Credit Card News UK

Virgin Money Credit Card

2007-08-22T11:06:00.001Z

If you are not concerned with the frequent flyer miles of the Virgin Atlantic Credit Card, then the standard Virgin Money Credit Card could be a good bet instead.

The virgin credit card offers a whopping 16 months interest free on balance transfers, so well worth looking at if you need to transfer a credit card balance.

Of course, with this credit card you can get great discounts in virgin stores:

GREAT JOINING DEALS AT VIRGIN MEDIA
If you're in a cable area, get 3 services for �30 with one month FREE. If not, don't fret, get 2 services for �14.99 with a FREE Virgin Free TV V Box. Just pay with your Virgin Credit Card to get the offer.

10% OFF AT VIRGIN WINES
Lip-smacking vino for less. And if you order something that turns out not to be to your taste, you can even get a refund! And you'll get 10% off when you pay with your Virgin Credit Card.

10% OFF AT VIRGIN MEGASTORES
Get a load off DVDs, CDs, games, even games consoles, when you pay with your Virgin Credit Card. You can get a discount both in-store and online.

One month free at Virgin Active

A MONTH OFF AT VIRGIN ACTIVE
Get a month free when you join up with Virgin Active - just use your Virgin Credit Card to pay.

10% off - Virgin Holidays

10% OFF AT VIRGIN HOLIDAYS
City breaks, ski trips, family hols... whack 10% off the price of any hol in Virgin Holidays brochures simply by paying with your Virgin Credit Card.

10% off - Virgin Trains

10% OFF AT VIRGIN TRAINS
Going by train? Go with 10% off a Virgin Trains Value Advance fare. Pay with your Virgin Credit Card to get your discount.

20% off at Virgin Experiences

20% OFF AT VIRGIN EXPERIENCES
20% off a load of Virgin Experience Days, including high-speed driving, flying lessons, bungee jumping, pamper and spa days, hampers and loads more.

10% off - Virgin Money

10% OFF CAR, HOME, PET AND ANNUAL TRAVEL INSURANCE

If all them discounts are not enough to convince you the Virgin Money Credit Card comes in 3 colours:

The standard Virgin Red

For the ladies, the pink Virgin money credit card:

And my personal favourite, the cool black virgin credit card. You would like quite money with this credit card I should think!

All this information was accurate at the time of writing this post but these offers are subject to change or end over time.

BarclayCard Flexi Rate Credit Card

2007-08-13T16:19:00.001Z

Barclaycard have a new platinum variable-rate credit card which has been released. This has a decent o% on balance transfers and has some low interest rates if you meet their criteria.

This credit card could Suit you if:
* You Don't pay off the balance on your credit card every month
* Have a good credit history
* Are 21 or over
* Have a permanent UK address for 3 months or more
* Have a regular income of more than �10,000 pa
* Haven't missed multiple payments on a credit agreement within the last 12 months
* Don�t have a CCJ,IVA or have not been registered bankrupt
* Aren't a student

Apply Online Now For This Deal

High Street Stores Ban the Use of Cheques

2007-08-06T10:48:00.000Z

Looks like lots of stores are banning the use of cheques at the moment. It is becomign necessary to get smart with plastic. A credit card, if used wisely can be a sound decision.

Signing off ...

Major retailers that no longer accept cheques...

Argos, Boots, Next, Sainsbury's, WH Smith, Currys

...and those that could soon follow suit:

Asda Trialling a cheque payment ban in stores inside the M25.

Morrisons Trialling a ban in some of its stores.

PC World Will only accept business cheques.

Tesco Trialling a ban in some stores.

Virgin Atlantic Card Update

2007-08-06T10:44:00.000Z

Have listed more info about the Virgin Atlantic credit card here

VirginAtlantic Credit Card from MBNA - Grab Those Miles!

2007-07-26T14:21:00.000Z

An awesome AMEX credit card has been released from MBNA, which is branded as the Virgin Atlantic.

VirginAtlantic Credit Card:

# 1 Flying Club mile for every �1 spent on card purchases using your card.
# 2 Flying Club miles for every �1 spent on your card direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays.
# 3,000 bonus Flying Club miles upon first spend.
# 0% p.a. - a cracking introductory rate on balances transferred to us from other cards - for six months from the date your account is opened. 2% handling fee applies.

Sounds like a good credit card offer if you are a frequent flyer. So, get collecting them flying club miles!

