Choosing a credit card can be as difficult as any other choice, especially with all the types the bank can offer you. The trouble comes when deciding which one is the most suitable for your needs. You will be provided with all the necessary information by the qualified personnel, but nonetheless you should know the basics before choosing a credit card.

First of all, you should know that it is a common practice among most of the credit card agencies to offer you a first year of credit card usage with a very low, going down even to 0%, interest rate, applying to a wide range of credit cards, such as American Express, Chase, City and many others. However, what must concern you is the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) which you will be starting paying the moment your introductory interest period ends. This APR tends to be quite high, but if you get the trouble of searching a little closer, you may also find agencies that can offer you lower rates.

There are two categories of interest rate you can get: variable (that is you will start paying an amount but in time this amount can change, according to the policies of the bank or of the credit card agency you are dealing with) and fixed (meaning that the rate you will have to pay will be established at the beginning of your payment period and will never change until you finish paying the loan).

It is obvious you should look for the fixed interest rate, because this way you'll save yourself some money not having to pay the bank extra money. The APR will be established according to your credit score. If you have a good credit score, you may get a rate as low as 5.5% to 9%.

Whenever you choose to get a credit card your aim is to get the largest amount of money possible with the lowest rate. This can be done, if you take the trouble of looking for the banks or the agencies that have such offers. However, you should know that you credit score is very important in getting such a credit card.

Make sure that you check your credit card balance regularly and if possible, try to keep it as low as you can (the closest to zero the better) and that you pay your rates on time and that you don't let them go to collections. A good credit score will always help you get good rates for other types of loans you might need, except for credit card, such as car or personal loans, mortgages.

If you find yourself in a more inconvenient situation and your credit card score is poor there is still hope for you to get a larger credit. All you have to do is to prove the bank you had a stable income during the past months; you will be surprised to find out there are credit card companies for which this is a guarantee strong enough to get you the credit you want.

As a final advice, always make sure that you read and understand everything is written in small letters in your credit card contract thus avoiding sad situations as having to pay a larger rate you had no idea about.