When choosing a credit card there are a number of factors to take into account. If you are planning to pay off the outstanding balance each month then the interest rate charged may not be the most important factor.

Below is a list of issues that do not relate to interest rates which you might want to consider when choosing a card.

• annual fee: does the card issuer charge an annual fee for holding the card? With so many cards available there is no need to own a card that charges an annual fee, unless that card offers benefits that outweigh the cost of the annual fee.



• consumer protection: does the card offer consumer protection? If so, does the item have to cost over a specified amount in order to be covered?
  
  If you make a purchase on your card and that purchase turns out to be faulty and the retailer refuses to cooperate by replacing it or refunding your money, you can make a complaint to the card issuer.
  
  MasterCard or Visa will investigate the case on your behalf; if they consider your claim to be valid. They are in a position to force the supplier to comply, with the ultimate threat of withdrawing the Visa or MasterCard membership. This can be particularly useful in situations where you have bought something from a supplier who subsequently goes into liquidation.



• travel insurance: many cards offer travel accident insurance. However, check the small print to determine exactly what is covered and what the conditions of cover are. For example, do you need to purchase a holiday in full on your card? Paying for your holiday's deposit using another means may invalidate your insurance, even if the balance is paid using the credit card.
  
  
• cash back: some cards offer cash back on all purchases, usually between 0.5% and 1%. Egg offer 2% cashback on purchases made online via their 'shopping zone'.



• reward schemes: various reward schemes are available from air miles offered by Air Miles Card, Coutts & Co and Natwest Bank to reward points offered by Sainsburys Bank Card, Tesco Visa and Thomas Cook which can be redeemed against their goods and services. (This is not an exhaustive list.)



• charitable donations: donation cards are credit cards where the card issuer makes a small donation to a charitable cause each time the card is used, at no additional cost to the card holder.



• online fraud guarantee: some credit cards, such as the Marbles Credit Card now offer an online fraud guarantee stating that you will not be held responsible for unauthorised charges against your card which are incurred as a result of using your card online.
  
  
• style: if you have narrowed down your choice to two or three cards, or you are highly image conscious, you might want to consider the look of the plastic card itself. For example, the 'American Express Blue Credit Card' looks pretty stylish!