Wallets full of unused credit cards

Millions of Britons are carrying credit cards around with them that they never use.

But while the average Briton is carrying 2.1 credit cards with them every day, one person in four has one card in their wallet that they have not used in the last year, while one person in nine has two unused cards and one person in ten has three, figures from Morgan Stanley show.

The least likely card to be left languishing at the back of wallets is a cash-back card. Just one unused card in seventeen is a cash-back credit card.

By contrast, cards handed out by major banks and balance transfer cards with their interest-free period expired make up the majority of unused cards.

"There has been much speculation about the increasing use of plastic in the UK but our report shows that British cardholders are perhaps more savvy than they have been given credit for," said Patrick Muir, marketing director for the Morgan Stanley Credit Card

"Millions of cardholders are taking advantage of loyalty schemes for their everyday spending, with these cards least likely to be lying idle in wallets."

However, there is a danger to dormant cards. While it makes sense to have a back-up card for emergencies, these are the cards that present the greatest identity fraud risk.

This is because when people do not use cards, cut them up, or leave them in a draw the account remains open. Identity fraudsters who obtain personal information about the account holder can contact the credit card provider and get the account's address changed.

After this new/replacement cards - along with bills - are sent to a different address and the fraudster can access the account for months racking up thousands of pounds of debt. They can even get the pin-reissued to the new address.

And as the account is dormant the real cardholder is not used to receiving statements, meaning they do not even notice this happening. XXX