I hate hidden fees

Financial advertisers are simple beasts: they lead with all the attractive features in the big print, while consigning all the nasty stuff to small print which can only be read with an electron microscope. Hence, it's absolutely vital to plough through the small print looking for nasties, because, as the old saying goes, "the Devil's in the detail"!

Perhaps the greatest fans of hidden fees (and fines) are credit-card issuers. If you don't look beyond the headline promotion, you might miss the following:

* Fees for balance transfers to 0% cards, which can add 2% to the transfer cost;
* Annual fees of between £10 and £50 a year (after years in the wilderness, these are making a comeback); and
* Penalties of between £20 and £25 for exceeding your credit limit, paying late, missing or bouncing a payment.

To find out the real nitty-gritty behind the plastic, be sure to read the Summary Box (also known as the honesty or Schumer box), which lists all financial details and charges.

Sick and tired of paying interest on your plastic? Then transfer your balances to a 0% credit card!