Comparison tables and Card Reviews

Below, we consider the various features you can use to compare the credit cards in our database, and explain how you can benefit from using these features in your card comparison, before deciding upon the best credit card for you.

Credit Card Tables

• CREDIT CARD ISSUER
  
• CREDIT CARD NAME AND OPTION
  
• ACCEPTABILITY RATING
  
• OVERALL RATING (5-STAR SCALE)
  
• CATEGORY
  • Selector
    
  • Rewards
    
  • Low-Interest
    
  • Mid-Interest
    
  • Credit Builder
    
  • Charity Card

• CREDIT CARD REVIEW
  
• TYPE (CARD NETWORK)
  
• PITCH
  
• SERVICE STANDARDS
  
• INSURANCE AND OTHER BENEFITS
  
• REWARDS
  
• STANDARD REWARDS %
  
• STANDARD APR
  
• BALANCE TRANSFER OFFER APR
  
• PURCHASE OFFER APR
  
• INTRODUCTORY OFFER PERIOD
  
• INTEREST-FREE PERIOD

Credit Card Issuer
This is the company which issues the credit card, such as Barclaycard or Capital One.

Note that some companies issue several different brands of credit card -- for example Royal Bank of Scotland issue cards under the RBS brand name and under the Mint brand. Other credit card companies offer different terms and conditions under the same brand; for example, Barclaycard have a range of options from credit cards targeted at students up to their prestige Platinum Visa Credit Cards. Meanwhile, card issuers such as Accucard allow you to select your own terms. These mix-and-match credit cards allow you to choose either a lower rate of interest or to get cash back on your purchases in exchange for paying a higher rate of interest.

To confuse matters further, large banks and financial institutions that you would expect to provide the credit card may actually outsource the cards to another credit card issuer. For example, Cahoot is owned by Abbey National and the Cahoot credit card is thus provided by Abbey. Simple. However, Abbey National branded cards are not provided by Abbey but instead by US credit card giant MBNA.

Credit Card Name and Option
This column indicates the name of the credit card and whether it is available in gold or platinum varieties.

Gold and platinum credit cards usually convey a range of benefits, with lower credit card APR / interest rates compared to other offerings from the same issuer. However, gold and platinum cards are not always the best value credit cards overall, as several low interest rate credit cards do not come packaged as gold or platinum cards. Typically, you will need to have a higher level of income to apply for status credit cards and for low interest credit cards, although this varies greatly between issuers. For example, the minimum income for a Capital One Platinum credit card is just £10,000 per year, whereas for a Lloyds TSB platinum card the minimum income is 50% higher at £15,000 per year. As gold and platinum cards become more common, credit card issuing companies are finding more ways to make their cards exclusive. These may include additional perks such as free travel insurance, or the new invitation only “black” cards which some banks are now offering.

When it comes to the options available on credit cards, this looks at where card companies that provides several different choices of interest rate or rewards. Whereas the card issuer may choose whether to give you a gold or platinum card, or in some cases offer lower interest rates to customers they perceive as being a lower credit risk, the option information designates choices which can be made by the customer.

For example, Barclaycard’s balance transfer offer gives users the choice of having a 0% interest rate on balance transfers for life providing they spend £50 minimum, or of having a 6.9% interest rate for life if no minimum payment is made. Although the 0% offer may initially sound appealing, the 6.9% deal may well work out better in the long run, as you will not have to pay any interest on new purchases. When it comes to fixed low interest balance transfer offers though, we recommend the Capital One Platinum (long term balance transfer APR of 3.9%) ahead of the Barclaycard Classic.

Acceptability Rating
All of our credit card reviews and tables provide a rough guide to your chances of a successful credit card application through our ‘Acceptability’ rating. However, as stated, these are only a rough guide and any applications (and rejections) are solely the responsibility of the applicant.

Cards with 1 star are the hardest to obtain; deemed ‘Exclusive’, these cards generally only accept 1 in 5 applicants. The rating goes up to the easiest, credit builder cards, which are given 5/5 for acceptability as the vast majority of applicants are accepted. Below all of our credit card comparison tables, you will find a second table that provides you with a description of the Acceptability rating.

Overall Scale (5-star scale)
This is our reviewer’s rating of a credit card, allowing a quick reference for individuals wanting to narrow their credit card search. The reviewer takes numerous factors into account when deciding on a review, particularly interest rates, balance transfer and other 0% offers, rewards schemes such as cash back, and numerous other features that may stand out on any given credit card, for example if a card offers a free ‘extended warranty’ on products bought using the card. We use the full scale (1 – 5) for our credit card ratings. If a card has 3 stars this is not a bad product, we just feel it is about the ‘standard fare’ on the market. 2 stars means our reviewer felt that the card does not match up to the competition in the market, while a rating of 1 star is poor. A rating of 4 is considered above average/good, and 5 stars is Excellent. You can compare credit cards by overall star rating, however we recommend that you read our review of any particular card before you apply for it, to get a full breakdown of the credit card.