Find the Best Card
 Today there are hundreds of credit cards to choose from with thousands of options and incentives. There are cards with no interest for a year, cards with no annual fee, platinum cards, travelers card, slate cards and gold cards. All of these options are a great thing, but how is someone supposed to pick a card out of all these?
Well here are a few things you should consider when you are searching for that perfect card. The first thing to look at is right in your own back yard, your Credit history. Everyone preaches the importance of this and for the most part they aren’t just pulling your leg. Your credit report is important. If you have great or excellent credit you can apply for any card out there, but if your credit is just getting started or not so good then you need to be a little more conservative with your choice.
Everyone has heard of the platinum and titanium cards. Well the precious card named after the precious metals are usually reserved for the people with outstanding credit. If your credit is good then you might be able to get one, but chances are they are going to sign you up for a Gold or Classic card instead. But with any of these the benefits are great. Usually over time you will earn higher limits of credit and lower APR rates.
For those with poor or no credit all hope is not lost. There are still several types of credit cards available out there. Some of them come with higher rates and more fees, but they are a great way to build that credit or patch it up so we can move on to the next stage. Unsecured credit cards do not require a security deposit and they work more like traditional cards. Secured credit cards are available to almost anyone. They are actually more like a checking account than a traditional card though. You put down a security deposit on the card and then your credit is the equal amount of money as the deposit.
Next thing to keep in mind when searching for a card is you’re spending habits. Knowing what you are going to use the card, how much you are going to use it and whether or not you plan to pay it in full every month is half the battle.
When you are thinking about buying larger consumer items and carrying the balance for a long period of time you need to look for cards with low interest or zero percent APR incentives. These two things will help you save a lot of money in the long run and still giving you the option to space the payments out.
Now on the flip side, if you are one of those people who use it for everyday purchases and plan on paying the balance full in each month then you don’t have to worry about financing charges. For this particular type of spender you should really be looking into rewards cards. If you travel a lot then a card that gives you airline miles will defiantly be a plus, but if you are one of those people who don’t need anything special and just love saving money than maybe a cash back card would be best.
The last thing to consider before applying for a credit card is your specific interests. We have touched base a little bit on this so far, but now it’s time to dive in deep.
So first we have our dedicated shoppers. When you shop frequently at the same places or the same types of stores there are a lot of credit cards that will give you special rewards for doing so. Cash back cards are the most common type of rewards card for the frequent shopper.
Now we have the frequent fliers. Airline mile credit cards are the perfect fit for the frequent flier. With their awesome reward system you get the chance to earn free flights, free hotels, free dinning or free rental cars. All of these little things can help take a load off when you spend a lot of time away from home.
And last but not least there is the long distance driver. Gasoline credit cards are going to be the best way to go for the traveler. When you drive long distances to work or you make a lot of frequent and long trips you could be earning rebates for your gas, a certain amount of money off your next fill up, or even gifts and points toward merchandise.
So as you can see there are a lot of things that go into finding the right credit card for you and it isn’t a super easy task, but armed with the right knowledge you can make it so much easier. The biggest and most important thing for anyone, no matter what type of spender you are, is to make sure that you read the terms and conditions thoroughly. Don’t get sucked in to an offer that sounds way too good and then be stuck with something less than promising just because there was a small paragraph in the terms and conditions that the issuer tried to hide.
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