Some credit card providers now offer reward schemes to entice customers to sign up, even though some would say that these aren't necessary to entice a keep a credit-hungry public satisfied, since many consumers usually apply for cards from a company that they already have a relationship with, usually their bank, their local supermarket, or perhaps a charity to which they make donations.

When looking for the right reward scheme for you there are some great comparison sites on the internet such as moneysupermarket.com which can help suggest cards to suit those of us that are more ethically minded right the way through to those of us who just want some cash off our shopping.

Ensure that you are not losing out on the benefits the card offers and are maximising your use of the card affiliates. Buying little and often in affiliated retail outlets will maximize your benefits. For example if you do your weekly grocery shopping at Tesco's and it is an affiliate that earns you points you may as well put this shopping on your card and pay it off at the end of the month when you get paid.

Read the small print and make sure you are not paying an annual fee. Most cards no longer charge you for this, so ensure that you are not one of the few who still are. There can be hidden charges on balance transfers and, while 0% interest on balance transfers sounds enticing, a large handling fee is not. Checking online at a comparison site such as moneysupermarket.com will help you look past the alluring introductory offers and establish the potential pitfalls of each card.

When you receive your chosen card make a note of introductory offer expiration dates e.g. the new nectar card offers double points for the first 3 months so making a date in your calendar of when this time limit is up and buying all of your bigger purchases within this time frame will help you to maximise on points as well as getting you onboard security under section 75 of consumers law if the product costs over 100.

The golden rule as far as credit card reward schemes are concerned, (as cited by online independent specialists such as moneyexpert.com) is only to sign up with schemes where you intend NEVER to pay any interest. The bottom line is that whenever you pay any interest you instantly lose out on the benefits you are buying into. This means that you will have to project how much you can afford to repay every month so as not to pay interest AND choose a card with an appropriate credit limit in order to get cash back from any card. Repaying your outstanding balance every month in full ensures you get your full cash back entitlement and could further increase your credit rating. Maintaining a "0" balance at the end of each month also means you will be in the best position to apply for more cards later or to apply for a mortgage should you need one.