credit card

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A small plastic card that lets you buy things now and pay the bank later.

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a credit card' or 'two credit cards'.

   Patterns

   • pay by credit card
   • use a credit card
   • a credit card bill

   I paid for the tickets with my credit card.

   She got her first credit card when she started university.

   He forgot to pay his credit card bill this month.

2. 2noununcountable

   The system of paying for things with such cards rather than with cash.

   Grammar: Used without 'a' when it means the payment method: 'Do you take credit card?' is common in speech, though 'credit cards' is also used.

   Patterns

   • pay by credit card
   • accept credit card

   Do you accept credit card here?

   It is safer to pay by credit card when you travel.

Word forms

Common combinations

pay by credit card

You can pay by credit card at the front desk.

credit card bill

His credit card bill arrived earlier than usual.

credit card debt

Many students leave college with credit card debt.

use a credit card

Try not to use a credit card for small everyday purchases.

credit card details

Never give your credit card details to strangers online.

Synonyms and how they differ

charge card

Similar, but a charge card must be paid off in full each month, unlike a credit card.

debit card

A debit card takes money straight from your account, while a credit card lets you pay later.

Opposites

Word family

credit noun

money that a bank lets you borrow or use later

card noun

a small plastic card used for payment

Commonly confused: credit card or debit card? credit card or credit note?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “credit card”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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