Credit cards can be used to purchase almost any and every thing that you can buy from a day-to-day period.  Currently some 1,500 cards are on the UK Market.  There is a fierce competition out there to get your business. 

It is imperative to do research and pick the best card for whatever your reason for using a credit card might be. 

Mix and match

A great way to use your credit card is by having any monthly expense loaded onto it and then the month settle all of them.  When you do this there is a great possibility that you will be given up eight weeks of credit without having to pay any interest!  If you are able to do this then you should investigate those cash back cards that will reward you with a percentage of the money you have spent back.

 If you can take advantage of those credit cards with no interest, you can use one to clear off your other card debt during the 0% interest.  Only do this if you can make certain to clear the balance owing before the offer period expires.

If you’re having trouble, paying off the balance owing before the special introductory rate of zero percent interest you could try applying to get yet another card offering no or low interest for as long as the balance on the credit card exists.   However, don’t forget when you use this kind of card the zero percentage may not apply to paying for monthly expenses.   

Another good way to use credit cards with zero percent interest is by using it to make a one off purchase that may cost a bit more than your normal everyday items.  Using the zero percent credit card with three to six months of zero percent interest, you can budget to pay off the amount due in that period, without an added interest charges.

What are extra protections?

There are certain protections you get by using your credit card instead of using a different form of payment.  According to the Consumer Credit Act, on purchases up to 30,000 pounds there is equal liability with respect to the entity that issued the card and the trader.  If there is anything wrong with the product you purchased or the company is being liquidated you are still covered and will have protection.

This protection will also apply if you make a partial payment for something.  It also extends to items you may have purchased abroad or on the Internet.

Always read the fine print of your credit cards contract and make sure that price protection is included.  With this protection if you purchase something and then its price falls or is on sale, or a special discount period is being offered, you may be allowed to make a claim for the difference.  There could be a time limit on this and it usually is 60 days from the time of the original purchase.