When selecting credit cards, there are a number of things you should take into consideration before applying.
Simply applying for the first card application you receive is not the best way of finding a the card that is best suited for your own particular usage and needs.
You should ask some questions of yourself before applying for a credit card.
First, you should think about how you plan to use the card.
While some people use credit for larger purchases, and plan to pay the bill off over an extended period of time, others use their credit card as a convenience instead of carrying a lot of cash around, and they subsequently pay the balance off in full every month.
If you plan to use the card for large purchases for which you will carry a monthly balance, you should be paying particular attention to the annual percentage rate of interest on each card.
This rate can vary quite a bit between cards, so before choosing a card, research this carefully and select the card that has the lowest rate for the style of purchasing that you plan to use the credit card for.
You will also want to make sure you understand how the finance charges are calculated.
This is the type of information that is usually in small print so make sure to ask lots of detailed questions when speaking to a card representative about what the conditions are of their particular card.
If you plan to pay off your card balance every month to avoid finance charges, then you will want to pay particular attention to what the grace period is for the card.
This period varies between cards, but as a rule, it is stated in the number of days from the billing date.
If you get a credit card with a longer grace period, you will have more time to pay your bill before you incur a fee for the month.
However, you will want to understand the terms of the grace period because sometimes, special rules apply, such as what would apply to new charges when you already have a balance due on the credit card.
These special rules are how the company makes their money.