Credit card Summary Box  -   PUBLISHED 1 July 2012  

The Summary Box was created by the credit card industry to make it easier for consumers to understand and compare credit cards. A common standard adhered to by all credit card issuers; the Summary Box presents upfront at-a-glance key information such as the -

1. Annual Percentage Rate (APR),

2. interest rates,

3. the length of the interest-free period,

4. the minimum repayment; and

5. all charges that might be incurred.

Originally introduced in October 2003, the Summary Box is a response to customer demand and part of the credit card industry’s drive to improve the transparency of its products for the benefit of consumers. It is available with all marketing and pre-contract materials - making it simple for anyone thinking of applying for a credit card to compare card features and choose the card that best suits their needs.

The UK Cards Association Summary Box guidelines were incorporated into the Lending Code, ensuring continued use of the Summary Box across all marketing materials by every credit card issuer in the UK. The industry has also committed to display a version of the Summary Box on all monthly credit card statements and has designed versions specifically for use with credit card cheques and with pre-paid cards.

The Summary Box Guidelines have been revised on a number of occasions.

Following the OFT’s Credit Card Comparisons Report (February 2008), the credit card industry undertook consumer market research to identify how The UK Cards Association Summary Box could be further enhanced for consumers. The research has resulted in the use of shading and revised formatting.

In 2012, in response to a super-complaint concerning travel money the industry voluntarily agreed to include enhanced information on foreign transaction charges

Through The UK Cards Association, the credit card industry has developed a set of Summary Box best practice guidelines for credit card issuers to observe when presenting information on their products in advertising or marketing material. These guidelines cover content and order and where the Summary Box should be used.

These guidelines are not mandatory. They provide guidance through example text, and offer suggestions on how the information could be presented to consumers whilst also retaining the flexibility to encompass new benefits and features that may come from product development.

The primary objective of the Summary Box is to provide the consumer with a consistent and succinct summary of the key features of the credit card that they are considering, and to enable them to compare different credit card products more easily.

The aim is to draw a balance between providing sufficient information to be meaningful without overloading the Summary Box.

The content and order of the Summary Box are as follows:

• No row in the table should be omitted and the sequence of information should be the same to help consumers compare credit card products.

• Whilst overall size, fonts etc. are not specified, presentation should be both clear and legible.

• The format is more prescriptive in relation to foreign usage as presentation has been used to reinforce the cumulative nature of certain charges.

• The industry agreed terminology set out in section 5 of this document must be used, but only in relation to the content of the section dealing with foreign usage .

Guidance on the content and format (whether information is presented in tables, using bullet points or numbered lists) is provided on page 4.

All integral features of the product, such as introductory rates, should be included in the Summary Box. Information on freestanding or optional product features, such as Payment Protection Insurance or credit card cheques, should not be shown in the Summary Box, but should be provided separately in accordance with any relevant best practice guidelines or Lending Code requirements.

To make it easier for consumers to differentiate between sections of the Summary Box, the use of colour and/or shading is encouraged. It is possible that the colours coincide with the issuer’s corporate colours. However, it is not possible to be prescriptive on these points. An example, based on consumer research, is provided on page 7.

Where the Summary Box is to be displayed on the internet, due to internet conventions and potential restrictions on how information is displayed e.g. to meet disability requirements, it may not be possible to adhere exactly to the format and presentation guidance provided in these guidelines.

The Summary Box should appear prominently on or within any application form/pack. This will typically cover direct mail; leaflets; inserts etc., but not media such as television, radio, cinema and outdoor advertising.

For internet applications a click-through to a page containing the Summary Box should be highlighted prominently.

Where an application is made by telephone, a Summary Box should be issued with the agreement that the customer is asked to sign.

Card issuers are not precluded from using the Summary Box in any advertising media they choose. The Summary Box may also be used in pre-contract information, or at any point post-contract, provided that it is used in compliance with the relevant regulations and including constraints of the non-distance sales regulations.

Where risk based pricing is used a range of rates must be shown in the Summary Box in addition to the representative APR.

Card issuers will implement this revised statement of the Summary Box by December 2012.

Issuers have agreed to apply the guidelines in the spirit in which they have been developed. Please be aware that all guidelines are advisory (rather than mandatory). The guidelines set out best practice to encourage a consistent approach across the industry. They are not legally binding. Any failure to follow them does not give rise to any right of action.

3 Summary Box Content and Format Guidance