Credit Cards

Setting goals: Zoe Lamont, founder of the 10thousandgirl campaign.

CREDIT-CARD DEBT

Plot a path to turn red into black

Christine Long Sticking to a straightforward strategy is the key to defeating credit-card debt.

Christmas debt looms as gift that keeps on giving

Almost a third of Australians admit to feeling pressured to spend more than they can afford, a survey says.

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Insight: the great credit card gouge

Insight Ever noticed that if you buy a domestic airline ticket with a credit card, you'll be charged an extra fee of $7 or so?

The underlying costs

Annette Sampson Financing a new car has become much easier, with lenders scrambling to compete with cheap dealer-finance offers.

Mortgage rates best at mutuals

Mutuals are trumpeting official statistics that they say show they are growing faster than the big four banks.

Bank customers act against St George, Bank SA

St George and Bank SA are the latest Australian banks to be taken to court by customers angry at the fees they are charged.

Return of traditional mortgages

Volatile investment markets and question marks over property values are making line-of-credit loans less popular and potentially harder to unwind for those who have one.

Plastic debt swells to record $50 billion

Clancy Yeates Australian credit card debt has struck a new record high of $50 billion, ballooning by almost a third in the past five years.

Customers not happy with banks

Eric Johnston Disputes between borrowers and their banks surged nearly 30 per cent last financial year.

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Play your cards right to minimise interest

A swift transfer to a low-interest option offers a solution, writes Penny Pryor.

Season credit card offers all about the bottom line

Bina Brown Financial institutions have emerged with some of the most aggressive credit card offers seen.

Finding favour on the fringes

UNEXPECTED expenses can come from anywhere: dentists, schools, telephone companies. And at any time.

In shadow of debt, debit reigns

Peter Martin We are abandoning credit cards but embracing plastic as never before.

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Credit card requests down at Xmas

A weak Christmas for credit cards suggests the end-of-year spending malaise may have extended beyond retail stores.

Amex cuts penalty fee

Ben Butler Credit regulator has forced American Express to stop charging punitive interest rates.

Lesley Parker New ''responsible lending'' provisions have made life harder for the dodgy operators among debt consolidation services but recent surveillance by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission...

Extra payments a winner

Consumers are being pulled in two directions at once. The Reserve Bank's decision to cut the cash rate by 50 basis points will make home loans more affordable and encourage buyers.