Think of credit card skins like the “skins” that people choose to dress up their iPod. It’s like a wardrobe of tiny clothing that won’t keep your card from working like it’s supposed to (unless you have a “smart chip” Visa). Credit card skins are basically super thin stickers that you apply to the front of your card with a hole over where your name, card number, and expiration date go.

There are many websites where you can choose from a dizzying array of irish credit card skins with every kind of graphic or message you can imagine, from preppy Argyle designs to gay pride. Creditcovers.com has hundreds of designs to choose from. There is also an opportunity to make your own design and to earn royalties from it if it sells.

You can also make your own graphic credit card skins using a template in a graphics program using t-shirt transfer paper and a color inkjet printer or Adobe PhotoShop. Once you have the design the right shape and size (with the hole for your name, card number, and expiration date), print it out onto t-shirt transfer paper then cut the design out with scissors. You then put spray mount on the card, peel the backing from the transfer paper and place the design on the card. Put the ironing paper that comes with the t-shirt transfer paper over the card on an ironing board or reasonable facsimile. Preheat iron to “low.” Iron the card for 15 seconds. Check if the design adheres. If not, iron for 15 more seconds. But be careful, lest you melt your credit card with too much heat. Let cool. After the card has cooled cut away excess transfer paper with a mat knife.Businesses can order custom credit card skins as unique and fun promotional giveaways.

In most instances the best design for a credit card is the one that offers the lowest possible interest rate. Once you have gained this, if it isn’t trendy enough for you, then skins are the perfect way to add a personal touch to your card.

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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Even before banks cut off questionable lending, people started to realize that accumulating debt was ultimately not going to be offset by a continued boom in property prices.During the boom days when everyone assumed that housing prices would continue to rise ad infinitum, Ireland was wedded to their credit cards. There was always more credit on tap. Buying and selling property was the kind of thing you would feel left out if you weren’t doing. The consumer’s mindset was largely “Buy now, pay later,” and unfortunately, the “Rip Off Ireland” concept was largely tolerated by consumers. But something happened on the way to the credit crunch.

By the time the credit crunch hit in 2008, many consumers worldwide were already going on the assumption that all the financial candy they’d been eating the past few years was going to result in several years of biliousness. Ireland was no exception. Thrift quickly became the new standard.

If you do carry a credit card with a balance, you can probably find a better deal if you do some searching.To that end, consumers are paying much more attention to the terms of service of their credit cards, canceling those with the worst terms and transferring balances to cards with lower interest rates or better perks. Here are a few things to look for when looking for better credit card deals in Ireland.

Perhaps the the change that would make the biggest difference would be a lower interest rate overall, not just a low or 0% introductory rate. Unless you plan to pay off your entire balance quickly, low “teaser” rates are likely to rebound back to where your rates were before – or worse.

That said, if you have the means to pay off your credit card balance, you might consider getting a card with a low or 0% teaser rate on balance transfers.It isn’t as easy now to find cards with teaser rates than last for a year, but six months is still fairly easy to find. The longer that rate holds, the better. But if you know you’ll eventually be carrying a balance again, then overall interest rate is the most important characteristic you should look for in a card.

Rebates in the form of gasoline, airline miles or some sort of points reward scheme are quite appealing when money is tight. But again: if you carry a balance, interest rates will undoubtedly dwarf any perks or savings you might receive from a rebate card.

With a new attitude toward thrift, Irish credit card holders are more accepting of the idea that enticing financial offers from credit card companies often come at a very dear price.

Peter Carville is a freelance article writer who writes for Financial Facts about the current financial news and the credit crunch.

categories: credit card,credit card details,apply credit card ireland,irish creditcard,best credit card