Egg Credit Card Offer

2007-06-05T10:47:00.000Z

Check out the Egg Credit Card - they have a half-decent 0% offer on at the moment!

They are offering 0% on balance transfers for up to 12 months. This is worth applying for if you have some spend on your current credit card and you are paying a lot of interest each month. This could help you pay it back at a set amount each month for 12 months.

As well as the 0% balance transfer, there is also the 0% for 3 months on purchases to entice you further.

It is well worth checking out - Apply Now

MINI American Express Credit Card

2006-06-14T09:50:00.000Z

MINI have teamed up with Am-Ex to launch a new credit card. Using the MINI credit card at MINI dealerships and when filling up with petrol enables you to enter competitions each month to win MINI related goodies and prizes.

The card has 3 different MINI based designs. Apply for MINI Credit Card at Am-Ex... Or you can find out more on the money by mini website.

The card is currently available in the UK only.

England Credit Card: Free Shirt

2006-05-23T10:03:00.000Z

Found this when trawling the F.A. website. If you apply successfully you get a free replica England shirt. Cool!

Chip & Pin Fraud

2006-05-10T09:35:00.000Z

Tech-Savvy fraudsters have already cracked the security of some chip & pin merchants it seems. It seems the wireless technology is not totally secure!

Read this article for more details - and Frank Abagnale gives his views. Abagnale was the subject of the film 'catch me if you can' but went onto have a successful career helping catch fraudsters after his arrest.

Debit Cards Used More Than Cash

2006-04-19T09:11:00.000Z

According to a new report, debit card spending for the last year rose 9%, to make it used more than cash in shops. Credit card spending remained the same. Britons love their plastic!

"For the first time, debit card spending in shops - including online shopping - has outstripped the use of cash."

Taken from the BBC.

Credit Card Next Step For PayPal

2006-04-12T09:58:00.000Z

Paypal is set to launch its own credit card. This seems the next logical step, and will tie in with their existing financial services & ebay (who own paypal). They will certainly have a fair amount of advertising weight!

What the card will offer:

* 12.9% Interest Rate (This is a fairly standard rate...)
* 0% Interest on balance transfers for first 6 months (This is good to get people on board)
* No Annual Fee (Pretty much the standard in the UK)
* Instant Decisions on applicants.
* ID theft insurance.
* Fraud Protection.

The credit card will be rolled out to selected existing users of paypal first, then will be offered to all from around May.

The card does not seem to offer a great many benefits in my opinion, but im sure it will get a reasonable amount of applications from paypal users who do not currently own a credit card.

It is yet to materialise how the card will offer benefits when joined with other paypal financial services.

Win World Cup Tickets With Barclaycard

2006-04-06T12:25:00.000Z

You can win tickets to the World Cup 2006 in Germany with Barclaycard World Cup. They are one of the official sponsors of the tournament. This promotion ties in nicely with England winning the world cup in 1966, which was the same time as the Barclaycard credit card was launched.

Here are the prizes in full:

1st prize

If your name's first out of the bag, you'll win VIP tickets to see a match in every one of the 12 FIFA World Cup stadiums. All transport and accommodation is included, along with €2000 of spending money, courtesy of MasterCard - simply 'priceless'.

2nd Prize

Win one of 15* pairs of VIP tickets to see England play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Flights and transport to and from the game are included.

Runners Up

500 runners-up will receive a 2006 FIFA World Cup goodie bag, filled with official FIFA World Cup merchandise.

The downside is that you have to use your barclaycard credit card to be entered :)

Read the press release here.

Excessive Credit Card Fees - Watchdog Fights Back

2006-04-05T10:47:00.000Z

Excessive credit card fees may become a thing of the past soon, as UK credit watchdogs are on to the credit card companies. A fee 'cap' may be introduced to limit the spiralling fees of most systems, which just push people further into debt.

More Info Here at RTE

Credit Card Directory

2006-03-31T09:55:00.000Z

Card Wise UK has just started a credit card directory, to place all credit card related links we come across.

This is an ongoing project, but by all means please use the form and send us your details.

Credit cards and students

2006-03-30T09:32:00.000Z

C.A.R.E. is teaching high school seniors what to look out for when they hit college campuses.

"It's a fact that between 1994 and 2004, bankruptcy among people under the age of 25 rose 96 percent. After hearing more students drop out of school because of credit card debt than bad grades, these kids said they don't want to be a target."

Perhaps the UK will follow suit. With students getting offered more incentives to use certain banks when attending University, they can end up getting into bad debt if they are not careful.

