Most people will now use a credit card regularly. Some people will use them for everything they buy, some for online purchases only and others for a mixture of things. They can be a very convenient way to spend money as you do not have to worry about cash, most places will accept them and they can be more secure than other types of payment. Another advantage is that you do not have to pay for the items right away. You will not get a bill right away and then when you do, you have the choice of being able to just repay a small amount of money and then be charged some interest each month until you pay off the full balance or you can pay off the full amount at once. Credit cards do vary and it is worth looking at the differences between them so that you can make a good choice.
Interest rate and costs
The main thing that everyone will look out for is how expensive the credit card is. If you compare a selection of cards you will see that the interest rate charged will vary between cards. This is something that does vary though as lenders change their rates from time to time. Often this is in line with base rate changes, but it can be done at other times as well. This means that it is possible to find the cheapest card at one time but a year or so later it is no longer the cheapest. It is also worth looking at any other costs the card might have, such as late payment charges, yearly charges or things like this as these will change from card to card. It is not always that obvious what all of the charges are without looking at the terms and conditions. These can be complex, so it can be worth asking customer services if they could plaining explain to you what all of the charges are and how much they are.
Cashback or similar
Some credit cards have schemes where you can earn cashback when you spend money. This might be in the form of a cash credit to the account the following month or it could be in vouchers or something similar depending on the card issuer. These can be useful in some circumstances. These cards tend to be more expensive with regards to interest as the card issuer needs to earn more money to pay for the cashback. This means that if you are not intending or there is a risk that you will not repay the card in full, then you should think carefully as to whether the card is for you as it could end up being very expensive. If you always repay the balance in full then you could gain form having a card like this and it could be worth considering. Do compare the costs with other cards though and decide whether you are prepared to take the risk of dearer interest to gain a small amount of cashback. Also make sure that reward is something that you will use. If it is vouchers or something like that, only sign up if you normally would spend on that sort of thing. Obviously if it is actually cash, then you will be sure to find that handy!
Usability
It is worth checking to see where you will be able to use the credit card. Most types of cards can be used nearly everywhere, such as Visa and Mastercard but there are some which are less generally accepted. It is therefore wise to make sure that you do a bit of research and make sure that the card that you choose is accepted at the places that you want to use it.
Reputation of the lender
You may want to go with a lender that has a good reputation. It can be wise to go with one that you already trust or do some research and find out about the different lenders you are picking between. You might be wise to ask friends and family who they use and whether they would recommend them. You could also look at the websites of the various lenders and find out more about them as well as calling the customer services, to ask some questions and find out more that way.
Once you have done all of this research, you will be in a position to pick the card that you feels suits your needs the best. It is worth researching regularly though as when the rates change you may find that there are other lenders that can offer you a better deal. This might be that hey offer a higher cashback rate or that they have a lower interest rate and depending on how you use your card it is worth staying aware of what the rates are so you can get the best deals for you.
