Credit card news

Australians to spend $2.9 billion this Easter

Australians are set to indulge this Easter holidays with the latest report from IBISWorld revealing our holiday-loving nation will spend approximately $2.9 billion over this Easter period.

Fraud rates rise but thieves take less

While thieves did rip off more Australians and their cards, new research shows they are now stealing far less.

Only one in five aware of cyber security breach

Only one-in-five organisations are aware they have experienced a “cyber incident” in the past 12 months.

Could a smartphone replace your wallet?

If you believe the pundits, your mobile phone will soon become an electronic wallet, as we take the next step towards a cashless society.

Millions struggle to repay debt, yet seek more

More than 2.7 million Australians are struggling to pay their current credit commitments, research suggests. Despite this, 25 percent also admitted they would seek to overcome difficulty by increasing their credit card limit, mortgage or loan.

"Hacktivism" is on the rise

Two-thirds of Australians think it's unlikely they will be victims of a cyber-attack, an Australian SCAN social trend survey has revealed. So much so, that fewer than half of us ever bother to change our passwords or update anti-virus software.

Dirty, filthy money

If there was ever an argument for a 'cashless society' this may be it; germs on money could be making us sick. New research has revealed that some bank notes contain more than six times the contamination levels of a public toilet.

Banks roll $6 billion on plastic

Thousands of Australians saddled with credit card debt are "throwing money away", according to new research, which shows that credit card providers are making over $6 billion per year in credit card interest alone, despite the cash rate dropping.

Treasury proposes credit card regulations

As Australia's level of credit card debt gets out of control, the federal Treasury has released a green paper to help protect consumers from overspending on credit cards. The green paper refers to Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) data that shows Australians accumulated a total credit card debt worth $4.8 billion as at September, an increase of $143 million from August.

Spendthrift? Australians rack up record debt

Credit card users have broken an all-time record in the Christmas season, dismissing predictions that Australians would be spending conservatively in the wake of the financial crisis.