More borrowers were struggling to pay off their debts last year than previously.

That’s according to research from the Consumer Credit Counselling Service which found that the number of people who cannot afford to repay their debts or meet basic living costs rose sharply. There were more than 55,000 cases in 2009 compared with less than 14,000 the year before.

Failing to make minimum payments on a credit card, for example, can lead to the racking up of even more debt and a spiral from which it can be very hard to escape.

The announcement comes as the charity prepares to launch a new payment arrangement allowing struggling borrowers with at least two unsecured debts to make token payments of as little as £1 a month.

The CCCS says that in many cases people are experiencing difficulties because they have been made redundant, had their work hours or salaries reduced, or have had avenues of credit closed to them.

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A new agreement between the government and the credit card industry will be good news for card users – but it could have side effects.

By the end of January next year, a raft of new measures will be in place to ensure repayments are set against the most expensive debts first, to prevent unsolicited credit limit increases for people in financial difficulties and to give credit card users new rights to object to interest rate rises.

However, while the government estimates the changes could save consumers £296 million a year, the UK Cards Association claims the move will cost the industry £533 million in just the first two years.

That could spell an end to special offers on credit cards, such as cashback deals and zero per cent periods, as the companies look to claw back some of their losses.

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Card holders with excellent credit histories are amongst those having their limits slashed for no apparent reason.

That’s according to industry experts who say that banks fears of ‘bad debts’ is making them more cautious of lending to customers.

Guardian Money found one teacher from Harrogate who had her limit cut from £5,000 to £300 despite never making a late payment.

And another couple from the West Midlands had their limit cut from almost £11,000 to £750 despite holding the card for almost 20 years.

In response Barclaycard said they will cut a limit if a customer may be experiencing financial difficulty or their circumstances have changed. And card provider Citi said that rates are determined by costs, the rate of borrowing in the wholesale market and customer behaviour.

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What is your most preferred payment method when you log on to book your flight tickets from Ryanair? If you are using any other option than a Ryanair pay as you go card, then you would be losing some money on various charges that are levied while finalizing your transactions. Why should you lose money just because you are using another payment method in comparison to the prudent choice of a prepaid card from Ryanair? The benefits that can be derived from the use of this card are many and it definitely pays to get one of these cards for yourself and your family.

Some of us are of the impression that the Ryanair prepaid card can be utilized only for the booking of flight tickets. This is not so and you can easily use the Mastercard prepaid Ryanair card in all the automated teller machines (ATM) for withdrawing cash at any time that you find the need for some amount of liquidity. You can also use the Ryanair prepaid mastercard to pay for your store purchases and online purchases. This effectively means that this prepaid card works just the same as the other cards that you might have but with the additional benefit of preferential treatment at the Ryanair website while you make your bookings.

In addition to these benefits, you can earn reward points on each of the purchases that you make using your Mastercard prepaid Ryanair card. Once you reach a particular threshold limit these points can be converted to cash and you can use the extra money to get anything that you want using the Ryanair prepaid Mastercard. It is very easy to get yourself a prepaid card from Ryanair. There is virtually no documentation that you have to complete and these cards are widely available. Just get yourself one of these cards and watch the rewards accumulate. This surely is the smartest way to pay for all your purchases.

In fact, the Ryanair prepaid mastercard is said to have the largest acceptance in all the stores and websites because of the unmatched reach of the mastercard network. This ensures that you never will have any hassles in getting any thing that you want from any store located in any of the cities in the world. All these benefits come at virtually no cost to you; there are no recurring charges that you have to keep a tab on. The cost of ownership of this prepaid card is therefore one of the lowest among all the payment options that exist today.

The Ryanair reviews for the use of the prepaid card are all unanimous in accepting the immense value that this card provides all the customers who use this card to complete their payments after choosing the necessary tickets for their travel. The Ryanair prepaid card takes care of your journey and serves as an excellent payment option in the city that you are traveling to as it is accepted virtually everywhere. Why deny yourself all these benefits when it is very easy for you to go and get a Ryanair prepaid mastercard for your exclusive use.

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Northern Ireland's Consumer Council has expressed concerns over plans for people to be able to pay their rates bills by credit card.

The Council has petitioned finance minister Sammy Wilson to drop the payment option, warning that it "presents more risks than benefits” as credit cards often “simply store up problems for later".

It also warned that the extra 2 per cent handling charge proposed is an "extra sting in the tail" at a time of high repayment interest rates.

But a spokesperson for the Land and Properties Service said that they wanted to provide a choice of payment options. Customers are also encouraged to avoid using credit cards where possible and take advantage of direct debit, spreading the cost over the year.

The payment options were also introduced following a public consultation last year.

