
  11. How long is the interest free period you get on the unpaid balance at the end of the month?

When Low Rate Cards Are Not Good

Low rate credit cards are the wrong tool to use when you're making big one-off purchases. If you must have that refrigerator, or that super king size bed, or that simply divine French antique marble-topped bench for the kitchen, put the credit card away and go for the debit card or the 0% interest rate introductory card instead. Similarly, when you're consolidating all your credit card debt onto one card, don't put it on low interest credit cards. Use a 0% balance transfer card or a fixed for life balance transfer credit card.
To seek more information read the terms and conditions of your chosen credit card and seek advice from a financial advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions about Low Interest Credit Cards
Question: Which credit card has the lowest interest rate and is the cheapest credit card?
A: The St.George Vertigo MasterCard is the lowest interest rate credit card in Australia.
Question: When is purchase interest charged?
A: For cards with an interest free period, interest is charged on the last day of your statement period. Purchase interest is charged from the day the transaction takes place until the end of the statement period.
Question: What are interest free days?
A: Interest free days allow you a grace period to avoid paying interest on your credit card by paying back your credit card balance, in full, by the specified due date.
Question: Can I avoid paying Interest?
A: Yes. If you pay off your purchase within the interest free grace period, then you are paying $0 in interest repayments back on your purchase, no matter how expensive it was. However, interest free/grace periods do not apply to cash advances.
* The credit card offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of credit cards CreditCardFinder.com.au has access to track details from. ‘Best and ‘Top’ are ratings which are subject to our consideration and is not rated against all Australian credit cards. We recommend you take this information into account when comparing credit cards.

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Credit history

The way credit card owners pay off their balances has a tremendous effect on their credit history. Two of the most important factors reported to a credit bureau are the timeliness of the debt payments and the amount of debt to credit limit. Lenders want to see payments made as agreed, usually on a monthly basis, and a credit balance of around one-third the credit limit. The credit information stays on the credit report generally for 7 years. However, there are a few jurisdictions and situations where the timeframe might differ.

[edit]Profits and losses

In recent times, credit card portfolios have been very profitable for banks, largely due to the booming economy of the late nineties. However, in the case of credit cards, such high returns go hand in hand with risk, since the business is essentially one of making unsecured (uncollateralized) loans, and thus dependent on borrowers not to default in large numbers.

[edit]Costs

Credit card issuers (banks) have several types of costs:

[edit]Interest expenses

Banks generally borrow the money they then lend to their customers. As they receive very low-interest loans from other firms, they may borrow as much as their customers require, while lending their capital to other borrowers at higher rates. If the card issuer charges 15% on money lent to users, and it costs 5% to borrow the money to lend, and the balance sits with the cardholder for a year, the issuer earns 10% on the loan. This 10% difference is the "net interest spread" and the 5% is the "interest expense".

[edit]Operating costs

This is the cost of running the credit card portfolio, including everything from paying the executives who run the company to printing the plastics, to mailing the statements, to running the computers that keep track of every cardholder's balance, to taking the many phone calls which cardholders place to their issuer, to protecting the customers from fraud rings. Depending on the issuer, marketing programs are also a significant portion of expenses.

[edit]Charge offs

When a consumer becomes severely delinquent on a debt (often at the point of six months without payment), the creditor may declare the debt to be a charge-off. It will then be listed as such on the debtor's credit bureau reports (Equifax, for instance, lists "R9" in the "status" column to denote a charge-off.) The item will include relevant dates, and the amount of the bad debt.[citation needed]
A charge-off is considered to be "written off as uncollectable." To banks, bad debts and even fraud are simply part of the cost of doing business.
However, the debt is still legally valid, and the creditor can attempt to collect the full amount for the time periods permitted under state law, which is usually 3 to 7 years. This includes contacts from internal collections staff, or more likely, an outside collection agency. If the amount is large (generally over $1500–$2000), there is the possibility of a lawsuit or arbitration.
In the United States, as the charge off number climbs or becomes erratic, officials from the Federal Reserve take a close look at the finances of the bank and may impose various operating strictures on the bank, and in the most extreme cases, may close the bank entirely.[citation needed]

