The financial forecast for 2009 shows no sign of improving, if the headlines in the newspapers are to be believed. Financial institutions, particularly credit companies, are decidedly nervous. Despite the lowest base interest rate in the Bank of Englands 315-year history, monetary nerves are still jittery and all indications are that the days of easy credit are well and truly over. However, consumers are still in love with the idea of buy now, pay later and still want credit at low interest rates (preferably 0% for the first few months). Credit card companies, worried at the exposure to potential bad debt are reluctant to oblige, so are there still any deals on low rate credit cards to be had to those who want to make plastic purchases?
The number of television adverts offering 0% deals on credit cards has been considerably less than last year. Compared to 2008, when the thought of a recession was far from the average consumers mind, there has been very little in the way of credit card offers of any kind. This absence has been noted by the organisation Credit Action, who have found that credit in general and low rate credit cards in particular are much rarer than at the same time last year. They also found that where credit was available it was more expensive than before, with 0% offers being harder to find. The findings suggest that banks and credit lenders are reducing their market exposure and are now waiting to see what 2009 brings before opening up the market again to card-hungry consumers.
However, the popularity of credit cards has not diminished and consumers are still on the lookout for a bargain. Chris Tapp, director of Credit Action says that credit cards are a very normalised part of the way people manage and borrow money, which means that its going to be very difficult to persuade consumers to stop using plastic. Add to this the fact that, although High Street sales may be crashing, online purchasing is on the increase with Ebay and other online auction sites seeing a continuing flurry of activity as customers hunt for bargains. All of these transactions (unless you have a PayPal account) are done on credit and debit cards. So the prospect of the British public turning their backs on their credit cards any time soon looks remote.
There are still bargains to be had, despite all the gloom and doom. 0% balance transfer cards are still relatively plentiful and special offers on purchases are quite common as well. The 0% grace periods on purchases tend to be much shorter than those for balance transfers and once these special offers end the APR can climb rapidly. This can prompt an unseemly scramble as customers desert their cards in search of a 0% balance transfer to save money. However, frequent card-jumping can quickly damage your credit rating and reduce the chances of further credit. This year, cards are looking for customer loyalty and are changing their tact accordingly. In the coming months we may start to see a groundshift in policy amongst card providers, where cards incur interest charges earlier, but those charges are kept lower to keep customers from seeking solace in a quick-fix 0% temptation.
Rather than joining in the scramble for the 0% offers that are still out there, credit card customers would be better advised to accept that the market has changed and that credit card interest payments are inevitable. Consequently the best thing to do is to look for long-term, low APR rates and cards that dont have too many hidden extras in the form of insurance charges, late payment fees and other handling fees. The days of free and easy lending finished in 2008 and everyone has to adjust their expectations to accommodate a much more bearish market, with caution being the watchword. If businesses have to adjust their parameters then so do consumers.
The Internet has had a huge influence in how credit card customers approach the market, with online comparison sites giving the savvy consumer the power of knowledge. Credit card consumers are much more aware of the small print that previously went unnoticed and are much more likely to spend longer comparing and contrasting cards before making an informed, final decision. This puts the consumer in a very powerful position, as it is up to the credit card companies to make attractive (but realistic) offers to tempt in new customers and keep existing ones in the fold. Despite the dire financial warnings issued almost daily by the media, the consumer is very much in charge this time and isnt going to be fooled by cards that promise the earth. A far more symbiotic relationship between credit card lender and the consumer will be the result of this market readjustment.