The Basic Credit Card Types

It may seem incredible, but credit card issuers clog the mails with over 2.5 billion offers inviting people to apply for a credit card. Even those who would not qualify for a conventional credit card due to serious credit problems are now able to get one; some credit card issuers even specialize in this particular type of market. And according to financial gurus, there are at least a billion credit cards in active circulation throughout the United States alone.

Credit has been an economic cornerstone for some time now. Surveys show that the average American household is estimated to have at least twelve credit cards, including charge cards. While you may tend to think that one credit card is pretty much the same as the next, there are in actual fact distinct characteristics for each different credit card type. It is good to know these difference between the three different types of cards in the market: a bank credit card, a travel credit card, an entertainment credit card (although nowadays the combined travel and entertainment card has become more common) and a retail credit card or house card.

Bank Credit Cards

You have probably noticed that most credit cards bear either the logo of Visa or MasterCard together with the name of the bank. It would appear that the credit card has been issued by either Visa or MasterCard. That is not quite an accurate assumption: these two companies do not issue credit cards directly to the consumers. Most of the credit cards on the market today are offered by thousands of banks around the globe. Each bank is linked to the credit card association, because are not allowed to issue any kind of card unless they are association members.

Visa is a privately held membership association, although it is preparing to go public. It started as an association of banks in California and the West Coast. There are over 20,000 financial institutions in the membership rolls, and virtually all of them offer Visa Card. MasterCard is also a membership association, similar to Visa, and originally consisted of member banks in the East.

A bank credit card is in reality a revolving credit line. When you receive your statement, you can pay all or part of your balance each month, run up the balance again and so on. Being a credit line, the account comes with a pre-determined credit limit that depends on key factors like disposable income, credit history, etc. The credit limit can be as low as a $100 or as high as many thousands of dollars.

It is possible for card holders to get themselves into trouble when they do not properly manage the revolving credit line. When you carry a balance instead of paying it off, the credit card issuer starts charging interest on that balance - in some cases, this interest could be pretty steep. The interest rate varies widely, depending on who issued the card, but you could expect the average credit card interest rate to be at about 18 percent.

For instance, if you carry forward a $1,000 balance for 12 months, you pay $180 in interest per year or $15 every month. If you maintain a $1,000 savings account, you will earn about $40 in interest per year. Those who get into trouble will have to reduce debt, and one of the more common ways to go about this, is to arrange for credit card debt consolidation, which helps lighten the interest burden.

Travel and Entertainment Card

Travel and entertainment cards are similar to bank credit cards in the sense that holders can charge purchases at various stores and locations. However, they are also different from bank credit cards because they are offered directly by the credit card companies, namely, American Express and Diners Club.

This credit card type was once accepted primarily at travel- and entertainment-related businesses such as airlines, hotels, restaurants and car rentals. Nowadays, all other establishments, such as upscale department stores, gas stations and drugstores, accept them. Like any bank card, the typical travel and entertainment card of today offers the menu of features that most credit card holders have come to expect, such as frequent flyer miles, luggage insurance and collision insurance coverage on rented cars.

A further difference between travel and entertainment cards, and bank cards, is that travel entertainment cards do not carry an extended line of credit. This means that you will are required to pay your outstanding balances in full, either within one or two billing periods, in order to for the account to stay current.

Both travel and entertainment credit card providers, such as American Express and Diners Club, also deliver categorized summaries of expenses charged to the credit cards at the end of each year. This certainly is a convenience at tax time.

House Card

Unlike a bank credit card, and a travel and entertainment card, which you can use in many purchase locations, a house card is accepted only at a particular store or stores within the same chain. House cards (also referred to as retail charge cards) are the second largest category of credit cards; major house issuers include department stores, oil and gasoline companies, and telephone companies. Discover Card, once owned by Sears, was probably the biggest house card until it was purchased by a financial institution to become a distinct credit card company.

Merchants are very much in favor of house cards as these cards are valuable in helping them to both develop customer loyalty and enhance sales; you may appreciate the shopping convenience they give you. Just like bank credit cards, house cards give you a line of credit, with a limit that varies depending on your creditworthiness. For this reason, you may choose not to pay your credit card bill in full each month. Note, however, that the majority of house cards charge fixed interest rates of between 18 and 22 percent annually; thus a house card is more expensive in terms of interest cost than a bank credit card.

All types of credit cards involve costs when you use them. After knowing the different credit card types, you may choose the credit card that best fits your personality and needs. If you have a number of credit cards on your wallet, you may also consider discarding some.

If you are the type who does not carry a monthly balance, you can have a credit card with no annual fee but make sure that there is a grace period on purchases. However, if you do carry a balance, it is wise to do away with a credit card that has the worst of the following:

· High interest rates

· Unfavorable interest calculations. A credit card may calculate interest charges based on average daily balance, not on the balance due.

· No grace period. Some credit cards might charge interest from the date of purchase until payment date, even if you pay off your balance.

· Nuisance fees. Try to do away with credit cards that have late-payment fees, over-limit fees, fees for not carrying a balance or only a balance below a certain level, or a percentage fee on your credit limit.

The modern bank credit card was first introduced in the 1960s by the Bank of America; the travel and entertainment credit cards were both introduced in the 1950s. Much may changed since then in terms of features and benefits, but the basic characteristics of each type of credit card have remained the same.

Cash Rebate Credit Cards - Benefits and Detailed Descriptions

The cash rebate credit cards are very helpful to the people who make big credit card purchases. The cash rebate rates vary from credit card to credit card. There will be normally 1% cash back on general purchases and 5% on specific purchases. The rebate rates are depending on the type of card the customer chose from. I’ll personally recommend to the people not chose this card, if they couldn’t pay off their credit card balances every month. It’s because, the APR rates are comparatively higher than other credit cards.

There are lots of new credit cards have been introduced in this category. Let see the most recommendable Cash Rebate Credit Cards offers, their benefits and detailed descriptions.

Discover® More Card This card offers 0% Intro APR for Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee. The card members can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® More American Flag CardThis card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically and unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee and the card member can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

BP Visa® Rewards Card This card offers double rebates for two months and 5% rebates on all participating BP location purchases. Provides 2% rebates on all eligible travel and dining purchases and 1% rebates on all other eligible purchases. There are no limit on rebates and the card member can redeem every $25 rebates for: BP Gift Card, cash, donation to the Conservation Fund.

Discover® Student Tropical Beach Card This card offers 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. Provides 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. The card members will earn upto 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically.

Discover® Motiva Card This card has its own specific advantages like the card members can Pay-On-Time bonus equal to a full month's interest each time they make 6 on-time payments in a row– twice a year, every year when they pay on-time every month. Provides 5% to 20% Cashback Bonus at top online retailers through the exclusive online site. The card member will earn up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases and unlimited cash rewards that never expire as long as the card member use the card. There is no annual fee.

Chase Free Cash RewardsSM Visa® Card The card members earn 1 point for every dollar in purchases and they can choose from a variety of great brand name products. Provides 1,000 Bonus Points with the first purchase and Intro 0% fixed APR for up to 12 months on all purchases and balance transfers. The time period for the introductory APR and the balance transfers to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicants application and credit history. There is no annual fee. The card members can get their rewards with as few as 2,500 points choose from either a $25 check or a $25 gift card or certificate from leading national merchants for every 2,500 points earned.

Discover® More Wildlife Card This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. The card member will earn up to 1% Cashback bonus on
all other purchases automatically and also eligible for unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee.

Chase PerfectCard™ MasterCard® This card is named as STREAMLINE YOUR WALLET. The card member will earn rewards at any gas station to maximize their rebates! This card also provides excellent rebate offers to its members such as, provides 6% rebates on all gas purchases at any gas station for the first 90 days, 3% rebates on all gas purchases at ANY gas station after the first 90 days, and 1% rebates on all other purchases made anywhere. Provides 0% Intro APR and the time period for the introductory APR and the balance transfers to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicants application and credit history. There is no annual fee.

Discover® Student Card This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. Provides 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more and 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically. The card members can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus(turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® Student Clear Card This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. Provides 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically.

Citi® Home Rebate Platinum Select® MasterCard® This card offers full 6% rebate on Utilities, Cable/Satellite TV, Internet Connection, and Telecommunications for 6 Months. This card holders will get a statement credit instead to start saving for their Dream House. Provides full 1% on all other purchases and rebate automatically applied to the card holder's Mortgage Principal. There are no cap or Limits on the amount of rebates that the card holders can accumulate in a Year.

The Chase Business Cash Rewards Card This card offers its card members to earn up to 5% cash back with unlimited rewards potential and with no merchant or category spending restrictions, the card members can earn points by shopping wherever they want, for whatever they want. Offers 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for up to 12 months and there is no annual fee. The card members receive quarterly management reports and they can receive additional cards to their employees.

Blue Cash® from American Express: This card offers up to 5% Cash Back with unlimited Cash Rewards and unlimited cash back earnings. Offers 0% Intro APR for 6 months and low balance transfer rate - 4.99% fixed APR for the life of the balance. There is no annual fee.

