The task of selecting a credit card should not be taken lightly. By taking up a particular credit card, you make a serious financial commitment, and get into an equally serious financial relationship with the credit card provider whose credit card you take up. The seriousness of the implications of taking a credit card might not just sink into your mind, until you get to hear of people who had their financial lives ruined by nothing else other than a poor choice of a credit card. And to avoid falling into the same traps as those unfortunate souls, there are a number of factors that you need to take into consideration before taking up the credit card.

At the very least, before taking up any credit card - it is important to understand how the features it comes with work, and how the provider's contracts are structured (especially with regard to your rights and obligations); and ensure that the contract is not one that is injurious to you.

Your intended credit card usage is yet another factor you will have to take into consideration when considering taking up a particular card - as not all credit cards are suitable for all types of users and all types of usage. If, for instance, you are 'just' looking for a credit card to enable you to shop in the outlets that conduct their business on 'credit card only' terms, then the ideal choice of a credit card for you is likely to be rather different from that of a person looking for a credit card to be taking cash advances through.

And given that the cost of the money that a credit card provider lends you through the card is the credit card's interest, then the credit card interest calculation mechanism used by the provider is something you will also have to take a very keen look at (a keen look here being something beyond just a casual glance at the figure). Take note that the advice here is to look at the credit card's interest calculation mechanism - and not just the quoted interest rate - because just looking at the rate in isolation from the interest calculation mechanism can be fatally misleading.

Penalties for late credit card payment and the grace periods between when the credit card balances fall due and when the penalties start applying are other factor you will do yourself a big favor by having a keen look at.

The various miscellaneous fees the credit card provider charges for the various other services they give you as well as the card's credit limits and cash advances features are all things that you will have to look at very keenly - and objectively - before taking up any credit card.

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