Act now for Christmas debt
Moneysupermarket.com claims that Britons could save up to £2 billion on credit card debt interest in 2007 by applying for an interest free card now.
Robert Kenley, head of credit cards at moneysupermarket.com, warned that consumers should exercise proper debt management, adding: “Cards offer a simple and tempting way to help spread the cost of Christmas.
“Opting for a nought per cent deal means that consumers using plastic for their Christmas spending pay nothing more than the cost of their goods – they just need to make sure the balance is paid off before the introductory offer ends.”
One reason for acting now to tackle Christmas credit card debt is that it can take providers some time to process applications and may take even longer in the run-up to the season.
David Mond, CEO of debt resolution company ClearDebt, reckons that even this good advice is likely to be ignored by many: “Taking Christmas credit can be a desperate measure, there’s so much guilt bound-up in the festive season these days that people can feel mean-spirited sticking to a budget. Many take credit in December and don’t realise until May that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.
“In our experience, people with existing debt problems are often tempted to overspend at Christmas, because they feel they owe the family a good time. But then they do nothing about it when the new year hits,” he added.