[edit]Rewards

Many credit card customers receive rewards, such as frequent flyer points, gift certificates, or cash back as an incentive to use the card. Rewards are generally tied to purchasing an item or service on the card, which may or may not include balance transferscash advances, or other special uses. Depending on the type of card, rewards will generally cost the issuer between 0.25% and 2.0% of the spread. Networks such as Visa or MasterCard have increased their fees to allow issuers to fund their rewards system. Some issuers discourage redemption by forcing the cardholder to call customer service for rewards. On their servicing website, redeeming awards is usually a feature that is very well hidden by the issuers. Others encourage redemption for lower cost merchandise; instead of an airline ticket, which is very expensive to an issuer, the cardholder may be encouraged to redeem for a gift certificate instead[citation needed]. With a fractured and competitive environment, rewards points cut dramatically into an issuer's bottom line, and rewards points and related incentives must be carefully managed to ensure a profitable portfolio. Unlike unused gift cards, in whose case the breakage in certain US states goes to the state's treasury, unredeemed credit card points are retained by the issuer.

[edit]Fraud

In relative numbers the values lost in bank card fraud are minor, calculated in 2006 at 7 cents per 100 dollars worth of transactions (7 basis points)[16]. In 2004, in the UK, the cost of fraud was over £500 million.[17] When a card is stolen, or an unauthorized duplicate made, most card issuers will refund some or all of the charges that the customer has received for things they did not buy. These refunds will, in some cases, be at the expense of the merchant, especially in mail order cases where the merchant cannot claim sight of the card. In several countries, merchants will lose the money if no ID card was asked for, therefore merchants usually require ID card in these countries. Credit card companies generally guarantee the merchant will be paid on legitimate transactions regardless of whether the consumer pays their credit card bill. Most banking services have their own credit card services that handle fraud cases and monitor for any possible attempt at fraud. Employees that are specialized in doing fraud monitoring and investigation are often placed in Risk Management, Fraud and Authorization, or Cards and Unsecured Business. Fraud monitoring emphasizes minimizing fraud losses while making an attempt to track down those responsible and contain the situation. Credit card fraud is a major white collar crime that has been around for many decades, even with the advent of the chip based card (EMV) that was put into practice in some countries to prevent cases such as these. Even with the implementation of such measures, credit card fraud continues to be a problem.

[edit]Promotion

Promotional purchase is any purchase on which separate terms and conditions are set on each individual transaction unlike a standard purchase where the terms are set on the cardholder’s account record and their pricing strategy. All promotional purchases that post to a particular account will be carrying its own balance called as Promotional Balance.

[edit]Revenues

Offsetting costs are the following revenues:

[edit]Interchange fee

In addition to fees paid by the card holder, merchants must also pay interchange fees to the card-issuing bank and the card association.[18][19] For a typical credit card issuer, interchange fee revenues may represent about a quarter of total revenues.[20].
These fees are typically from 1 to 6 percent of each sale, but will vary not only from merchant to merchant (large merchants can negotiate lower rates[20]), but also from card to card, with business cards and rewards cards generally costing the merchants more to process. The interchange fee that applies to a particular transaction is also affected by many other variables including: the type of merchant, the merchant's total card sales volume, the merchant's average transaction amount, whether the cards were physically present, how the information required for the transaction was received, the specific type of card, when the transaction was settled, and the authorized and settled transaction amounts. In some cases, merchants add a surcharge to the credit cards to cover the interchange fee, encouraging their customers to instead use cashdebit cards, or even cheques.

[edit]Interest on outstanding balances

Interest charges vary widely from card issuer to card issuer. Often, there are "teaser" rates in effect for initial periods of time (as low as zero percent for, say, six months), whereas regular rates can be as high as 40 percent. In the U.S. there is no federal limit on the interest or late fees credit card issuers can charge; the interest rates are set by the states, with some states such as South Dakota, having no ceiling on interest rates and fees, inviting some banks to establish their credit card operations there. Other states, for example Delaware, have very weak usury laws. The teaser rate no longer applies if the customer doesn't pay his bills on time, and is replaced by a penalty interest rate (for example, 24.99%) that applies retroactively.

