A Brief Guide To Finding The Best Credit Card

By Author: Michael Strauss
Total Articles: 434
Comment this article

You need a credit card, but determining which credit card offers are for the best credit cards you can get requires some understanding of the business. Credit cards come with a variety of options, which means some credit cards are not very good deals for you; you'll have to do some research to find the best ones.

One of the quickest and easiest of ways to find the best credit card deals is to do a search for them online. However, before you apply for what looks like the best credit card for you, take a careful look at the company offering the card and its contract terms.

Low Interest Rates

The interest rate is usually the first thing most people look at when applying for a credit card online or offline. However, the credit card interest rate really isn't of primary importance for those who pay off their balances every month. If you have a tendency to get behind and pay only the minimums on credit cards for extended periods, the best credit cards for you are the ones with the lowest interest rates.

A large portion of credit card owners pay huge sums of interest to credit card companies each year. Each ...
... percentage point of interest can have a major compounding effect over time, although if you just pay interest for one or two months out of the year, differences in interest rates will not be so major. So the more likely you are to carry balances on your credit cards for long periods, the more crucial the interest rate is in determining the best credit card for you.

Rewards Programs

The next consideration most people make is the reward programs being offered by issuers for the major types of credit cards. Mastercard and Visa credit cards typically come with rewards programs. These programs entail special privileges such as cash back, frequent flier miles, and credit towards various purchases in exchange for using the cards at certain stores or signing up for special offers.

If you use your credit card very often or in any particular way, a rewards program can very quickly add up to be big rewards with some of the best credit cards. However, you usually have to be good at making your payments to qualify for the best credit card rewards programs.

Member Benefits

Many people do not take into account the member benefits of some of the best credit card deals. Many, for example, will offer free travel insurance if you purchase tickets using the cards.

Annual Fees

Annual fees are probably the most important consideration. With the exception of some areas of the world with struggling economies, the best credit cards almost never have any annual membership or card-holder fees.

About the author: Michael writes for credit cards site http://www.cardsense.co.uk/ and you can read more about choosing the right card at http://www.cardsense.co.uk/0-purchases.html