We round up the top credit cards to suit all pockets.
If you have a robust credit rating and a beady eye on your finances, you're in a great position to make credit cards work for you.
I've scoured the credit card market to find the very best deals on balance transfers, purchases and cashback. And here they are, all in one place.
Whether you want to batter down your debts, find an interest-free loan or get money back on your purchases, there should be something here for you.
Just remember to keep an iron grip on your plastic, so it's you playing the card and not the card playing you!
0% balance transfer cards
Here are my top 0% balance transfer picks:
|
Credit card |
0% period on balance transfers |
Typical APR |
Good to know |
|
16 months |
16.6% |
2.98% transfer fee, min £3.
You can also use this card to pay off non-credit card debts (see below). |
|
|
Santander credit Card |
15 months |
15.9% |
3% transfer fee, min £5. |
The Virgin Money card is still offering the longest 0% balance transfer deal on the market, lasting 16 months. And, unlike most balance transfer cards, the 0% deal also applies to non-credit card debts (such as a personal loan) transferred onto it (through a process called money transfer).
However, if you already have an MBNA card, you won't be able to apply for the Virgin one. In this case, the best alternative is currently the Santander credit card, which offers you 0% for 15 months.
There are also several 0% balance transfer cards which offer 15 month deals to existing customers only. The NatWest Platinum card, the Royal Bank of Scotland Platinum card and the HSBC credit card all fall into this category - so if you already bank with any of these lenders, they're worth a look.
Long-term balance transfer cards
Here are my three favourite cards for long-term, low rate balance transfers:
|
Credit card |
Typical APR on balance transfers
|
Fixed or variable? |
Good to know |
|
6.8% with no transfer fee |
Variable |
The typical APR also applies to purchases. |
|
|
Halifax Easy Rate |
8.9% with no transfer fee |
Variable |
The typical APR also applies to purchases. |
|
Egg Money World MasterCard |
8.9% with no transfer fee |
Fixed |
You'll need to pay a £1 monthly fee on this card. It also offers 1% cashback on all spending. |
This sort of card is great if you think it's going to take you much longer than a year to clear your debt. Unlike 0% balance transfer cards, none of these sets promotional 'time limits' or charges transfer fees.
My top pick is the Barclaycard Simplicity credit card. It offers by far the lowest typical APR on balance transfers, and this rate also applies to new purchases.
The big advantage of my third choice - the Egg Money World MasterCard - is that the 8.9% interest rate is fixed rather than variable. This means you'll know exactly where you stand for as long as it takes you to pay off your balance.
The downside is that the Egg card charges a monthly fee of £1, so you'll need to work out whether it still makes financial sense.
0% purchase cards
If you need to make a purchase - but you can't pay your credit card bill off at the end of the month - one of these might be your best bet:
|
Credit card |
0% period on purchases |
Typical APR |
Good to know |
|
Tesco Personal Finance Clubcard MasterCard |
12 months |
16.9% |
Using this card, you'll get five Clubcard points for every £4 you spend at Tesco or Tesco.com, and one point for every £4 you spend elsewhere. |
|
Marks & Spencer Money MasterCard |
10 months |
15.9% |
Using this card, you'll get one point for every full £1 spent at M&S, and one point for every £2 spent elsewhere. 100 points = £1 reward voucher. |
|
9 months |
15.9% |
This card also offers 0% on balance transfers for nine months. |
The Tesco Personal Finance Clubcard MasterCard would be my first choice, as it offers 0% interest on purchases for a full year.
Both the Tesco and Marks & Spencer cards also allow you to collect loyalty points when you use them.
In third place comes the Halifax All in One MasterCard . Although it offers a slightly shorter 0% purchase period, this is a good card to go for if you're also looking to make a balance transfer.
This is because its 0% purchase and balance transfer periods are the same, so you won't get caught out by a devious practice known as negative payment hierarchy.
Cashback cards
And finally, here are my top three cashback choices for people confident of clearing their balance every month:
|
Credit card |
Cashback benefits
|
Typical APR |
Good to know |
|
5% cashback for first three months (on up to £2,000 of spending).Thereafter, 0.5% on spending up to £3,500 per year, 1% on spending between £3,501 - £7,500 per year, and 1.25% on spending over £7,501 per year. |
19.9% |
Many places still do not accept Amex.
You need a fairly high minimum income (£30,000 p/a) to apply for this card. |
|
|
Egg Money World MasterCard |
1% cashback on all spending. |
17.8% |
You'll need to pay a £1 monthly fee on this card. It also offers a fixed rate of 8.9% on balance transfers until they're repaid, with no transfer fee. |
|
Barclaycard OnePulse Special |
5% cashback on Transport for London spending. |
12.4% |
This card also offers 0% on balance transfers for 12 months, with a 2.5% transfer fee. |
The American Express Platinum Cashback Card offers a whopping 5% cashback for the first three months (on up to £2,000 of spending), so if you're planning to spend big in the near future, this card could be the one for you.
Just bear in mind that the cashback rate drops sharply after this - and that many places still do not accept Amex.
The Egg Money World MasterCard does offer a more consistent rate of cashback (1% on all spending) and it will be more widely accepted.
However, with this card you'll need to pay the £1 monthly fee, so make sure that that doesn't negate any cashback benefits. To help work out which card is best for you, read New top cashback credit card - for some of you!
Finally, Londoners may want to consider the Barclaycard OnePulse Special card. It offers 5% cashback on all Transport for London spending, so use it to buy that annual travelcard!
Polish that score
As I said, most of these credit cards are only suitable for people with good or excellent credit ratings.
If your credit score is somewhat the worse for wear, there are several things you can do to improve it and get yourself into a position to apply for one of these cards in the future. Read How to improve your credit rating to find out more.
More: The credit card you'll never pay off | Avoid these rubbish credit cards!