10 most unreadable credit card contracts

CreditCards.com analysis of major card issuers contracts finds best, worst

By CreditCards.com

When it comes to readability, these credit card agreements are the worst, as measured by readability programs in a CreditCards.com analysis.

These contracts are thick with FOG. The 10 most unreadable contracts require a reading level starting at 16.8 years -- or most of the way into someone's first year of post-graduate education. Experts in readability say that contracts should require, at most, a ninth-grade reading level if they are to be widely understood. 

Almost all were credit unions, but to be fair, credit unions also occupied every one of the slots on the list of 10 most readable contracts.

See related: MAIN STORY: Credit card agreements unreadable to 4 of 5 Americans,  10 most readable credit card agreements, 10 wordiest credit card agreements, Readability of credit card agreements from biggest 20 banks,  How credit card agreements' readability compares to familiar documents, Quotable: What lawmakers, consumer activists, bankers say, 3 language experts try to make sense of a card agreement, Federal database of credit card agreements not user friendly, Video: Consumers try in vain to understand credit card agreements

Published: July 22, 2010

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