Another Crafty Card Trick!

Warning: credit-card customers who pay their bills in full are being given a shorter interest-free period. Here are other money-spinning schemes to watch out for.

Barclaycard customers who pay their monthly bills in full are having their interest-free period cut at short notice and with minimal publicity.Saturday's edition of BBC Radio 4's terrific Money Box programme warned that Barclaycard customers may be suddenly warned of this change via a brief message on their monthly statement.As a result of this adjustment, those cardholders who don't pay their bills by Direct Debit may miss their new, earlier repayment date. Of course, in common with almost all credit cards, Barclaycard levies penalties on late payers, so cardholders who don't keep a close eye on their statements could be hit by a £20 penalty.So, if you regularly pay your Barclaycard bill in full (for, say, the last three months or more), keep your eyes peeled for any hint that your payment date is to be moved forward by a few days. You need to be particularly vigilant if you're going on holiday or plan to be away from home for a while, as this could leave you with very little time to pay your bill by the due date.Then again, if a card firm makes a significant change to its normal terms of business without giving its customers reasonable notice, then it could fall foul of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts law. Furthermore, the Office of Fair Trading is currently investigating late-payment charges, so this is unfortunate timing by Barclaycard, which has been accused of "farming for fines"!My advice to cardholders who wish to pay their bills in full is to do as I do: set up a Direct Debit for your entire monthly balance (or at least the minimum monthly repayment) and keep a close eye on your statements. Assuming that you also keep your bank account in order, then this will prevent any payment problems which can be blamed on you and used to penalise you.Obviously, Barclaycard isn't alone in getting tough with unprofitable cardholders and looking for additional ways to make money. Faced with rising bad debts and a growing band of rate tarts switching their debts between 0% balance-transfer deals, card firms are struggling to maintain their record profits. Hence, they have reacted by:Introducing balance-transfer fees, which almost half of 0% cards now charge. These days, if you want a 0% deal which lasts more than, say, six months, you're likely to pay a fee for the privilege.Re-introducing annual fees: for example, MBNA was criticised for charging existing cardholders an annual fee of up to £25.Increasing the cost of payment protection insurance, which I slammed in Millions Conned By Card Cover.On top of these three money-spinners, there are hefty charges for cash withdrawals, overseas spending, credit-card cheques, exceeding your credit limit, etc. The list is almost endless!So, what can you do to fight back against this rising tide of plastic fees? The answer, my dear reader, is simple: vote with your feet by taking your custom elsewhere. To help you to do this, read Your Ultimate Guide To Credit Cards and then find a Best Buy card for 0% balance transfers, 0% on new purchases, or 0% on both. You can even earn as you spend with a cashback or rewards card!More: Check out the deck of cracking cards in our Credit Card centre | Perfect personal loans!