To apply for a credit card, you must be over 18 and a resident of the Republic of Ireland.

We will need proof of identity, address and income to process your credit card application.

Proof of identity

You must send one piece of photographic evidence that is up-to-date. We accept any of the following:

• Passport – please make sure that when you take a photo of your passport, pages three and four are both clearly visible
• Driving licence – you can use either the old paper licence or new card format but please make sure your name, photo and the expiry date are clearly visible
• Immigration or Garda age card - please make sure that the photo you take of your card clearly shows your name, photo and expiry date

Proof of address

We will need one of the following documents, dated within the last three months:

• Utility bill
• Bank or credit union statement
• Revenue document
• Social insurance document
• Household or motor insurance certificate

When taking a photo of your proof of address, we need to see the full page clearly. Please ensure the image is not blurry so we can verify your address.

Proof of income

To verify your income we need to see your most recent personal bank statements for the account that your income is paid into. These should show your name and address. Bank statements can be downloaded as a PDF from all bank websites, on all devices.

If you are self employed, you can use your tax assessment forms for the last two years. These documents, which must include tax returns and Revenue acceptance forms, can be obtained from your accountant or from Revenue.

If your income is not paid into your account, you can use a photo or PDF of a payslip, social welfare receipt, your most recent pension statement or tax certificate.
 

The application process is an online one and documents can only be uploaded through our Document Centre. Please don't post your documents but check out our guide to uploading them online.

We don’t accept joint applications at this time but you can include income from another household member in your application, with their consent. If you do this, we will require their personal documents as well.

You can add up to three additional family members to your credit card account for free and they will each receive their own card.

Once you’ve applied for a credit card, we will evaluate your ability to repay and your financial status. We will then recommend a credit limit based on your individual situation.

You need to include information about all rents and mortgages that you currently have.

There are no set-up fees with our credit cards. In certain situations, for example missed payments, fees and penalties may apply.

The interest rates that apply to your credit card will be detailed on your monthly statement.

To see the information on your credit report you can request a copy at www.centralcreditregister.ie

The Central Credit Register (CCR) is a secure system for collecting information on credit applications and credit agreements of €500 or more.

It is owned and operated by the Central Bank of Ireland. We share your information with the CCR, which uses it to create individual credit reports.

The Central Bank owns the information held on the CCR and is the data controller under the Data Protection Acts. You have a right to request your credit report, free of charge, at any time and subject to fair usage.

Find out more about what the CCR means to your credit card application.

Our MoneyBack programme includes retailers such as Lidl, Supermacs, An Post Insurance and Intersport Elverys. Find out more about MoneyBack, our partners and how it works.

Also known as Mastercard Identity Check™, 3D Secure is a free and automatic online security service. It gives you an extra level of security and helps to guard your credit card against unauthorised use online.

When you make a purchase in a shop using your credit card, you're asked to enter a PIN number to validate the transaction. 3D Secure allows you to validate transactions you make over the internet in a similar way.

Depending on the nature of the transaction, you may occasionally receive a text message to your mobile phone with a one-time passcode. You will have to enter that passcode to complete your payment online.

A mobile phone is required to receive a text message with your one-time passcode. You can check your account has the right mobile number in the Settings menu of your online account.

Find out more about 3D Secure Terms of Use.

3D Secure is an additional security measure but not all websites use it. However, your transactions are always protected against fraudulent use through the Mastercard chargeback scheme.

To activate your card, simply go to our online banking service and select the 'Not registered yet?' link. Then you will need:

• your credit card or account number

• your credit limit details

• the personal information you gave us when you applied for the card

Once you are registered for online banking, your card will be activated and ready to use.

We provide both online and phone support so you can access your account information at any time. You can do the following online:

• Activate your new card

• Check your balance and transactions

• View and print up to three years of monthly statements

• Request a replacement card or a copy of your PIN

• Make debit card payments

• Add a travel notice to your account when you are going abroad

• Update personal information

If you’d rather give us a call, you can use our 24/7 automated telephone banking service on 0818 205 410. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of our team between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturdays, excluding bank holidays.