The Chase Business Rebate Card This card offers 3% cCash back for purchases at restaurants, gas stations, office supply stores, building supply stores, hardware and home improvement stores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Provides 0% APR for up to 12 Months on purchases and balance transfers. there is no annual fee. The card members can get free additional cards for their employees, free quarterly reports, and other online account management tools to help them keep track of their business expenses.

Money Return Visa® Platinum The card members will get back 10% of their yearly interest charges. Provides 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. There is no annual fee. Provides online banking service and total security protection.

Efectiva™ Visa®: This card member will earn points towards cash back. This card offers 0% (APR) on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. The card member earn 5 bonus points with the first purchase. Additional advantage is that the card member get bilingual communications and services in English or Spanish. There is no annual fee.

TrueEarningsSM Card from Costco and American Express The card members earn 3% cash back for eating out, 2% for traveling, and 1% everywhere else, including at Costco. There is no annual fee. Provides the flexibility to pay charges in full each month or over time and there is no limit on the cash back earned. The card member can doubles as their Costco Membership Card. The applicant nust be a Costco Member to apply for this card.

Chase Freedom Cash This card offers 05 intro APR and the APR period is for 6 months. There is no annual fee. The card member can Earn 3% cash back for every eligible $1 spent in purchases at Grocery Stores, Stock up on food, household goods and more. Also earn 3% cash back for gas station purchases such as using the card for fuel, repairs, car washes, and other purchases. The same 3% cash back offers also applicable for purchases at Quick Service Restaurants, the rewards add up fast from pizza to hamburgers to tacos - even sandwich shops, coffee houses and more. The card members earn 1% cash back for every $1 spent in purchases everywhere else. The card members get a $50 Check once they have earned $50 in rewards. The card members can save up to $200 in rewards and redeem for $250 cash back.

The Pros And Cons Of Prepaid Credit Cards

Observers in the lending industry have estimated that there may be at least 50 million Americans who are not able to qualify for credit. These consumers are usually young, often members of the minority groups and unbanked...and they are faced with the long-standing dilemma of credit: how can I build my credit record if no one will give me any credit at all?

One of the answers offered by credit card companies is a variety of prepaid credit cards, designed for use by specific segments in the market. The prepaid credit cards are meant for that significant portion of the population that cannot meet the qualification criteria for regular credit cards, or who qualified before but have since lost their credit due to repeated defaults and other reasons.

Advantages of Prepaid Credit Cards For those who do not have enough credit history or have had it blemished, prepaid credit cards are an effective way to build or slowly rebuild credit. That may not happen immediately, but it is something to work on over time. The banks that issue prepaid credit cards are also prepared to extend normal credit the moment you are able to show that you have become a worthy credit risk.

For the moment, you may have to make do with prepaid credit cards. You can use prepaid credit cards as you would any other regular credit card to purchase airline tickets, reserve hotel rooms, or order items online.

Prepaid Credit Card for Students

There is a special prepaid Visa credit card for students, which offers a lot of convenience not only for the students but also for their parents. These reloadable prepaid credit cards offer parents several options on how to reload. Parents can add money to reloadable prepaid credit cards by depositing money, by arranging an automatic transfer of funds from their account (a deposit account or their own credit card account), or by online transfer. Using the prepaid Visa credit card is no different from giving the regular allowance to their child, only they do so by electronic means and there is no more cash that changes hands.

The big advantage of the prepaid Visa credit card is that the student is limited to spend only as much money as there is in the card. The parent is thus able to control to some extent the spending behavior of their child. They can use the prepaid credit card anywhere that the credit card brand is accepted.

Prepaid Credit Cards as Gift Certificates

Some prepaid credit cards function like gift certificates. You buy the prepaid credit card for a certain amount, and your recipient can purchase items with it at any of the brick-and-mortar stores or online merchants, and also for mail order items, that accept the particular credit card brand. Your recipient can use the prepaid credit card only up to the amount of money that you loaded on it. This particular version of prepaid credit cards is non-reloadable.

Like any gift certificate, recipients of prepaid credit cards can buy whatever it is they want at any time they want. Unlike a gift certificate that, when it gets lost is lost forever to the recipient, prepaid credit cards may be replaced if it gets lost or is stolen.

Prepaid Credit Cards for Travel There is a prepaid credit card designed for travel. These reloadable prepaid credit cards can be purchased in lieu of travelers' checks or cash. In a way, it combines the best features of a credit card and a traveler's check because of its convenience and security features. Should you lose the prepaid credit card while you are on travel, you can easily obtain an emergency replacement, both for the prepaid credit card and some cash.

Prepaid credit cards for travel are accepted all over the world, and also allow you to obtain currency from ATM machines. When you need to reload and you are already traveling you can arrange for the reload by phone or online. Apart from the fact that it is a prepaid credit card, you can use it exactly like a regular credit card. That also means you enjoy other benefits just like a regular card - reimbursements for lost luggage of up to $1,000 per cardholder if your luggage is lost; zero liability if your prepaid credit card is used fraudulently after you lose it or have it stolen from you; purchase security up to $500 per claim for any items you buy with prepaid credit cards, which subsequently gets stolen or damaged for certain reasons.

Generally, you can purchase prepaid credit cards of all the major credit card brands at their participating retailers. You don't have to worry about not having acceptable credit because prepaid credit cards are made available without need of a credit report or a bank account. The only qualifications you need to have are that you have reached 18 years of age and that you must be able to present a valid identification issued by government.

Disadvantages of Prepaid Credit Cards

There are a few things about prepaid credit cards that may not be as convenient as the regular credit cards. For one thing, you load only so much money onto it. You will need to keep track of the balance on the prepaid credit card because not all of the merchant terminals where you use the card may be able to help you determine it. However, there are procedures that tell you how to determine your balance, and you will these detailed on the back of the prepaid credit card and in the instructions accompanying it.

The process of reloading your prepaid credit card may be a little inconvenient to some. If you're using cash, you would have to visit the participating outlet where you bought your reloadable prepaid credit cards. The more convenient way will be reloading online.

There are also the charges. Prepaid credit cards impose an application fee, the amount of which varies with the issuer, and there is also a service charge that you have to pay monthly. You also have to pay for transaction fees, charges when you transfer funds to top up the balance, when you replace your prepaid credit card, and many other fees. To be sure about the fees, you should read closely the fine print on the prepaid credit card account.

Prospects of Prepaid Credit Cards

Prepaid credit cards do not provide credit; it is your money that you're using. You are asked to pay other charges, so it is not for free. You are paying for the convenience and security of carrying plastic instead of large amounts of cash. People with bad credit will be able to act as if they had a regular credit card and enjoy the convenience of one.

Issuers of prepaid credit cards realize that it is a good way to monitor the credit behavior of the cardholder. A prepaid credit card would be a source of information that indicates to the credit bureaus and issuing lenders about how you as the individual card-holder use the card to pay your bills such as utilities. If these consumer data could be formatted in such a way as to provide the basis for a statistical model on probable future behavior in spending, then this could become the foundation for building a credit history.

You would benefit, because by using prepaid credit cards you are rebuilding your credit. The prepaid credit card issuers would benefit, too, because they would be making previously unproven customers bankable. More people could then qualify for regular credit, and that would mean tremendous incremental revenue for the lenders.

The Basic Credit Card Types

It may seem incredible, but credit card issuers clog the mails with over 2.5 billion offers inviting people to apply for a credit card. Even those who would not qualify for a conventional credit card due to serious credit problems are now able to get one; some credit card issuers even specialize in this particular type of market. And according to financial gurus, there are at least a billion credit cards in active circulation throughout the United States alone.

Credit has been an economic cornerstone for some time now. Surveys show that the average American household is estimated to have at least twelve credit cards, including charge cards. While you may tend to think that one credit card is pretty much the same as the next, there are in actual fact distinct characteristics for each different credit card type. It is good to know these difference between the three different types of cards in the market: a bank credit card, a travel credit card, an entertainment credit card (although nowadays the combined travel and entertainment card has become more common) and a retail credit card or house card.

Bank Credit Cards

You have probably noticed that most credit cards bear either the logo of Visa or MasterCard together with the name of the bank. It would appear that the credit card has been issued by either Visa or MasterCard. That is not quite an accurate assumption: these two companies do not issue credit cards directly to the consumers. Most of the credit cards on the market today are offered by thousands of banks around the globe. Each bank is linked to the credit card association, because are not allowed to issue any kind of card unless they are association members.

Visa is a privately held membership association, although it is preparing to go public. It started as an association of banks in California and the West Coast. There are over 20,000 financial institutions in the membership rolls, and virtually all of them offer Visa Card. MasterCard is also a membership association, similar to Visa, and originally consisted of member banks in the East.

A bank credit card is in reality a revolving credit line. When you receive your statement, you can pay all or part of your balance each month, run up the balance again and so on. Being a credit line, the account comes with a pre-determined credit limit that depends on key factors like disposable income, credit history, etc. The credit limit can be as low as a $100 or as high as many thousands of dollars.

It is possible for card holders to get themselves into trouble when they do not properly manage the revolving credit line. When you carry a balance instead of paying it off, the credit card issuer starts charging interest on that balance - in some cases, this interest could be pretty steep. The interest rate varies widely, depending on who issued the card, but you could expect the average credit card interest rate to be at about 18 percent.

