A Self-help Guide on UK Credit Cards

Different credit cards have different features. Shopping around could make you find a credit card that may have a low interest rate, or have some other attractive feature that you like. However, the problem with the card would be that it is not of your country. Even so, there are ways and means to acquire such foreign cards. For American citizens, it is easy to acquire British credit cards. This article tells how to go about getting a UK credit card.

Your search must begin online as usual. Find a list of all the UK credit cards that do their businesses in the US also. These websites would also list the rates of these cards. A comparison of the rates is in order. Do not go just by the interest rates. Check also the late payment fees, annual fees and all other fees that are applicable to the cards. Once you have zeroed in on the card you want, you must make the application through the net. This would initiate the process of getting your first UK credit card.

Though the features of UK cards may be different from the cards available in your country, the basic rules all remain the same. The credit cards provide you with the plastic convenience, i.e. you no longer need to carry cash every time you go shopping. Just as US credit cards, UK credit cards are also usable in almost everyplace that allows credit cards. People in UK owe hundreds of millions in credit card debts. Due to this, the major UK credit card companies are expanding their businesses beyond their national frontiers in order to boost their businesses.

Applying for a UK credit card is no big deal. It is almost as easy as making the payments with the card. But when the bill comes at the end of the month, that’s another story altogether. UK credit cards look different from US credit cards. These bills will have separate terms and terminologies. So you would need to have a glossary to understand all the terms. This would be available in the information booklet that came with the card. Be wise and read all the charges that could be levied, so that the bill does not turn out to be beyond your expectations.

There are many UK credit cards available for American citizens. So take time and find out all you can about the different cards available. You will find that some of the cards suit your requirements better than the others. Try to find a card with zero percent interest rate and with features like balance transfers or bonus points on purchases.

People all over the world are spending a staggering sum of half a million pounds every minute using UK credit cards. A rough calculation would indicate that the transactions with UK credit cards goes up to tens of billions of dollars every year. Considering this big amount, one can easily see how popular UK credit cards are all over the world. But the question is, are all of the UK credit cards so good? Let us examine some of the most popular credit cards from the UK.

(1) Marbles Credit Cards

Marbles has several wonderful features that have made it immensely popular with card used. Top on the list is the 52 day stipulation of interest-free credit, zero percent on balance transfers for the first six months of using the card and a low APR of 14.9%. Other striking features of the card are the choice of deciding how the card will look like. Online management of the account is provided. And to top it all, the Marbles Card is billed as the safest and securest card of the whole world.

(2) Virgin Credit Cards

Virgin Credit Cards also provide zero percent on balance transfers, but they have a higher APR of 15.9%. But these cards also have no annual fees, so they may be well within the budget of people who pay only the minimum balances month after month. Virgin has a 24 hour helpline and it is a qualifying card for several attractive discount and free memberships over the net.

(3) Egg Credit Cards

The Egg Card provides free purchases in transit protection for items. While traveling this card is a great plus-point. The cardholder can make almost the entire payment of the fare using these cards and get a personal travel accident insurance also. This makes it the best card for frequent travelers. Apart from the attractive travel offers, the Egg Cards also provide 10% discounts on home and travel insurance policies, provided the payments are made with the card.

(4) GM Platinum Cards

GM Platinum is another card with a low APR of 14.9%. Along with this, they have zero balance transfer rates and are interest-free for the first five months of their purchase. Like most other cards, the GM Platinum Cards also provide easy online management of the accounts.

All UK cards are therefore ideal for American citizens in one way or the other. There are also some added benefits. When the first purchase is made with a UK card, the cardholder would get a hundred free rebate points. This makes the UK cards more tempting than US cards.

Going through all the pros and cons of the UK credit cards and knowing the major providing companies, now you can make a decision on which UK card to apply for.