Usage patterns and perception on the credit card among consumer / Norzarina Sapawe

Nowadays, a credit card becomes a popular medium of payment for consumers today. Consumers that use the credit cards become a convenient way to expand purchasing power. Credit cards also serve as a payment device in modern commerce instead of cash and the routine purchases as well as for many transactions that would be inconvenient. In the mid-1970s (Loke, 2007) credit cards were first introduced in Malaysia. At the early stage, only the professional group and the successful businesspersons that have a credit cards. The credit card had grown in the end of 1970s which over 20,000 cards were issued. The owning of credit card at that time was considered a symbol of prestige. However, with the passage of time, it is increase the criteria for obtaining the credit cards and it affected to the number of cardholders at the last century that reached to about three million cardholders.