Bank finance articles and tips

Credit cards make transacting a lot easier and to many users of such payment facilities, they are safer than cash because banks and credit providers have their own security procedures that can prevent their customers from going bankrupt in case of fraud.

In South Africa, there are four major providers of credit accounts and they are:

1. Standard Bank

2. ABSA

3. First National Bank

4. Nedbank

Each of these providers offers their own line of charge plates that can fit the various spending habits and lifestyles of South African citizens. For each of the accounts they offer, they also have different qualifying criteria, features, benefits, interest rates and annual fees. It is necessary to check each of these credit accounts and compare them in order for you to find the best type that can suit you.

More on the four major banks in South Africa that issue credit charge plates:

Standard Bank

The bank is established in 1862, making it the oldest institution of the four. It was only listed on the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange) in 1970 however. Standard Bank offers charge plates in Blue, Gold and Platinum. They also offer British Airways Gold and Orlando Pirates charge accounts.

ABSA

A wholly owned subsidiary of ABSA Group, it was established in 1991 and they offer Silver, Gold, Gold Graduate and Platinum accounts as well as Aviation Credit Cards.

First National Bank (FNB)

FNB was established in 1987 and is a wholly owned South African company. The charge plates they offer to citizens of South Africa who qualify include Smart, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Nedbank

Of the four largest banking groups in South Africa, Nedbank is the smallest issuer of credit cards. The bank's ordinary shares have been listed on JSE Limited since 1969. They also offer more charge plate varieties that include the Greenback Classic, Greenback Gold and Greenback Platinum, Nedbank Classic, Nedbank Gold, Nedbank Visa Platinum, Nedbank Business, Classic Credit, Nedbank Business Gold, Pro Shop Gold and Pro Shop Platinum.

Aside from these credit providers, there are other banks in South Africa where you can apply for a credit account. These are:

? Barclaycard

? Go Banking

? RMB

? Bluebean

There are also co-branded plastic money available in South Africa like the Diners Club card and American Express, airline branded accounts like the SAA Voyager, cell phone branded, golf branded, vehicle finance and retail chain branded charge plates.

If you are looking for credit cards in South Africa, it is useful to know which banks and companies issue these to make the search easier. If you know what credit accounts are available, you can compare them and in that way, you can take advantage of low-interest rates and charges, better incentives and more flexible payment options.

Take A Look Here

South Africa has a plethora of credit card options and if you want to know and compare them, click here now.

By Harriet Y Chan
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Y_Chan