red

Credit card charges rocket to an all-time high of 24.7%... But savers still earn ultra-low returns  

Average card rates have surged since the financial crisis, climbing from 16 per cent in 2006. But at the same time, typical savings rates dropped sharply to all-time lows and barely recovered since.




red

Credit card interest rates reach a 13-year high of 24.7% APR

Data from Moneyfacts found that in September the average credit card purchase APR rose to 24.7 per cent, an all-time high since its records began in June 2006.




red

Millions of credit card users are on course for rate trap as they fail to move provider

New research reveals that nearly half of all UK credit card holders -around 17million people nationwide - have never switched their card.




red

True cost of those zero % credit cards: Banks hike rates in time for Christmas 

Shoppers now pay an average of 25.1 per cent on credit card purchase. It means that a customer who borrowed £3,000 and paid off £100 a month would pay £1,463 in interest overall.




red

Cash in on Black Friday - by using free credit

Love it or loathe it, Black Friday weekend is looming. This is when retailers are expected to shower shoppers with juicy discounts for a few days only.




red

Check you will get balance transfer deal you want before ruining your credit score 

Asking for too many balance transfer cards can damage your credit rating. Experian has launched a service that lets people enter their details online, including how much debt they want to transfer.




red

Number of 0% credit cards falls in 2020 and terms shorten

There were 122 balance transfer offers in January 2017 compared to 76 today, according to figures from Moneyfacts - while the timeframe to pay back the debt has also shrunk.




red

Lenders hike rates on 21 different credit cards as borrowing soars 40%

Britain's debt binge has deepened - with figures last month showing credit card borrowing had surged by 40 per cent and the average family now owes £12,800 on credit cards, loans and car finance.




red

Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card offering bumper bonus points

Frequent fliers after air miles towards their next holiday could take advantage of a new sign up bonus which could get them to three continents, provided they're happy to pay a fee.




red

Hundreds of Saga customers receive surprise payout after platinum credit card mishap

Hundreds of customers of Saga have received an unexpected windfall following its admission that it badly handled the axeing of its popular platinum credit card last year.




red

Banks refusing to unblock credit cards in branches as customers must phone

Lloyds, Santander, Nationwide, NatWest, Virgin Money, HSBC and Barclaycard all confirmed staff cannot unblock credit cards in branch.Some banks say it must now be done by a specialist team.




red

The instant credit craze that can leave young shoppers with bags of debt

Mature student Tamara Gray, 29, (pictured) got into financial difficulties after spending several thousand pounds on the websites Very and Shop Direct on a buy-now, pay-in-12-months basis.




red

What do the FCA credit card and overdraft proposals mean for consumers?

The FCA this morning proposed banks should offer customers in financial difficulty an interest-free overdraft up to £500, and let them put credit card and loan repayments on hold for three months.




red

Should you take a credit card payment holiday during coronavirus pandemic?

While borrowers make no payments for three months, card providers often still charge interest on balances during payment holidays, meaning borrowers continue to rack up interest




red

Virgin Money u-turns on decision to suspend credit cards

Virgin Money apologised and reversed its decision, saying that everyone who had their card suspended will be able to use them to make purchases again from Saturday 9 May.




red

The best cashback credit cards that reward your spending

Sadly the numbers of lucrative cashback and rewards cards have dwindled over recent years. But are there still any cashback credit cards worth having? We take a look.




red

Why Hilton Honors has best reward credit card for spending

If you are about to buy a big ticket purchase for your home, perhaps some white goods, a new sofa or a television, then this credit card trick could earn you a big reward.




red

How to perfect your credit score to get the best mortgage

Banks reserve their best lending deals for those borrowers with the highest credit scores. To give yourself the best chance of getting a top rate, make some time to tidy up your credit file.




red

Loqbox claims to improve your credit rating by saving every month

Having a good credit score is vital when it comes to being accepted to borrow and getting the best rate. A new tool claims to be help improve your credit history by saving instead of spending.




red

Can I get a mortgage to move house if I have credit defaults? 

I have £40,000 of unsecured debts - £20,000 on two credit card defaults - but having never missed a mortgage payment in 12 years, is it possible to obtain a mortgage?




red

118118 Money launches new credit card which charges no interest

118 118 Money has launched a new credit card with a difference, instead of fees, interest and charges you pay a monthly subscription. But it could end up costing you far more – here’s why.




red

Best credit cards for cashback, airmiles and points from work expenses

Travel a lot for work? We have crunched the numbers to help you choose the most lucrative credit card offering air miles, reward points and cashback to use for work expenses




red

Tandem launches new best buy overseas spending credit card

Challenger bank, Tandem has launched a new best-buy credit card offering those without a perfect credit rating free holiday spending and cash withdrawals. We take a look.




red

Virgin Money credit card customers hit by charges thanks to minimum payment default

Some longstanding Virgin Money credit cardholders have been left with charges on their accounts after discovering they had only been making minimum direct debit payments.




red

Virgin Money customers hit with credit card interest charges will be refunded

Virgin Money is refunding loyal customers hit by interest charges after they unwittingly only made minimum payments on their new Virgin Atlantic credit cards.




