If you're quite contrary - even when it comes to your finances - or if you just want
to try on contrariness for size then you're the perfect reader of this article.
Most personal finance articles focus on introductory offers and, though that's no bad thing in principle, it doesn't often describe how most people use their card.
Most get one card and then stick with it for years and years, unlike in the fantasies of finance writers where users compare credit cards frequently, use them until they stop being useful then get on the credit roulette again.
This also explains the place in peoples hearts a top of the table card such as the Virgin money credit card tends to hold in affections even months and years after it slips down those selfsame tables: someone said it was the best once.
So: even if you do want to get a card for its introductory offers you should look at how it'll grow to be used in the future.
A basic way that you can do this is by looking at the average interest rate. Even if you manage to pay off the balance in full at the end of the month it's good to know that if it does roll over you won't have much extra to pay.
This is particularly true when it comes to 0% balance transfer credit cards as if you don't finish paying off the balance at 0% you can be landed with even higher interest payments than the credit card you originally moved the balance from.
The second way in which your credit card can continue to grow and benefit you, even as you hold it for year upon stagnating year, is with ongoing offers.
I've seen credit cards that offer 0% balance transfers some one or two years into ownership or an ongoing loan facility that helps to spread the cost of large purchases over a few months but people often don't use them because they weren't looking for an ongoing offer at the time and so they're more concerned with the introductory deals.
The final way is with ongoing reward schemes.
Some of the biggest free cards that are available from retail stores and allow consumers to rack up reward points now also issue reward credit cards designed for spending and earning those same points everywhere.
This is a low risk way to continue to grow your credit card into the future and make sure that it continues to be useful even past the obvious advantages of increased security under law and from the credit card providers.