For instance, if you carry forward a $1,000 balance for 12 months, you pay $180 in interest per year or $15 every month. If you maintain a $1,000 savings account, you will earn about $40 in interest per year. Those who get into trouble will have to reduce debt, and one of the more common ways to go about this, is to arrange for credit card debt consolidation, which helps lighten the interest burden.

Travel and Entertainment Card

Travel and entertainment cards are similar to bank credit cards in the sense that holders can charge purchases at various stores and locations. However, they are also different from bank credit cards because they are offered directly by the credit card companies, namely, American Express and Diners Club.

This credit card type was once accepted primarily at travel- and entertainment-related businesses such as airlines, hotels, restaurants and car rentals. Nowadays, all other establishments, such as upscale department stores, gas stations and drugstores, accept them. Like any bank card, the typical travel and entertainment card of today offers the menu of features that most credit card holders have come to expect, such as frequent flyer miles, luggage insurance and collision insurance coverage on rented cars.

A further difference between travel and entertainment cards, and bank cards, is that travel entertainment cards do not carry an extended line of credit. This means that you will are required to pay your outstanding balances in full, either within one or two billing periods, in order to for the account to stay current.

Both travel and entertainment credit card providers, such as American Express and Diners Club, also deliver categorized summaries of expenses charged to the credit cards at the end of each year. This certainly is a convenience at tax time.

House Card

Unlike a bank credit card, and a travel and entertainment card, which you can use in many purchase locations, a house card is accepted only at a particular store or stores within the same chain. House cards (also referred to as retail charge cards) are the second largest category of credit cards; major house issuers include department stores, oil and gasoline companies, and telephone companies. Discover Card, once owned by Sears, was probably the biggest house card until it was purchased by a financial institution to become a distinct credit card company.

Merchants are very much in favor of house cards as these cards are valuable in helping them to both develop customer loyalty and enhance sales; you may appreciate the shopping convenience they give you. Just like bank credit cards, house cards give you a line of credit, with a limit that varies depending on your creditworthiness. For this reason, you may choose not to pay your credit card bill in full each month. Note, however, that the majority of house cards charge fixed interest rates of between 18 and 22 percent annually; thus a house card is more expensive in terms of interest cost than a bank credit card.

All types of credit cards involve costs when you use them. After knowing the different credit card types, you may choose the credit card that best fits your personality and needs. If you have a number of credit cards on your wallet, you may also consider discarding some.

If you are the type who does not carry a monthly balance, you can have a credit card with no annual fee but make sure that there is a grace period on purchases. However, if you do carry a balance, it is wise to do away with a credit card that has the worst of the following:

· High interest rates

· Unfavorable interest calculations. A credit card may calculate interest charges based on average daily balance, not on the balance due.

· No grace period. Some credit cards might charge interest from the date of purchase until payment date, even if you pay off your balance.

· Nuisance fees. Try to do away with credit cards that have late-payment fees, over-limit fees, fees for not carrying a balance or only a balance below a certain level, or a percentage fee on your credit limit.

The modern bank credit card was first introduced in the 1960s by the Bank of America; the travel and entertainment credit cards were both introduced in the 1950s. Much may changed since then in terms of features and benefits, but the basic characteristics of each type of credit card have remained the same.

Choosing an Online Printer to Print Business Cards

Balance Transfer Credit Cards - Benefits and Detailed Descriptions

Compare Credit Cards and Get the Best Deal

The plastic cards issued to the users are used for payment or cash advance. What came first in this field is Charga plate. In this type the person had to pay the full balance money along with interest every month. The new generation device i.e. the "Credit card" allows the person to revolve the money with the interest being charged. These cards are mainly issued by the banks. The cards look like a thin rectangular plastic card similar to the shape and size of Charga plate. A credit card is ISO 7801 standard certified.

Now comes the part of the card holders i.e. a person willing to have a card needs to look out for some features to get the benefit. The credit cards are based on rates, promotions and balance transfer options. The cards are of two to three types under each category.

The Rate based credit card includes zero percent, low percent and fixed rate credit cards, where rate of interest is zero, low (not a two digit number) and a certain fixed amount respectively.

The Business credit cards are of two types namely Business reward card where rewards are given on item purchase. The other type is Business line of credit card used for business transaction.

The third type is Reward and rebate based card. Here in airline credit card points are to be accumulated by the regular passengers, which offer them a free trip or seating upgrade in the future. In case of cash back credit cards a cash back is offered at the end of a year based on the annual expenditure. Third type is hotel/travel reward credit card which allows redemption in the traveling or lodging in a particular chain of hotels.

The fourth type is Cash back credit card in which cash is returned based on the accumulated points and the annual expenditure of a person.

Some features of the credit card which makes it so easy for the consumers to use are:

1.    Credit cards are acknowledged world wide.

2.    These are available with credit limit variety, compensation package and other bonuses.

The modern credit card has descended from various merchant schemes. In 1930s and late 1940s Charga plates have been used but were not in use for very long due to the introduction of credit cards. These had owner's signature, name, card number and address of the user etc.

Keeping a card has its own advantages like:

1.    You don't need to carry a large sum of money i.e. only a thin piece of plastic card makes it possible for you to make the payment.

2.    Some times the credit cards are used as ATM cards from which you can withdraw as per your requirement.

3.    The card cannot be accessed by an outsider unless the secret code of the card holder is known.

4.    Money transfer takes place from an account to another.

Now let us see the disadvantages of a credit card:

1.    The card holder will have to pay more interest on the amount of money kept in the account.

2.    The companies are targeting mainly the college students who are already over-burdened with college tuition fees.

3.    A number of fraud cases have come into light due to the poor card security.

So far we have seen the advantages, disadvantage and many other properties of a credit card. Now we will see the process of transaction using the card. It consists of five steps.

They are: Authorization—here a customer pays for the purchase he has made to the merchant. Here the receiver compares credit card, confirms no and the depositor receives a copy of the money he has deposited.

Batching—here the transaction details contains the documents of the depositor's slip.
Clearing and settlement—here the issuer gets paid for the transaction.
Funding—the acquirer is paid by the merchant for the transaction process he performed.
Chargeback—if there is any problem in the transaction for the merchant the deposited money is held.

For a credit card the security is must. So we have a latest kind of security. When another person tries to access the account of a different person then a security message is sent to the owner of the card. If the owner wishes to stop misuse of the card then he has to tell the bank about the losing of the card then the bank will take some steps and then whoever has taken the card is put behind bars.

Although we saw that the credit card has advantage of its kind that cannot be cut short but some disadvantages are also present. The explanation may prompt a person to take a credit card but he/she should always take note of every thing very minutely and then think about taking the card for his/ her use. No doubt, if you compare credit cards, you are sure to get the best deal.

5 Factors to Consider on Choose the Best Online Phone Cards For Your International Long Distance Calling Needs!

Before starting to learn how to find Best Prepaid Phone Cards for your Domestic and International Long Distance calling needs, lets see what factors are important to choose the right Phone Cards. First of all I want to tell you One Truth: in general there is NO such a think as "the Best Phone Card". It all depends on your specific calling needs, habits and purposes: (To) Where You Call? , Who Calls?, Whom You Call?, From Where You Call? and How You Call?. Most likely not all of these will apply to you (usually one or two factors apply). By taking a moment on reading and comparing several cards' Terms/Conditions and Charging Fees, based on your calling needs, you will be able to choose the Right Card and use it over and over and SAVE BIG.

1) (To) Where You Call?-this means what country or what specific city in that country you wand to call. Once you go to most of the Online Phone Cards Companies' Home Pages (For Ex. http://www.PhoneCardsGallery.com -by the way this is the website, from where I do almost all my online phone card purchases.), somewhere you can find "Discount Calling Card Finder" or similar section. In the "country" box choose your calling country & submit your search. The site's searching tool will find all the cards which provide calling services to your country and will organize the cards with the highest calling minutes to the lowest minutes (Top Ranking). Now we know which cards give the best calling minutes to your country, but very important to consider the cards "Qualities" also ( in http://www.PhoneCardsGallery.com the Quality shows by Blue Stars next to the Cards' names"). Always give preferences to those cards which have better Qualities. Having Local Access Numbers (for the State or City that you are located or you calling from) is also very important. It is recommended to choose a card that has Local Access numbers. Usually, by using Toll Free 1-800 number, instead of Local Access numbers, additional Per Minute Charges may apply. Some cards that have Local Access #s, in the card's detail page, will provide a link ("Local Numbers") to the new page with the list of all available Local Access #. Others the will provide (by Automated Answering Service) the Local Access # when you call by using their Toll Free # and choosing "yes" to their question: "Do you need Local Access # ?" In this case, after you get Local Access #, you need to hang up and call using given Local #.

2) Who Calls?- this means if you are using regular phone or payphone to make your calls. If you are using a payphone, in the cards' terms check if they charge additional fees for using a payphone, how much it is and compare with other cards to make your decision.

3) Whom You Call?- this means if you are calling to a regular phone or to a cell phone. If you are calling to a cell phone, in the Terms check if they charge different rates for cell phones and make your decision accordingly.

