Card services fees exposed
26 June 2008
When you're looking around for a credit card, it's important that you check out the card services fees. All credit cards come with card services fees - but some are more competitive than others. It's also important that you confirm any hidden card services fees. There have been reports that some banks may charge fees to customers who pay off their credit card regularly!
Some of the usual card services fees include:
Interest rates - look for competitive rates.
Annual card services fees - some credit cards offer no annual fees, so take a look at them. Remember that many premium credit cards come with higher annual card services fees.
Cash advance fees - if you use your credit card to withdraw money (like a debit card) then it's likely that you'll be charged a card services fee.
Balance transfer fees - if you're going for a balance transfer, check out what the card services fees after the introductory period is.
Merchant service fees - merchants reserve the right to charge you a service fee for using your credit card.
Reward program fees - some reward programs come with fees. If you're not interested in a reward program, then look for credit cards that don't have mandatory reward programs.
Other card services fees - some places charge for supplementary cards, using the ATMs of other banks and phone and internet banking services.
Learn more about card services with our credit card charges page and look at the fees on other credit cards. See if you're getting the best deal with our compare credit cards page.
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