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In choosing a credit card, people often use the following factors to come up with a decision: interest rates, fees and charges, introductory offers, reward programmes, and the issuing bank’s reputation. While all these factors are very important, and should indeed be considered carefully when comparing credit cards, the fact remains that another factor, which has become equally important (or even more important than other factors) is often overlooked. The factor being referred to is the online credit card services that comes automatically with each card. Online credit card services, just like online banking, when it first entered the scene may have been regarded only as an added perk, a convenience that you can really do without. However, due to the magnitude of convenience that online credit card services bring, people are beginning to realise that this “perk” is actually something that they are becoming fast dependent on. And with that increasing dependence, it makes so much sense to treat the online card services that comes with each card to be one of the major deciding factors for choosing a card or not. To compare the online services available for each card, the best way to do it is obviously to compare each site. Of course you won’t have an account yet, and as such will not be able to do a thorough comparison of the features and the feel of each online credit site. However, a mere glance at the bank’s website would already give you a good idea of the overall feel of their online credit card services. There might be exceptions, such as if a bank’s site is under renovation, but generally the quality of the website will reflect the quality of the online services they provide to their cardholders. A cursory look at the website will already tell you a lot, but it is important that you do not leave it at that. Go through the site and find out the following information to be able to compare the credit card online facilities better: 1. Possible transactions - Find out the other transactions you can do via the online facility aside from the usual credit card payment and balance inquiry. The best online facilities will allow you to do balance transfers, money transfers, check and change your PIN, ask for a credit limit increase, and so much more. 2. Security - Find out what they have done to ensure the security of their site and the service they provide. 3. Support - Find out if they will provide support for you, as you learn how to navigate the online world, and if you have alternatives to the online facility. Article By : Peter Carville. Peter Carville is a freelance article writer who writes for Financial Facts about the current financial news and the credit crunch.
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