4) From Where You Call?- this means from which country (USA or Canada), State or City you are calling from. Some cards you can use only from certain states or cities and that usually very easy to notice: either card's name include that state's or city's name (Ex. Crazy-Crazy Los Angeles) or nest to the card's name it says the name of the state or the city for which that card is designed for. Usually those cards have Local Access #s for that state, county or city. If you see that the card, beside 800 #, has Local Access # also, then it means that the card is specialize or designed for that specific area only. Some cards could work only from specified location (state) and in the detail page of those cards, on the "Toll Free" line will say "(Works From X State Only!)". So, be careful and do not buy these types of cards if you are not in that state. So, make your decision accordingly, and choose the cards that specialize on your state or city. Many cards have No Local Access numbers (they have only Toll Free #) and you can use them from any states.

5) How You Call? - This means that what are your calling durations and frequencies: are you going to make a few long calls with your card or many short calls? If you are planning to make one or two long phone calls, then the most important factor that you will need to consider is Calling Rate (or Calling Time). You will need to choose the cards that give higher calling minutes (same as lower calling rates). The Connection Fees, Maintenance Fees, Communication Fees, Minute Rounding Rates, Expiration Date and other similar fees and factors are not so important and relevant for long calls. However, those mentioned fees and factors are very important to consider if you going to make many (frequently) short calls. You may consider getting cards with comparably lesser calling minutes (higher rates) but minimum charges for above mentioned fees. In this case you also will need to prefer cards with longer Expiration Date and smaller rates for Minute Rounding. Therefore, the card with higher calling time is not necessary is the best card for you if you are planning to make short calls. To make frequent short calls, you will need a card with No Connection Fee, Minimum or No charges for Maintenance, Communication and also smaller number for Rounding Minutes. Generally short calls are those which are lasting less than 15 min.

By considering all the above mentioned factors and options, now you are able to choose the right cards that will SAVE you the most money. There are numerous prepaid phone cards out there and yes, there are some major differences between the fees they charge. If you are serious about getting the most out of your hard earned dollars, take the time and just one time compare different cards and choose the best one for your needs. Once you found the best one for your needs, you can use the same card over and over and SAVE MONEY and TIME.

Buying phone cards over the internet is safe, very convenient, cheap (mostly they sale with discounts) and profitable (they provide very useful tools which help users to compare and find the best cards (good rates, high qualities & having other important fetchers) for their different calling needs).

Below are the names of some famous online Phone Cards Companies: PhoneCardsGallery, PhoneCardSavers, idPhoneCard, MasterBell, 1stPhoneCard, Zaptel, Zscomm, CallingCards, PhoneCardOnSale, RelianceIndiaCall, Tel3, OneSuite, ldpost, Raza, UnionTeleCard, PhoneShark, PinCity, PinOnSale, ThaiTel, PhoneCards-Prepaid, International-Phone-Card-Express, PrepaidTelecomhq, Reliablecom, Nobelcom, CentCalls, Connectto, TheRichCom, ECallChina...

Below are some Key Words to search for online Phone Cards Companies: Phone Cards Gallery, Phone Card, Calling Card, Calling Card International, Prepaid Phone Card, Online Phone Card, International Phone Card, Calling Card Prepaid, Prepaid Calling Card, Long Distance Phone Card, Cheap Phone Card, Calling Card Cheap, International Prepaid Phone Card, Calling Card Online, Calling Card Phone, Phone Calling Card, Pre Paid Phone Card, Cheapest Phone Card, Prepaid Cell Phone Card, Cheap International Phone Card, Online International Phone Card, International Phone Calling Card...

Balance Transfer Credit Cards - Benefits and Detailed Descriptions

A Balance transfer credit card helps the consumers to move an outstanding balance from one credit card to another. This process also helps the consumer to get lower APR. Balance transfer helps the consumers in many ways. By Transferring high balance from the current credit card to a 0% interest rate offered card, the consumer can save a lot. By considering the benefits, we can name the balance transfer credit cards as best financial tools. There are hundreds of new balance transfer credit cards are introduced. Lets see their benefits and detailed descriptions.

Discover® Open Road Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months. Provides full 5% Cashback bonus on gas and auto maintenance purchases. Up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically. Provides unlimited cash rewards that never expire. There is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. The card members can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® More Clear Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months and 5% cash back bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% cash back bonus on all other purchases automatically and unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee and the card members can DOUBLE their cash back bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from 70 brand name partners.

BoatU.S.™ Platinum Plus® Visa® Card: This card offers 0% Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR)on balance transfers and cash advance checks for the first 12 billing cycles. The card user can earn 1 point for every net retail purchase dollar spent and also he can redeem points for travel, merchandise, gift certificates, and cash. Provides Access to the MyConciergeSM service, a unique personal assistance service. There is absolute fraud protection against unauthorized use, online and offline. And there is no annual fee.

Chase Platinum Visa® Card: This Card offers 0% Intro APR for up to 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. The time period for the introductory APR and the balances to which it will apply will be based on the review of applicant's application and credit history. There is no annual fee. Provides Flexible Rewards Program like the the card member earns one point per dollar spent. Provides redeem for the card users choice of Cash Back, Merchandise, Travel or Gift Cards. Also provides FREE Online Account Access and FREE travel services including Auto Rental Insurance and worldwide Travel Accident Insurance.

Bank of America Visa® Platinum Plus®: This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 months. There is no annual fee. Offers Credit lines as high as $25,000, Online Banking Service and total security protection.

Citi® Driver's Edge® Card for College Students: This card offers 0% APR for Six months on purchases, Cash Advances, and Balance Transfers - No Balance Transfer Fee with this Offer. Helps the card members to build credit history and the card users will earn rebates towards any car, new or used. Provide offers like, Get Cash for Miles Driven and free online account management.

Blue from American Express®: This card offers Fee-Free Rewards Program and 0% APR for up to 15 months. There is no annual fee. Provides low balance transfer APR - 4.99% Fixed APR for the life of the balance. Actuallly Blue is named as the card members launch pad to standout shopping and entertainment rewards and one-of-a-kind experiences.

Citi PremierPassSM: This card offers 0% APR on Balance Transfers for Twelve Months and the card member will get 5,000 Bonus Points after the first purchase. The card member will earn one point for every dollar spent on purchases and also earn one point for every three miles flown on any Airline. There is no annual fee.

TripRewards® MasterCard® Credit Card: This card offers 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and cash advance checks for the first 12 billing cycles. The card member earn 2 points for every $1 in net retail purchases and earn 13 points for every $1 spent for qualifying TripRewards hotel stays. There is no annual fee. Provides 24-hour online access and Absolute Fraud Protection.

Blue Cash® from American Express: This card offers up to 5% Cash Back with unlimited Cash Rewards and unlimited cash back earnings. Offers 0% Intro APR for 6 months and low balance transfer rate - 4.99% fixed APR for the life of the balance. There is no annual fee.

Blue Sky® from American Express: This card offers Redeem points to save on any airline, hotel, rental car or cruise - and there are no blackout dates or travel restrictions. The card member earns 1 point for every dollar spend. There are No blackout dates, no travel restrictions and there is no annual fee. Provides 0% intro APR. The card users get world class cardmember benefits including Travel Accident Insurance, Buyers Assurance Plan, and Return Protection.

SkyPoints™ Credit Card from Delta and American Express: This card offers discounts on Delta and Song® flights for as few as 3,000 SkyPoints. And the card member get up to 2,500 SkyPoints with his first purchase. Also provides double SkyPoints on everyday purchases. The card member get one SkyPoint for every other eligible dollar spent. And there is no annual fee for the first year — a $49 savings.

JetBlue Business Credit Card from American Express: This card offers 25 TrueBlue points, worth 1/4 of a free flight, after the first purchase and double award dollars on JetBlue purchases, gas, wireless phone charges, and other business needs. Provides $50 statement credit after the first purchase and 5% savings on all JetBlue flights purchased directly, using JetBlue Business Card. Automatic discounts at leading merchants through the OPEN Savings program. Provides protection on travel, Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance, Baggage Insurance, and more.

Bank of America Visa Signature® with WorldPoints™: This card offers 0% Intro (APR)on balance transfers and cash advance checks for the first 12 billing cycles. The card members will earn 1 point for every dollar spend in net retail purchases. The points are redeemable for cash, brand name merchandise, travel with no blackout dates, dining certificates and more. There is no annual fee. The card members can take advantage of preferred seating - Visa Signature Access gives the card user an exclusive entry to exciting events as well as the best seats at sports, entertainment, and cultural venues. Provides ability to reserve last-minute tables at popular restaurants - Visa Signature Dining makes it easy to get preferrred reservations, discounts, and special offers at the nation's hottest restaurants. The card member enjoy more savings and more extras and will get discounts at select merchants, valuable upgrades, and savings of up to 50% on accommodations at spectacular places.

Efectiva™ Visa®: This card member will earn points towards cash back. This card offers 0% (APR) on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. The card member earn 5 bonus points with the first purchase. Additional advantage is that the card member get bilingual communications and services in English or Spanish. There is no annual fee.

