But that's not much use if you pay off your bill every month and don't incur interest.

So what's on offer for good payers?

It is possible to get cards that give discounts or vouchers, but it's probably much better to find a card that gives you money.

"Cashback cards are definitely appropriate for people who pay off their balance every month and that's about half the people who use a credit card," says Stuart Glendinning of Moneysupermarket.com.

"They're not always appropriate for people who don't always pay off because the standard interest rate can be very high."

Some cards, such as Amex Blue, offer 2% cashback for the first three months and 1% after that.

Cards are able to offer cashback because the shops have to pay the companies a share of every pound you spend.

"The retailer might pay between 2% and 6% on any sort of transaction and the card supplier, like Nationwide, might get 1.5% or 2% of that," says Jeremy del Strother of Nationwide.

Another way to ensure you'll be better off is to avoid hidden charges.

If you use your card abroad to pay for something in a foreign currency you could end up paying 2.75% on your bill.

There are ways to avoid this foreign levy.

Nationwide doesn't charge anything and cards such as Saga and Liverpool Victoria charge 1%, but only outside Europe.

"I actually think the future will be that individuals will have four or five cards in their wallet or purse," says Stuart Glendinning.

"They'll have different cards for different purposes.

"People will be using their cards in a smart way so when they go abroad they'll use Nationwide, when they've got business expenditure or are buying petrol, they'll use a cashback card."