Cool Site: Credit Card Research

I’ve been thinking for a few months now about getting a credit card, but the one thing stopping me is that I don’t know which to go with! It’s not like I have to get one or like I’m in a big rush, so I can do this when I feel like. As I think about it, though, I’m really glad to have found this site, CreditCardsClub.com, which is all about credit card rating and which is a great online resource that breaks down all the features of each card for you.

So which should I choose?

Here’s what I have now:

*A Visa debit/credit card with my bank account. This is totally old school, I know. I always use it as credit (my bank charges after a certain number of debits?!), but I never worry about overspending with my limits because my bank account balance dictates them.

*A Gap credit card. I use this once every few months, probably, and I always pay off the balance in full. I’ve had it for maybe six years, give or take, and I like the free $10 coupons I can earn.

*A shared Chase Mastercard. I went to Europe as a senior in high school and needed a way to access money without the hassle of travelers’ checks or the liability of cash. My parents put me on their credit card account. To be transparent, they’d still be perfectly fine with me using it whenever I wanted to, but I don’t. I have it in my wallet for emergencies and emergencies only, or maybe when they need me to get them something and they’re paying. Can’t remember the last time I used it.

What I want from a new card:

*The best rewards possible.

I’ll never carry a balance, so the APR is irrelevant. As far as rewards: I travel, but not enough to make me want an airline/hotel rewards card. I shop, but not at one store primarily. Of course, I buy gas, but with an economical car, not enough to make me want a gas card.

Maybe a cash-back card? I went to Credit Cards Club and clicked the cash-back rewards tab on top.

Here are the ones I found most interesting:

Capital One No Hassle Cash(SM) Rewards: There’s a $29 fee, but I’d earn a 25% bonus for all income (?!), which would more than make up for it, obviously. Not sure how I feel about a card with a fee, though. Something seems weird.

Chase Freedom SM Credit Card: No fee. 3% cash back on my top three spending categories (not sure what categories means) and 1% on everything else.

Discover® Open Road(SM) Card: No fee. 5% Cash-back Bonus® on gas and auto maintenance purchases, 5% to 20% Cash-back Bonus at top online retailers* and up to 1% Cash-back Bonus on all other purchases.

So I’m undecided. Anyone have input?

To the 508 Number Calling my Phone:

Let me save you the time and trouble of calling my cell phone yet again. No, I do not want a better interest rate on my credit card—the credit card you don’t know the name of. No, I’m not going to call by the deadline you’ve given me. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

If you knew me at all, you’d know that I pay off my cards, in full, every time I get a bill. I use them to get bonus points and to track my spending, not to defer payments. Low interest rate, high interest rate: they’re all the same to me, because they never get used.

OK? Got it? So tell the other companies—the pyramid schemes, especially—that I’m not worth calling. I’m not going to give you anything, listen to anything, tell you anything. Oh, and seriously: I’m on the do-not-call list.

WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME?

Maxed Out

You will not be wasting time when you watch this video. Put it on while you do other things. It’s very well-done: heart-wrenchingly powerful.

It left me wishing I could do something to help.

Go HERE to see it for yourself.