Market research has shown that amid the credit crunch, many consumers have made the assumption that there are no longer any 0 per cent credit card deals out there.

Perhaps surprisingly, there in fact still 112 credit cards which are offering at least ten months interest free borrowing, while a further 26 cards are offering 13 months of interest free credit.

These numbers have both actually risen since the start of the year, demonstrating a healthy demand for cheap credit and more importantly, that banks and other lending institutions are still willing to lend at good rates.

"0% transfer deals remain popular and we are lending slightly more than before the credit crunch," says Andrew Bond at Barclaycard.

What has changed is the criteria for lending. While there are more cards available at the moment which offer interest free credit, it may be harder to qualify for these cards than it has been previously.

Lenders are definitely more cautious about who they lend to and rigorous credit checks will be carried out when applying for any credit card, but with interest free credit cards offering such a good deal, lenders are even more cautious.

Scott Mowbury at Virgin Money outlines the policy in place at Virgin Money: "We don't go giving out credit cards willy-nilly. We have a robust credit check policy in place and our acceptance rates are with trend."

Barclaycard say that their levels of rejection are one in two, that is, half of all customers who apply for a credit card with Barclaycard will be rejected. However, Barclaycard maintain that this is a normal rate of rejection and that it has not increased since the credit crunch.

Sean Gardner, director of MoneyExpert, gives some insight into the reasons people are being rejected for: "Switching credit cards used to be commonplace and being a rate tart was seen as a sign of being savvy with your cash. But getting a credit card is much more difficult now."

Nowadays, it is perhaps seen as more responsible to stick with one credit card and pay it off, rather than constantly switching. Lenders may refuse credit in some cases where they see that a person has held a high number of credit cards, counting this behaviour as excessive.

However, if you are turned down for a credit card application, do not see that as the end of the matter. Nearly all the experts agree that it is worth finding out why you were rejected and trying again.

Mr Bond at Barclaycard advises those who are turned down for credit to obtain their credit record, which will probably cost about £2, and examine what points on it could be preventing you from being approved for credit.

Often it is the case that the points holding you back are mistakes, minor points which can be rectified or have been misinterpreted by lenders and simply need a little explanation.

Mr Mowbary at Virgin agreed that checking your credit record and applying again for a particular card is definitely worth doing: "It might not be black and white why you are turned down, so it is worth giving a credit card company a call and have them give a second glance," he said.

"There are a number of reasons why people are turned down," added Mr Bond at Barclaycard. "A company could judge you to be overextended with your current credit."