• The best credit card plan is one that offers a low interest rate that is fixed.
• The best credit company provides for long grace periods to pay off a bill.
• A good credit card interest rate is even better when coupled with no annual fee
• The best credit company gives you a fair and early warning well in advance of any changes to your credit limit, especially if the company is going to reduce it
• The best credit card plan contains no penalty for having not used the card for a specific period of time

• The best credit company does not hide interest rates and terms when you sign up for a card
• The best credit card plan does not include interest rate hikes, fees, and surcharges for a late payment that would be more appropriate for a skipped payment
• Poor credit card offers can mean getting charged double the interest on a credit card balance transfer deal – typically a result of starting interest charges before the credit card balance transfer deal is complete

• The worst companies dish out constantly changing grace periods, payment deadlines, and other terms to the credit card even if you have a strong track record with credit
• The best credit company does not intentionally limit the amount of information that the credit issuer sends the credit bureaus in an attempt to depress your credit rating, such as the limit on your card
• Poor credit card offers encourage you to take additional cards all with low limits rather than increase the limit on your existing card, which complicate debt reduction
• Poor credit card offers can be at zero percent coupled with extreme punishments (highest possible interest rates, huge fees and surcharges) if you misstep only once, such as a late or missed payment, spending over the card’s limit, etc.

Good versus Bad: Separating the Poor Credit Card Offers from the Others