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$Plain English advice guide helps Britain\'s credit card holders$

Plain English advice guide helps Britain's credit card holders

The UK Cards Association has launched a plain English guide to help...

$Credit cards \'are not a solution to debt problems\'$

Credit cards 'are not a solution to debt problems'

Seeking the best credit card deals in order to pay off existing debts...

Top tips for managing your credit card

Credit cards and pre-paid cards can be useful spending tools, for...

Brits need an extra day in the week to get everything done

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A Prepaid Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and some of us will be thinking about using the Credit card to spread the cost of Christmas into 2012. Very wise, but it is not the only way. A Prepaid card can often give you much the same protection as a credit card when shopping online; the difference is that you upload your money up front before you start spending so if you struggle the manage your credit card, a prepaid card could be the perfect thing.

Prepaid cards work by allowing you to load up an amount of cash decided by you on to a card. It’s almost like paying your credit card before you spend it. Once you have spent what is on there you will need to reload with money before you can use it again, which is why most users think its great for managing your spending and budgeting. There are a range of prepaid cards on the market so when your choosing one, make sure it does what you need it to. A prepaid card earns money for their providers by charging fees to you so make sure you know and understand exactly what fees you are paying and when before you take the card.

The Virgin Money Pay as you Go Prepaid is one of the few VISA prepaid cards on the market, it charges an upfront £9.95 application fee, it does not have a monthly fee but will charge you 2.75% every time you reload the card. The benefits of the card are that there is no bank account needed, no credit checks and a secure way to shop online, by phone and in store. The Virgin prepaid card can also offer some great discounts from Virgin companies.

The prepaid cards offer some other great benefits especially if you are planning on going abroad you can find a card that offers a very competitive exchange rate whilst being more secure than carrying around a lot of cash. If you have struggled to manage your credit in the past and now struggle to get credit then a prepaid card can offer you all the benefits of a credit card while allowing you an opportunity to rebuild your credit rating.

Moneyextra.com recommends you take independent financial advice before acting on any article

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Moneyextra.com's Top Picks

Barclaycard - Platinum Credit Card with Balance Transfer
	Balance Transfers	Purchases	Representative APR (Variable)	Benefits
	0% for 22 months (2.9% fee)	0% for 3 months	17.9% APR	Cash Advances - 27.9% Free Purchase Protection Max Purchase Protection: £5000
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1200, representative 17.9% APR (variable). Purchase rate 17.9% PA.				Details

Royal Bank of Scotland - Platinum MasterCard
	Balance Transfers	Purchases	Representative APR (Variable)	Benefits
	0% for 22 months (3.2% fee)	0% for 6 months	17.9% APR	Intro Cash Advances 28.0% for Life Internet Fraud Protection
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1200, representative 17.9% APR (variable). Purchase rate 17.9% PA.				Details

Halifax - Balance Transfer Credit Card MasterCard
	Balance Transfers	Purchases	Representative APR (Variable)	Benefits
	0% for 22 months (3.5% fee)	0% for 3 months	17.9% APR	Intro Cash Advances 28.0% for Life Internet Fraud Protection
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1200, representative 17.9% APR (variable). Purchase rate 17.95% PA. 0% for the first 22 months on balance transfers up to £3,000. You must have an annual income of £20,000 or more to apply				Details

Barclaycard - Platinum Balance Transfer Visa
	Balance Transfers	Purchases	Representative APR (Variable)	Benefits
	0% for 21 months (2.6% fee)	0% for 3 months	17.9% APR	Cash Advances - 27.9% Free Purchase Protection Max Purchase Protection: £5000
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1200, representative 17.9% APR (variable). Purchase rate 17.9% PA.				Details

Virgin Money - Credit Card MasterCard
	Balance Transfers	Purchases	Representative APR (Variable)	Benefits
	0% for 20 months (2.99% fee)	0% for 3 months	16.8% APR	Intro Cash Advances 27.9% for Life Internet Fraud Protection
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1200, representative 16.8% APR (variable). Purchase rate 16.8% PA.				Details

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Plain English advice guide helps Britain's credit card holders

Credit cards 'are not a solution to debt problems'

Top tips for managing your credit card

Brits need an extra day in the week to get everything done

A Prepaid Christmas

Balance Transfers

Purchases

Representative APR (Variable)

Benefits

Balance Transfers

Purchases

Representative APR (Variable)

Benefits

Balance Transfers

Purchases

Representative APR (Variable)

Benefits

Balance Transfers

Purchases

Representative APR (Variable)

Benefits

Balance Transfers

Purchases

Representative APR (Variable)

Benefits