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How to Score Yourself a Cheap Credit Card Deal

Posted August 31st, 2010 and last modified June 30th, 2011

How to get a cheap credit card deal

Different credit cards have different benefits. When credit card companies promote a card, they emphasize the major benefits, while under-stating the negatives. In order to get a cheap credit card deal, you need to be aware of both the benefits and the costs of a particular credit card.

Suncorp Clear Options Standard Visa Card

Low Interest Credit Card from Suncorp

The Suncorp Clear Options Standard credit card is one of the most popular credit cards on Credit Card FinderĀ®. With a low interest rate and annual fee, the card is very affordable.

  • $27 (Usually $55) annual fee
  • 12.74% p.a. on purchases
  • Cash Advance Rate of 21.99% p.a.
  • 0 days interest free
  • Minimum Income Requirement of $25,000 p.a.

A single credit card will not have all the benefits including a long interest-free period, low fees, low interest rates and great reward programs. Credit card companies need to make money and they do so by offering only a few exceptional benefits in each card. For instance, a card may have a great rewards program but high fees and high interest rates.

Get the best credit card for you

In order to get yourself a great, cheap credit card deal, you need to understand what your needs really are. If you are the kind of person who loves receiving rewards from a card, it will be difficult for you to be able to obtain a low-fee, low interest credit card – so always ensure that you’ll really be using the rewards points properly. In most cases you’ll find that the rewards offered do not outweigh the costs you incur in terms of fees and higher interest rates.

If you tend to use your credit card for daily purchases and pay off the balance in full each month, you might be better off choosing a card with a long interest-free period. The rate of interest will not affect you if you always repay the full balance and never actually pay interest. However, if you choose a card with a longer interest-free period, you might find that the interest rate is quite high, so be careful to pay off your entire balance before the due date.

If you find that that you often miss the repayment date, or have a credit card balance that rolls over, you should try to get a credit card with a very low interest rate. A low-rate credit card may not have a great rewards program or a long interest-free period, but you will save more money with this card because of the lower interest you’ll be charged.

Be careful when transferring a balance

Many credit cards try to attract new customers by offering an initial interest-free period for balance transfers. This 0% interest period can last from 3 – 9 months. However, once this period is over you will be charged a high interest rate.

This interest-free period can help consumers arrange their finances or save money to repay the balance, without having to pay interest during this period. However, credit cards which offer great deals on balance transfers can often charge high interest rates on purchases made. So it’s very important to know the terms and conditions of such cards. In general, it’s a good idea to avoid using these cards until the entire balance has been repaid.

Scoring a cheap credit card deal is possible if you do your research correctly and are well-aware of the kind of card that best suits your needs.

Check out today's featured offers:

Citibank Clear Platinum Qantas AMEX Discovery ANZ Platinum Westpac Low Rate
St George Vertigo American Express Qantas Discovery Card ANZ Platinum Credit Card Westpac Low Rate Card

2.9% p.a. for 12 months
on balance transfers

$0 annual fee

Up to 10,000 Bonus QFF Points

0% p.a. for 6 months on

purchases & balance transfers

0% p.a. for 6 months

on purchases & balance transfers

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  Interest Rate (p.a.) Balance Transfer Rate (p.a.) Annual fee Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)  
Citibank Clear Platinum Card
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American Express Qantas Discovery Card
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