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Sunday 1st August 2010

Comparing Credit Cards

Credit Card Comparison ImageWhen it comes to finding the cheapest credit card, it’s best to always shop around because credit nowadays can be expensive and if you’re not careful, then you could be paying over the odds for what is a competitive financial product.

Cheapest Credit Card Deals

There are a huge number of credit cards out there all vying for your business and the best way to find the cheapest credit card is to use a good credit card comparison site.

And without a good credit card comparison site, it is very difficult to find the cheapest credit card deal that best suits your needs, not only in terms of interest you’re paying on the money you might ‘borrow’ on the card, but also in terms of its flexibility.

Also, it’s best to be aware that each card has particular strengths and weaknesses, which means it is worth matching a credit card with your particular purchasing profile, so as to get the cheapest credit card deal out there.

So a good credit card comparison website will make that search so much easier for you and categorise cards in terms of their strengths. For example, up first in any comparison list should be the cheapest credit cards with the best rates, the ones that not only are good in terms of money, but also have a few other goodies attached as well.

Next category often features those credit cards which offer good balance transfer deals. This is a key starting point for those wishing to compare the cheapest credit cards. If a card won’t give you a good deal on a balance transfer, then ignore it. What you’re after here is a low-rate incentive to get you to move and then some more goodies thrown in (such as purchase protection schemes).

Then the comparison site might look at those cards which give the best rates when it comes to purchasing goods, a good thing to consider if you intend on going on a shopping spree. Most people at one time will need to buy an expensive item which may take some time to pay off. In this situation you will want to find the cheapest credit card with the lowest interest rate so that if you do need to spread the payments over a couple of months you will not be hit with massive interest.

Further categories might include those cards that offer rewards, are geared towards travel offers, or standard rates. A upmarket section is usually included, as Platinum cards tend to cost more, but do have added incentives attached. Business cards for those that need that facility are also usually included and an interesting category, and on highly relevant in today’s straightened times, are Credit Builder cards.

These are geared towards people with a less than perfect credit history who want to demonstrate that they can use a credit card sensibly again over a period of time. The downside with these cards of course are high interest rates and low amounts of credit on offer, but they can make all the difference to someone who needs to prove they are financial viable again.

A more advanced search will look at particular needs, including 0% balance transfers; no balance transfer fees; purchase incentives; low interest rates; no annual fees; high credit limit; 0% charges of foreign currency transfers; and, cashback deals.There are lots of things to consider when trying to find the best credit card and many lenders provide incentives for specific requirements. For some people finding the cheapest credit card may not be a priority you may apply for a credit card based on the incentives it provides such as free airmiles.

And once you have decided upon your personal parameters, you then get down to the business of comparing. A good search engine for comparing the best and cheapest credit cards should give you the name of the provider (Barclays, HSBC etc); the rate offered on balance transfers (plus the length of that rate); same with the purchase incentives; the typical variable Annual Percentage Rate, or APR as its known; and, any benefits that the card might have.

Armed with all that, you will then be able to make a sound decision when it comes to comparing the best and cheapest credit cards.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

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