[edit]Fees charged to customers

The major fees are for:
  • Late payments or overdue payments
  • Charges that result in exceeding the credit limit on the card (whether done deliberately or by mistake), called overlimit fees
  • Returned cheque fees or payment processing fees (e.g. phone payment fee)
  • Cash advances and convenience cheques (often 3% of the amount)
  • Transactions in a foreign currency (as much as 3% of the amount). A few financial institutions do not charge a fee for this.
  • Membership fees (annual or monthly), sometimes a percentage of the credit limit.
  • Exchange rate loading fees (sometimes these might not be reported on the customer's statement, even when applied).[21] The variation of exchange rates applied by different credit cards can be very substantial, as much as 10% according to a Lonely Planet report in 2009[22].

[edit]Over limit charges

Consumers who keep their account in good order by always staying within their credit limit, and always making at least the minimum monthly payment will see interest as the biggest expense from their card provider. Those who are not so careful and regularly surpass their credit limit or are late in making payments are exposed to multiple charges that were typically as high as £25 - £35 [23] until a ruling from the Office of Fair Trading[24] that they would presume charges over £12 to be unfair which led the majority of card providers to reduce their fees to exactly that level.

[edit]US

The Credit CARD Protection Act of 2009, initiated during the term of President G W Bush, and signed into law by President Obama, will require that consumers "opt-in" to over-limit charges. Consumers who choose not to opt-in will be unable to make purchases over the limit; the card will simply be declined and no fees will be imposed. This legislation took effect on February 22, 2010.

[edit]UK

The higher level of fees originally charged were claimed to be designed to recoup the costs of the card operator's overall business and to ensure that the credit card business as a whole generated a profit, rather than simply recovering the cost to the provider of the limit breach which has been estimated as typically between £3-£4. Profiting from a customer's mistakes is arguably not permitted under UK common law, if the charges constitute penalties for breach of contract, or under the Unfair Terms In Consumer Regulations 1999.
Subsequent rulings in respect of personal current accounts suggest that the argument that these charges are penalties for breach of contract is weak, and given the OFT's ruling it seems unlikely that any further test case will take place.
Whilst the law remains in the balance, many consumers have made claims against their credit cards providers for the charges that they have incurred, plus interest that they would have earned had the money not been deducted from their account. It is likely that claims for amounts charged in excess of £12 will succeed, but claims for charges at the OFT's £12 threshold level are more contentious.

[edit]Neutral consumer resources

[edit]Canada

The Government of Canada maintains a database of the fees, features, interest rates and reward programs of nearly 200 credit cards available in Canada. This database is updated on a quarterly basis with information supplied by the credit card issuing companies. Information in the database is published every quarter on the website of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC).
Information in the database is published in two formats. It is available in PDF comparison tables that break down the information according to type of credit card, allowing the reader to compare the features of, for example, all the student credit cards in the database.
The database also feeds into an interactive tool on the FCAC website.[25] The interactive tool uses several interview-type questions to build a profile of the user's credit card usage habits and needs, eliminating unsuitable choices based on the profile, so that the user is presented with a small number of credit cards and the ability to carry out detailed comparisons of features, reward programs, interest rates, etc.

[edit]Controversy

Credit card debt has increased steadily. Since the late 1990s, lawmakersconsumer advocacy groups, college officials and other higher education affiliates have become increasingly concerned about the rising use of credit cards among college students. The major credit card companies have been accused of targeting a younger audience, in particular college students, many of whom are already in debt with college tuition fees and college loans and who typically are less experienced at managing their own finances. Credit card debt may also negatively affect their grades as they are likely to work more both part and full time positions.[26]
Another controversial area is the universal default feature of many North American credit card contracts. When a cardholder is late paying a particular credit card issuer, that card's interest rate can be raised, often considerably. With universal default, a customer's other credit cards, for which the customer may be current on payments, may also have their rates and/or credit limit changed. The universal default feature allows creditors to periodically check cardholders' credit portfolios to view trade, allowing these other institutions to decrease the credit limit and/or increase rates on cardholders who may be late with another credit card issuer. Being late on one credit card will potentially affect all the cardholder's credit cards. Citibank voluntarily stopped this practice in March 2007 and Chase stopped the practice in November 2007.[27] The fact that credit card companies can change the interest rate on debts that were incurred when a different rate of interest was in place is similar to adjustable rate mortgages where interest rates on current debt may rise. However, in both cases this is agreed to in advance, and is a trade off that allows a lower initial rate as well as the possibility of an even lower rate (mortgages, if interest rates fall) or perpetually keeping a below-market rate (credit cards, if the user makes his debt payments on time). It should be noted that the Universal Default practice was actually encouraged by Federal Regulators, particularly those at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) as a means of managing the changing risk profiles of cardholders.
Another controversial area is the trailing interest issue. Trailing interest is the practice of charging interest on the entire bill no matter what percentage of it is paid. U.S Senator Carl Levin raised the issue of millions of Americans affected by hidden fees, compounding interest and cryptic terms. Their woes were heard in a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing which was chaired by Senator Levin, who said that he intends to keep the spotlight on credit card companies and that legislative action may be necessary to purge the industry.[28] In 2009, the C.A.R.D. Act was signed into law, enacting protections for many of the issues Levin had raised.
In the United States, some have called for Congress to enact additional regulations on the industry; to expand the disclosure box clearly disclosing rate hikes, use plain language, incorporate balance payoff disclosures, and also to outlaw universal default. At a congress hearing around March 1, 2007,Citibank announced it would no longer practice this, effective immediately. Opponents of such regulation argue that customers must become more proactive and self-responsible in evaluating and negotiating terms with credit providers. Some of the nation's influential top credit card issuers, who are among the top fifty corporate contributors to political campaigns, successfully opposed it.

