My Credit Card Machines 802

Free Consumer Advice Site Launched By Credit Card Industry To
Protect Shoppers
By R.Green

The banking industry has launched its own new website to
provide advice for consumers on credit cards. The site
(http://www.choosingandusing.com) has been set up to help
people choose which card is right for them as well as promoting
a better understanding of the benefits and problems associated
with borrowing using credit cards.

The site’s aims are to offer unbiased information to help
people decide which sort of credit cards best suit their needs,
supply advice on managing money for those struggling with
repayments or adverse credit, along with details of any help
and support that is available, as well as answering basic
questions consumers may have about credit cards.

The stated goals are to raise consumer awareness of:

• The benefits and risks of credit card use
• How credit cards work
• What should be considered before choosing a credit card
• How to compare credit card products
• How credit card companies make their decisions
• What to think about when using a credit card
• What to do if you get into difficulties

Sandra Quinn, Director of communications at APACS, says:
“The UK has one of the most competitive credit card markets in
the world with around 1,500 different cards to choose from, so
selecting the right one can be a time-consuming process.”

The site was created by APACS, the UK payments association,
which represents all of the major UK credit card issuers to
provide information directed at better education on the issues
surrounding credit cards to help consumers fully understand
their choices, rather than actually comparing specific cards.

“The UK cards industry is committed to improving consumer
understanding of credit cards to encourage responsible
borrowing. This goes hand in hand with our members’ commitment
to responsible lending.”

The website tries to give the types of features which people
should look for when choosing a card depending on their usual
patterns of spending behaviour, such as, people who regularly
clear their balance each month would be best advised that
interest rates may be of less importance than whether there is
an annual fee or a rewards programme associated with a
particular card.

Other help given by the site includes details on how credit
cards work, what happens during application procedures, advice
on the responsible use of credit cards, and what to do if you
find yourself in trouble with debt.

What the site doesn’t attempt is to look at specific cards to
compare rates and benefits, therefore consumers will still need
to consult tables in newspapers or financial comparison websites
such as Moneynet, if they are to make truly informed decisions.

These days there are so many sources of information available
which quickly enable financial products to be judged side by
side that there is no real excuse for consumers to suffer from
exorbitant rates of interest or inferior services, but the
public needs to take an interest in their own finances if they
are not going to be taken for a ride.

Resources:
Credit card advice - choosingandusing.com (
http://www.choosingandusing.com/ )
Credit card comparisons - Moneynet (
http://www.moneynet.co.uk/credit-card/index.shtml )

About the Author: Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally
writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla (
http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), and wonders why lisp is so
difficult for sufferers to say.

Source: http://www.isnare.com