Banks extend credit card cash advance charges

Customers are being urged to be as savvy as possible when using their credit card, with many providers believed to have extended the remit of cash advances.

Such an action could be tough on consumers, with the interest rate on purchases such as gift vouchers and online betting often being double that of usual cash transactions.

Nick White, director of financial services at price comparison site uSwitch, has described the way in which cardholders are being “bamboozled” by the banks’ tactics.

“They don’t know whether they will be charged at the much higher cash withdrawal rates on a whole raft of credit card transactions unless they scour the small print in their terms and conditions,” he told This is Money.

The measures are believed to have been implemented by many financial providers to recoup finances as a result of an Office of Fair Trading decision last year, which compelled banks to cap penalty fees at £12.

According to the Association for Payment Clearing Services, cash withdrawals on credit cards in the UK totalled £8.22 billion last year.

Tags: advance, Credit card, penalty, uswitch, Financial services, action, Clearing, Association