Credit Card Agreement and Disclosure Statement

A credit card is defined by the Federal Truth in Lending Act as "any card, plate, coupon book or other credit device existing for the purpose of obtaining money, property, labor, or services on credit." A credit card is most commonly used in relation to an open-end credit account, permitting the cardholder to purchase one or more items without paying cash or writing a check for the item or items at the time of purchase, deferring payment to some future date. When the issuer's acceptance of an applicant's request for a credit card operates as the opening of a new open-end consumer credit account in the applicant's name, in which the customer may be required to pay a finance charge or other deferred payment charge, the issuer, under the Federal Truth in Lending Act, must provide the customer with certain initial disclosures relative to the account; for example, an explanation of conditions under which a finance charge may be imposed and the method of determining the balance on which a finance charge may be imposed. Further, the Federal Truth in Lending Act requires the creditor under an open end credit account to make certain periodic disclosures to the customer.