Credit cards mean different things to different people. For some they’re a lifeline to get by from month to month, while others use them to streamline their cash flow and reap rewards.

Evan says he and his brother are having trouble navigating the jungle of cards with various interest rates and perks and would like your suggestions for which cards would be best for them.

He writes:

I was talking to my brother over the weekend and he was asking me if he should open a AMEX card because he got a good deal in the mail (0.0% for first year and 9.9% afterwards). I advised him against it because i have a Blue from AMEX and they raised my rate right before the new law took effect. He then asked what he should do because he wants to build some good credit. I know that a CC from a credit union is a good bet, but he doesn’t trust the credit union he’s with now.

Add to this that I make slightly more than $30,000 and carry slightly more than $3k in credit card debt.

So the question is, whats the best card for him(to build credit), and whats the best card for me (to transfer the balance and pay it off)?

There are several website that will help you research this information. Bankrate, for example, lets you research cards based on credit score, card type and issuer.

CreditCards.com offers a similar search.

If you’re interested in building a good credit score, the most important thing to worry about is making sure your credit profile matches what FICO considers ideal. You can take a look at what they use to determine your score here.

The factors they consider are: Payment History, Amounts Owed, Length of Credit History,New Credit and Types of Credit Used.

Here’s how they explain “types of credit used”:

Number of (presence, prevalence, and recent information on) various types of accounts (credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, mortgage, consumer finance accounts, etc.)

In short, the best way to build credit is to learn about how your FICO score is calculated and do your best to manage your credit responsibly. As you can see, you can accomplish that goal with a card from AMEX or a credit union, so do some research and find the best card for your unique situation.

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