Credit Card Glossary: Terms and Definitions

Open end

Open end loan products, such as credit cards, are distinguished by closed end loans, such as mortgages and auto lans, by one key distinction. For closed end loan products, the key decisions about lending are made at the time the loan is offered. If you get an auto loan, the deal won’t change as long as you keep making payments. With open end credit card loans, however, the decision to extend a loan and on what terms is under constant scrutiny, and can change. The change can be for better or worse, depending on whether the consumer becomes a lesser or greater default risk in the eyes of the lender.