You will need the following information to register online:

• Your credit card or account details
• The credit limit on your account  - you'll find this on your card mailer or recent statement

You will also need to enter some important details about you and your card, and create a username and password. Once you start the registration process, you will be prompted to enter all the information you need to access your account.         

If you have already registered with an existing account you do not need to register again. Just log in to your account and add your second account to the same profile by either going to the account section or going to the Settings menu.

To stay secure, please choose login details which are easy to remember but difficult to guess and never give them to anyone else.
 

It’s easy to reset your login details if you forget them. Just click the 'Forgotten your login details' link on the login page and follow the instructions. 

You'll be asked to provide some information about you and your account, choose a new password and then you will be able to access your account.

Only the main cardholder of the account has access to account maintenance services. To manage the account online, please ask the main cardholder to log in to online banking.

Yes, to access your online account and for best performance, JavaScript must be switched on.

JavaScript is a programming language used to make web pages interactive. If it is disabled, the content or the functionality of a web page you visit may be limited or unavailable.

Most web browsers now support JavaScript. If yours doesn't, please upgrade to the latest version of your browser or download a new one.

You can find out more details about the transaction online by selecting the + sign beside the transaction. This will give you the date of the transaction, the card used and the merchant type. 

Some companies may charge under a different name, like their parent company, so you could try searching the internet to identify a merchant and find their telephone number so you can contact them.

If the transaction remains unfamiliar, please check if any additional cardholders on your account carried it out.

If you still don’t recognise it, contact us on 0818 205 410 between 8am and 8pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday, excluding bank holidays. Please try to notify us within 30 days of the statement date so we can help you obtain a refund.

You should first contact the merchant or the company’s administrator, if possible by telephone, or visit their web site for up-to-date information.  

If you are unable to resolve your query directly with them, contact us on 0818 205 410. We are available from 8am to 8pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday, excluding bank holidays.

We cannot cancel a transaction after it has been made. You will need to contact the retailer directly to cancel the transaction or request a refund.

If you want to cancel a subscription paid for by credit card, or a regular payment such as an insurance premium, you must notify the merchant directly.

If you are unable to resolve your query directly with them, you can call us for assistance. We are available on 0818 205 410 from 8am to 8pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday, excluding bank holidays.

If your credit card is used without your knowledge or consent, or goes missing, please call our 24-hour freephone number 1800 800 780 or 353 71 959 4094 if you are abroad.

We will block your card immediately, investigate any unrecognised transactions and assist you in obtaining a refund through the Mastercard chargeback process if possible.

You can transfer the balance on other credit cards to your An Post Money Credit Card so you have just one monthly payment at a great promotional rate of 0% for 12 months.

The 0% rate applies to new customers only. You must complete the balance transfer within 90 days of opening your account to avail of the promotional rate. 

You will also need to make your minimum monthly repayment on time each month and stay within your credit limit to keep your promotional rate. Once it expires, the standard variable rate applicable to your account will apply.

If you transfer before 2.30pm on a weekday, the funds will be credited to your account in one business day. Transfers completed after 2.30pm or on weekends and bank holidays will take two business days. The promotional rate expiry will be two days less than twelve months if you request a transfer after 2.30pm on a Friday. 

Please note that transfers are available to the main cardholder only and the account must be up to date and not restricted. You can find out more by calling us on 071 959 4164.

A money transfer lets you move money directly from your credit card to your personal bank account. To arrange a money transfer, call us on 071 959 4164.

The interest rate on money transfers is 16.8% and you can transfer from €100 up to 95% of your credit limit.

If you transfer before 2.30pm on a weekday, the funds will be credited to your account in one business day. Transfers completed after 2.30pm or on weekends and bank holidays will take two business days.

Please note that transfers are available to the main cardholder only and the account must be up to date and not restricted.

You should first contact the merchant by email or telephone. 

If you are unable to resolve your query directly with them, contact us on 0818 205 410 and we will help you get a refund through the Mastercard chargeback process. We are available from 8am to 8pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday, excluding bank holidays.

