Despite several new and stylish features offered by credit card providers to tempt consumers, the most popular is still 0% interest on balance transfers. Even though it is one of the most common features to be offered, 21 per cent of participants listed 0% interest on balance transfers as the most important feature to come with a credit card.

It seems that in times of tight credit, consumers are wising up to the fact that the important freebies are those that give something back, such as 0% on balance transfers or, joint second in the poll came a competitive rate and no annual fee with 18% of the vote each.

In contrast, features that give nothing profitable to the consumer did not fair well in the Fairinvestment.co.uk poll. Only three per cent of those questioned argued that design was an important feature to consider when applying for a new credit card.

As people are forced to tighten their purse strings and the cost of living rises, the recent poll from Fairinvestment.co.uk found that 16 per cent of those asked intended to sacrifice a holiday – this could explain why five per cent of people said that when looking for a credit card, the offer of Airmiles is the most important feature. In addition, a further 11 per cent said that a credit card that is free to use abroad would win their vote. Both features could considerably cut the cost of this years summer holiday.

Unfortunately, as money becomes tighter, charities appear to be overlooked when it comes to credit cards as only 2 per cent of those questioned said they considered a charity contribution an important feature when applying for a credit card.

Head of credit cards at Fairinvestment.co.uk, Matt Edwards, said: “It is good to see that consumers are trying to get as much as they can from their credit card providers. It is also reassuring to see that consumers are taking the credit crisis seriously and choosing their credit card deal accordingly.”

He continued, “There was a time when credit was so readily available that credit card design was something that mattered to people, now I am glad to see that design was hardly considered important.”

“When it comes to charity contributions, as more and more people are crossing the poverty threshold in the UK as a result of rising bills and scarce credit, I am not surprised that charity contribution was bottom of the list. There are better ways to donate to good causes and charity credit cards rarely offer the most competitive interest rates or 0% deals.” Mr Edwards concluded.