Over the past decade, airline rewards cards have been increasing in popularity. They are also known as “miles cards” or “frequent flyer cards.” With the increase in the number of these cards, the market has been flooded. Many of the major credit card companies are offering these cards, and with the large number of offers comes the tendency of the companies to become more aggressive in their offerings, thus more attractive for you.

The most well known companies that offer cards include Citibank, American Express, Chase Manhattan Bank, and Capital One. Each of these companies offer different types of cards, but some companies offer airline specific cards that only offer rewards with one airline, or they may offer general airline cards such as the relatively new American Express Blue Sky Card that offers rewards with several different airlines at the same time.

Capital One’s ‘No Hassle Rewards Miles Card,’ is a card that has been around for a while. Capital One promotes the card as a “No Hassle” card that offers a ‘low’ interest rate and no blackout dates for use of the rewards for travel. I don’t know what the average person considers to be a low interest rate, but a introductory annual percentage rate of 13.9% is not low for me. They also claim that they are the only company that offers no blackout dates. They should have done their research a little better.

American Express’s newly launched American Express Blue Sky Card hasn’t been in the spotlight much, but its offerings are nothing to pass over. Compared to Capital One’s card, American Express offers a 0% introductory annual percentage rate for six months and then a 12.24% annual percentage rate after that. Also, they have no blackout dates or restrictions for travel, despite what Capital One says. With the Blue Sky Card, you earn at least one point for every dollar spent. These points are redeemable for numerous things such as car rentals, airline tickets, hotels, and cruise offerings. Since the Blue Sky Card is a general rewards card, you don’t have to worry about only purchasing Delta tickets, Spirit Tickers, or Jetblue tickets. The rewards card carries over to most if not all of the popular travel services so you are free to use whichever service you want.

Chase Manhattan Bank has also been a contender in the reward card craze. They have reacted by launching the new Chase Value Miles Visa. Like the American Express card, they also offer a 0% introductory annual percentage rate and no blackout dates. They also offer special services with the card for free such as travel assistance, emergency cash delivery, and emergency lost card services for international mishaps.

No matter the special offerings any of these credit card companies can give you, it is always important to use credit responsibly. Using a rewards card to earn yourself points while it has an astronomical APR does not make any sense and will only do you harm. That being said, picking a balanced card that offers you a competitive percentage rate and rewards that you will actually use is a practice that will help you make the most out of your everyday purchases.