Citi PremierPass® Card – Elite Level: This card offers low APR on balance transfers for 12 months. The card members will earn 1 Flight Point for every mile they fly on any airline — or anyone else whose ticket bought with the card, Earns 2 Purchase Points for every dollar spend at gas stations, supermarkets, and drugstores, plus earn 1 Purchase Point for every other dollar spend. Provides unlimited companion travel (minimum fare requirements apply). The card members can redeem points for: flights on any airline with no blackout dates. Provides retail gift cards, electronics, and even statement credits through ThankYou Network, the free rewards program from Citi. Exclusive bonus offer is the card member earn 15,000 bonus points after his first purchase is made within 60 days of account opening.

AT&T Universal Platinum Card: This card offers 0% APR on Balance Transfers for Twelve Months - a Balance Transfer Fee Applies with this Offer. The card member save on Phone Services used everyday and provides up to 30 free phone Minutes per month - Anytime, Anywhere. And there is no annual fee.

Union Plus® MasterCard: This card offers FREE rewards program designed for hard-working union members. The card members get 2,000 bonus points after first purchase, more than halfway to a $25 Gift Card. Also earns 1 point for every dollar spent anywhere and Earns 2 Points for every dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores. There are no balance transfer Fees and APR stays FIXED until the balance is paid in full. There is 1.99% introductory APR on new purchases. There is no annual fee and no liability for unauthorized use.

Low Interest Credit Cards - Benefits and Detailed Descriptions

Generally the credit card interest rates are higher than any other loan. But, the customer need not worry about the interest rates, if he make the payment within a month. The credit card interest rates vary from card to card. The interest rate increases based on the customer's outstanding payable amount.

Nowadays there are lot of credit card companies established and introducing hundreds of credit card offers in different categories. This trend led to a severe competition among these companies. So, inorder to attract new customers and to make their existing customers to remain, the companies offer variety of incentives to the consumers like cash back, 0% balance transfer fee and low interest rate etc.. Among all these special incentive schemes, the term low interest credit cardsattracting more consumers. There are many credit cards which offer credits at low or 0% interest rates. Lets see the benefits and detailed descriptions of some of the specific offers.

Discover® More Clear Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months and 5% cash back bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% cash back bonus on all other purchases automatically and unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee and the card members can DOUBLE their cash back bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from 70 brand name partners.

Union Plus® MasterCard: This card offers FREE rewards program designed for hard-working union members. The card members get 2,000 bonus points after first purchase, more than halfway to a $25 Gift Card. Also earns 1 point for every dollar spent anywhere and Earns 2 Points for every dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores. There are no balance transfer Fees and APR stays FIXED until the balance is paid in full. There is 1.99% introductory APR on new purchases. There is no annual fee and no liability for unauthorized use.

Discover® More Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR for Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee. The card members can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® More American Flag Card:This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically and unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee and the card member can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® More Wildlife Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. The card member will earn up to 1% Cashback bonus on all other purchases automatically and also eligible for unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee.

Discover® Student Monogram Card: This card provides the option to choose your personalized card design. Provides 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee and easiest online account management options. The card members will earn 5% Cashback Bonus® on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more and earns up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically.

Discover® Business Miles Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR on card purchases and there is no annual fee. The card members will earn Double Miles on travel and gas and get up to 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. There are no restrictions on any airline, any date, any seat.

Chase Freedom Cash: This card offers 05 intro APR and the APR period is for 6 months. There is no annual fee. The card member can Earn 3% cash back for every eligible $1 spent in purchases at Grocery Stores, Stock up on food, household goods and more. Also earn 3% cash back for gas station purchases such as using the card for fuel, repairs, car washes, and other purchases. The same 3% cash back offers also applicable for purchases at Quick Service Restaurants, the rewards add up fast from pizza to hamburgers to tacos - even sandwich shops, coffee houses and more. The card members earn 1% cash back for every $1 spent in purchases everywhere else. The card members get a $50 Check once they have earned $50 in rewards. The card members can save up to $200 in rewards and redeem for $250 cash back.

Chase Freedom Points: This card offers the members to earn 3 Points for every eligible $1 spent in purchases at 1.Grocery Store purchases like Stock up on food, household goods and more. 2.Gas Station purchases such as using the card fuel, repairs, car washes, and other purchases. 3.Quick Service Restaurant such as, rewards add up fast from pizza to hamburgers to tacos - even sandwich shops, coffee houses and more. The card members will earn 1 point for every $1 spent in purchases everywhere else and the card members can reward themselves with as few as 1,000 Points. Provides 0% APR for up to 6 months. There is no annual fee.

Chase Platinum Visa® Card: This Card offers 0% Intro APR for up to 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. The time period for the introductory APR and the balances to which it will apply will be based on the review of applicant's application and credit history. There is no annual fee. Provides Flexible Rewards Program like the the card member earns one point per dollar spent. Provides redeem for the card users choice of Cash Back, Merchandise, Travel or Gift Cards. Also provides FREE Online Account Access and FREE travel services including Auto Rental Insurance and worldwide Travel Accident Insurance.

Bank of America Visa® Platinum Plus®: This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 months and there is no annual fee. Provides Credit lines as high as $25,000 to its card members. Also provides online banking service and total security protection.

The Advanta Platinum Business Custom Card: This card provides the option to its applicants to select their favorite image. This card offers 0% APR for 15 Months and 7.99% Fixed APR there after. The card members will earn 5% Cash Back or Travel Rewards and there is no annual fee.

Financial Rewards® Visa® Platinum Plus® Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. The card members will earn 5 bonus points with their first purchase and the earned points do not expire for 5 years. Provides online banking service and total security protection. There is no annual fee.

Citi® Platinum Select® Card for College Students: This card offers 0% APR for Six Months and no balance transfer fee with this Offer. Provides free online account management and $0 liability on unauthorized purchases. There is no annual fee.

Citi® Platinum Select® Card: This card offers 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for Twelve Months and $0 liability on unauthorized purchases. There is 11.24% APR after the introductory period. Provides secure and free online account management. There is no annual fee.

Citi® Driver's Edge® Platinum Select® Card: The card members will earn rebates for Every Mile Driven and the rebates can be applied toward car maintenance, or to buy or lease a New or Used Car. Provides 6% rebates on gas station, Supermarket, and Drugstore Purchases for 12 Full Months, 3% Rebates after, and 1% Rebates on all other purchases. Provides 0% APR on balance transfers for 12 full months. The Rebates can also be applied to the Thank You Network.

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Rewards Card: This card offers $50 Gift Card — Redeem 6,000 Bonus Points after first purchase. Provides 0% APR on balance transfers for twelve months. The card members will earn five bonus ThankYou Points for every dollar spent at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations for 12 months and earn one bonus ThankYou Point for every dollar spent on all other purchases. There is no annual fee.

Citi® Hilton HHonors® Visa® Signature Card: This card offers 15,000 Hhonors Points with the very first purchase. The card members earn Double Dip® and receive both Hilton HHonors Points and Airline Miles for the same stay at Over 2,500 hotels and more than 55 participating airlines. The card members will earn three HHonors Bonus Points for every dollar spent using the card at Hilton Family Hotels, plus two HHonors Bonus Points for every dollar spent on other purchases. Provides complimentary silver VIP membership for the first year. There is no annual fee.

Pulaski Bank Visa Gold: This card provides 9.50% low rate APR and 0% balance transfer. There is no annual fee.

Pulaski Bank MasterCard® or VISA®: This card provides 7.99% low rate APR and 0.0% introductory APR on all balance transfers. This card is rated as the best credit card rate in the country. There is no fee on balance transfers.

TrueEarningsSM Card from Costco and American Express: The card members will earn 3% Cash Back for eating out, 2% for traveling, and 1% everywhere else, including at Costco. There is no annual fee with the paid Costco memberbership. Provides flexibility to pay charges in full each month or over time and no limit on the cash back earned. The card members can doubles as their costco membership card. The applicants must be a costco member to apply for this card.

Orchard Bank Low APR Platinum MasterCard: This card offers low 8.9% APR on all card offers, including Gold, Silver and Secured. The exact fees dependent upon creditworthiness. Provides the card members choice of payment due date to fit their lifestyle and flexible payment options. Provides 100% fraud liability protection and other great benefits included.

SNAP™ MasterCard: This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months for qualifying applicants and the rates shown for Platinum and other rates apply for Gold, Silver or Secured. Provides 100% fraud liability protection and 24/7 online account management. Provides complimentary built-in Tap-N-Go™ technology. The applicants can get the card in as little as 3 days for most cards (rush fees will apply).

Cash Rebate Credit Cards - Benefits and Detailed Descriptions

The cash rebate credit cards are very helpful to the people who make big credit card purchases. The cash rebate rates vary from credit card to credit card. There will be normally 1% cash back on general purchases and 5% on specific purchases. The rebate rates are depending on the type of card the customer chose from. I’ll personally recommend to the people not chose this card, if they couldn’t pay off their credit card balances every month. It’s because, the APR rates are comparatively higher than other credit cards.

There are lots of new credit cards have been introduced in this category. Let see the most recommendable Cash Rebate Credit Cards offers, their benefits and detailed descriptions.

