Compare credit cards

Credit cards let you purchase things on credit, online and instore. Each month, your card provider will send you a statement (online or by post) informing you of the outstanding balance you owe and the minimum payment required.

If you choose to pay just the minimum amount, and not the statement in full, you may incur interest charges on the outstanding balance. Every credit card is different and so charges and fees will differ – always read your terms and conditions with care.

Credit cards are protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. If you make a purchase between £100 and £30,000, you can get the money back from a card issuer if either the seller goes bust or your item is faulty. Credit cards can also help to build your credit score.

On the other hand, people can (and often do) get into serious debt problems when it comes to the misuse of credit cards so you have to use them carefully. Find out more about some of the charges which can affect credit card users

The annual percentage rate (APR) lets you know how much interest you’ll pay for borrowing money on a credit card. This is typically stated as a yearly interest rate.

For most cards, you can avoid interest payments on transactions if you pay your balance in full each month by the due date. Learn more about APR, including the difference between personal and representative APR.

It sounds obvious, but the more you pay the faster your debt will disappear so always aim to pay more than the minimum payment due. The minimum payment is the lowest amount you need to pay in order to avoid potential penalties.

It’s usually calculated as a percentage of your balance – don’t think of it as a fixed amount. It’s not. The amount you need to repay each month as a minimum will fall as your balance reduces.

The three main credit reference agencies are Experian, Equifax and CallCredit. These all have information about you which lenders can see before making a decision on offering you credit. Since May 2018 and with the introduction of new GDPR regulations, it remains free to check your credit score online.

Your credit history, also known as your credit report or score, is a major factor in determining if you’ll be accepted for a credit card. Lenders will take your score and use it to judge how likely they think you’ll be able to repay debt on a card. Learn more about credit building cards.

It’s worth knowing that you may be asked to pay a higher rate of interest if a lender sees you as a higher risk. Each lender will have their own reasons for the rates they set and so understanding what’s in your credit file is a really good place to start. 

We have many credit cards for you to compare, from major banks and leading credit card providers. But we don’t compare every single credit card available in the UK.

That’s because some credit card providers have exclusives through their own branches or websites, or on other price comparison websites – in the same way that we sometimes do. Also, there are credit cards which are only available to people in clubs or membership organisations.

We let you compare credit card deals quickly, so that you can find one most suited to your needs. It’s super-easy to filter your choices by card type, so when it comes to finding great credit card deals for you it won’t take long at all.