In Sophie Kinsella’s popular book Confessions of a Shopaholic, the protagonist Becky Bloomwood lives a posh life; she resides in one of the hippest places in London and has a closet filled with the season’s latest fashion. The only flipside to Becky’s ultra-glam life is that she has a mountain-high debt. Her bank is chasing her around with warning letters filled with big numbers in red. Becky has to face all these problems all thanks to her indiscriminate spending habits with her credit card. While the book has been slotted under chick-lit and romance and incorporates all the elements of this genre, a substantial part of the plot revolves around Becky’s silly but quite effective ideas to delay paying her credit card debt.

Thus, it seems, unless you are careful enough, credit cards will either make you (or your credit score) or break you, just like Becky Bloomwood. Although Becky has a happy ending, you may not have the same luck. Hence, it is always good to think beforehand what you expect to do with your credit card: shop, pay your bills, increase your credit score, collect miles by booking air tickets or make hotel reservations. Another crucial factor to consider while applying for a credit card is the repayment amount.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card
Among the 10 best credit cards, this Chase Sapphire card has been adjudged as one of the best travel credit cards in the market. There is no annual fee and no APR in the first year. After the introductory period, the regular APR is 17.49%-24.49% and the annual fee is $95. You can earn bonus points of up to 50,000 if you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

Citi ® Double Cash Card
There is no annual fee and the intro APR includes 0% on balance transfers for the first 18 months. The regular APR is 14.99%-24.99%. You can earn 2% cashback on your shopping. Among the 10 best credit cards listed here, this is one is the best for earning cash back on your purchases.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The annual fee is $95, and the intro APR includes 0% on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months. The regular APR is 14.74%-25.74%. You can earn 6% cash back on making purchases at any supermarket and 3% cash back when you swipe your card at any gas station and select departmental stores.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
This credit card lets you earn 1.5 points for every $1 you spent on purchases. There is no annual fee and the intro APR includes 0% on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles. If you spend at least $1000 in the first 90 days, you can earn 20,000 online points.

Discover it® Student Cash Back
Among the 10 best credit cards, this one is most suitable for students. There is no annual fee and intro offer includes 0% on purchases and 10.99% on balance transfer for the first six months.

SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express
This card is best suited for small businesses as it lets you earn 5% cash back on purchases made from any supplies store and on wireless telephone services. There is no annual fee and the intro APR is 0% on purchases for the first 15 months. The APR after the introductory period is around 13.99% to 20.99%.

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
Among the 10 best credit cards listed here, this one is quite popular as a flat-rate travel rewards card. There is no intro APR and a regular APR of around 14.49% to 24.49% applicable. There is no annual fee in the first year and later one, you have to pay $95 every year. After you spend $3000 on purchases in the first three months, you will earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles.

The other credit cards in the list of 10 best credit cards include Citi Simplicity® credit card, Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card, and Discover it® Secured. Make sure you research well before applying for any credit card.