The best credit cards for 2013

(MoneyWatch) Shopping for a credit card? Then take a gander at CardHub's list of what it says are the best credit cards for 2013.

CardHub is a reliable source of useful information about personal and business credit cards, and it regularly describes trends in the industry. CardHub says, for example, that the value of signup rewards is trending up; the average cash-based reward is 11 percent higher than a year ago, and miles-based rewards are up 12 percent. On the other hand, the site has found that zero percent introductory interest rates have peaked at a length of about 10 months, and has remained unchanged for the last 6 months.

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So what credit cards might you want to look at this year? Here are CardHub's top three picks:

Chase Sapphire Preferred. After the cardholder spends $3.000, this card offers 40,000 bonus points, which can be redeemed for $400.

Blue Cash Preferred from American Express. CardHub claims this is one of the nest cards you can get for everyday spending. It offers 6 percent cash back from supermarkets, 3 percent cash back from gas stations and 1 percent everywhere else. It does have a $75 annual fee, but if you spend $1,000 in the first three months, you get a $150 bonus, which pays that fee for the first two years.

Capital One Venture Card. If you choose to redeem your points for travel-related expenses, you get the equivalent of 2 percent cash back across all purchases. If you spend $1,000 in the first three months, you get a $100 reward. There is a $99 fee, but you get the first year free.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user 401(K) 2013

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DISCOVER ESCAPE: Most cards have blackout periods of when and what airlines you can travel. With Discover Escape, you earn credit on any airlines, hotels or car rentals without the hassle cashing in miles or dealing with blackout periods. Not just a card for travel, Discover Escape allows you to use your points for statement credit, gift cards, and my favorite: Amazon! Best of all, if you ShopDiscover you earn double the miles (which means you'll be earning 4 miles for every dollar). On a monthly basis I spend around $2,000 and I earn roughly 13,000 points. 13,000 points transfers into $130 of credit you can use on anything. When you sign up, Discover gives you 1,000 free miles every month for up to 24months. Thats basically 24,000 miles worth $240 for free. Stop wasting time looking for that perfect card when I can promise you that THIS IS THE CARD for you. Please check it out.


I'm Interested- Give me $50 just for signing up- Discover Escape Card
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Those are some great rewards cards, though there are other like the Starwood Preferred Guest card from AmEx. To see which of those (and others) will pay you the most in rewards for your normal spending, you can use the rewards calculator at http://www.creditcardtuneup.com/ .

It calculates the best card and best combinations of cards for your entered spending profile. It translates all reward types (points, miles, cash back) into dollars and takes into account any annual fees, for an easy apples-to-apples comparison.