Discover® More Card This card offers 0% Intro APR for Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee. The card members can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® More American Flag CardThis card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically and unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. There is no annual fee and the card member can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus (turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

BP Visa® Rewards Card This card offers double rebates for two months and 5% rebates on all participating BP location purchases. Provides 2% rebates on all eligible travel and dining purchases and 1% rebates on all other eligible purchases. There are no limit on rebates and the card member can redeem every $25 rebates for: BP Gift Card, cash, donation to the Conservation Fund.

Discover® Student Tropical Beach Card This card offers 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. Provides 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. The card members will earn upto 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically.

Discover® Motiva Card This card has its own specific advantages like the card members can Pay-On-Time bonus equal to a full month's interest each time they make 6 on-time payments in a row– twice a year, every year when they pay on-time every month. Provides 5% to 20% Cashback Bonus at top online retailers through the exclusive online site. The card member will earn up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases and unlimited cash rewards that never expire as long as the card member use the card. There is no annual fee.

Chase Free Cash RewardsSM Visa® Card The card members earn 1 point for every dollar in purchases and they can choose from a variety of great brand name products. Provides 1,000 Bonus Points with the first purchase and Intro 0% fixed APR for up to 12 months on all purchases and balance transfers. The time period for the introductory APR and the balance transfers to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicants application and credit history. There is no annual fee. The card members can get their rewards with as few as 2,500 points choose from either a $25 check or a $25 gift card or certificate from leading national merchants for every 2,500 points earned.

Discover® More Wildlife Card This card offers 0% Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. The card member will earn up to 1% Cashback bonus on
all other purchases automatically and also eligible for unlimited cash rewards that never expire. Provides $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee.

Chase PerfectCard™ MasterCard® This card is named as STREAMLINE YOUR WALLET. The card member will earn rewards at any gas station to maximize their rebates! This card also provides excellent rebate offers to its members such as, provides 6% rebates on all gas purchases at any gas station for the first 90 days, 3% rebates on all gas purchases at ANY gas station after the first 90 days, and 1% rebates on all other purchases made anywhere. Provides 0% Intro APR and the time period for the introductory APR and the balance transfers to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicants application and credit history. There is no annual fee.

Discover® Student Card This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. Provides 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more and 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically. The card members can DOUBLE their Cashback Bonus(turn $20 into $40) when they redeem for gift cards or certificates from many of the 70 brand name partners.

Discover® Student Clear Card This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 Months and there is no annual fee. Provides $0 fraud liability guarantee and easiest online account management options. Provides 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases in popular categories that change four times a year like home, apparel and more. Provides up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically.

Citi® Home Rebate Platinum Select® MasterCard® This card offers full 6% rebate on Utilities, Cable/Satellite TV, Internet Connection, and Telecommunications for 6 Months. This card holders will get a statement credit instead to start saving for their Dream House. Provides full 1% on all other purchases and rebate automatically applied to the card holder's Mortgage Principal. There are no cap or Limits on the amount of rebates that the card holders can accumulate in a Year.

The Chase Business Cash Rewards Card This card offers its card members to earn up to 5% cash back with unlimited rewards potential and with no merchant or category spending restrictions, the card members can earn points by shopping wherever they want, for whatever they want. Offers 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for up to 12 months and there is no annual fee. The card members receive quarterly management reports and they can receive additional cards to their employees.

Blue Cash® from American Express: This card offers up to 5% Cash Back with unlimited Cash Rewards and unlimited cash back earnings. Offers 0% Intro APR for 6 months and low balance transfer rate - 4.99% fixed APR for the life of the balance. There is no annual fee.

The Chase Business Rebate Card This card offers 3% cCash back for purchases at restaurants, gas stations, office supply stores, building supply stores, hardware and home improvement stores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Provides 0% APR for up to 12 Months on purchases and balance transfers. there is no annual fee. The card members can get free additional cards for their employees, free quarterly reports, and other online account management tools to help them keep track of their business expenses.

Money Return Visa® Platinum The card members will get back 10% of their yearly interest charges. Provides 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. There is no annual fee. Provides online banking service and total security protection.

Efectiva™ Visa®: This card member will earn points towards cash back. This card offers 0% (APR) on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. The card member earn 5 bonus points with the first purchase. Additional advantage is that the card member get bilingual communications and services in English or Spanish. There is no annual fee.

TrueEarningsSM Card from Costco and American Express The card members earn 3% cash back for eating out, 2% for traveling, and 1% everywhere else, including at Costco. There is no annual fee. Provides the flexibility to pay charges in full each month or over time and there is no limit on the cash back earned. The card member can doubles as their Costco Membership Card. The applicant nust be a Costco Member to apply for this card.

Chase Freedom Cash This card offers 05 intro APR and the APR period is for 6 months. There is no annual fee. The card member can Earn 3% cash back for every eligible $1 spent in purchases at Grocery Stores, Stock up on food, household goods and more. Also earn 3% cash back for gas station purchases such as using the card for fuel, repairs, car washes, and other purchases. The same 3% cash back offers also applicable for purchases at Quick Service Restaurants, the rewards add up fast from pizza to hamburgers to tacos - even sandwich shops, coffee houses and more. The card members earn 1% cash back for every $1 spent in purchases everywhere else. The card members get a $50 Check once they have earned $50 in rewards. The card members can save up to $200 in rewards and redeem for $250 cash back.

Visa Credit Card Advantages

The Visa card consumers will enjoy easy online access to register their purchases and they can file their claims. VISA provides this free service to the benefits of its consumers. The consumer can shop with confidence, knowing that virtually everything they purchase with their covered Visa card is protected in case of theft or damage for the first 90 days from the date of purchase. This is really a specific feature of ths VISA card. Provides automatic protection of many retail items purchased with the consumers eligible Visa Business card. Also provides return protection, that means if a cardholder makes an eligible purchase with their Visa card and is dissatisfied with that item within 90 days from the date of purchase, the cardholder is eligible to receive reimbursement on items they purchase. There are hundreds of VISA Credit card offers are available in market. Let's see the benefits and detailed descriptions of specific offers.

Hawaiian Airlines® Visa ® Platinum: The Intro APR is 1.9% for the period of 6 billing cycles. The annual fee is $50 for platinum plus and $25 for preferred card. Provides 10,000 bonus miles with first purchase and 1 Hawaiian Mile for every net retail dollar spent up to 100,000 miles per calendar year. Provides 2,000 miles each anniversary for a cardholder and 2 Hawaiian Miles for every dollar spent on tickets purchased directly from Hawaiian Airlines up to 100,000 miles per calendar year. There si Total Security Protection with this card.

Mexicana® Airlines Visa® Platinum: The Intro APR is 1.9% for the period of 6 billing cycles. The annual fee is $45 for this card. The card members receive 1 free companion ticket coupon, after their first purchase and also receive a $99 companion ticket coupon each year there after. The card members will earn 1 Frecuenta Mile for every dollar they spend in net retail purchases and earn 2 Frecuenta Miles for every dollar they spend with Mexicana Airlines. Also provides 4,000 Welcome Miles when the card members join the Frecuenta Program and 2,000 Anniversary Miles each year.

Starbucks Card Duetto™ Visa®: This VISA card offers 0% intro APR for up to 6 billing cycles, there is no annual fee and a wide range of Visa benefits. The card members will get $10 Duetto Dollars in their Starbucks Card Account when they make their 1st Visa purchase and get 1% of all their Visa purchases back in Duetto™ Dollars. Provides fast and frequent rewards at Starbucks.

United Mileage Plus® Signature Visa® Card: This card offers 20,000 Bonus Miles One-way, 1,000 mile, One-class Upgrade Certificate and $25 United Discount Travel Certificate after first purchase. Also provides 1 mile for every dollar spent on purchases – up to an annual cap of 60,000 milesVisa Signature Benefits.

BP Visa® Rewards Card: This card offers double rebates for two months and 5% rebates on all participating BP location purchases. Provides 2% rebates on all eligible travel and dining purchases and 1% rebates on all other eligible purchases. There are no limit on rebates and the card member can redeem every $25 rebates for: BP Gift Card, cash, donation to the Conservation Fund.

Volkswagen Platinum Visa® card with Rewards: This card offers 0% Introductory APR for up to twelve months and there is no annual fee. The card members will earn 2 points for every dollar on VW purchases and 1 point for every dollar spent on all other purchases. The card members can redeem points for VW cars, gear, service, and other rewards.

Borders 3.2.1 SM Visa®: This card offers 0% Introductory APR for up to twelve months and there is no annual fee. The card members will earn 3 points for every dollar spent at Borders®, Borders Express, Borders.com, Waldenbooks® and Waldenbooks.com, 2 points for every dollar spent on eligible Gas, Dining and Grocery purchases and 1 point for every dollar spent anywhere else. There is no cap on points earned. The card members can redeem points for Cash or Rewards.

Sony CardSM: This card offers 0% Introductory APR for up to 12 months and there is no annual fee. Provides 1,500 Bonus points after first use, 1 Sony Reward Point per dollar spent, 3 Sony Reward Points per dollar spent on Sony products and 5 Sony Reward Points per dollar spent at MySony. The card members can redeem points for Sony products.

