The annual credit card fee refers to the service fee for using the credit card for one year, and the annual credit card fee charged by each bank is different. The bank charges an annual fee to prevent the bank from opening an account without using the card. Before the cardholder activates the credit card, the bank may not charge an annual fee. The annual fee standards for various credit card products of each bank are public and can be found directly on official website.

Most credit cards can be exempted from the annual fee in the first year, and the annual fee can be reduced after a certain number of swipes or a certain amount. The relatively low standards are the standard cards of China Construction Bank and China Everbright Bank. Cardholders can waive the annual fee for the following year as long as they swipe their cards three times a year. Among them, the cumulative number of swipes can be combined between the main card and the auxiliary card of Everbright Credit Card, that is, the main card and the auxiliary card swipe their cards for three times, which can be exempted from the annual fee.

Some high-end platinum cards and unlimited cards do not have an annual fee-free policy for the first year. Even if it is not activated, there is an annual fee. As long as it is approved, the annual fee will be recorded immediately, so it needs to be repaid in time.

If the cardholder does not use the card in the first year after applying for a credit card, and opens the card in the second year, it is likely to charge the annual fee directly, because according to the bank's timing rules, the cardholder's "first year" does not reach the number of swipes or the amount of swipes.