red

Hastee Pay and Creditspring: two companies trying to solve Britain’s high-cost credit crisis 

Households are increasingly saving less and getting into more debt and a payday loan crackdown hasn't solved the problem. This is Money rounds up some of the start-ups trying to help




red

StepChange find 1 in 3 holders of high interest subprime credit cards are in problem debt

As many as one in three people who hold subprime credit cards with interest rates as high as 70% are in problem debt, according to a new report released by the debt charity StepChange.




red

Virgin Money agreed to refund some credit cardholders but wouldn't give me back my £200

A long-standing Virgin credit cardholder has accused Virgin Money of 'purposely misleading people for financial gain' after it refused to refund interest charges he incurred on his account.




red

Five credit ratings myths busted: We reveal the true cost of a poor credit score

Paying a £3,000 credit card bill over two years could cost £1,979 more in interest to an appliccant with a bad credit rating, according to data from TotallyMoney and Moneycomms.




red

Five top tips when checking your credit report for the first time

Have you ever checked your credit report?  If the answer is no, the likelihood is: someone else has. We reveal five top tips for those who have never cast an eye on their financial CV.




red

Amex launches new credit card with Vitality offering 3% cashback back to stay active

American Express and Vitality have launched a new cashback credit card with a difference. The more exercise you do, the more you earn - up to an eye-catching 3 per cent. But is it any good?




red

Equifax put my twin sister's bad debt on my credit report

Laura Heaps, 36, was denied a mortgage after her advisor said she had a default on her credit file. However, rating agency Equifax had mistakenly put her twin sister's historic debt on her report.




red

Credit card borrowing fell in November for the first time since July 2013

Britons paid back more on their credit cards than they borrowed in November - the first time this has happened in more than six years, according to official figures.




red

Can using buy now, pay later hurt my credit score?

A large number of buy now, pay later users do not know the full implications of missing payments while a large chunk don't believe the terms and conditions are clear enough.




red

Lloyds Banking Group credit card customers could have cards cancelled in February

Britain's largest banking group, which owns Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, spelled out changes aimed at those in 'persistent debt' for 36 months.




red

FCA: Banks must help customers in debt and not cancel their credit cards

The Financial Conduct Authority has told banks to help customers get out of debt, amid concerns of a potential wave of credit cards being scrapped under new rules.




red

Could buy now pay later and Klarna kill the credit card?

Buy now, pay later has become the way for the younger generation to pay. Is it a dangerous form of credit or a useful way for shoppers to pay flexibly?




red

Will you be charged a fee for using credit card to pay back Klarna?

Credit card customers of high street bank Halifax have reportedly been hit by charges when trying to make Klarna repayments, the buy now, pay later firm said.




red

HSBC and Tesco Bank don't offer credit card soft searching

People applying for credit cards with two major UK lenders have to roll the dice to check if they will be accepted, putting their credit score at risk in the process.




red

Three quarters believe in a credit blacklist...it's a MYTH!

Many of us know that having a good credit score is key to getting accepted for the cheapest cards, loans and mortgages but many still believe in common credit score myths.




red

Top interest-free credit card deals begin to disappear as providers cut deals

Barclaycard, Sainsbury's Bank and Tesco Bank have cut interest-free deals over the last month, some of which are the best around, as lenders evaluate their offers amid the coronavirus outbreak.




red

Balance transfer mix-up left my £3,500 bill on both credit cards

Neil Seagrave, 35, from Dorset, tried to transfer his credit card balance to HSBC at the start of March before his zero-interest term with Sainsbury's Bank expired, but this was not resolved until April.




red

Credit card approvals will fall and interest-free terms will shrink

The Bank of England's latest credit conditions survey revealed lenders believe the availability of household unsecured credit will decrease between April and June amid coronavirus.




red

240,000 Santander customers ask for credit card and mortgage holidays

The UK arm of Santander revealed its pre-tax profit fell 58 per cent to £114million in the first three months of 2020.




red

Britain's £69bn credit card debt pile falls year-on-year for the first time ever

Households paid back a whopping £3.8bn more than they borrowed in March, the biggest figure on record, as households shunned their credit cards in the face of the coronavirus crisis.




red

Amex credit card customers given more time to spend for bonus points

Newcomers to American Express now have more time to rack up points bonuses for their credit card spending, with the card provider doubling the length of some of its welcome offers.




red

Virgin Money customers' credit cards suspended during lockdown

Customers of Virgin Money rounded on the bank after it suspended their credit cards, despite many of them not struggling with their repayments and clearing their balance in full.




red

What to do if you have your credit card stolen

Walking down the high street with friends on Saturday, we heard an elderly gentleman at a cash machine shout: ‘My card! They’ve taken my card!’




red

Tiger King: Meet Australia's big cat keepers risking their lives to look after endangered animals

Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness has gone viral in Australia.




red

Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski's sexually 'fluid' dating life has inspired new Netflix rom-com

Porowski has developed the story, called Girls And Boys, alongside Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, according to The Hollywood Reporter.