Eight in ten credit card users told the finance advice site the reputation of their provider and the brand they project are important to them.

Balance transfers fees and long balance-transfer periods, by contrast, were judged less important by the users surveyed.

But eight in ten people were also able to look at the long-term prospects with their provider, looking at APR rates over initial zero per cent interest repayment offers.

Meanwhile, among five market-leading cards, Fool.co.uk discovered that Barclaycard marginally outstrips its rivals in bidding for the custom of the UK’s 66 million credit card holders.

Its typical APR of 14.9 per cent and 13-month zero per cent balance transfer period pushed Barclaycard’s offering out in front of rivals Egg, MBNA and Halifax and earned it a positive review from nine in ten customers.

With “slightly more expensive borrowing costs and marginally higher balance-transfer fees”, rivals fell behind, according to the study.

Credit card use accounts for almost £150 billion worth of transactions a year in the UK, Fool.co.uk estimates.

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