Working out how much my credit card was costing me

I began covering financial issues for CHOICE, and discovered I was one of the 64% of Australian cardholders who didn't know their interest rate. I was paying minimum monthly repayments, thinking I wouldn't be charged interest on my debt, when it actually meant I was only avoiding late fees.

Using the ASIC Smart Money online tool, I calculated that if I continued paying the minimum monthly repayment amount on my statement, it would take a whopping 17 years and seven months to pay off. I'd also end up paying an extra $3236 in interest. And I was on the "low fee" card, with a 19.74% interest rate.

I felt pretty cheated. I'd always been a loyal Commonwealth banker – all the way back to primary school, through the Dollarmites savings program.

That's when I decided to act. I set about paying back my debt in bigger chunks, as fast as I could afford to, and before I knew it I was ready to cancel my card.

Ditching the card

At first I picked up the phone to cancel, but was told I had to make a trip to my local branch and do it in person. I was surprised again – the bank allows you to simply apply for a credit card online, yet when it comes to cancelling it's not so convenient. 

The woman at the counter said it was a rarity to have someone walk into the bank completely debt free. She then asked why I was cancelling my card, and I said I no longer needed or wanted it. After some small talk, she then hinted that she loved her rewards card because she could shop with her points. In fact, she had $1000 to spend at Myer! Another staff member walked past and chimed in: "Oh yes, I love my rewards card! I saved up my points for five years and got a free ticket overseas."

Recognising their subtle selling tactics, I smiled and said "Oh, cool", attempting to project a polite lack of interest.

After signing a couple of documents and answering a few more questions, I was handed the phone to speak to another woman, who wanted to confirm my details and double check that I still wanted to cancel my card.

Again, I was asked my reasons for cancelling. Did I have anything in case of an emergency? Did I shop online, and did I want to keep it for this, because some people don't like to use their savings? I said I had a debit card and savings. 

And once again, I had to confirm that I still wanted to cancel my credit card.

Lessons learned

Despite their best efforts, I successfully cancelled, and left the bank that day feeling light as a feather.

But I have to admit,  if I didn't know any better a "free" flight overseas and $1000 to spend at Myer just for using a credit card would sound very, very appealing.

Fortunately, Mozo has run the numbers on the average rewards card. To earn just $100 cash back, you'd have to spend an average of about $17,926. A "free" return flight from Sydney to London would require an average spend of $188,913 – not so much of a bargain. (For more on dodgy credit cards, check out our latest investigation into flight rewards cards.)

I learned some valuable lessons from my credit card journey. I won't ever be in a rush to get another one. If I do, I'll be making sure I shop around for the best deal (like a genuinely low-rate card) – my new goal is to do much less borrowing, and much more saving.

What I learned:

• Know your interest rate and cash advance rate.
• Even if you can't pay off the whole balance every month, don't be fooled by the "minimum repayment" – paying back just that amount will see you racking up piles of interest on the rest.
• Once you prioritise working on your debt, you'll be surprised how quickly the extra payments add up.