This is a government tax that you must pay if you make a profit (a capital gain) of more than a certain amount in any tax year if you sell an asset such as shares or investment property.

This is a plastic card that allows you to take out money from your account when you insert it into an ATM (cash machine) and key in your PIN. This card will only allow you to withdraw money up to the balance of your account or the withdrawal limit. This is the amount of cash that you can take out each day with your card depending on which account you have. Cash withdrawal cards are also called cashCARDs.

A cheque is a written order which instructs your bank to pay a specific amount of money from your account to another person or organisation. The bank will give you a cheque book that contains a number of blank cheques, printed with your name and account details, for you to fill in. Cheques are valid for 6 months from the date written on the cheque. Once you are 16 you can ask for a cheque book. Each book has the customer's name and account number printed on it. You can use cheques in some shops to pay for goods or services.

A cheque book contains a number of blank cheques printed with your name and account details.

Cirrus is a brand owned by MasterCard which is used on ATM only debit cards. Cards with the Cirrus logo can be used at ATM's worldwide to obtain cash.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) offers free information and advice on a huge range of issues and problems, including personal finance. Most banks require customers who are indebted and struggling with repayments to provide a detailed income and expenditure, an accurate appraisal of their debts and an offer of what the customer believes they can afford before entering into an agreement regarding reduced repayments. The CAB are very good at helping customers do this and many banks will direct customers to the CAB for advice before entering into negotiations with them.

A plastic card which allows you to buy goods immediately and pay for them later. You will have an agreed limit on the amount you can borrow, and the time within which the money should be repaid (the due date). If you don't pay the total amount in full by the due date you will be charged interest on the outstanding balance. If you only make the minimum payment it could cost you more and take you longer to pay off than using alternatives e.g. loans, overdrafts.

You must be at least 18 years old before you can have a credit card.

Before banks, credit card, store card and finance companies lend money they will run a credit check. This includes information to confirm the borrower's place of residence, current and past debt, and any county court judgments.

This is your track record in repaying loans. A credit history helps a lender to determine whether a potential borrower has a history of repaying debts in a timely fashion.

When you apply for a credit card, current account, personal loan, hire purchase agreement or mortgage, the lender will award you a score based on your credit history and on your answers to questions on the loan application form.

A current account is an account with a bank or building society from which you can withdraw money without giving notice. You can sometimes earn interest on your money, but generally this would not be as much as you would earn with a savings account. A current account account may be the best account to have if you will be paying in and withdrawing money regularly or want to set up Standing Orders or Direct Debits.