Today's best credit card deals - Saturday 04 February 2012

Below is a summary of the best credit card deals currently available in the UK.

Best credit card deals for balance transfers Credit cards offering the most number of months at 0% on balance transfers listed first.
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
HSBC Credit Card0% for 23 months
3.30% fee
0% for 3 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will receive up to an 8% discount on holidays booked through the HSBC Travel Service. Refer to provider for full details.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Barclaycard Platinum Credit Card with Extended Balance Transfer0% for 22 months
2.90% fee
0% for 3 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will have access to Barclaycard Unwind which gives you exclusive access to intimate gigs, exclusive content and music news, exclusive tickets and Unwind at Wembley Arena where you can enjoy advanced ticketing for shows and even be a VIP guest in the Wembley Unwind lounge.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Halifax Balance Transfer Credit Card0% for 22 months
3.50% fee
0% for 3 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will receive Halifax MasterCard offers including deals and discounts on travel, entertainment and shopping.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Barclaycard Platinum Credit Card with Balance Transfer0% for 21 months
2.60% fee
0% for 3 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will have access to Barclaycard Unwind which gives you exclusive access to intimate gigs, exclusive content and music news, exclusive tickets and Unwind at Wembley Arena where you can enjoy advanced ticketing for shows and even be a VIP guest in the Wembley Unwind lounge.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
NatWest Platinum0% for 20 months
2.90% fee
0% for 6 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: NatWest Platinum card holders receive hundreds of retail offers through MasterCard as well as holiday discounts through Thomas Cook. Wine club is also available.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Royal Bank of Scotland Platinum0% for 20 months
2.90% fee
0% for 6 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: RBS Platinum card holders receive hundreds of retail offers through MasterCard as well as holiday discounts through Thomas Cook. Wine club is also available.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Virgin Credit Card0% for 20 months
2.99% fee
0% for 3 months 16.80%
Cashback/Rewards: Discounts on Virgin products - 30% off balloon flights plus free champagne & chocolates, up to 20% off experiences, 5% off holidays plus no credit card fee (usually 2.5%), 10% off at Virgin Wines and VIE at home and 1 month free for new members at Virgin Active.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 16.80% (variable) your representative APR would be 16.80% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Halifax 20 Month Balance Transfer Credit Card0% for 20 months
3.00% fee
0% for 3 months 16.90%
Cashback/Rewards: There are no rewards with this card.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 16.94% (variable) your representative APR would be 16.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Bank of Scotland Plus0% for 18 months
3.00% fee
0% for 3 months 16.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Bank of Scotland card holders receive special offers including discounts on top UK attractions as well as on hotels, travel, shopping and up to 50% off dining.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 16.94% (variable) your representative APR would be 16.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Nationwide Building Society Select Card0% for 17 months
2.95% fee
0% for 18 months 12.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will receive 0.5% unlimited cashback on all sterling purchases.You will receive 0.5% unlimited cashback on all sterling purchases.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 12.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 12.90% (variable)
Best credit card deals for purchases Credit cards offering the longest 0% period on purchases listed first.
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Nationwide Building Society Select Card0% for 17 months
2.95% fee
0% for 18 months 12.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will receive 0.5% unlimited cashback on all sterling purchases.You will receive 0.5% unlimited cashback on all sterling purchases.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 12.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 12.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card% for months
% fee
0% for 18 months 50.10%
Cashback/Rewards: As well as offering a market-leading 0% on purchases for 18 months, the card also offers an attractive 6,000 Avios when you first join. You can collect 1.5 Avios for virtually every £1 you spend on top of that. You’ll also get double Avios when you spend using the card on BA flights and holidays. There is an annual fee with this card of £150.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 19.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 50.10% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Marks & Spencer Credit Card% for months
% fee
0% for 15 months 15.90%
Cashback/Rewards: With M&S Rewards you'll receive points every time you shop with your card - you get 1 point for every £1 spend in M&S and 1 point for every £2 you spend elsewhere. Once points mount up you can treat yourself to anything you like in store. You can also buy M&S Travel Money with no cash advance or foreign exchange fees.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 15.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 15.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Tesco Clubcard Credit Card0% for 9 months
2.90% fee
