Best Credit Card for Shoppers

If you are the kind of person who loves a good sale, or a day dedicated to hitting your favourite shopping strip then you know there are few things which can rival the thrill of finding the perfect purchases and getting them home where you can start to enjoy them. However, just as quickly as you reach that high from a fruitful shopping spree, you can be hit with the backlash from your overworked credit card when interest is applied to those previously perfect purchases.

That is why, if you are a dedicated shopper – whether your passion is car parts and computer games, or stilettos and manicures – you need to make sure you are using a shoppers’ credit card so you can enjoy those purchases without the guilt of interest charges.  A shoppers’ credit card will:

• Have a long interest free period to give you the best chance to pay down your balance.
• Have a low interest rate so you’re being charged less, and still have the ability to make your repayments.
• Have a credit limit you can afford, to rein you in before you ‘˜lose the farm’.
• Have a low annual fee because this is a long term relationship.

Using the St George Vertigo MasterCard as a Shoppers’ Credit Card

Best Shopping Credit Card

The St. George Vertigo MasterCard offer has re-launched, now featuring 2.99% for up to 6 months on both purchases and balance transfers, combined with a standard purchase interest rate at the end of 6 months of just 11.74%. The St. George Vertigo is an excellent card to consider from one of Australias most respected banks.

• $55 annual fee
• 12.49% p.a. on purchases
• 2.99% p.a. for 6 months on balance transfers
• Cash Advance Rate of 21.24%
• 2.99% on purchases for first 6 months

Click here to read the St George Vertigo terms and conditions

The St George Vertigo MasterCard has all of the features above which make it the perfect credit card for shoppers, while also offering you great specials, enhanced security and the help you need to manage your credit card debt responsibly.

Benefits of the St George Vertigo MasterCard:

• A low introductory purchase interest rate. For the first six months after you open a St George Vertigo MasterCard you can enjoy a low interest rate on purchases of just 2.99%. This 2.99% interest rate is also the same low rate you will pay if you are transferring a balance from a credit card with a higher interest rate, for six months too.
• A low on going interest rate of 11.74%. This is one of the lowest purchase interest rates you will find on any Australian credit card and because you are paying a lower rate of interest on your purchases you have a better chance of repaying them, and sooner, than if you were paying almost double that interest rate on a normal credit card.
• A low annual fee of $55. Paying a low annual fee for your shopping credit card means you can afford to keep using your card year after year and make huge savings on your interest repayments because you’re also making huge savings on your fees.
• A rewards program. Usually a credit card with a low interest rate and a low annual fee does not have a rewards program – those are usually reserved for the expensive credit cards – however, with the St George Instant Benefits rewards program you can get instant discounts on selected purchases.
• A 55 day interest free period. While you are enjoying a low interest rate you should still be trying to avoid paying interest at all and the St George Vertigo MasterCard gives you 55 days to pay down your balance before charging you any interest.
• Low credit limit options. The Vertigo credit card gives you the choice to start your credit limit as low as $500 and it is important to choose a credit limit you can afford because even if you can’t pay off the entire balance each month, you also shouldn’t keep adding and adding to your credit card balance with no intention – and no means – to repay it.
• Secure online shopping and fraud protection. Just because a shopping spree may look like a suspicious increase in use on your credit card, the St George Falcon Fraud system will get to know you better than that and will monitor your spending and notify you of real fraudulent activity on your card. Plus, you can enjoy the ease and savings which can be made by shopping online as you are covered by the MasterCard SecureCode service which requires an additional password to verify your transaction online; you can register for free when you lo into internet banking.

How to Use Your Shoppers’ Credit Card Responsibly

Just because you have found a credit card which suits your shopping needs and gives you the best chance to keep in control of your credit card balance without being charged exorbitant interest, you can still follow some simple tips to keep enjoying your shopping sprees while exercising a little financial responsibility too:

• Start a savings plan. You don’t need to put everything on your credit card just because it is there and gives you a good deal because eventually you will be paying interest on those purchases, albeit low interest. Instead, strike a balance between saving and spending and open a savings account, and a regular debit made from your wages. This means you can save up for those bigger purchases which may be outside of your credit limit, or a little further down the track and you’ll not only learn better budgeting skills, you’ll also save more by earning interest in your savings account.
• Give in to more needs than wants. If you’ve had quite a big few months on your shopping credit card, the next time you go to buy something you really want, thin about whether it is something you really need. Are you making an impulse purchase, and is it really worth paying interest on something you’re infatuated with this week but will forget about the next?
• Shop with your true peers. Your peers are the people who are in the same situation as you, and in this case we mean financially. If you regularly go on shopping sprees with friends or family members who have more money to spend or fewer bills to worry about, you may be encouraged to spend more than you would normally, and much more than you can afford. This is peer pressure you can do without.

• Comparison of Top 10 Credit Card Offers

Editor's Choice: Our Top Credit Cards

Credit Card	Card Details	Interest Rate (p.a.)	Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)	Balance Transfer Rate (p.a.)	Annual fee	Interest free days (up to)
HSBC Credit Card	Editor's Choice: 0% for 6 months Balance Transfer & No Annual Fee Featuring a $0 annual fee for life, and 0% p.a. balance transfer for 6 months, the HSBC Credit Card was voted the Best Transactor Credit Card for 2010.	16.99%	20.75%	0% for 6 months	$0	55
Suncorp Clear Options Standard Visa Card	A great 12 month balance transfer offer, combined with a low annual fee and a good interest rate on purchases.	12.24%	17.99%	1.9% for 12 months	$39	0