The content is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change.

Credit cards have made life easy for a lot of people in the world. We no longer need to stand in long queues at the bank or at the ATM machine. There's no need to carry large sums of money while going out shopping or on holiday. It is amazing what a plastic card can do to make life more comfortable.

Credit is a way of selling things or services to a customer without him having to pay the seller by cash. Giving the customer a credit card only becomes an easier way of offering credit. Every card now carries an identifying number to track purchases and transactions.

Plastic was not the only material used to make cards. Some of the early cards were made from metals, celluloid, metal fibres, paper and most recently plastic. It is said that credit cards were first issued to travelling salesmen so they could use them on the road. By the 60's the concept gained so much popularity that many companies offered cards to people focussing on their convenience rather than credit. This is one reason why cards like American Express and the MasterCard became huge successes and still continue to do so.

One of the most popular types of credit cards is the Diners Club card. This was invented by the Diners Club founder Frank McNamara. The benefit of having this card was that consumers did not have to pay by cash but could use this card to pay at restaurants. The Diners Club would pay the restaurant and the consumer would pay to the Diners Club when billed by them.

Today, there are so many different kinds of visa cards that are issue by different companies. Even giant retail stores have started tie-ups with banks to issue cards to customers. Once can even customise these cards to suit their preferences. For example a consumer can have his or her picture on the card or even choose the kind of card he or she wants. As technology is advancing new inventions are surfacing, the latest being the cashless society.

This is concept wherein cash or money will be invisible. A consumer will not have to worry about carrying a lot of cash or too many cards. He can pay his bills, shop, and buy anything using an application on his phone. Although this concept is not yet in place it could prove to be threat to the credit card industry.

Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer(s), and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer(s). Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate information, however all information is presented without warranty. Consult a card's issuing bank for the terms & conditions.
All rates and fees, and other terms and conditions of the products mentioned in this article/post are actual as of the last update date but are subject to change. See the current products' Terms & Conditions on the issuing banks' websites.