Financial Gurus will tell you to do the same kind of comparison shopping for a credit card that you do when you're looking for a mortgage or a car loan. This is a good idea because the choices you make can save you money. The process is comparable to a standard loan, just with a few considerations to keep in mind.

Credit Card Guide - There are many online guides that show you great credit card offers. Our Low APR Credit Cards Directory is sorted by APR (interest rate) so you can easily find the best card for you. There are many cards that feature 0% interest for anywhere from 30 days to 12 months. These cards can save you some money fast if you transfer over balances from other cards.

You might also check a credit union. Credit unions are non-profit, and they have lower overhead so they can charge lower interest rates. Credit unions are newer to the credit industry so they are eager to generate credit-card loans. However, you'll probably be required to open a share account or savings account to join.

If you always pay your monthly bill in full, the best type of card is one that has no annual fee and offers a grace period for paying your bill before a finance charge kicks in. If you don't always pay off your balance each month (like most of us), be sure to look at the periodic rate that will be used to calculate the finance charge.

Some credit cards, such as American Express, require you to pay off all of your charges each month. As a benefit, they usually have no finance charge, and sometimes no maximum limit. Most cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and Optima, offer what is known as revolving credit. This means they let you carry a balance, on which they charge interest (finance charges), and they require you to make a minimum payment. The minimum payment is usually about 5 percent of your current balance or $10 -- whichever is more.

Transferring balances from one card to another to take advantage of low introductory rates is a common practice among U.S. cardholders. Low introductory rates can be very helpful in your quest to become free of credit-card debt. You should look for credit cards that offer a low intro rate (usually for six months), and transfer the balance from your previous credit card to that credit card.

Low APR Credit Cards Directory is sorted by APR (interest rate) so you can easily find the best card for you.

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