Credit Cards

Put it on plastic. This is what the advertising slogans suggest and there is certainly no lack of choice on whose plastic to use. There are Credit cards, Charge cards, Debit cards or Store cards being offered by hundreds of different organisations, the choice is potentially mind-boggling.

You should consider carefully which of the cards is most appropriate for you based on your current needs and circumstances.. To do so you will need to take into account your personal circumstances. For instance do you intend to repay the whole of the outstanding balance at each payment date? The answer to this could be important when you decide between a Charge or Credit card.

You might also like to note that the use of Store Cards could be an expensive experience and you need to consider the interest rates charged very carefully.

Although the organisations that issue Credit cards tend to be part of one of the two major Credit card networks, e.g. Visa or Mastercard this does not mean that the terms and charges of the individual cards are identical. These differences have encouraged a number of people to consider transferring to a new provider.

If you have an outstanding Credit card balance, why not consider using our user-friendly calculator to see whether it would be better to arrange a Personal Loan to replace the outstanding credit card balance.

Our up-to-date Compare Credit card deals facility will allow you to check you are not overpaying for the credit you receive.

The Financial Services authority does not regulate finance.