The holiday season is almost here, and many of us will likely be using a credit card to facilitate our shopping. There are some things that you should know here in Ireland that can help prevent your holiday from ending up being a nightmare. The opportunity to shop online has become a very big business, and many Irish citizens will shop online at this time of year. You can protect yourself from any fraudulent charges or identity theft from happening to you if you follow a few simple steps.
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The holiday shopping season is upon us, and while it may be a little less jolly this year due to the Irish economy you can still find bargains. The retailers may offer better deals when you shop online because they don’t pay for a storefront and many employees. This usually works well for the customer. However, before you shop online you should know how to have a safe shopping experience. Read the rest of this entry »

In the UK and Ireland credit cards are worrisome. Many customers are trying to ease their debts only to find they are getting more expensive credit cards. Research conducted this year shows 16 cards have increased their annual percentage rate. 12 cards have also increased the cash withdrawal services. Read the rest of this entry »

In years past Christmas has been a time for retail shops to rejoice, even if the year has been slow. Unfortunately as the credit crunch gets worse in Ireland it could be the worst season in years. Credit cards are not going to be used this year by many consumers. They have too much debt, and the current interest rate hikes to Ireland credit cards is creating a problem. Read the rest of this entry »

The news for those of you that have to take cash advances from your credit card to get along has just taken a turn for the worse. It is never a good idea to take a cash advance from a credit card, as the interest rate is enormously high. The awful truth is that the latest news is that it is going to get much worse. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent study from the Irish government has concentrated on looking at the credit market as a whole. They have analysed the mortgages as well as credit card industries to see what is happening due to the current economic crisis. Ireland has found their mortgage rates have slowed to a 22 year low, but they are also showing about 9.3 percent of a downturn in credit cards. Read the rest of this entry »

A warning was issued this week regarding credit union email fraud for Irish consumers. An email is going out to credit union consumers. It is supposed to be from the Irish League of Credit Unions. The email begins with a security alert or unauthorised access to your account. The email then goes on to state that there is a potential for fraud and that the recipient of the email must comply with the emails directions offered. Read the rest of this entry »

Consumers realise that credit cards have a high interest rate and that they can no longer go out and spend as much as they want. This realisation may be a little too late for some card holders, but for others it could be a great thing. The recession in Ireland combined with the high rate of credit card debts and lower income have made changes a necessity. Read the rest of this entry »

A question was recently raised regarding credit cards and whether you should either carry your ID or have the company place your photo on the actual card. This is not a new question though. Read the rest of this entry »

Many credit card companies around the world are attempting to fight their own credit crisis. Of course this may make the consumer bitter as it is the high interest rates charged that makes paying the card off difficult. The credit card changes that are occurring have everything to do with raising interest rates, changing credit limits, and closing defaulted accounts from further use. Read the rest of this entry »