Currently, there are countless credit cards available in the market, but only one or few are right for you. Credit card companies are competitive and want to be your first preference, but the options offered by them is almost the same. For example, Ally Financial, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo released new cash-back cards in 2016. All pay around 1.5%, and there are minor differences between them. To get the most out of the cards, the first thing is to understand your own needs. There are a lot of cards to choose from with rewards, cash back, travel, balance transfers. The card that may work for you may not work for another user. For the best card suited towards your needs, you have to look at your spending habits. The top credit cards offer a combination of low-interest rate, high rewards, lucrative bonus for signup, etc. Listed below are top credit cards for 2017, which provide a combination of essential features. Top credit card picks for 2017 The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Best Travel Credit Card The Blue Cash Everyday -American Express – Best for Everyday Cash Back The Discover it – 18 Month Balance Transfer Offer – for Balance Transfers Starwood Preferred Guest – (American Express) – Best Hotel Card Discover it (Cashback) – First Year Rewards Matching Barclaycard Cash Forward (World MasterCard) – Best Cash Back Redemption Bonus Gold Delta Sky Miles (American Express) – Best Airline Credit Card, Best Travel Credit Card Selecting the right credit card The card that you choose depends on your lifestyle, spending and credit goals.

Debit cards have an inherent advantage over credit cards, especially for people who have a problem of controlling their buying instinct, as one can spend only as much as one has loaded on the card. It is believed that a debit card with rewards is an instrument to help people with poor credit score to improve the same. Many online agencies allow direct deposit, free usage of ATMs, cash back and other rewards, and importantly a savings account that earns interest. Many companies have debit cards which are banks except for higher banking operations like loan disbursements and the like. Many also permit free bill pay with a minimum balance. There are a large number of companies, and it is essential to establish the credentials of the one before joining. Brink’s Incorporated is an online debit card company and has the facilities of no minimum balance, no credit check, and one can load money directly using their app Mobile Check Load. When you apply for a debit card, the process is online and simple. Key in necessary information like first and last names, street address, apartment no., zip code and email address. One can opt for direct deposit of paycheck, tax refund and government benefits.

Prepaid cards at one time were the last option for the individuals who couldn’t meet all requirements. However, in the mainstream financial market, there is an inclusion of new elements and features in prepaid cards. Therefore, they are one of the most popularly used financial products by consumers today. Prepaid cards with the best 50 US banks and credit unions accounted $118.09 billion in spending at the merchants in 2013 and a 6.1% expansion from the previous year. A just recent report revealed a similar kind data that most of the prepaid cardholders utilize them merely as a supplement to their existing regular checking account, and not as an alternative option. For a fair number of prepaid card customers, the move seems like a convenient option. Unlike traditional checking accounts, prepaid card customers can quickly make cash deposits at an extensive variety of retailers that includes convenience stores. Furthermore, unlike the conventional banks, prepaid cards usually belong with a vast network of ATMs that enable clients to access money with no additional fee. But this convenience comes at a cost, the prepaid cards typically come with comparatively higher charges than conventional checking accounts, and those expenses can add up swiftly.

To save some money while you pay off credit card debt, it is recommended that you use a zero interest credit card. But in today’s competitive markets, it is challenging to find the best zero interest credit cards. However, with a little bit of help and advice, one can find the perfect zero interest credit card to suit all their needs and preferences. However, to gain complete clarity and confidence, it is advised to directly check with credit card companies that offer zero interest credit cards. Listed below are some of the best zero interest credit cards in business: Discover It This card offers a deal with which the applicant can turn $200 into $400 with Cashback Match Credit Card. The company promotes this offer with the statement ‘get a dollar-for-dollar automatically.’ It can be earned in the first year of the service. Each time it’s activated, 5% cash back can be earned when you use some e-commerce sites, restaurants, gas stations, and more. Other deals on this card include – 1% cash back on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed anytime and for any amount. Cash rewards don’t expire. Wells Fargo Platinum Visa Card With this card, the card owners have the option of enjoying 0% introductory APR for the first 18 months.

It is estimated that one out of every five people has an error on their credit reports, some of which are serious enough to cause them to lose a sizeable sum of money through paying more on loans and insurance payments than they have to. The best credit reports are ones that have come from all of the three agencies, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, so that you can verify if all the information provided is accurate. The credit report provider needs to be reliable in that your identity or any other information relating to you is not made vulnerable to theft or fraud. The following sites provide some of the best credit reports: Identity Guard: This credit report site is useful for those who just want to monitor their credit. Those who want to give responsibility to good hands and they do not have to worry about it, find Identity Guard quite appealing. Identity Guard requires you to check up on them only once a month and even if you don’t, it is all right because they will contact you if and when necessary. Identity Guard charges $15 monthly to get credit reports from all the three companies. They also offer you a free 30-day trial period.

