If you’re looking for a credit card with no fees, good luck. A new CreditCards.com analysis of 100 major cards shows that the average credit card has six different fees. The most fee-laden cards have 12, and just one of the cards assessed had no fees whatsoever.
Some experts say these fees might not be all bad. Even an annual fee often isn’t a deal-breaker.
“The knee-jerk reaction when it comes to credit card fees is that you should always avoid them, which is not always true,” said John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at CreditSesame.com. Cards with annual fees tend to have higher credit limits, which can be a boon for your credit score, he said.
Credit cards that have fees sometimes have better rewards. “In the grand scheme of things, you might net ahead, even considerably ahead, because of what you’re earning in the rewards program,” he said.
Ulzheimer pays $450 per year for his American Express Delta Reserve card. He calls this a bargain, because it saves him $2,000-plus he’d otherwise pay for perks like lounge access, flight upgrades and companion tickets.
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Judith Ackland has more than 26 years of experience in accountancy and financial planning, including seventeen years as a CFO of a diverse business. She started Crystal Financial in 2010 to help a wide array of individuals, families, and business owners better understand their finances and how good financial management could help them achieve their goals. Judith has an MA in Professional Accountancy from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln as well as a Certified Public Accountant Certificate and a Certified Financial Planner designation.