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Contactless credit cards and debit cards are looking set to become increasingly commonplace in the future.

Barclays has just become the first bank in Europe to roll out the debit cards for all its business customers. Now there are predictions that many people will start receiving the cards as standard.

And last week the limit for each contactless transaction was raised from £10 to £15.

The cards work by allowing a user to simply hold their card over a reader without entering a PIN or inserting it into a terminal. Occasionally extra information will be required to check identification and combat fraud.

Industry experts have said that the cards not only offer alternatives to other forms of payment but can also help customers keep track of their spending.

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A prepaid card is a much better payment option than a credit card as it enables you to spend only an amount of money that you think is right for any given transaction. You are not only able to get a good deal of control over the exact amount of money that you spend every month but also do not need to lookout for bills to pay each month on any of the purchases you have made with the Ryanair prepaid card. There are also many supplementary benefits if you use this prepaid card from Ryanair to pay for all the flight ticket bookings that you would be making at any given point in time.

Some of us are of the impression that the Ryanair prepaid card can be utilized only for the booking of flight tickets. This is not so and you can easily use the Mastercard prepaid Ryanair card in all the automated teller machines (ATM) for withdrawing cash at any time that you find the need for some amount of liquidity. You can also use the Ryanair prepaid mastercard to pay for your store purchases and online purchases. This effectively means that this prepaid card works just the same as the other cards that you might have but with the additional benefit of preferential treatment at the Ryanair website while you make your bookings.

In addition to these benefits, you can earn reward points on each of the purchases that you make using your Mastercard prepaid Ryanair card. Once you reach a particular threshold limit these points can be converted to cash and you can use the extra money to get anything that you want using the Ryanair prepaid MasterCard. It is very easy to get yourself a prepaid card from Ryanair. There is virtually no documentation that you have to complete and these cards are widely available. Just get yourself one of these cards and watch the rewards accumulate. This surely is the smartest way to pay for all your purchases.

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In fact, the Ryanair prepaid MasterCard is said to have the largest acceptance in all the stores and websites because of the unmatched reach of the mastercard network. This ensures that you never will have any hassles in getting any thing that you want from any store located in any of the cities in the world. All these benefits come at virtually no cost to you; there are no recurring charges that you have to keep a tab on. The cost of ownership of this prepaid card is therefore one of the lowest among all the payment options that exist today.

The Ryanair reviews for the use of the prepaid card are all unanimous in accepting the immense value that this card provides all the customers who use this card to complete their payments after choosing the necessary tickets for their travel. The Ryanair prepaid card takes care of your journey and serves as an excellent payment option in the city that you are traveling to as it is accepted virtually everywhere. Why deny yourself all these benefits when it is very easy for you to go and get a Ryanair prepaid mastercard for your exclusive use.

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Using prepaid cards can help Britons struggling with debt or poor credit ratings.

That’s the message coming from industry experts who claim more of us then ever are turning to prepaid cards. Just some of the benefits being lauded include their ease of use, security and flexibility - particularly for holidaymakers taking money abroad. They also ensure that users can only spend the amount on the card.

Another benefit is that they do not require a credit check and can help those with a history of credit problems build up their score. Applying for one takes only a matter of minutes.

The cards have been likened to pay as you go mobile phones. All they require is to be topped up with cash and then they are ready to use.

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Credit card fraud has dramatically fallen, according to the latest industry figures.

Losses on UK cards fell by 28 per cent last year to just over £440 million, a decrease of £170 million on the previous year’s total.

It's thought that industry initiatives designed to tackle the problem are to account for the decline.

Just some of the recent measures include the introduction of chip and pin cards and safer protection for credit card transactions on the internet.

Cheque fraud is another area which saw a large fall in overall levels of fraud, declining by almost 30 per cent.

But worryingly there has also been a 14 per cent increase in online banking fraud, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated methods to gain customer details.

So-called 'malware' computer programmes and email 'phishing' scams are just some of the methods that are being used to gain passwords and account numbers.

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Credit card fraud has dramatically fallen, according to the latest industry figures.

Losses on UK cards fell by 28 per cent last year to just over £440 million, a decrease of £170 million on the previous year’s total.

It's thought that industry initiatives designed to tackle the problem are to account for the decline.

Just some of the recent measures include the introduction of chip and pin cards and safer protection for credit card transactions on the internet.

Cheque fraud is another area which saw a large fall in overall levels of fraud, declining by almost 30 per cent.

But worryingly there has also been a 14 per cent increase in online banking fraud, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated methods to gain customer details.

So-called 'malware' computer programmes and email 'phishing' scams are just some of the methods that are being used to gain passwords and account numbers.

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