With each credit card claiming to be the best, it can get difficult to pick a card for yourself. However, remember that no single credit card can be the best for everyone.
Credit cards are quite like shoes; there are certain standard products available, but everyone has to pick a shoe on the basis of their own feet. The same way, you have to pick your card on the basis of your financial needs.
By understanding your options and asking the right questions, you can find the card that’s the best fit for you. Here are 3 steps which can help you out:
#1- Identify where you spend the most in your everyday spends.
When we talk about credit card, we tend to ignore our everyday spends. This includes the money you spend on the cab, getting to work, or the fuel you put in your car, or the groceries you buy for the house. The truth is that, most of us, living in a metro city, tend to spend over ₹10,000-₹15,000 on our everyday spending. And this is the spending we completely forget about when it comes to picking a credit card.
With a rewarding credit card, you can earn rewards on all of these spends. You can earn upto 10X reward points on your cab rides, and your groceries, and you can easily save all your Fuel Surcharge. So, keep in mind your everyday spends when you choose a credit card.
Related: Free Credit Report
#2- Identify your spending habits.
While some of us might be visiting the store for everything, some of us tend to buy everything online. Be it ordering the new clothes over Amazon, or getting the groceries over Bigbasket. Sometimes we even go the extra mile and use Paytm to pay for food at a restaurant. This can get to a point where we are making most of our spends online. This is precisely the kind of habit that you should be banking upon, as a credit card user.
There are cards out there designed to reward all kinds of lifestyle. So, if you are someone who makes most of your spends online, then you should get a card that offers 10X rewards for online spending. If you are someone who has a habit of frequenting certain places, you should get a card that offers you the highest rewards there. So, you should choose your card based on your spending habits.
#3- Identify your bigger spends that you make a few times in the year.
There are certain spends we tend to make every year. However, these are not spends we make on a weekly or monthly basis. Travel is the best example for this. Most of us tend to go on 2 or 3 big trips every year. These can be short weekend trips of bigger vacations that we spend considerably for. Now wouldn’t it be great if your card could help you save big on each of these?
Well, if you pick your card mindfully, then it can! There are cards designed to reward all sorts of bigger purchases. For travel, like we just mentioned, there are cards that would get you a 30% cashback on your hotel and flight bookings. There are other cards that would go as far as getting your complimentary overnight stays at resorts. So, if you keep these big spends in mind when picking a card, it can help you save thousands and thousands of rupees, every single year.
Time to Pick & Choose!
With these three steps, you should have a fairly good awareness of your spending habits. This should help you decide precisely what it is that you are looking for in a card. It is with this insight that you should check out the best credit cards in the market. You should compare the features they offer, and see which card better fits your requirement. It is only then that you should apply for a credit card.
