By Jonathan Roisman, NextAdvisor.com
With 2015 upon us, it's time to set out and accomplish your New Year's resolutions. Whether you want to travel more, save money or provide a buffer to pay off debt, this is a great time to get it all squared away and prepare for the future. Believe it or not, credit cards may be a tool you can use to achieve your 2015 resolution. In fact, there are a number of top travel, cash back and low APR credit cards that can help you reach your 2015 financial goals. Not sure which one is best for your resolution? Consider adding one of these cards to your wallet for the new year.
Best for traveling more
Affording a family vacation is not easy. There are a few ways, however, to save money and earn rewards so you can go on that vacation. Some of the best travel deals are in January and February when business starts to slow because of the cold weather. Let a travel rewards credit card help you get on that vacation even quicker. Most of these cards offer large sign-up bonuses that can help you maximize your earnings by booking less expensive flights. For instance, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card will earn you 40,000 bonus miles — equivalent to $400 in travel — when you spend $3,000 within the first three months of card membership. Not planning to take a trip until later in the year? No problem, because you could bank your points and redeem them when you choose. If earning travel rewards is a goal of yours in 2015, you won't be disappointed with the choices available to make that happen.
Best travel rewards credit card: Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is the ultimate travel rewards credit because it's a flexible travel card with an amazing intro bonus. The card comes with 40,000 bonus points — equal to $400 in travel — when you spend $3,000 within the first 3 months. The bonus is brought up 10 percent to $440 when you redeem your miles for travel expenses. What's great is that you'll earn an unlimited 2x miles on all purchases. The miles are easy to use, too — just book your travel and then redeem your miles for a statement credit against that travel. Another valuable aspect of the card is that you can use your miles however you'd like as long as it's for travel. That means they can be used on any airline, hotel, rental car agency and more. To sweeten the deal, the $89 annual fee is waived the first year!
Best for saving money
As they say in business, cash is king. What's better than having the ability to purchase whatever you want? It's also a common and sensible goal to want to earn and save more money each year. Why not earn cash back when you make necessary and everyday purchases? There are a number of great cash back credit cards available right now that offer not only a high percentage of cash back per dollar spent, but also generous perks, such as an intro bonus or 0% intro APR.
Best cash back credit card: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
There's a lot to like about the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express. With it, you can earn an astonishing 6 percent cash back on up to $6,000 worth of purchases at U.S. supermarkets each year, as well as 3 percent cash back at gas stations and department stores and 1 percent cash back on everything else! You'll get introductory $100 cash back when you spend $1,000 in the first three months of opening the account, plus a one year membership to Amazon Prime! In addition, you'll get a 0 percent intro APR on purchases and balance transfer for the first 15 months. The balance transfer fee is 3 percent of the total transfer with a minimum $5 charge. The card has a $75 annual fee. If you'd prefer a card with similar cash back rewards and no annual fee, the Blue Cash Everyday Card may be a better fit for you.
Best for paying off debt
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to pay down a credit card balance, look no further than low and 0% APR cards. There are a number of cards that offer an introductory bonus of 0% APR for at least 12 months on balance transfers. That means you'll have plenty of time to pay back your balance without worrying about interest charges.
Best low APR card: Chase Slate
With a generous 15-month 0% intro APR, the Chase Slate card is a fantastic choice if you carry a balance and want to avoid interest charges. In addition to the fantastic purchase intro APR, this card also has a 15-month 0% intro APR for balance transfers. That means you can stop paying interest on any balances you might have on other accounts if you transfer them to the Chase Slate card. Best yet, the Chase Slate card comes with a $0 intro balance transfer fee for transfers made within the first 60 days of card membership. After that, the fee is 3 percent of the amount transferred with a minimum of $5. Plus, there's no annual fee!
Check out our extensive credit card coverage to see which one might be the best fit for you and your New Year's financial resolutions.