As with most smart consumers, the key to finding the best credit card company is to stick with the best. Among the hundreds of credit card companies that exist, only about 10 to 20 can be considered truly successful. Identifying these companies will narrow down your choices to the select few credit cards that are worth applying for.

Here are some of the characteristics of successful credit card companies.

1) No Annual Fee ? Some credit card companies are confident enough in their status that they do not need to collect annual fees. When you consider applying for a card, make sure you consider those that do not have annual fees first. Remember, if these companies that require annual fees are not content to make money off of the interest on your purchases, then they are not financially reliable to bank on. If the card you are looking at has annual fees, steer clear of them unless they offer some fantastic feature that you just can't miss.

2) Extended Interest Days- Upon purchase of an item using your credit card, you will not be charged interest unless you are unable to pay before the set interest day deadline. The most successful credit card companies offer longer periods of grace. This means that you do no have to pay interest until that day comes. Often enough, the standard for this period is 25 days.

To avoid having to pay interest, you have to pay within 25 days after your billing statement. For large purchases that require numerous months to pay, you can swallow the interest for its sake.

3) Low Annual Percentage Rate ? Some credit card companies offer low annual percentage rates. These companies can attract more customers because they have the financial clout to wag such a deal in front of consumers. Consumers will benefit from lower APR. Companies that offer lower APRs hint of larger consumer bases that make such offers possible.

If you plan to pay your balance on credit cards in full, the APR may not be much of a factor in your selection of a credit card.

4) Consult Feedbacks and Industry Profiles ? most successful credit card companies are featured in business journals and other media. This will also give you an idea of who's who in the credit card business.