The cost of funding your life on the road with a credit card can become living purgatory if you get it wrong and overstretch yourself.  The approach to going for a credit card has thus matured into, for many, quite important.  We all seek to know that we're not getting ripped off and, as far as possible, we'd all like to think that, unlike all the other saps, we're saving money.  In truth of course it's possibly best to forget the idea that there is one credit card that towers over every other and represents the ultimate deal for everybody.  No such holy grail exists and in fact there's really no such thing as a one-size-fits-all credit card.  This isn't to say that there are no good deals out there; it's just that it's more a case of going for the right card for your specific needs.

The onus is also on you to manage your credit cards effectively and make them work to your financial benefit.  So the first question is: Do you already have credit card debts?  If you do then your priority should be to find a card with a good balance transfer rate - there are plenty out there with a 0% balance transfer offer.  When you transfer your credit card balance you are effectively paying for your pre-existing debts on one card using a new card so that you now owe money to the new card.  If that new card has a special introductory cheap rate for balance transfers then your initial, more expensive, card will be debt free and you'll be paying less interest, potentially 0%, on your new card.  

Now, all you need to in order to rid yourself of this credit card burden at no more cost is to work away at the arrears - and in doing so, ensure that you work away at a rate sufficient to pay the debt off in entirety before the end of the introductory cycle.  The most important rule to keep in mind is not to get anything with your new balance transfer card; if a card allows a genuinely good balance transfer rate then the chances are it won't offer a similarly attractive purchase rate. If you still want to spend on a credit card then you'd be well advised to get another card for purchases and focus solely on paying off your balance transfer debts with the first card. If you're doing this, it's clearly in your interests to find a card with a good introductory deal on purchases.

At the time of writing the NatWest credit card was offering the longest 0% interest on balance transfers for 13 months 0% interest on purchases for 3 months with a rate of 13.9% thereafter, thereby buying you more time to pay the card off.  HSBC is offering the longest 0% on purchases deal of 12 months and then a 15.9% typical APR and even the supermarkets are getting in with reasonable offers with the Asda 0% credit card being the strongest and offering 2p off every litre of petrol which is handy for anyone who spends a large amount of time on the road..

To keep track of the market ensure that you see a good, reputable and independent comparison site like Uswitch or the Motley Fool which allows you to  compare credit cards.   It's important however that you remember when your 0% period expires; before you start shelling out on an inflated APR you may want to consider switching to another 0% card.

So which card is best for balance transfers?  If you're searching for the longest 0% period then Virgin steams ahead with an impressive 15 month interest free period on balance transfers, they do however charge a relatively high 2.98% fee.  Perhaps the best overall deals at the moment are offered by Natwest credit cards and RBS credit cards who both offer 0% for 13 months and a lower 2% fee.  Other decent 0% credit cards worth investigating include the Asda 0% Credit Card (0% PA for 9 months, 2.5% fee) as the 2p off every litre of petrol can mount up, particularly for the road bound worker.