Winners pay off their debt in full each month, so they never pay any interest. If you're not in a position to do that, please - stop using your card.

Bad credit ratings happen to people in all walks of life. Sometimes a catastrophe such as business failure, divorce or illness leaves an erstwhile financially healthy member of the public in dire straits.

The economy has started to slow, with confidence declining as dairy prices remain lower for longer.

We spend a lot more using credit cards than we would with cash. How much more? A number of studies show how and why people spend more on credit than with cash, but there's no consensus as to how much.

Kiwis spent more on their electronic cards in May, as increased retailing of consumables offset a flat month.

Core retail spending (excluding fuel and vehicle-related spending) fell 0.8 per cent in April, the first time since last June.

The dropping of Airpoints from BNZ credit cards has lowered the bank's travel reward performance in the latest credit card research.

Setting yourself up for life financially can be done with seven easy steps.

Don't be sucked in by tempting rewards schemes when you're shopping for a credit card, says Consumer New Zealand.

Retailers are continuing to benefit from the boost to consumers' discretionary incomes from the fall in oil prices over the past year.

New Zealanders increased spending on debit and credit cards in February, led by gains in hospitality and apparel as low inflation

People are becoming more comfortable with the new way of paying for small items, with a trebling in the use of contactless card transactions over the past year.

Apple has promised that its Pay service can revolutionise the way we shop, replacing a credit card swipe with a tap of the phone.

Presidents, they're just like us - their credit cards get declined.

Having bad credit can stand in the way of everything from borrowing from the bank to signing up with a power company for your home electricity.

Visa is rolling out software to detect whether it's you or someone pretending to be you filling up on fuel.

There's a fox in the hen house of personal finance. It's called a credit card, writes Diana Clement. Most people have little plastic friends. They may also have Farmers Card, QCard, Gem Visa and other store cards, which are disguised credit cards.

Visa is to stop accepting signatures for its New Zealand-issued credit cards for most transactions from later this year in a bid to strengthen security.

Remember that ad where Richie McCaw races around the shops in a suit, buying wedding presents and tapping his card on an eftpos terminal?

Ordinary travel insurance is full of fish-hooks, writes Diana Clement. Credit card travel insurance has even more nasty surprises.

Credit card debt has reached a record high - and if you're keen to get rid of yours faster, it pays to hunt for the best deal.

Kiwis appear to be falling back into the bad credit card habits last seen before the global financial crisis, an economist has warned.

Competition is heating up in the $5.6b credit card market, with two major banks releasing new offers in the past week.

Next time you give your credit card some exercise, ask yourself if you're behaving logically. You're probably not.

Credit cards are designed to part us with our money. Canny customers, however, can sometimes use these little plastic cards to their financial advantage.