Jason Budley

The Shell Credit Card makes it clear this company knows how to do rewards that work for ordinary people. The best part is the reward for buying gas at a Shell station (as far as I know, Shell has stations practically everywhere). You need to spend a bit first to qualify for it, but with a decent interest rate and minimal fees this is a card that will quickly become a favorite for regular use.

The Belk Store Card is a pretty great all-around choice. The special events, reward points, and introductory deal are amazing, while the fees and grace period make it easy to try out. The support is decent and the website makes it really convenient to track all of these benefits. The interest rate could certainly be lower for those with high credit and looking to take advantage of it, but that does not stop this from being a solid choice.

This card is really hard to beat if you ask me, combining a solid APR without adding in annual fees. The great support of Chase just makes it one of the most reliable cards that anyone can put in their wallet.

The Marathon Credit Card is certainly not the card for people with pristine credit records looking for insanely low interest rates, but it is a great option for people who want to make use of the gas benefits. The rebates are actually unlimited, so as long as you are a regular customer at Marathon then the benefits of using this card have unending potential!

The Capital One Platinum is a really great card for anyone looking to get started in the credit field, especially if you are unsure about your needs. The $0 annual fee for the first year is essentially a long lasting trial period, but after this you will likely find that the great APR and quality service make it well worth the standard $19 fee that starts afterwards.

The PenFed Platinum Rewards card does what many users are looking for, with a well hit balance between rewards and solid APR. If you can qualify for this card I highly recommend it, especially if you are interested in using a credit card for regular necessities like gas and grocery shopping. The rewards will make it very worthwhile and the introductory fee is a great kick start to letting you use the card without overpaying.

The Kingdom Store Card gets overlooked by some because it plays a bit of a niche role. Yes, of course the interest rate is high, so look elsewhere if that is your only goal. However, if you qualify for the $50 Visa Prepaid Card and plan to make use of the Deferred Interest plan, then you can get some great use out of this card at the associated stores.

The only real downside to the BankAmericard Travel Rewards card is being able to qualify for it, as not everyone will be able to be so lucky. However, for those that are able to get their hands on it, this will be the perfect piece of plastic for any time you need to travel. The rewards are great and are non-airline specific, making it a step up from many of the other travel cards out there.

As a prepaid card the Mango Prepaid Card really misses the mark for me. I find it much more acceptable to pay fees on cards that are lending you money, but having to pay to check your balance and contact customer support just has the potential to add up. Its a decent card if you're okay with those terms, but generally speaking they fall short of the standards set by many of their competitors.

KAIKU may not have the name of some competing cards out there, but with the backing of Visa this company has made some great strides towards becoming quite popular. The biggest benefit of this card is the absence of fees, not to mention that qualification does not require a credit check or minimum balance. The $10,000 limit should be sufficient for most uses, making this a great addition to any wallet looking for a debit card that gets the job done without sneaking in all kinds of fees.

I have to say, the Wal-Mart Prepaid Card seems pretty standard for a prepaid card, so take that for what you will. The $3 monthly fee is not too bad, although some cards have lower requirements to bypass it than $1,000 reloading in the previous month. The free use at MoneyPass ATM’s is nice, but I believe all Master Cards provide this benefit. This is definitely a nice way to go if you are unable to get a credit card or have a need for something less risky, but the lack of rewards compared to the Wal-Mart Credit Card and many others out there leave room for improvement.

Honestly the main reason I signed up for this card was Christmas shopping a while back, and of course it is that time of year again. When you're spending enough money at the store, the deals Best Buy give you are pretty nice! Overall it is a decent card too, I love the Reward Zone program and figure even if I have nothing special to buy at the store I can always blow them on printer ink or something like that. This is definitely one of the store cards that is worth keeping in your wallet, especially with the introductory deals they use to sweeten the pot.