The Cottage Smallholder

My tips.

Avoid any that charge a fee.

Always pay it off in full every month, by direct debit, so you can't forget. Once or twice I found forgetting cost me.

Never use them to get cash - interest starts immediately, instead of letting you be in debt to them for nothing for up to 6 weeks, when you use it to pay for goods and services. They make enough out of the people you are buying off for them to still want you as a customer.

Find a card that pays you to use it. Maybe in supermarket points, maybe in air miles, or something. The card companies prefer you to be in debt to them, at exorbitant rates of rates of interest, but, as I say above, they still want your custom.

Use it for lots of things instead of paying cash.

I use a  Tesco card, and the Tesco points I get for using the card, both in Tesco and elsewhere, are worth about a free bottle of wine to me every quarter. Which might not be much, but is better than a slap around the face with a wet cod.

But that is not the only card that gives incentives. When I gave up my Access card after getting a Tesco one, they asked me why, I said Tesco points, they offered me air miles, which they had never mentioned before. So there is room for negotiation - they want your custom.

Try phoning your company, preferably on an 0800 number, saying you are thinking of taking your custom elsewhere, and asking what incentives they will give you to stay.

David