The changing face of our planet has brought interest in environmental issues very much to the fore, and nowhere more so than in the world of credit cards. Customers are looking to do something for the greater good in every aspect of their life now, which is why there is now a Co-op credit card that helps do just that.
The Co-op Think credit card donates 25 pence from every GBP100 spent to Cool Earth, an environmental charity that works to help regenerate the planet. Also, upon signing up for the card, the Co-op buys half an acre of rain forest in Brazil that will be protected and help manage carbon dioxide.
The Think credit card from the Co-op is also competitive financially, with an Annual Percentage Rate of only 12.9 percent. Ultimately a credit card should best suit financial requirements first, taking care of other matters are secondary. However this new Co-op credit card appears to have both bases covered.
The Summer months are expected to be a busy time for those with credit cards according to Sainsburys Bank, with consumers expected to hit the cards hard to cover their spending.
Estimates put total consumer spending at around GBP7.9 billion for the Summer months, a little lower than last year but still a lot of money bearing in mind the difficult economic conditions. Of this total spend Sainsburys Bank predict approximately 42 percent will be put onto a credit card.
There are benefits to be enjoyed through paying by credit card of course, including cash back offers, points that can be redeemed to collect rewards and 0 percent interest too. The key is to clear the balance before it becomes costly and this is what Sainsburys Bank hope consumers will do.
There are many situations where people have to deal with unexpected situations that need to paid for, breakdowns in the home or car for example. However around 7.5 million people in the UK say they need their credit card to cover these problems say the Alliance and Leicester.
With a washing machine costing around GBP300 and a boiler over GBP1,000 such problems can become far larger when there are insufficient funds to cover the costs. Around 25 percent of those surveyed by the Alliance and Leicester said they could not manage anything over GBP100, while around half said GBP500 would be the most they could cover.
These people look to their credit card to cover such costs, though the recent credit problems are making this a little more difficult than before. Alliance and Leicester credit cards or alternatively a regular savings account can help cover these situations and get customers through a difficult situation.
