Card fraud is now big business. The victim may be in New Zealand; an offender may well be in Russia, Germany or Taiwan."Cash, they told us, was old hat. Paper money was an anachronism from another era, an idea whose time had passed.
After a week-long holiday relaxing in the Far North, Chloe Johnson panics when she tries to buy skincare products online and discovers the card is missing from its usual home inside her wallet.
Banks and police are trying to stay ahead of wily credit card fraudsters - but as long as banks mail pre-activated cards, the problem will persist.
A man arrested in Australia for "significant'' credit card fraud is alleged to have used money fleeced from bank accounts to travel to New Zealand on fake passports.
More New Zealanders are feeling comfortable about increasing the limit on their credit card limits now than this time last year, according to survey findings.
A consumer watchdog has called Air New Zealand credit card surcharges draconian - but how much you pay depends on where you book your tickets.
New Zealand banks face what is expected to be the biggest class suit the country has seen over $1 billion in default fees claimed by lenders over the past six years.
One of the great successes of modern marketing has been the mass engagement of the population in rewards programmes, says Damien Grant. The most prevalent are Fly Buys. They are awful.
New Zealand's total credit card spending has taken its first annual drop in three years.
New Zealanders are collectively paying more than $600 million a year in interest on personal credit card debt, according to figures from the Reserve Bank.