Each week we are bombarded with credit card offers, telling us that this particular offer is the best. It is pretty annoying, when we know that most of these so called cheap credit cards are nothing but scams and are not even worth the time to look at. The best way to find a decent credit card is to compile a list of the best offers and choose the best of them - the best of the best so to say.

Before you can know which credit card offer is best for you you, must know exactly which credit card you are looking for. So make a list of requirements, then you can start to gather information from various credit card vendors. The best place to collect this information is online. This can be done by doing a search for ["credit card offers" + review] which also will give you other people's opinion about the actual offers. Another or even simpler way is to check out the offers from recommended and reputable credit card companies.

When you have collected a few offers, it's time to go through them and compare them according to your written requirements.

If you haven't already included interest rates and credit card fees on your requirement list, you should add these to the comparison criterias as well. You know many credit cards are attached with so called 'hidden charges' or charges in 'small prints'. An example of such a charge is a one-time enrollment fee for new cardholders. Therefore you should study the terms very carefully, also the 'small printed' part.

Many credit card companies are also charging a monthly or yearly cardholder fee. Then we have transaction fees, which is a fee you have to pay each time you use the credit card. These fees varies from company to company and when you compare, it is important that all costs are included so that you can find the deal that has the lowest total cost.

There are some credit cards however, without fees. These are the best credit cards. Though they are hard to find you can hit some of them, but you have to read the the application text carefully. You can also ask questions to the card company you investigate about all the different kind of fees they have before you decide which credit card you want to go for. To get a cheap card is all about doing a good preparatory legwork upfront.

Interest rates are also an important factor for the total cost of a credit card and should therefore also be studied and compared very carefully. You should look for cards with the lowest possible rate, all other factors equal. I have seen examples of credit card companies that charge more than 20% interest rate, and that is way too much. The best cards have interest rates lower than 15%. You should look at the long term interest rates and not introduction offers like lower or no interest rates the first month.

Some of the best credit card companies will even charge you a lower interest or no interest on purchases paid off in less than a certain number of days, in most cases 30 days.

Some people are more concerned about the spending limit instead of what it cost to have the card. For those with a limited amount of money to spend, the best credit card is the one that has the lowest total cost. If you are among them, look for hidden fees and interest. These determine the cost of your credit card.

About the Author: Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website http://www.1st-in-loan.net. Terje gives advice and helps people with financial issues like finding low interest mortgages, see http://www.1st-in-loan.net/online_mortgage.htm and to apply for cheap credit cards, see http://www.1st-in-loan.net/credit_card_offer.htm

Source: www.isnare.com