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9.3 Being Credit Savvy

Now that we’ve established just how big of an impact credit has on your daily life and your
financial future, let’s take a look at some strategies for navigating the world of credit cards.
This section outlines some of the best ways to shop for credit cards and protect yourself from
damaging criminal activity, as well as some ways to tackle debt and pay it down more quickly.

Shopping for a Credit Card

How can you find the best credit card for you? One of the best places to find great credit card
offers is at Bankrate (http://www.bankrate.com). You will first need to decide what kind of
credit card you want. Do you pay off your balance at the end of every month? If so, then a card
that has the lowest interest rate may not be the best product for you. A rewards card, cash
back card, or a card that has no annual fee would be a better match. If you do occasionally
carry a balance, then you would be more interested in a low-interest credit card.

At the bottom of Bankrate’s credit cards menu is a link to its list of best credit cards. Bankrate
sorts the best credit cards by credit card type—best low interest, best balance transfer, best
rewards, best cash back, and best airline and travel credit cards. Bankrate selects the best
cards in each category based on unbiased reviews. On Bankrate’s credit cards home page,
there are additional categories on the left-hand menu, one of which is student cards. These
cards have special features designed to allow students to build up a credit history, which is

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