Cashback reward programs are incentive measures released by credit card companies for credit card holders where a portion of the amount spent by the credit card holders on their credit cards is paid back to them. This is to encourage the cardholder to use the credit card more frequently. Incentives can be monetary or in the form of flyer miles or points. Th monetary incentive is called cashback or cashback reward. Cashback credit cards enable the card holders to get about 0.5 to 2 percent of their expenditure back in the form of an annual refund. This is either credited to the account linked to their credit card or paid directly to the cardholder. Cashback credit cards are beneficial to cardholders who pay their credit card statement promptly every month. If they fault on the balance repayment, they will have to pay higher interest rates which would eclipse any monetary rewards they earn. Cashback credit cards in the country were first conceptualized in the 1990s. The bigger card issuers increased the portion of cashback to 5 percent. This 5 percent was not applicable to every purchase, though. It was applicable to purchases made at gas stations, pharmacies and grocery stores for six months.

There are dozens of benefits that come along when you purchase a credit card, and it is hard to determine which is right for you. One such feature of a credit card is the travel reward points. Credit cards with travel rewards offer an excellent opportunity to earn free points that can be redeemed for airfares, to stay in a hotel or as cold hard cash. Every credit card with travel rewards has something different to offer. And one primary specification that you should look for is a massive sign-up bonus. Before choosing your credit card with travel, rewards make sure you want to travel if not then you are not going to get the maximum benefit out of it. The best kind of credit card providers offer bonuses from 50,000 miles and even more significant, the moderate ones provides a minimum of 25,000. However, there are numerous reasons to opt for the lower mileage bonus. How to compare credit cards with travel rewards: Researching on the best credit card can be broken down into several basic categories. Once you figure out what you need, analyzing your travel credit card is no more difficult. Firstly, don’t let yourself get carried away by the eye-popping advertisements and alluring promos.

It is advantageous to pick the top hotel credit cards as they offer better rewards and perks on hotel stays, unlike normal hotel credit cards. You also get rewards if you stay at the same brand of hotels for every travel or if you are a frequent traveler. Hotel credit cards also help in cutting the costs for annual family vacations. Here are some tips that can help you choose from the top hotel credit cards: Earn rewards on every spending Even if you don’t have a hotel credit card, you can earn rewards through other credit cards through expenditures that will allow you to work toward upgrades and free hotel stays. For instance, it is much better to earn more rewards on dining and gas purchases than earning a point per dollar on other purchases. Look for co-branded hotel credit cards There are many hotel credit cards that are affiliated with specific hotel brands that help users earn rewards on their credit cards. If you prefer staying at a particular brand of hotel, choose that brand’s credit card as it will help you to maximize your rewards. At the same time, if you use a variety of hotel brands, then it is better to choose travel credit cards.

Gone are the days when credit cards were the only cards that were a crucial part of our lives; these days people eagerly opt for gas credit cards as well. Gas credit cards are instrumental in helping consumers save money at the gas station, and they offer high returns when you use them diligently. One such gas credit card is issued by Synchrony Bank and it is known as the Chevron credit card. Also known as the Texaco Techron Advantage Visa Card, it functions as a gas credit card which allows its customer to earn rewards on purchase of fuel from Chevron or Texaco gas stations. One of the major perks of owning a Chevron credit card is that you can avail of this gas credit card for an annual fee of $0. With each purchase of gas at a Chevron or Texaco gas station, 3 cents per gallon will be added to your Chevron credit card in the form of fuel credits. Moreover, you need a minimum credit score to apply for a Chevron credit card, unlike the other credit cards that demand a high credit score. You can avail of three types of Chevron credit cards: personal credit cards, business cards, and gift cards.

Whether you are looking for cash back credit cards, travel rewards cards, or credits cards with no annual fees, you will find a lot of options among Citibank credit cards. If you are looking for credit cards to manage your credit well, Citibank also offers balance transfer credit cards, 0% APR credit cards, limited credit, and fair credit cards. Irrespective of your credit score, you will find a Citibank credit card that fits your budget and requirements. Citibank credit cards are also available specifically for college students and for businesses as well. Read on to know more about these different types of Citibank credit cards. Citi Double Cash Credit Card This is one of the popular cash back cards among all Citibank credit cards. If you want to maximize your rewards, this card is a good option. This Citibank credit card offers good rewards for all shopping categories. The cash back works in the following way: you get 1% cash back instantly at the time of the credit card transaction and another 1% when you make the payments on your credit card dues. There are no annual fees required to be paid for this credit card. Citi Diamond Preferred Card If you are having any issues in managing your current credit card’s debt, you can opt for this balance transfer card from Citibank.

Secured credit cards are those types of cards that require a cash collateral deposit. This cash deposit becomes the credit limit for that account. You may also add to the deposit if you wish to increase your credit limit. Certain banks reward you with points on your secured credit card if you maintain a good credit. Unsecured vs. secured credit cards Unsecured credit cards are your regular credit cards that don’t require a deposit against your credit card account. In contrast, secured credit cards, as discussed above, require you to deposit a certain amount that will act as a credit limit. Unsecured credit cards offer a credit limit based on your credit score. Since they don’t require a minimum deposit unlike secured credit cards, they pose a certain risk to the credit card issuer. There are certain banks that offer secured credit cards against a minimum security deposit. For instance, some banks require you to have a minimum balance of around $50 against which they offer the user a credit limit of around $200 or an amount deposited by the user. How do secured credit cards work Once you pay an initial deposit, secured credit cards work just like unsecured credit cards.