Do Credit Card Companies Matter?
by: Tom Tessin

When looking for a credit card, you have to ask yourself so many questions. What kind of rewards do I want? What card has the best APR rate? I think you get the picture. The one thing you may ask yourself but don’t know the answer to is, “Does a credit card company really matter?”

The simple question is yes. Let’s start off with the top four credit card companies. You have VISA, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Each and every credit card will vary. We will break it down on what you should look at when it comes to the credit card company itself.

Look for reviews online

Do a quick Google search online on the card carrier you want to apply to. Just pop in a simple search like “VISA reviews”. Go ahead and browse around the reviews. Keep in mind that a lot of people will always post negative comments. You will always find more negative comments than positive comments online. Don’t let that discourage you. You will usually get a feel on what card is the best for your particular category.

Rates Differences

Each credit card company usually varies when it comes to credit card rates. You will find particularly on our website that VISA tends to have lower APR rates, while Discover has the higher ones.

Customer Support

Customer support tends to tie in with the reviews but it’s always nice to see what companies offer what kind of customer service. Do you have to go through a million prompts to get to a human? Do they have English speaking support? These are more questions you may want to ask yourself. You would hate to get on the phone when your credit card is stolen and you have to talk with someone that can barely even speak English.

Where are they accepted?

Believe it or not but VISA and Mastercard are accepted in a lot more places compared to Discover and American Express. This will only matter to you if you shop at smaller mom and pop shops. If you plan on using your card at major retailers like Best Buy, CostCo, etc., you shouldn’t have a problem with any company being accepted.

Ask Friends and Family

Before you apply, be sure to ask your friends and family what kind of credit cards they carry. Ask them what they like and hate about their card. From there, you should be able to get a decent idea on what type of credit card will work for you.

If you ask these simple questions to yourself, you shouldn’t have a problem finding the right credit card company. In the long run, you will find that most of them are pretty similar to each other. Just look at it from a grocery store perspective. Every grocery store is similar in a way but one may offer better customer service than another. The same goes to a credit card company. Just remember to take your time when picking out your first credit card and ask around to find out what credit card is the best for you!