Retail interest is charged on all transactions, handling fees and default charges starting on the date that they are posted or applied to your account and ending on the date that you pay the total account balance in full.

You will not be charged interest on the card purchases shown on your current statement, if you pay off the total account balance shown on that current statement by the payment due date shown on that statement, provided you have also paid off the total account balance shown on the previous month’s statement by the payment due date shown on that statement. 

We calculate retail interest each day so the earlier you make the payment, the less retail interest you will have to pay. Other transactions such as cash withdrawals and gambling will accrue interest daily. Interest will appear as a 'finance charge' on your statement.

The following fees and charges may apply to your credit card:

Late fee: €15.24 each time your minimum payment has not reached your account in cleared funds by the date that payment is due.

Over-limit fee: €12.70 will be charged and applied once on any monthly statement if, and when, you are over your credit limit at any time during that statement period.

Returned payment fee: €19.05 will be charged each time a direct debit or other item for payment into your account is unpaid.

Cash handling fee: 1.5% with a minimum charge of €2.50 and no maximum is applied to your account when you make cash transactions.

A cash transaction is considered to be any transaction resulting in the provision of cash or a cash substitute from your account by using a card or card number issued under your account, including foreign currency, travellers’ cheques, postal orders, gambling transactions and any electronic transfers of cash which are not money transfers.

Foreign exchange commission: A fee of 2.65% of the value of each foreign exchange transaction will be charged by us if you make any transaction in a currency other than Euro.
 
Check the total percentage mark-up applied to foreign exchange transactions within the European Economic Area (EEA). 

Government stamp duty: Each year the government charges a tax on all cards issued by financial institutions. This charge is applicable to each unique card or account held in your name.

Payments at the post office: A processing fee of €0.50 will apply.

We use eStatements but you can request paper statements if that's better for you. We'll email you monthly to let you know when your eStatement is ready to view in your online account. We post paper statements every month.

To change the way you receive statements, go to Settings in your online account and choose Delivery method.

Your statement will inform you of the minimum payment amount and the date it is due. In certain circumstances, we can amend the statement so your payment date falls at an alternative time of the month. If you would like to discuss your statement with us, please call us on 0818 205 410.

You will see this message on the statement menu when a statement has yet to be generated for that month. This message can also appear if there was no balance on your account at that time.

The minimum payment is what you must pay by the due date shown on your statement each month. If your statement balance is €25 or less, it will be the total amount of the balance shown.

If your balance is more than €25, your minimum payment will be €25 or 1% of your statement balance, whichever is greater.

The minimum payment is calculated with reference to your balance before any default charges, processing fees, foreign currency fees and interest. We will add these fees to the minimum payment afterwards.

If you are not receiving email notifications, we suggest you check that the email address we hold for you is correct. You can do this by logging into your online banking account in your Settings menu. 

Occasionally when you are using a business email account, the firewall may be blocking delivery of the email. Check your junk or spam inbox and if the email is located there, then add the email to your safe list. 

If the problem persists, call us on 0818 205 410 and we’ll help to sort this out for you.

There are different timescales depending on what payment method you use:

• Payments made directly from your bank account via your bank's online banking, telephone banking or standing order will take five business days
• Payments made via the post office will take three business days
• Payments made directly to us through your credit card online banking account or over the phone before 4pm on business days will be credited to your credit card account the next business day
• Payments made after 4pm or on weekends and bank holidays will be credited to your account in two business days

BillPay, our bill payment service, lets you pay your credit card bill at your local post office. You'll get a detailed receipt each time you pay a bill. Hold onto this to keep track of your payments. You can either: 

• Pay at your local post office for a fee of €0.50
• Pay any time online at www.mybills.ie, free of charge

You can call us on 0818 211 555 to discuss the options available to you or contact MABS, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, for help.

To get a better understanding of your financial situation, you can also:

• Use the free budget planner on the It’s Your Money website to review your finances
• Check if you have insurance, such as payment protection insurance, and if you can make a claim
• Print, complete and return our Income and Expenditure form to PO Box 25, Dublin Road, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim

You will find the minimum payment you need to make and the date it is due on your statement or online.