0% for 15 months 16.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Collect even more Clubcard points on whatever you buy, wherever you buy it. Collect 1 point per £4 spent in each purchase transaction (£4 min), you must have available credit. The card also doubles as a Clubcard, so when you use your card to pay at Tesco, you will get 1 point per £4 spent plus you will collect standard Clubcard points.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 16.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 16.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Halifax All In One0% for 15 months
3.00% fee
0% for 15 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Halifax card holders receive special offers including discounts on top UK attractions as well as on hotels, travel, shopping and up to 50% off dining.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Barclaycard Platinum with Purchase0% for 14 months
2.90% fee
0% for 14 months 18.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will have access to Barclaycard Unwind which gives you exclusive access to intimate gigs, exclusive content and music news, exclusive tickets and Unwind at Wembley Arena where you can enjoy advanced ticketing for shows and even be a VIP guest in the Wembley Unwind lounge.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 18.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 18.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Creation Purchase Credit Card0% for 9 months
2.90% fee
0% for 13 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Creation card holders receive hundreds of retail offers through MasterCard as well as discounts on meals and days out.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
NatWest YourPoints World MasterCard0% for 13 months
2.90% fee
0% for 13 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: INTRODUCTORY OFFER – 2,500 bonus points for all new customers. Earn 1 point for every £1 you spend whenever you use your card. Exchange your points through NatWest’s travel partners easyJet and ebookers.com or earn vouchers for top brands like M&S, Amazon.co.uk and Boots.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Royal Bank of Scotland YourPoints World MasterCard0% for 13 months
2.90% fee
0% for 13 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: INTRODUCTORY OFFER – 2,500 bonus points for all new customers. Earn 1 point for every £1 you spend whenever you use your card. Exchange your points through RBS’ travel partners easyJet and ebookers.com or earn vouchers for top brands like M&S, Amazon.co.uk and Boots.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Virgin Credit Card0% for 13 months
2.89% fee
0% for 13 months 18.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Discounts on Virgin products - 30% off balloon flights plus free champagne & chocolates, up to 20% off experiences, 5% off holidays plus no credit card fee (usually 2.5%), 10% off at Virgin Wines and VIE at home and 1 month free for new members at Virgin Active.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 18.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 18.90% (variable)
Best low interest credit cards Credit cards offering the lowest standard APR.
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Sainsbury's Low Rate Credit Card - - 6.90%
Cashback/Rewards: There are no rewards with this card.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 6.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 6.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Barclaycard Platinum Simplicity - - 7.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will have access to Barclaycard Unwind which gives you exclusive access to intimate gigs, exclusive content and music news, exclusive tickets and Unwind at Wembley Arena where you can enjoy advanced ticketing for shows and even be a VIP guest in the Wembley Unwind lounge.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 7.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 7.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Capital One Click Card - - 9.90%
Cashback/Rewards: This card gives you access to exclusive discounts when you use it to shop online. Current offers include 20% off anything on the Ted Baker site, plus free delivery, 25% off travel at Travelpack.com, 30% off on the Zavvi entertainment site and 50% off anything on the tickets website Viagogo, terms and conditions apply to these discounts. There will also be new deals and retailers added every 3 months which will be valid for a 3 month period.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 9.94% (variable) your representative APR would be 9.90% (variable)
Best credit card deals for rewards and cashback Credit cards offering the best reward deals.
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Tesco Clubcard Credit Card0% for 9 months
2.90% fee
0% for 15 months 16.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Collect even more Clubcard points on whatever you buy, wherever you buy it. Collect 1 point per £4 spent in each purchase transaction (£4 min), you must have available credit. The card also doubles as a Clubcard, so when you use your card to pay at Tesco, you will get 1 point per £4 spent plus you will collect standard Clubcard points.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 16.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 16.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
NatWest YourPoints World MasterCard0% for 13 months
2.90% fee
0% for 13 months 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: INTRODUCTORY OFFER – 2,500 bonus points for all new customers. Earn 1 point for every £1 you spend whenever you use your card. Exchange your points through NatWest’s travel partners easyJet and ebookers.com or earn vouchers for top brands like M&S, Amazon.co.uk and Boots.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.95% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Marks & Spencer Credit Card - 0% for 15 months 15.90%
