The best credit cards to start 2015

Here’s a roundup of the top credit cards to begin the New Year with.

It’s a new year and for most of us that means resolving to make a fresh start on our finances.

A good place to begin the overhaul is by taking a look at your credit cards.

So here’s a guide to the top credit cards around right now that can get your 2015 off to a brighter start.

0% balance transfer credit cards

If you’ve built up expensive credit card debt over 2014 you could make it more manageable with a 0% balance transfer credit card.

These cards allow you to freeze the size of your debt for a number of months, giving you time to pay off what you owe without interest piling up.

The longest-lasting cards usually attract a one-off fee on transfers. Below are the top five deals around.

Credit card	0% period on balance transfers	Balance transfer fee	Cost of transferring £2,000 balance	Representative APR after 0% period ends
Barclaycard 35-Month Platinum Visa	35 months	2.49%	£49.80	18.9%
Barclaycard 34-Month Platinum Visa	34 months	2.39%	£47.80	18.9%
Halifax 34-Month Balance Transfer MasterCard	34 months	2.80%	£56	18.9%
Lloyds Bank Platinum 34-Month Balance Transfer MasterCard	34 months	3%	£60	18.9%
Bank of Scotland Platinum 34-Month Balance Transfer MasterCard	34 months	3%	£60	18.9%

As you can see Barclaycard offers nearly three years free of interest on its Platinum 35-Month Visa, which comes with a 2.49% fee.

If you don’t need quite as long to get back in control of your finances, there are now a number of fee-free and low-fee deals. Below are the top five offers in this range.

Credit card	0% period on balance transfers	Balance transfer fee	Cost of transferring £2,000 balance	Representative APR after 0% period ends
Santander 123 Credit Card*	23 months	None	£0	16.5%
Santander Credit Card	15 months	None	£0	18.9%
Tesco Clubcard with No Balance Transfer Fee	12 months	None	£0	18.9%
Nationwide Select Low Balance Transfer Fee Visa**	15 months	0.25%	£5	15.9%
Nationwide Low Balance Transfer Fee Visa	15 months	0.35%	£7	17.9%

*Annual fee of £24

**Nationwide current account customers only

As you can see the Santander 123 Credit Card offers 23 months 0% on balance transfers with no fee. So if you are able to clear your debt over a shorter period you could save with this deal. The card also comes with 23 months of 0% on purchases and the ability to earn up to 3% cashback on certain spends.

Be warned, the 123 card charges a £24 annual fee but you can escape this in the first year if you open or already have a 123 Current Account.

Compare balance transfer credit cards

0% purchase credit cards

If you’re planning some big purchases or home improvements a good way to spread the cost is with a 0% purchase credit card.

Here are the five cards offering the longest 0% deals at the moment.

Credit card	0% period	Representative APR after 0% period ends
Santander 123 Credit Card*	23 months	16.5%
Halifax Purchase Credit Card	20 months	18.9%
Tesco Clubcard for Purchases	19 months	18.9%
M&S Credit Card	19 months	18.9%
Yorkshire Bank Gold MasterCard	19 months	18.9%
Clydesdale Bank Gold MasterCard	19 months	18.9%

*Annual fee of £24

As you can see the Santander 123 Credit Card offers the longest lasting deal at the moment with 23 months to clear what you spend before any interest kicks in. As I've already mentioned, it has the added benefit of 23 months 0% on balance transfers with no fee and the ability to earn up to 3% cashback on certain spends.

Compare 0% purchase credit cards

Cashback credit cards

Some cards allow you to earn money back when you spend. There are loads to choose from but here are some of my top picks.

The American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card pays 5% cashback, capped at £100, in the first three months. Thereafter it pays between 0.5% and 1.25% depending on how much you spend in a year. This card is fee-free and has a representative APR of 19.9%.

The Nationwide Select Credit Card pays 0.5% unlimited cashback on all spending in the UK and comes with a whole host of other features including 26 months 0% on balance transfers (2.4 % fee), 15 months 0% on purchases, commission-free purchases abroad and a relatively low representative APR of 15.9%. However, this great all-round fee-free deal is only available to Nationwide current account holders.

There's even a cashback option if you don't have a great credit rating. The Capital One Classic Extra is designed for people with an average credit history, and pays 0.5% cashback on everything you buy. You also get a £10 bonus each year so long as you have paid your repayments on time.

Compare cashback credit cards

Reward credit cards

If cashback doesn’t interest you there are plenty of other ways you could be rewarded for spending on a credit card.

If you’re more interested in travel rewards you might prefer a credit card that helps you pick up air miles through an airline loyalty scheme. One of the top cards for the Avios scheme is the British Airways American Express Credit Card. It offers a bonus 9,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 in the first three months and an ongoing rate of one Avios for every £1 spent. The card has a representative APR of 15.9%.

Other credit cards offer to boost loyalty points which convert into a range of rewards. The Tesco Bank Clubcard Credit Card for Purchases for example allows you to get one Clubcard point for every £4 spent on top of your normal points. These convert into a variety of rewards for things like days out, Avios, meals out and much more. The card also offers 19 months 0% on purchases.

Compare reward credit cards