We have enlisted here what we think as the best credit cards that are available from among a number of categories. Most banks have tightened their lending provisions due to the credit crisis we are facing currently all over the world. Thus for those who have just an average credit, we will be including cards that would come handy to even them.
Cards that are the best for Travel, E-Shopping and Gas -
There are a number of great cash back credit cards available today. Here we will mention two of the cards that we know helps you earn more than the usual 1% rebate with other cards. The con that accompanies most cash rebates provided by credit cards is that they are limited to only a few categories supermarkets, oils or they choose to pay only 1% rebate for everything you buy. Some make it worse buy putting a ceiling to the total amount of cash rebates you can get in one single year.
So we have for you the Discover card which stomps over most other cards. With the Discover card, you can 5% rebates on a number of items than any other card. These include 5% rebates on hotels, airlines, renting cars and cruise in between the months of January and March, 5% rebates on stores helping to improve homes, and other stores like those which stock clothing and departmental products between April and June, 5% rebates on visits to theme parks, bookstores and zoos between July and September, 5% rebates on visits to restaurants, theatres and movies in October and November, 5% to 20% rebates at over 150 online stores like OldNavy.com, BestBuy.com and GAP.com. Not just that, you can also double your rebates that you have earned if you exchange them for some special gift cards.
Costco and American Express present to you the TrueEarnings Business Card which is another way in which you can gain a lot more than what you would with other credit cards. This card would pay 4% for a year long purchase of gasoline after which it would pay only 1%, 3% for eateries, 2% for traveling to places. Even though you need to be a Cotsco member to avail of this card, there are no annual charges that you need to pay. Since this gives you a better rebate on gasoline, we recommend the use of this card over the use of a consumer version. Moreover, since using this card makes you a part of American Express OPEN, you can save 3% to 25% on any kind of business expenses from Hyatt, JetBlue, FedEx etc.
Cards that are the best for Balance Transfer -
Just now we will suggest two cards to help you suffer a 0% balance transfer deal. If you have good credit, both the cards have low rates of interest as well.
If what you are looking for is a low rate care or a card that you can use to transfer your balance, we suggest you use the Discover Open Road Card also called the Discover More Card. For six months, both balance transfers and purchases are offered at 0%. The APR will vary from 11.99% to 18.99% thereafter. Most people usually give up their cards after trying out the balance transfer game but this card you would not want to let go because with it you can earn not only cash rebates but other advantages as well. This card allows you to transfer balance up to a period of two months. We recommend you do not immediately indulge in balance transfer, instead wait to check what credit limits you are being provided with.
Citi Platinum Select MasterCard is another option that you can avail of. This one too offers a 0% APR deal for purchases up to the first six months as well as balance transfers. The APR thereafter is only 11.99%. If you are already using a Discover Card but cannot transfer the balance to the issuer due to some reason, this card should be the perfect option. If you are one of those who loves to shop a lot online, this card provides you with a special credit card number that you can use only online. This way you can save yourself from frauds taking place online.
Cards that are the best for Travel Rewards -
The Escape by Discover Card is the best option for a travel card that is available in the market today. You earn double mileage for everything you charge to this card. From booking your own travel deals like staying a Friday night somewhere, booking a few days in advance, traveling without stopovers, and doing them for minimal rates to a lot more you would love to avail of, this card give you all of it. The annual charge barely pinches you because it is only $60 and makes the card flexible as well as convenient than what conventional airline credit cards seemed to be. If you still do not want to pay that much, you can use the other Discover Miles Card which works similarly minus the $60 annual charge.
Those who travel very frequently also choose to use the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card. This card has the best programs for hotel rewards. The card enables you to transfer your earned points into miles of over 35 airline partners. Moreover you also get to avail of 5000 bonus air miles if you transfer 20000 points into miles. This ratio is maintained. Thus if you would calculate, you would realize that you needed to transfer only 20000 points to miles to avail of a free domestic flight. This card is used mostly by American Express Centurion and Platinum card users.
Cards for College Students -
The best card to be used by students is the Discover Student Credit Card. It has a number of marveling features that students are bound to enjoy. Enlisted here are its exclusive features. Students receive 5% cash back on hotels, car rentals, airlines etc between January and March, 5% cash return on stores dealing with home improvements, clothing and departmental products between April and June, 5% rebates on visits to theme parks, bookstores and zoos between July and September, 5% rebates on visits to restaurants, theatres and movies in October and November, 5% to 20% rebates at over 150 online stores like OldNavy.com, BestBuy.com and GAP.com. You can also double your rebates that you have earned if you exchange them for some special gift cards just like the Discover card discussed above.
However if you are the kinds who looks for reward points then you should be using the Citi Forward Card for College Students. Citi’s ThankYou rewards formulate this reward program. If you use this card, you can earn 5 points for every $1 that you spend on movies, music, food and 1 point on all other purchases. You can also receive 6000 ThankYou points if you make $50 purchases but this has to be done within the first three months and you will get 5000 ThankYou points as and when you register for statements that do not require any form of paper work but this too only within the first three months from opening your account. Enjoy earning 100 ThankYou points every time you pay your bills on time and stay from spending over the credit limit. So in a year if you spend well, you can earn up to 1200 extra ThankYou points via this card.
