Credit Card articles

It may be an everyday activity to pay by card, but the latest round of fraud busts shows just how important it is to keep security in mind.

Whether you shop in person, online or even provide card details over the phone, there are myriad ways criminals can get access to your personal information.

To make matters even worse, it could be weeks or even months before a criminal uses your information for unauthorised transactions or to create fake cards. read more >

News stories about major companies having consumer information hacked seem to be getting more common around the world. read more >

Sometimes you pick a credit card offer based on the type of card — like a rewards card or no annual fee credit card. But sometimes you might prefer to choose a card based on the issuing bank, especially if you have a good relationship with one. So let’s take a look at credit card offers from specific banks, starting with Commonwealth Bank. read more >

Credit card debt isn’t a simple black and white issue. It comes in many shades — from temporarily financing one large purchase to being completely in over your head and unable to pay your bills. A common type of credit card debt is called “revolving credit card debt.”

Let’s explore revolving credit card debt and how it can negatively impact consumers who get into that kind of debt cycle. read more >

Around the start of the year, we talk about New Year’s resolutions for consumers and ways you can improve your financial health over the course of the year. But setting credit-related goals for yourself only works if you remember to track your progress and make adjustments as you go along. read more >

Are you struggling with bad credit or trying to build your credit for the first time? No matter why you’re trying to improve your credit history, it doesn’t have to be difficult.

Here are five basic things you can do if you want to make yourself appear more creditworthy to future lenders. read more >

Want to apply for a new credit card? Then let’s hope you have good credit. Your credit history isn’t just about making sure you get approved for a new card. It can also influence some of the specific terms and features you’ll be offered. With bad credit, you could end up missing out on things you really want while paying more for access to the credit card. read more >

When it comes to credit cards, how high of a credit limit should you try to get? More importantly, should you apply for a specific card just because of its high limit? Or could it possibly be a bad thing to have too much available credit at any given time? read more >

Most of us have them, and some of us probably can’t live without them. But what exactly is a credit card?

Credit cards are a personal cash flow management tool that allows the cardholder – that’s you – to make authorised purchases up to a pre-determined credit limit which is then paid off in cash to the card issuer at a later date.

Credit cards are issued by banks and other financial institutions who often but don’t always charge an annual fee to the card holder. read more >

Have you ever wondered how your credit card company chose what credit limit to offer you? Or do you wish you knew what might encourage them to increase your credit limit? Credit cards don’t have a single set limit that every approved cardholder is given. Instead the issuing banks take several factors into consideration.

Let’s look at some of the factors credit card companies consider when they approve you as a cardholder and set your initial credit limit. read more >