Guide to credit card offers: The meaning of 'pre-approved' – and other mysteries

Credit-card companies often say you are "pre-approved," "pre-screened," "pre-qualified," or "pre-selected" to receive their credit card. Here is a guide to sorting through credit-card offers:

4. Is there a better way to find a credit card?

Elise Amendola/AP/File
In this March 2012 file photo, consumer credit cards are posed in North Andover, Mass. If you're looking for a new credit card, look online to compare offers from various credit-card companies.

If you are looking for a new credit card, don't fall for the marketing hype. Do your own research. I'm biased, of course. But you usually can find the best offers online, whether you use my website, Credit-Land.com, or another credit-card comparison website. 

So, unless you really need or want a particular credit card, skip the mailed offers. Don't read them. Don't consider them. Just shred and forget.

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