The annual fee is the first number to check
Almost every card charges something to keep it open, and the annual fee is the easiest figure to compare because it arrives once a year. For 1822direkt the annual fee is €36, and for the business card from ABN AMRO Zakelijk it is €37.50. Neither is free, and both sit in the middle of this group rather than at either end.
The spread across the group is far wider. The gold card at Absa costs ZAR 588 a year, the card at Absa Bank Mauritius costs MUR 230, and the card at Access Bank Cards costs $10. The low interest rate card from ANZ Credit Cards charges AUD 58, the credit card at AVO Bank charges UZS 27,000, and Avant's fee runs $0 to $125. That last figure is a range, which tells you the same brand sells cards at more than one price point.
An annual fee only costs you money while you keep the card, so the sensible follow up is what it buys. A fee of €37.50 on a card aimed at business spending is easier to justify than the same charge on a card you use once a month.
Cards you can hold without an annual fee
Several brands in this group charge no annual fee at all. That is true of Advanzia Bank, whose annual fee is €0, and of AffinityPlus Credit Union, where the annual fee is $0. Alif, American Airlines, Amwal, ANNA Money, Aqua Card, Arab Bank and Avant Money sit alongside them, with annual fees of TJS 0, $0, SAR 0, £0, £0, JOD 0 and €0.
A free annual fee only helps if the other charges are small too, so read it alongside the foreign currency and balance transfer sections below. If the card is really for travel rewards rather than for a free year, the Airline and miles cards ranking is the place to start.
Balance transfer fees decide whether a transfer is worth doing
A balance transfer moves existing borrowing onto the new card, usually at a lower rate, and the provider normally takes a fee for the move. Four brands here publish one: 5% at American Airlines, 3% on the ANZ low interest rate card, 3% on the Aqua Card balance transfer card and 0% at AffinityPlus Credit Union.
The difference matters more than it looks. A transfer fee of 0% at AffinityPlus costs nothing to move, while 3% at Aqua Card takes a visible slice out of any modest balance. Multiply the fee by the number of transfers you expect to make before you apply, and check the Balance transfer cards ranking for how these compare on cost.
Foreign currency fees decide how a card behaves abroad
Two brands in this group convert spending in other currencies at no cost: Advanzia Bank has a foreign currency fee of 0%, and AffinityPlus Credit Union has one of 0%. For a card you use on every trip, that is worth more than any welcome offer.
The middle group charges a small but real amount. The foreign currency fee is 1.5% at Araratbank, 2% at Al Rajhi Bank, 2.5% at ABN AMRO Zakelijk and 1% at ANNA Money. The top group is much more expensive: 2% to 3% at Arab Bank, 3% at American Airlines, 3% at AVO Bank and 5% at Access Bank Cards.
Because this charge lands on each transaction rather than once a year, small daily spends turn it into a steady cost. The same holiday pattern can be cheap on one card and expensive on another, so run your own rough spend through the figures above before choosing.
The rate you pay when you carry a balance
If you clear the card every month, the rate on carried borrowing barely matters. If you do not, it is the number that decides the bill. The figures here run from 0% at Amwal and 3.5% at Access Bank Cards through 14.65% to 18% at AffinityPlus Credit Union, 20.8% at Avant Money and 19.74% to 29.74% at American Airlines, up to 39.9% at Aqua Card, 29.99% to 35.99% at Avant, 20.25% to 25.75% at Absa and 27.9% to 74.9% at AVO Bank.
Where a rate is a range, it is usually because the brand offers several products or several tiers of credit, so ask which one you are being offered. Note the pairing at Aqua Card: a free annual fee of £0 sits next to a rate of 39.9% and a transfer fee of 3%. A free year is not the same as a cheap card.
A short order of comparison
Work through the costs in the order they are likely to hit you. Start with the annual fee, since it is unavoidable while the card is open. Then check the foreign currency fee if you spend abroad, the balance transfer fee if you are moving existing borrowing, and the rate on carried balances if you expect to pay less than the full amount each month. Add the transfers page link next to the third step.
Two last checks are worth making. A low rate can still be the wrong card if the balance transfer fee is high, and a free annual fee can still be the wrong card if the foreign currency fee is not. If your credit history is limiting your options, the Bad credit and credit builder cards ranking narrows the field first, and the individual reviews linked above set out what each brand charges in its own terms.