Choosing Your Next Credit Card

If you are reading this article then you are most likely ready to start the process of trying to choose your next UK credit card. There are many credit card sites on the internet that actually compare credit cards for you, showing the plus and minus points of any deal that is actually on offer. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, there are so many other offers on the market that are not offered by online applications. These other offers may include credit card deals that your bank has, stands in your local shopping mall and also almost every week in your post that will include new credit card offers, especially if your credit rating is good.

So where do you start? The offers from your bank, through the post and also credit card companies that show up at stands in your local shopping centre usually only offer one deal, emphasising only the positive points of the credit card on offer. These credit cards are typically given the ‘hard sell’ trying to entice you to make an application on the spot, for which they are paid commission of course. Usually they are second rate deals that will not be successful online.

I can actually give you a personal example of this. In my local shopping centre there was a new stand for Barclaycard. At one point this was one of the most successful credit card offers that were available online. The introductory periods for 0% purchases and 0% balance transfers could not be beaten and other companies could not even come close to match it. Add to these introductory offers the other fantastic member benefits that Barclaycard have you have a credit card that does become a candidate for being the ‘UK’s favourite credit card’, which is of course Barclaycard’s slogan. Barclaycard must have had their profits hit hard with this promotion because there was a ‘slight’ change to the offer just before it was pulled off the internet. When making a balance transfer this service would not be free anymore, there would be an additional charge, which only Barclaycard made. Needless to say the credit card did not perform as well as it did before and no there was a salesman in my shopping centre trying the hard sell on me. I tried to tell him I was not interested but he was persistent and as my wife likes to take her time in shops I listened for a short time. There was no mention of this charge until I actually asked him about it, even then according to this salesman I could still save money by transferring my balance of £1500. Yes I could, but I would actually make a larger saving by applying for a credit card without this charge.

This ranting brings me to choosing your next credit card online. Maybe I am being a little biased here but even if you do not apply for a UK credit card through Smart Credit Cards and use another site you will be able to apply for a credit card that actually suits your needs, and just like the salesman at the shopping centre we too receive a commission for each credit card sale. This is the key to it. You should apply for the credit card that suits your needs. How many times have you been shopping and made an impulse buy? This is when you may pass by a shop and see something that you really like and believe that is something that you really need. Choosing your next credit card could be a little like this. There may be an offer that has a 0% balance transfer offer but if you pay your balance in full every month then this card may be useless to you unless there is another benefit that will be useful to your needs. A starting point may be to try and compare credit cards, this will help you decide which cards actually offer valuable points for your needs. Some credit cards will not suit you, but that is just because everyone has different needs, the next person to land on the site may find your choice silly, but their requirements will probably be very different from yours.

In short, try to evaluate what you want from your next credit card, then fine tune to find other points that will be valuable for yourself, such as cash back credit cards, member benefits or even reward points to spend in your favourite store.