It is not a secret that women shop more than men. Of course, couples usually make significant purchases together but everyday shopping is a women’s burden. Actually, women seem to enjoy shopping far more than men.

Naturally, credit card industry is especially interested in marketing credit cards to women. If they spend more they might as well do it with plastic. The main question is: what are women looking for when choosing a credit card deal? There are three major types of female credit card users.

The first group is women-consumers. They enjoy buying things. The main thing they need from a credit card deal is a favorable reward program. This type usually has steady income and does not restrain the spending habits. These women accrue points, bonuses, and miles in order to save a little bit with cash back or discounts at their favorite stores. This type is especially important for banks because these women use their plastic a lot, can sometimes exceed their credit limits or carry a significant balance but end up paying everything off. Women-consumers rarely get deeply into debt or file bankruptcy.

Group number two includes smart credit card huntresses. They are also looking for good reward programs but they are far keener at playing credit card games than women from group number one. Smart credit card huntresses know how to get a sing-up bonus and then cancel the card without hurting their credit score. They love credit card deals with 0% balance transfer so they can earn a few extra hundreds from investing the money borrowed. They are never late with their payments and their excellent credit history allows them to have high credit limits.

The third type is credit card victims. These women use credit cards to borrow money. Usually their credit scores are low that is why they are only eligible for bad credit credit card deals. That means they can not use most of credit card perks. Credit card victims use credit cards to pay for things they can not afford. They borrow money with cash advances and pay high fees and interest rates. Although most of them manage to balance on the razor’s edge a comparatively big percentage default their credit cards and file bankruptcy. On one hand, this group is very profitable for card-issuing companies because of high interest rates. On the other hand, there is always the risk of not getting the money back if the borrower files bankruptcy under Chapter 7.

These three groups of female credit card users have different spending habits and abilities to manage finances but there is one thing that unites them – they are women. That is why financial institutions try to induce women with some special features.

The most important one is credit card design. Women love beautiful things even if this is just a piece of plastic. Every woman should have an opportunity to have the card that goes with her style, whether it is a business lady or a grown-up Barbie fan. Credit cards with celebrities on them are also popular among women.

Of course, some of the marketing ideas such as smelly credit cards, plastic that glows or makes different sounds are a little bit over the edge but female credit card users are flattered by the attention. After all, that is what all women enjoy.