Cashback/Rewards: With M&S Rewards you'll receive points every time you shop with your card - you get 1 point for every £1 spend in M&S and 1 point for every £2 you spend elsewhere. Once points mount up you can treat yourself to anything you like in store. You can also buy M&S Travel Money with no cash advance or foreign exchange fees.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 15.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 15.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
American Express British Airways - - 19.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Receive 9,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 in the first 3 months. Collect 1 Avios for virtually every £1 spent. Spend £20,000 on your card in any given year and receive a companion ticket when you redeem your Avios for a British Airways flight. There is no annual fee with this card.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 19.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 19.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Sainsbury's Nectar Credit Card0% for 15 months
3.00% fee
0% for 6 months 16.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Every time you shop at Sainsbury’s with your Sainsbury's Credit Card they will give you 2 Nectar points for every £1 you spend in the first 2 years (available to new customers only). You can build up Nectar points when you use your Sainsbury’s Credit Card elsewhere too earning 1 point for each £5 you spend.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 16.94% (variable) your representative APR would be 16.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Virgin Atlantic White Card0% for 6 months
2.00% fee
- 17.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Receive 3,000 Flying Club miles when you make your first purchase within 90 days of your account opening. You’ll also earn 1 mile for every full £1 spent on the American Express card and 1 mile for every £2 you spend on the Visa card. There are double Flying Club miles on Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays and companion reward flights available when you spend over £15,000 on the American Express card in a year. There is no annual fee with this card.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 17.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 17.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Lloyds TSB Duo Avios Credit Card0% for 6 months
3.00% fee
- 15.90%
Cashback/Rewards: If you apply before 1st March 2012 you will get an exclusive online bonus of 2,000 Avios if you spend at least £500 each month for the first 3 months. Collect 1 Avios for almost every £1 spent on the Lloyds TSB Duo Avios American Express Card and 1 Avios for every £5 spent on the Lloyds TSB Duo Avios MasterCard. You will collect double Avios on your spend abroad. You will receive 1,500 extra Avios for every whole £1,000 you transfer to the card from a single provider.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 15.94% (variable) your representative APR would be 15.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
American Express Nectar Credit Card - - 19.90%
Cashback/Rewards: Receive 5,000 Nectar bonus points when you spend £500 within the first 3 months, 2 Nectar points per £1 spent at Nectar partners, 1 Nectar point per £1 spent everywhere else. Receive 500 MorePoints for every £500 spent on the Nectar Credit Card in every calendar month.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 19.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 19.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
Nationwide Building Society Select Card0% for 17 months
2.95% fee
0% for 18 months 12.90%
Cashback/Rewards: You will receive 0.5% unlimited cashback on all sterling purchases.You will receive 0.5% unlimited cashback on all sterling purchases.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 12.90% (variable) your representative APR would be 12.90% (variable)
Credit cardBalance TransfersPurchasesRepresentative APR
American Express Platinum Cashback - - 18.50%
Cashback/Rewards: Earn 5% cashback on your first £2,000 spend within the first 3 months. This card offers the HIGHEST ongoing and uncapped cashback rate available across virtually all purchases, regardless of spend level. Spend more than £10,000 on your card in the preceding 12 months and receive an anniversary bonus of double cashback every year on the 13th month of your card membership.This card offers an introductory 5% cashback on your first £2,000 spend within the first 3 months. You will then receive a simple 1.25% flat rate on every full £1 spent per purchase. Spend more than £10,000 on your card in the preceding 12 months and receive an engagement bonus of double cashback every year on the 13th month of your card anniversary.
Representative Example
If you spent £1200 on this card with an annual interest rate of 14.00% (variable) your representative APR would be 18.50% (variable)

When choosing a credit card, think about how you are going to use it and what features are important.  We’ve listed above the best credit card deals for people who use their cards to borrow and for those who always pay off their card balance in full each month.

Best credit card deals for people who pay their balance in full each month

If you pay your card bill in full each month you can ignore the interest rate (APR) and go for a credit card that gives you cashback.  This means you're given a percentage of everything you spend on the card back to you as cash – typically this ranges from 0.5 to 1 per cent. This means that, for example, if you spend £5,000 on a credit card offering 0.5% cashback, you would earn £25 (0.5 per cent of £5,000).

Best deals for people who tend to carry over a balance each month

If you are one of the many people who do not pay off your card in full each month, then the most important factor is the interest rate (APR). The smaller the APR the less you'll be charged in interest.