You can pay from your current account, via the post office or directly to us.

Payments from your current account

To pay online, by telephone banking or standing order via your bank account provider you will need the following details:

• Our BIC: CITIIE2X
• Our IBAN: IE90CITI99005117683012
• Your 16-digit credit card account number, beginning with 245

Your credit card account number is different to your card number and must exclude any '000' if displayed at the start of the account number. You will find this number on your statement. 

You should allow five business days for the payment to reach your account. You can also set up a direct debit to make your monthly payment by requesting a direct debit mandate.

Payments via the post office

You should bring your credit card, or the giro slip at the bottom of your statement, to the post office where you can pay by cash or debit card.

There is a processing fee of €0.50 for such payments. You should allow three business days for the payment to reach your account.

Direct payments

You can make debit card payments any time on your online banking account. Payments made before 4pm on business days will be credited to your credit card account the next business day. Business days exclude weekends and bank holidays

Payments made after 4pm, on weekends or on bank holidays will be credited to your account in two business days.

You can also pay with your Visa or Mastercard debit card over the phone at any time by calling us on 0818 205 410 and selecting the 'Make a payment' option from the menu.

You can make payments online by debit card for any amount, at any time in the Payments menu. 

Payments made before 4pm will be credited to your account within one business day. For payments made after 4pm, it will take a further day. Business days exclude weekends and bank holidays.

Your direct debit payment will be credited to your credit card account on your payment due date. If this falls on a Sunday or bank holiday, it will be credited the previous business day and will be debited from your bank account on either the same or the next business day.

To find out when your next payment will be debited from your bank, please refer to your latest credit card statement online. 

Direct debit payments will appear on your bank account statement with the name, ‘Avantcard’.

If you have any additional payments or credits posted on your account at the time we send the instruction to your bank -- normally seven working days in advance -- we will reduce your direct debit amount to prevent the direct debit plus those credits from collecting more than the balance as shown on your latest statement.

A late payment fee will be charged to your account if the minimum payment shown on your statement has not been credited to your account by the payment due date shown on that statement. You can check when your next payment is due online.  

When choosing a payment method, please ensure you know how long it takes for the payment to reach your account. If your payment due date is soon, you should select a quick payment method. 

Yes, you can change your PIN to one that you will be able to recall easily at any Ulster Bank, AIB or Bank of Ireland ATM.

It is best to avoid numbers that would be easy to guess such as your date of birth or a common sequence like 9999.

You can request a copy of your PIN online or by calling us on 0818 205 410 between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 2pm on Saturdays, excluding bank holidays.

If your card has been locked at point of sale you will need to contact us to unlock it for you. Call us on 0818 205 410 between 8am to 8pm from Monday to Friday and 8am and 2pm on Saturdays, excluding bank holidays.

You can order a replacement card online under the Services menu. If your card has been lost or stolen, or the name on the card has changed, please call us on 0818 205 410 as we will need to order a new card for you.

Call the freephone number 1800 800 780, or 353 71 959 4094 if you are abroad. You can contact us 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Once ordered, a replacement card will take five to seven working days to arrive.

You can use your credit card in almost every country around the world to shop and withdraw cash at local ATMs.

It is useful for us to know in advance that you are going to be abroad so we can expect some international transactions. You can let us know by adding a travel notice to your card online or by calling us on 0818 205 410.

Here are some other travel tips to protect your credit card:

• Ensure that you have our overseas number -- +353 71 959 4094  --written down and saved on your mobile phone
• Keep a copy of all important phone numbers in your hotel room
• Be careful with your PIN and never give it to anyone for any reason while you're away
• Be aware of your surroundings when using an ATM, choose one in a busy location and always shield your PIN
• Double check the amount you are paying at the retailer’s terminal before entering your PIN
• Keep your cards with you rather than packing them in your suitcase and don’t leave them unattended
• Always ask for a receipt

If your credit card is lost or stolen while you’re abroad, we're here to help.  We can send emergency cash to most countries throughout the world, often within 48 hours.

