Nine financial products that will make you money

These products won't just help you manage your money - they'll make you some cash at the same time!

There are lots of ways to make money from your personal financial products - and I'm not just talking about interest on your saving account.

I've rounded up nine products that could provide you with extra cash, as well as helping you manage your everyday finances.

Credit cards that give the best cashback

If you have a good credit record and are confident you can clear your balance every month, a cashback credit card could allow you to earn as you spend. Here are my four top picks:

The American Express Platinum Cashback Card: This card gives you 5% cashback for the first three months (up to £100 cashback). After that you can earn 0.5% - 1.25% cashback, depending on how much you spend.

The cashback rate for the first three months is easily the best on the market. Just bear in mind that the card pays NO cashback if your total spending is less than £3,000 a year. The other main downside is that many retailers still don't accept Amex.

The Egg Money World Card: This card pays you a flat 1% cashback (up to £200 cashback) per year.

The big catch is the £1 monthly fee you have to pay - which effectively wipes out the cashback earned on the first £1,200 you spend each year.

The Barclaycard OnePulse card: This is a good cashback option for commuters in London, because it offers 5% cashback on Transport for London spending.

Just bear in mind that this cashback offer is only available until October 2010 - and you can make a maximum of £15 cashback per month.

The Barclaycard Cashback card: This new offering from Barclaycard gives you 1% cashback on the first £2,000 of purchases each year. After this, you make 0.5% cashback on all purchases up to a total of £20,000.

This product has some interesting extra features; for example, you can make double cashback on contactless purchases of £10 or less. However, its cashback rate is variable, which means that theoretically it could fall at any time.

The right cashback card for you will largely depend on your individual spending levels and patterns. To find out more about all the cards I've mentioned, read Great new cashback card - but watch the gimmicks.

Current accounts that pay you 6% interest

At the moment, certain current accounts are paying in-credit interest rates that are head and shoulders above their savings account equivalents! Here are my two favourites:

The Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct account: This account gives you an enormous 6% AER in interest (fixed for 12 months only) on balances up to £2,500. Unfortunately, anything over £2,500 will earn a paltry 0.1% AER.

To get this deal, you'll have to pay in at least £500 a month, and transfer your direct debits and standing orders over from your existing current account.

The Abbey Bank Account - Preferred In-Credit Rate account: This account also pays you an in-credit rate of 6% AER (fixed for 12 months) on balances up to £2,500. Once again, the rate is just 0.1% on balances over £2,500.

To bag the juicy rate on this account, you'll need to pay in at least £1,000 a month, and again, move across all direct debits and standing orders.

Current accounts that hand you free money

There are also current accounts that can give you an instant cash fix: Three accounts are currently offering customers £100 sign-up bonuses.

As always, just make sure that your chosen account meets your other needs, too - the short-term cash incentive may prove a false economy if it leads you into longer-term financial mismanagement!

Here are the three accounts for you to have a look at:

The Alliance & Leicester Premier account: As well as the £100 cash incentive, this account gives you a 0% overdraft for a year. To get your free dosh, you'll need to use Alliance & Leicester's Premier Switching Service to move across direct debits and standing orders.

You'll also need to pay in at least £500 within 11 weeks (from an account not with Alliance & Leicester) and you should get your £100 within three months.

The Abbey Bank Account - Preferred Overdraft Rate account: This account also gives you a £100 cash incentive and a 0% overdraft. In this case, you'll need to pay in at least £1,000 - and as usual, shift across those direct debits and standing orders.

The First Direct 1st Account: My final pick, this account offers you £100 in cash if you deposit at least £1,500 per month for at least three months. This means you'll need to be earning over £23,000 to take advantage of the deal.

And bear in mind that if you miss the minimum deposits but still want to use the account, First Direct will charge you a £10 monthly fee.

You'll probably be dealing with your current account provider on a weekly or even daily basis, so customer service becomes even more important. If you can't decide which account is right for you, it's worth perusing the Which? review of bank customer satisfaction!

More: The best all-round financial products | Make money from old rope!