3 Smart Reasons to Open a New Credit Card Before 2025

We're just a couple of months away from 2025, and no, I can't believe it either. Even though people often save their financial changes for after New Year's, there's no reason you need to wait until then.

If you're searching for a way to improve your finances, don't overlook getting a new credit card. The best credit cards are more than just a way to pay -- they have valuable benefits that could help you save money.

Here are three good reasons to open a new card before year's end.

1. Refinancing debt with a balance transfer

High-interest debt makes it hard to get ahead. When you're spending $500 a month on credit card balances with a 20% APR, that might not leave you much left over to save or invest.

If you're in credit card debt, there's a good chance you're paying an even higher interest rate than that. The average APR on credit cards that are assessed interest is 22.76%, according to recent Federal Reserve data. On a $10,000 balance, that's $2,276 in interest per year.

With a new credit card, you could potentially lower that to $0 in interest. All you need is a card that offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers. You can then transfer over your debt and pay it down interest free during the intro period. Check out our list of balance transfer cards for the top options, with 0% intro APRs for as long as 21 months!

2. Earning more rewards

If you don't have any credit card debt, then you can skip the balance transfer cards and start looking at rewards cards. These cards earn cash back, points, or airline miles on your purchases.

For example, you could apply for a card that earns 2% back everywhere you use it. If you spend $30,000 per year on your credit card, you'd earn $600, just because you paid with that cash back card.

Plus, many rewards cards also have sign-up bonuses. As a new cardholder, you can earn a large amount of bonus cash back or points after meeting a spending requirement. If you're interested in seeing some of the biggest bonus opportunities, take a look at our favorite credit card sign-up bonuses.

Even if you already have a rewards card, it's still a good idea to see what else is available from time to time. You might find one that you like more or that has a sign-up bonus you want to earn. Or, you could use multiple rewards cards. That's a common strategy to earn more back.

3. Avoiding fees

You might also want to make a change if your current credit card has fees you don't like. The most common example is an annual fee. Now, annual fees aren't always bad. Cards with annual fees tend to have more perks, so you can get more value out of them.

But if you don't feel like an annual fee is worth it anymore, there's no reason to keep paying it. There are plenty of great no annual fee cards.

Another example is a foreign transaction fee. You'll definitely want to watch out for this if you're planning to go abroad over the holidays. If your current card has a foreign transaction fee, you'll pay extra on each international purchase. With most cards, it's an extra 3%. Instead of doing that, get a card with no foreign transaction fees so you can save money.

With all the benefits they offer, credit cards are a useful tool to work toward your money goals. Before the end of the year, you could refinance expensive debt, earn more rewards, or stop paying costly fees, just by opening a new card.