Despite a hefty proportion of Christmas shoppers relying on their credit cards to see them through the expensive winter period, only one in ten (11 per cent) apply for cards offering zero per cent interest in purchases.

Research from Moneysupermarket.com shows that consumers are being charged interest for their Christmas buys when they could be saving a total of almost £2 billion by opting for a best-buy credit card offering introductory rates ahead of doing their shopping.

Despite the low proportion of credit card applicants targeting zero per cent interest on purchases offers, nearly half (47 per cent) use their card for this purpose, as opposed to transferring a balance.

“Cards offer a simple and tempting way to help spread the cost of Christmas,” observed Robert Kenley, head of credit cards at Moneysupermarket.com.

“Taking the time to shop around now will ensure people have the right card in their wallet when they hit the shops.

“Opting for a zero per cent deal means that consumers using plastic for their Christmas spending pay nothing more than the cost of their goods – they just need to make sure the balance is paid off before the introductory offer ends.”

To read more about zero per cent credit card offers, click here.

© Adfero Ltd