BoatU.S.™ Platinum Plus® Visa® Card: This card offers 0% Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR)on balance transfers and cash advance checks for the first 12 billing cycles. The card user can earn 1 point for every net retail purchase dollar spent and also he can redeem points for travel, merchandise, gift certificates, and cash. Provides Access to the MyConciergeSM service, a unique personal assistance service. There is absolute fraud protection against unauthorized use, online and offline. And there is no annual fee.

Chase Platinum Visa® Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR for up to 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. There is no annual fee. The time period for the introductory APR and the balances to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicants application and credit history. Provides flexible rewards program such as the card members will earn one point per dollar spent and they can redeem for their choice of Cash Back, Merchandise, Travel or Gift Cards. Provides free online account access and free travel services including Auto Rental Insurance and Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance.

Chase Free Cash RewardsSM Visa® Card: This card offers 0% fixed APR for up to 12 months on all purchases and balance transfers. There is no annual fee. The card members will earn 1 point for every dollar in purchases and they can choose from a variety of great brand name products. Provides 1,000 Bonus Points with their first purchase and the time period for the introductory APR and the balance transfers to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicants application and credit history. The card members can get their rewards with as few as 2,500 points and they can choose from either a $25 check or a $25 gift card/certificate from leading national merchants for every 2,500 points earned.

Bank of America Visa® Platinum Plus®: This card offers 0% Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR)on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 months.There is no no annual fee. The Credit lines as high as $25,000. Provides online Banking Service and Total Security Protection.

Financial Rewards® Visa® Platinum Plus® Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. The card members will earn 5 bonus points with their first purchase and the earned points do not expire for 5 years. Provides online banking service and total security protection. There is no annual fee.

Citi® Hilton HHonors® Visa® Signature Card: This card offers 15,000 Hhonors Points with the very first purchase. The card members earn Double Dip® and receive both Hilton HHonors Points and Airline Miles for the same stay at Over 2,500 hotels and more than 55 participating airlines. The card members will earn three HHonors Bonus Points for every dollar spent using the card at Hilton Family Hotels, plus two HHonors Bonus Points for every dollar spent on other purchases. Provides complimentary silver VIP membership for the first year. There is no annual fee.

The Chase Business Cash Rewards Card: The card user will earn up to 5% cash back with unlimited rewards potential. There are no merchant or category spending restrictions, the card memeber can earn points by shopping wherever he want, for whatever he want. Provides 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for up to 12 months. There is no annual fee. The card user can opt for additional cards for his employees.

Bank of America Student Visa® Platinum: The Intro APR is 19.24% and there's no intro period and no annual fee. This card helps the card user to build his own credit history. No cosigner required for this card. provides features like online banking service and Total Security Protection.

Wired Plastic™ Prepaid Visa® Card: No upfront payment required for this card. The applicants will recieve their new Visa card in as little as 3 days. Provides overdraft Safety Program – Qualify to receive up to a $1500 cash advance directly to the card. The card members will earn 1 point for every $1 spent, redeem points for; LD Phone Calls, Prepaid Wireless Airtime and Music Downloads. Provides Integrated Bill Pay Service that means the card members can pay any bill online or over the phone, even if they don't accept credit or debit cards. Also provides convenient loading options – Free Direct Deposit or add cash instantly at over 100,000 retail locations nationwide.

Chase Overstock.com Rewards Visa® Card: This card offers 0% Introductory APR for up to 6 months and there is no annual fee. Provides $25 Bonus Overstock.com Reward certificate after the first purchase. Provides more great savings like the card members will earn 3 rewards points on purchases made at Overstock.com with their Overstock.com Rewards Visa card. The card members can Save every where they shop. Also provides 1 rewards point on all other purchases. That means the card members will earn 1 point for every $1 spent at places such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants and more. For every 2,500 Rewards Points, the card members will automatically receive a $25 Overstock.com Reward Certificate.

Chase Flexible Rewards Platinum Visa® Card: This card offers 0% Intro APR and the intro period is 6 months. There is no annual fee. The card members will earn 1 point for every dollar spent and the card members can earn travel fast! that means all their purchases earn points for them. Also provides 0% introductory APR for up to 12 months on all purchases and balance transfers. The card member can save even more with low rates. The time period for the introductory APR and the balance transfers to which it will apply will be based on the review of the applicant's application and credit history.

Chase Travel Plus Platinum Visa®: This card offers 0% Intro APR and the intro period is 6 months. The annual fee for this card is $29. The card members will earn 1 mile for every dollar in purchases and they redeem their points for flights, hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and more! Provides the option to choose from over 250 airlines without restrictions. Also provides 0% Introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for up to 12 months. The time period for the introductory APR and the balances to which it will apply will be based on our review of your credit history.

The WorldPerks® Visa®: The Intro aPR is 17.75% and there is no intro period for this card . The annual fee is $55. The card members will earn up to 10,000 Bonus Miles with the WorldPerks® Visa® Card and the WorldPerks Visa Card offers a fast and easy way to earn additional WorldPerks miles without leaving the ground. The card members can also use their WorldPerks Visa Card to charge everyday purchases as well as large purchases like home furnishings and travel, and earn WorldPerks miles for the dollars they spend. Now that Northwest Airlines® is a member of the SkyTeam® Global Alliance, the card members will have even more redemption opportunities! Combine the miles they earn with their Northwest Airlines flight miles and other partner miles to earn award travel faster on Northwest Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and other qualified WorldPerks Airline Partners.

Alaska Airlines Visa® Signature: The Intro APR for this card is 15.24% and there is no intro period. The annual fee are $75 for Visa Signature® and $45 for Preferred. But there are certain considerable benefits such as $50 round-trip companion ticket upon approval and on each anniversary as a cardholder. 5,000 Bonus Miles upon approval and 1,000 additional bonus Miles upon approval for applying online. 2,000 Anniversary Bonus Miles. The card user can redeem miles with Alaska or any of its 10 airline partners - award travel begins at just 20,000 miles. Additionally this card provides 1 mile for every net retail purchase dollar spend.

Money Return Visa® Platinum: This card offers 0% Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6 billing cycles. The card user gets back 10% of yearly interest charges and there's no annual fee, provides Online Banking Service and Total Security Protection.

Pet Rewards™ Visa®: This card offers 0% Intro APR and the Intro Period is Six Billing Cycles. There is no annual fee. Gives 500 bonus points after first purchase. 1 point for every dollar spend on everyday purchases and rewards begin at just 750 points. The card user can earn points toward veterinary services, pet food discount certificates, and shelter donations also earn two PetRewards Points for each dollar spend at participating veterinary clinics, pet food retailers, farm and feed stores, and neighborhood pet specialty stores.

Chase Freedom Cash: This card offers 05 intro APR and the APR period is for 6 months. There is no annual fee. The card member can Earn 3% cash back for every eligible $1 spent in purchases at Grocery Stores, Stock up on food, household goods and more. Also earn 3% cash back for gas station purchases such as using the card for fuel, repairs, car washes, and other purchases. The same 3% cash back offers also applicable for purchases at Quick Service Restaurants, the rewards add up fast from pizza to hamburgers to tacos - even sandwich shops, coffee houses and more. The card members earn 1% cash back for every $1 spent in purchases everywhere else. The card members get a $50 Check once they have earned $50 in rewards. The card members can save up to $200 in rewards and redeem for $250 cash back.

These are some of the recommendable offers available in market. But please go through the terms and conditions carefully before applying for a credit card.

The Pros And Cons Of Prepaid Credit Cards

Observers in the lending industry have estimated that there may be at least 50 million Americans who are not able to qualify for credit. These consumers are usually young, often members of the minority groups and unbanked...and they are faced with the long-standing dilemma of credit: how can I build my credit record if no one will give me any credit at all?

One of the answers offered by credit card companies is a variety of prepaid credit cards, designed for use by specific segments in the market. The prepaid credit cards are meant for that significant portion of the population that cannot meet the qualification criteria for regular credit cards, or who qualified before but have since lost their credit due to repeated defaults and other reasons.

Advantages of Prepaid Credit Cards For those who do not have enough credit history or have had it blemished, prepaid credit cards are an effective way to build or slowly rebuild credit. That may not happen immediately, but it is something to work on over time. The banks that issue prepaid credit cards are also prepared to extend normal credit the moment you are able to show that you have become a worthy credit risk.

For the moment, you may have to make do with prepaid credit cards. You can use prepaid credit cards as you would any other regular credit card to purchase airline tickets, reserve hotel rooms, or order items online.

Prepaid Credit Card for Students

There is a special prepaid Visa credit card for students, which offers a lot of convenience not only for the students but also for their parents. These reloadable prepaid credit cards offer parents several options on how to reload. Parents can add money to reloadable prepaid credit cards by depositing money, by arranging an automatic transfer of funds from their account (a deposit account or their own credit card account), or by online transfer. Using the prepaid Visa credit card is no different from giving the regular allowance to their child, only they do so by electronic means and there is no more cash that changes hands.

