Many consumers are not satisfied with their current credit cards, a new survey has indicated.
The study by uSwitch.com revealed that over two million people were not happy with their credit card provider last year - the highest level of customer dissatisfaction on record.
In addition to this, the gap between the cards provided by banks with the highest and lowest satisfaction rates was 19 per cent.
Overall, banks tended to perform worse than other providers, not least because they offered less in the way of incentives and perks like reward points and air miles. The worst performers were Bank of Scotland, followed by Barclaycard, HSBC, Halifax, Lloyds TSB and Santander.
And the number of cards people hold has also fallen, with only 25 per cent of consumers having three or more, compared with 30 per cent a year ago.
All this may suggest people could benefit from being choosier and this view has been endorsed by uSwitch personal finance expert Michael Ossei.
He said: "2012 is set to be another tough year for consumers and for those worried about starting the year in debt, credit cards may be the only option. However with overall satisfaction and customer service getting worse across the board and the high street banks still providing some of the worst service, consumers should look around further afield at new providers for the best credit card for them."
Taking out a prepaid Mastercard could be one way in which consumers can look for something different in a card, particularly in a tough financial climate.
This works through the amount available to spend being restricted by however much the consumer loads up online at any given time, meaning it is possible to set a budget rather than having the limit fixed by the lender - which could leave the temptation to spend too much.
And being able to keep spending under control is something many Britons could benefit from, with a study by Bright Grey published this week indicating 16 million people have no money left to spend by the end of the month.
It also noted that 4.9 per cent of consumers consistently spend more than their income each month.
