The Halifax and the Bank of Scotland charity credit card are to be withdrawn by the end of February after owner Lloyds Banking Group decided the cards are not a cost-effective way of donating to charity.

Lloyds has been providing the charity cards – which donate a small percentage to Cancer Research UK, the NSPCC and the Scottish SPCA – for more than 23 years, but has now informed customers that its existing scheme will be replaced by standard credit cards that omit the charitable donation.

In a statement, Lloyds Banking Group said: “Following a recent review, which noted the limited demand for charity cards in recent years, we have decided that we will no longer offer a charity credit card. Lloyds Banking Group remains committed to charitable giving and will work to support Cancer Research UK, the NSPCC and SSPCA in any way we can in the future.

“In the past 25 years more than £450m has been distributed to small, grassroots charities across the UK through the Lloyds TSB Foundation funded solely by the Group.”

The statement continued by saying that the number of customers using the charity cards has declined to the point that they now comprise less than 1 per cent of all its credit cards.

Cancer Research UK head of corporate partnerships Claire Rowney said:

“Following a review Halifax and Bank of Scotland have decided to no longer offer charity credit cards so our 23-year partnership with them has come to an end.

“During this time their Cancer Research UK credit cards have raised an incredible £14.5m to help fund our life-saving research. While it’s disappointing that the partnership has come to an end, we would like to thank all Halifax and Bank of Scotland staff and customers who have supported us over the years.

“We hope to find new ways to continue to work with Halifax and Bank of Scotland in the future.”