The big advantage of the prepaid Visa credit card is that the student is limited to spend only as much money as there is in the card. The parent is thus able to control to some extent the spending behavior of their child. They can use the prepaid credit card anywhere that the credit card brand is accepted.

Prepaid Credit Cards as Gift Certificates

Some prepaid credit cards function like gift certificates. You buy the prepaid credit card for a certain amount, and your recipient can purchase items with it at any of the brick-and-mortar stores or online merchants, and also for mail order items, that accept the particular credit card brand. Your recipient can use the prepaid credit card only up to the amount of money that you loaded on it. This particular version of prepaid credit cards is non-reloadable.

Like any gift certificate, recipients of prepaid credit cards can buy whatever it is they want at any time they want. Unlike a gift certificate that, when it gets lost is lost forever to the recipient, prepaid credit cards may be replaced if it gets lost or is stolen.

Prepaid Credit Cards for Travel There is a prepaid credit card designed for travel. These reloadable prepaid credit cards can be purchased in lieu of travelers' checks or cash. In a way, it combines the best features of a credit card and a traveler's check because of its convenience and security features. Should you lose the prepaid credit card while you are on travel, you can easily obtain an emergency replacement, both for the prepaid credit card and some cash.

Prepaid credit cards for travel are accepted all over the world, and also allow you to obtain currency from ATM machines. When you need to reload and you are already traveling you can arrange for the reload by phone or online. Apart from the fact that it is a prepaid credit card, you can use it exactly like a regular credit card. That also means you enjoy other benefits just like a regular card - reimbursements for lost luggage of up to $1,000 per cardholder if your luggage is lost; zero liability if your prepaid credit card is used fraudulently after you lose it or have it stolen from you; purchase security up to $500 per claim for any items you buy with prepaid credit cards, which subsequently gets stolen or damaged for certain reasons.

Generally, you can purchase prepaid credit cards of all the major credit card brands at their participating retailers. You don't have to worry about not having acceptable credit because prepaid credit cards are made available without need of a credit report or a bank account. The only qualifications you need to have are that you have reached 18 years of age and that you must be able to present a valid identification issued by government.

Disadvantages of Prepaid Credit Cards

There are a few things about prepaid credit cards that may not be as convenient as the regular credit cards. For one thing, you load only so much money onto it. You will need to keep track of the balance on the prepaid credit card because not all of the merchant terminals where you use the card may be able to help you determine it. However, there are procedures that tell you how to determine your balance, and you will these detailed on the back of the prepaid credit card and in the instructions accompanying it.

The process of reloading your prepaid credit card may be a little inconvenient to some. If you're using cash, you would have to visit the participating outlet where you bought your reloadable prepaid credit cards. The more convenient way will be reloading online.

There are also the charges. Prepaid credit cards impose an application fee, the amount of which varies with the issuer, and there is also a service charge that you have to pay monthly. You also have to pay for transaction fees, charges when you transfer funds to top up the balance, when you replace your prepaid credit card, and many other fees. To be sure about the fees, you should read closely the fine print on the prepaid credit card account.

Prospects of Prepaid Credit Cards

Prepaid credit cards do not provide credit; it is your money that you're using. You are asked to pay other charges, so it is not for free. You are paying for the convenience and security of carrying plastic instead of large amounts of cash. People with bad credit will be able to act as if they had a regular credit card and enjoy the convenience of one.

Issuers of prepaid credit cards realize that it is a good way to monitor the credit behavior of the cardholder. A prepaid credit card would be a source of information that indicates to the credit bureaus and issuing lenders about how you as the individual card-holder use the card to pay your bills such as utilities. If these consumer data could be formatted in such a way as to provide the basis for a statistical model on probable future behavior in spending, then this could become the foundation for building a credit history.

You would benefit, because by using prepaid credit cards you are rebuilding your credit. The prepaid credit card issuers would benefit, too, because they would be making previously unproven customers bankable. More people could then qualify for regular credit, and that would mean tremendous incremental revenue for the lenders.

The Basic Credit Card Types

It may seem incredible, but credit card issuers clog the mails with over 2.5 billion offers inviting people to apply for a credit card. Even those who would not qualify for a conventional credit card due to serious credit problems are now able to get one; some credit card issuers even specialize in this particular type of market. And according to financial gurus, there are at least a billion credit cards in active circulation throughout the United States alone.

Credit has been an economic cornerstone for some time now. Surveys show that the average American household is estimated to have at least twelve credit cards, including charge cards. While you may tend to think that one credit card is pretty much the same as the next, there are in actual fact distinct characteristics for each different credit card type. It is good to know these difference between the three different types of cards in the market: a bank credit card, a travel credit card, an entertainment credit card (although nowadays the combined travel and entertainment card has become more common) and a retail credit card or house card.

Bank Credit Cards

You have probably noticed that most credit cards bear either the logo of Visa or MasterCard together with the name of the bank. It would appear that the credit card has been issued by either Visa or MasterCard. That is not quite an accurate assumption: these two companies do not issue credit cards directly to the consumers. Most of the credit cards on the market today are offered by thousands of banks around the globe. Each bank is linked to the credit card association, because are not allowed to issue any kind of card unless they are association members.

Visa is a privately held membership association, although it is preparing to go public. It started as an association of banks in California and the West Coast. There are over 20,000 financial institutions in the membership rolls, and virtually all of them offer Visa Card. MasterCard is also a membership association, similar to Visa, and originally consisted of member banks in the East.

A bank credit card is in reality a revolving credit line. When you receive your statement, you can pay all or part of your balance each month, run up the balance again and so on. Being a credit line, the account comes with a pre-determined credit limit that depends on key factors like disposable income, credit history, etc. The credit limit can be as low as a $100 or as high as many thousands of dollars.

It is possible for card holders to get themselves into trouble when they do not properly manage the revolving credit line. When you carry a balance instead of paying it off, the credit card issuer starts charging interest on that balance - in some cases, this interest could be pretty steep. The interest rate varies widely, depending on who issued the card, but you could expect the average credit card interest rate to be at about 18 percent.

For instance, if you carry forward a $1,000 balance for 12 months, you pay $180 in interest per year or $15 every month. If you maintain a $1,000 savings account, you will earn about $40 in interest per year. Those who get into trouble will have to reduce debt, and one of the more common ways to go about this, is to arrange for credit card debt consolidation, which helps lighten the interest burden.

Travel and Entertainment Card

Travel and entertainment cards are similar to bank credit cards in the sense that holders can charge purchases at various stores and locations. However, they are also different from bank credit cards because they are offered directly by the credit card companies, namely, American Express and Diners Club.

This credit card type was once accepted primarily at travel- and entertainment-related businesses such as airlines, hotels, restaurants and car rentals. Nowadays, all other establishments, such as upscale department stores, gas stations and drugstores, accept them. Like any bank card, the typical travel and entertainment card of today offers the menu of features that most credit card holders have come to expect, such as frequent flyer miles, luggage insurance and collision insurance coverage on rented cars.

A further difference between travel and entertainment cards, and bank cards, is that travel entertainment cards do not carry an extended line of credit. This means that you will are required to pay your outstanding balances in full, either within one or two billing periods, in order to for the account to stay current.

Both travel and entertainment credit card providers, such as American Express and Diners Club, also deliver categorized summaries of expenses charged to the credit cards at the end of each year. This certainly is a convenience at tax time.

House Card

Unlike a bank credit card, and a travel and entertainment card, which you can use in many purchase locations, a house card is accepted only at a particular store or stores within the same chain. House cards (also referred to as retail charge cards) are the second largest category of credit cards; major house issuers include department stores, oil and gasoline companies, and telephone companies. Discover Card, once owned by Sears, was probably the biggest house card until it was purchased by a financial institution to become a distinct credit card company.

Merchants are very much in favor of house cards as these cards are valuable in helping them to both develop customer loyalty and enhance sales; you may appreciate the shopping convenience they give you. Just like bank credit cards, house cards give you a line of credit, with a limit that varies depending on your creditworthiness. For this reason, you may choose not to pay your credit card bill in full each month. Note, however, that the majority of house cards charge fixed interest rates of between 18 and 22 percent annually; thus a house card is more expensive in terms of interest cost than a bank credit card.

All types of credit cards involve costs when you use them. After knowing the different credit card types, you may choose the credit card that best fits your personality and needs. If you have a number of credit cards on your wallet, you may also consider discarding some.

If you are the type who does not carry a monthly balance, you can have a credit card with no annual fee but make sure that there is a grace period on purchases. However, if you do carry a balance, it is wise to do away with a credit card that has the worst of the following:

· High interest rates

· Unfavorable interest calculations. A credit card may calculate interest charges based on average daily balance, not on the balance due.

· No grace period. Some credit cards might charge interest from the date of purchase until payment date, even if you pay off your balance.

· Nuisance fees. Try to do away with credit cards that have late-payment fees, over-limit fees, fees for not carrying a balance or only a balance below a certain level, or a percentage fee on your credit limit.

The modern bank credit card was first introduced in the 1960s by the Bank of America; the travel and entertainment credit cards were both introduced in the 1950s. Much may changed since then in terms of features and benefits, but the basic characteristics of each type of credit card have remained the same.