Read More Here About The Courses in the US.

More About Protection When Buying Overseas

2006-03-29T09:09:00.000Z

Another good story written after the budget and has more about the Lloyds TSB overseas credit card case, and what this means for consumers.

The Office of Fair Trading has won its appeal against Lloyds TSB over protection given to consumers who use credit cards to buy goods overseas. This revelation probably became lost in all the post-Budget ruminations, but it is a victory for UK consumers.

Read the full article at the telegraph website.

Why Cancel Your Credit Cards?

2006-03-28T09:31:00.000Z

You might think that by cutting up an old credit card that you are safe from fraudsters. Think again - the card is still live. You will need to cancel the card with the issuer to be sure that the details can never be used for fraudulent purposes.

"Unless you tell the card company you want to cancel it, the card remains live. If a fraudster gets hold of the details they can rack up bills without your knowledge."

So make sure you keep track of all your credit cards, and cancel any unused ones properly by contacting the issuer.

Full Article At MyFinances.co.uk.

What the 'Budget' Means for You

2006-03-27T13:14:00.000Z

The BBC goes into this years budget in detail. A number of tax changes are discussed:

"# the personal tax allowance, which will go up from £4,895 to £5,035

# an increase in the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold which will now gradually increase from £285,000 in the 2006-07 tax year to £325,000 in 2009-10

# and the restructuring of the rules of some trusts

# the stamp duty threshold, which is to rise by £5000; now properties from £125,000 to £250,000 will attract the 1% tax"

Read more at the BBC Financial section to see if you are better off.

Credit Cards Now Offer Protection Abroad

2006-03-23T10:34:00.000Z

This is Good news for the consumer, you will be covered for losses when buying goods abroad from now on. This will be for goods worth between £100-£30,0000 where 'someone goes out of business, for example, or goods are not as described'. A credit card remains the best way of purchasing goods on the Internet, and now even more so if you purchase from overseas vendors.

"PEOPLE who use their credit cards abroad and find they have bought faulty goods or services are entitled to the same 'money back' protection as in Britain, the Court of Appeal has ruled."

Taken from a TimesOnline article today.

ID Cards and Chip & PIN Technology

2006-03-20T11:12:00.000Z

Similar technology to CHIP & PIN on credit cards could be used by ID cards, it has been revealed.

This would be in addition to the biometric data the ID card holds, such as fingerprints and iris data. One reason for this would be due to the high cost of scanning equipment, which may be out of some retailers reach.

The ID Card Debate Continues....

Pay By Touch - Using Fingerprints to Pay for Goods

2006-03-08T10:56:00.000Z

You can now sign up to use your fingerprint to pay for goods, and leave your credit cards at home. The idea is being trialed in co-op stores in the oxford area.

I think this is pretty cool system and hope it catches on. I always have nightmares about losing my wallet! Although now, I have nightmares about people cutting off my fingers to use. I think I have seen too many movies. But with the amount of large money heists and armed raids going on, you cannot be too careful, can you?

Beware of Store Cards

2006-03-07T11:26:00.000Z

Store cards that charge interest at 25% or more a year will have to warn customers on their statements that they can get cheaper credit elsewhere. - BBC

A much cheaper option than these rip-off store cards is a usual credit card. Card Wise UK can show you the best current credit cards with a low APR. If you can pass a credit check for a store card, you can usually get accepted with these cards, and will work as cheaper credit in the long run.

A low APR is essential if you know you will be paying interest on your purchases!

52% In Favour of ID Cards

2006-02-28T12:23:00.000Z

The Telegraph have released details of a yougov survey that gauged the nations support for identity cards.

Barclaycard Predict Business Travel Growth

2006-02-23T14:47:00.000Z

The Barclaycard Travel Survey has revealed that global business travel will continue to increase until 2015.

An ideal credit card to use if you are a frequent traveller is the Morgan Stanley buy & fly credit card. This credit card rewards every purchase with travel points. These travel points can get you money off of flights and holidays.

The Apprentice Starts Tonight at 9pm BBC2

2006-02-22T10:05:00.000Z

The series features fourteen would-be fat cats who cosy up to mega-mogul Sir Alan Sugar. The last one standing gets a £100K job. They don't get much time to impress, as the first person will get FIRED tonight. Comments from Alan Sugar regarding women using their 'assets' to get ahead in business caused the BBC to interview a businesswoman this morning.

You can watch some preview clips on the bbc website.