You also have a travel assistance service provided by International SOS Assistance. This provides a variety of special emergency services to assist you when travelling outside your country of residence, for trips lasting no longer than 90 days.

Some of these services incur a charge, which you would be responsible for paying if you were to use those services. Please note this is not insurance and is not a substitute for travel insurance.

A foreign currency fee of 2.65% applies on all transactions outside the euro zone. This fee will be displayed on your monthly statement. Check the total percentage mark-up applied to foreign exchange transactions within the European Economic Area (EEA). 


A cash handling fee of 1.5%, with a minimum charge of €2.50 and no maximum, is applied to your account when you make a cash transaction.

Phishing is a type of fraud which involves sending emails purporting to come from your bank, credit card provider, utility company or other entity such as government departments. 

The email asks you to respond by going to a dummy login page where you are requested to enter personal information which can then be used to make fraudulent transactions on your bank or credit card account.  

Such emails may sound convincing or contain realistic-looking logos and official-sounding text. They may even carry a warning about phishing.

Remember, we will never email and ask you to enter your credit card number, login details or any personal information. If you are in doubt, always delete emails of this nature.

By responding to such emails or going to the website address on the email and entering your information, you are giving the fraudsters the information they need to use your credit card to make transactions which may then appear on your monthly statement. 

We will always do everything in our power to help you if there are transactions on your account that are not yours but you can also take measures to protect your credit card.

Although the address used by a counterfeit site may be very similar to our genuine website addresses, look closely for spelling differences or the use of symbols such as www.an-post.com or www.anpast.com.

You can also check for hidden addresses by resting your cursor over a link in an email but don't click on it. A box will pop up showing you the link destination. Do you recognise it as a legitimate address? If not, it could suggest that the sender has something to hide.

Fraudsters don't only strike online and vishing is the telephone equivalent of phishing. There has been an increase in such hoax phone calls with callers claiming to be employees of banks or large technology companies asking for personal details.

If the caller claims to be one of our employees and you have reason to doubt their identity, hang up. If possible, use a different phone and dial the telephone number at the back of your credit card to check if we have tried to call you.

A common phone scam involves a caller claiming to be technical support staff from a computer software company.  They will usually tell you that they have noticed from their records that you need to have your computer urgently updated, along with a list of dangerous sounding outcomes if you do not – such as a new virus is likely to corrupt your device.

These calls can take two directions, both of which can lead to fraud on your account:

• They may ask for remote access to your computer to install a virus which will allow them to obtain your personal details.
• They may ask for your credit card details for a payment to “fix” your computer, allowing them to take a payment directly from your card or use your details to order large cash payments via payment channels like Western Union

Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in a legitimate transaction. 

The fraudster uses a small electronic device or skimmer to swipe and store credit card numbers. Instances of skimming have been reported where the fraudster has illicitly installed a device or group of devices on an ATM. 

Recently-made ATMs often run a picture of what the slot and keypad are supposed to look like as a background so you can identify if any foreign devices are attached.

If you are experiencing difficulties, call us on 0818 205 410 and we can go through a quote with you over the phone or make any changes and amendments you require to your application form.

You may begin to see this happening from December onwards.

You will only ever have to answer one question along with using the One Time Passcode (OTP) you will receive by text message.

Not immediately; however, if you decide to shop online in the future, you will need to:

• Log into your credit card online account, or complete registration if required
• Update your contact details in the Settings menu
• Complete the five security questions

You will not be able to complete certain transactions where that detail is requested.

Yes, you will need to register your credit card online so that you can select your security questions. You can do this by selecting the ‘LOGIN’ button on our website.

The transaction will not be approved and you will have to try again.  

You can log into your online account any time to view and change your security questions.

Yes, all cardholders will need to register for their own online banking account and complete the questions and answers separately.

If you do not have a mobile phone you will not be able to receive an OTP and, as such, may not be able to complete your online transactions.

No. We only send the OTP via text message.