The Bank Rate Monitor site, http://www.bankrate.com, is densely packed with information on a wide range of financial products and selected news stories about trends in consumer banking.

The credit card area of the site provides comparisons of cards in a table format. The features compared include:

• interest rate
• annual fee
• grace period
• availability, by state
• details (a link to further information such as penalty fees and special introductory offers)

Bank Rate Monitor allows you to compare several different types of cards, including those with frequent flyer miles, cards with rebates, gold cards with rebates, secured cards, and the "best overall card for the next 12 months."

If you choose to simply search for rates, the site will prompt you to choose your primary objective in a new card, and also ask for some information about types of cards that interest you, such as secured or rewards cards and gold or platinum cards.

Some of the listings even include links to the card issuers' web sites, where you can read more about the cards they offer and how to apply.