Talking your way to more credit

With the size of mobile phone bills sometimes resembling a credit card statement, and some conventional credit cards charging nearly 25 per cent APR in interest, the new Eircell Visa Card, could be of interest to Eircell phone users.

It combines many of the competitive features being introduced by other new entries to the Irish credit card market: a lower interest rate of 19.9 per cent compared to AIB's Classic Visa rate of 24.6 per cent; no annual fee for the next two years; a 56-day free interest period; and three months interest free credit. You can also transfer the balance from your other credit or charge cards to the new one. But the real selling point of this card is that every time you use your Eircell card at any of the participating retailers you receive "Talking-points", each one of which is worth 10p against the cost of your Eircell phone bill. There are only 10 retailers involved at the moment. Not all offer pound-for-point value: for example, four will award 100-150 points if you spend £100, while others will only award 25 or 50 points for the same spend. A build-up of 300 talkingpoints means a £30 reduction in your Eircell phone bill. The points will accumulate on your monthly Visa card statement but the cash equivalent in this case the £30 will be deducted on a quarterly basis. Any unused points can be carried forward to future phone bills. AIB will allow an extra free card for a spouse or partner, but only the principal cardholder can accumulate points.

Lower interest rates come with a price tag, however. If you are late with payments, you will be charged a £3 penalty; if you need a copy of a sales voucher or an extra statement you'll be charged up to another £3 and there is no getting around the compulsory £15 Government tax.

For more information about this offer, contact AIB Credit Card Centre or Eircell on its customer helpline, 1850 633 999.