Credit Card Overview
Fact: there are more credit cards than people in Britain and the country's debt problems are amongst the worst in the world.
When choosing a card provider, its policies on responsible lending and debt advice provision are of key importance. The green and ethical concerns you bring to who you bank with, concerns about equal opportunities or the environment, are just as applicable to who you get your credit card from.
This section also looks at the green or ethical worth, as well as the practicalities of charity affinity cards.
Does your credit card provider treat its customers responsibly?
What are charity affinity cards and how do they work?
Does your credit card provider treat its customers responsibly?
Responsible lending
According to the British Banker's Association (BBA), responsible lending means 'providing credit, based on background checks and professional judgement, to people who can accommodate repayments without getting into financial difficulty'. As the sheer number of people in debt today shows, these principles are not always well applied by credit lending institutions. In 2008 our credit card debt hit £54.4bn and continues to rise.
Transparency is key - credit card customers should be presented with the terms and conditions attached to their card up front and in plain English. It is important to check whether your provider has a responsible lending policy in place, and how it is implemented if it does exist.
Debt management
Credit card debt is all too common in the UK. Some financial institutions offer basic in-house debt advice services, the scope of which can vary greatly. Often providers will refer customers to free advice services including the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, the Citizens Advice Bureau and others.
Use our search tool to find details of your provider's debt management services. Information on this subject can be found under 'Responsibility toward Customers'. Alternatively contact your provider directly for further information.
What are charity affinity cards and how do they work?
Affinity card providers make a small donation on behalf of the card holder to the charity it is associated with.
Such charity donations average around 25p per £100 spent. So, in order to donate £100 to your charity of choice you'd have to spend £40,000 with the card. Most providers also make a one-off donation of between £5 and £25 on each new card account.
In their analysis of charity affinity cards moneysavingexpert.com suggest that a more effective way to donate money is to use cash back cards. Cash back cards operate in much the same way as affinity cards except that instead of a charity, additional money goes to the card holder and this money is usually considerably more than a standard charity card donation. The cash back card holder can then donate the money they have earned to the charity of their choice and if eligible, Gift Aid it, so rather than £1 the charity will receive £1.28. Donations on affinity cards are not eligible for Gift Aid.
Your next steps
See our guide Next Steps - Credit Cards for more suggestions on how to find out about your credit card provider's green and ethical policies, how to contact them and how to find the right credit card for you.
Credit Card Search
| Please click on any of the credit card providers below to find out more |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Credit Card Providers |
Criteria | |||||||||||||||
|
Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.7 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18.1 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33.3 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
40 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33.3 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.3 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.7 | |||||||||
Credit Card Provider
Post Office Personal Banking
Green/Ethical Products
- The Post Office Bank offers the Post Office Card Account (POCA), which does not contain any overdraft or charges. No credit check is required to open an account, which allows individuals to take cash out and check their balance.
Ethical Lending or Insurance
No evidence found of the bank’s ethical insurance policy found.
Human Rights
No policy was found to indicate that Post Office Bank avoids lending to or insuring companies that directly contribute to human rights violations.
However, with regard to its Responsible Procurement Policy, Post Office Bank’s parent company, Royal Mail Group expects suppliers to:
- Adhere to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and comply with the eight fundamental ILO Conventions
Financial Exclusion
The Post Office Bank offers the Post Office Card Account (POCA), which does not contain any overdraft or charges. No credit check is required to open an account, which allows individuals to take cash out and check their balance.
The Post Office has founded Go ON UK, which is committed to helping 16 million people in the UK who lack the skills or confidence to benefit from new digital services, participate in digital training sessions across the 11,780 branches. To help people who may not have access to, or know how to use, the internet, the Post Office is working with the government and community partners to ensure people can go to a Post Office branch to get the help they need to access these services in a safe and trusted environment.
No evidence that Post Office Bank provides direct financial support to or engages in partnerships with Credit Unions and CDFIs (Community Development Finance Institutions).
According to its 2012 Annual Report, the Post Office strives to be one of the most accessible organisations in the UK, ensuring that colleagues with disability needs are provided with all the support they need and disabled customers receive an excellent experience.
In 2012-13, the Post Office:
- launched the Post Office Disability Helpline to provide solutions and specialist equipment to employees with disability or accessibility issues;
- provided grants to agency branches to upgrade their outlets to make them more accessible; and
- created and met a panel of accessibility experts from disability organisations on a regular basis, whose role is to advise on the accessibility issues facing disabled people and our people.
The Post Office also states it has the largest free-to-use cash ATMs network in the UK (Post Office rural network), providing access to financial services for those in remote or deprived areas.
No evidence found of Post Office Bank’s involvement in any microfinance or microinsurance projects.
No evidence found that Post Office Bank invests in or lends at lower rates to financially excluded communities.
Environment
Post Office Limited’s environmental policy covers the key areas of climate change, energy efficiency, water use and waste management.
The bank appears to be committed to continued improvement of its environmental performance.
According to its 2012-2013 Annual Report, the Post Office states that it recognises its environmental responsibilities, and is committed to minimising its adverse environmental impact by means of a continuous improvement process.
Post Office Limited sets a number of yearly environmental goals for its building energy use, vehicle CO2 emissions, water use and waste recycling and measures its year end performance of these goals.
Carbon Neutral
No commitment to become fully carbon neutral was found.
Equal Opportunities
Post Office Limited’s diversity policy takes into consideration the key equality issues of race, gender and disability. See Annual Report.
Women on the Board
4/10 women hold top level board positions (40%)
Voluntary Standards & Initiatives
Post Office Limited is a member of or signatory to the following relevant charter or initiatives:
Business in the Community (BITC)
Charitable Giving
In 2012 , the branch network worked with BBC’s Children in
Need’s BearFaced initiative. According to the 2012-13 Annual Report, Post Office activities raised more than £1 million for the program.
Post Office Personal Banking
- Current Accounts
- Savings
- Credit Cards
- Insurance (Life, Motor, Home, Pet, Travel, Business)
- Mortgages
Post Office Personal Banking
Post Office Personal Banking
Post Office Limited
148 Old Street
London EC1V 9HQ