[edit]Hidden costs

In the United Kingdom, merchants won the right through The Credit Cards (Price Discrimination) Order 1990[29] to charge customers different prices according to the payment method. As of 2007, the United Kingdom was one of the world's most credit-card-intensive countries, with 2.4 credit cards per consumer, according to the UK Payments Administration Ltd.[30]
In the United States, until 1984 federal law prohibited surcharges on card transactions. Although the federal Truth in Lending Act provisions that prohibited surcharges expired that year, a number of states have since enacted laws that continue to outlaw the practice; California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas have laws against surcharges. As of 2006, the United States probably had one of the world's if not the top ratio of credit cards per capita, with 984 million bank-issued Visa and MasterCard credit card and debit card accounts alone for an adult population of roughly 220 million people.[31] The credit card per US capita ratio was nearly 4:1 as of 2003[32] and as high as 5:1 as of 2006.[33]

[edit]Credit card numbering

The numbers found on credit cards have a certain amount of internal structure, and share a common numbering scheme.
The card number's prefix, called the Bank Identification Number, is the sequence of digits at the beginning of the number that determine the bank to which a credit card number belongs. This is the first six digits for MasterCard and Visa cards. The next nine digits are the individual account number, and the final digit is a validity check code.
In addition to the main credit card number, credit cards also carry issue and expiration dates (given to the nearest month), as well as extra codes such as issue numbers and security codes. Not all credit cards have the same sets of extra codes nor do they use the same number of digits.

[edit]Credit cards in ATMs

Many credit cards can also be used in an ATM to withdraw money against the credit limit extended to the card, but many card issuers charge interest on cash advances before they do so on purchases. The interest on cash advances is commonly charged from the date the withdrawal is made, rather than the monthly billing date. Many card issuers levy a commission for cash withdrawals, even if the ATM belongs to the same bank as the card issuer. Merchants do not offer cashback on credit card transactions because they would pay a percentage commission of the additional cash amount to their bank or merchant services provider, thereby making it uneconomical.
Many credit card companies will also, when applying payments to a card, do so at the end of a billing cycle, and apply those payments to everything before cash advances. For this reason, many consumers have large cash balances, which have no grace period and incur interest at a rate that is (usually) higher than the purchase rate, and will carry those balance for years, even if they pay off their statement balance each month.

[edit]Credit cards as funding for entrepreneurs

Credit cards are a risky way for entrepreneurs to acquire capital for their start ups when more conventional financing is unavailable. It's widely reported that Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner used personal credit cards[34] to start Cisco Systems. It is rumoured that Larry Page and Sergey Brin's start up of Google was financed by credit cards to buy the necessary computers and office equipment, more specifically "a terabyte of hard disks".[35] Similarly, filmmaker Robert Townsend financed part ofHollywood Shuffle using credit cards.[36] Director Kevin Smith funded Clerks in part by maxing out several credit cards. Actor Richard Hatch also financed his production of Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming partly through his credit cards. Famed hedge fund manager Bruce Kovner began his career (and, later on, his firm Caxton Associates) in financial markets by borrowing from his credit card. UK entrepreneur James Caan (as seen on Dragon's Den) financed his first business using several credit cards.
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