There may still be three months to go before Christmas, but savvy shoppers are already thinking about buying presents.
And if you are planning to fund the festive season with a credit card, or want to take advantage of cashback to cut costs, then now is the time to apply for your Christmas plastic.
Why do I need to apply for my Christmas credit card now?
Card companies can often take up to 10 days to contact you to let you know whether or not your application has been accepted.
This is due to the checks that most lenders now carry out before approving credit for new customers.
If your application is successful - which you can dramatically improve the chances of by using the MoneySupermarket Smart Search tool - you will then need to fill in the necessary forms and send them back.
Only once these have been processed will your new card and PIN be sent out in the post. In order to avoid missing out on great cashback deals on your Christmas spending, or face paying interest on any debts built up during the most expensive time of the year, it is therefore sensible to get your application in early.
Kevin Mountford, head of banking at MoneySupermarket, said: "Get your credit card application in now to avoid disappointment.
"You don't want to be waiting on its arrival while watching Christmas bargains getting snapped up from under your nose."
Where can I find the best deals?
The best introductory deal on purchases available at the moment is from Marks & Spencer. Its Credit Card offers 15 months at 0%, as well as the chance to earn M&S points on Christmas presents, decorations and food.
You will need to clear any balance built up during the 15-month interest-free period before interest charges come into play, however, or the representative APR of 15.9% (variable) could end up costing you dear.
Mountford said: "This is a particularly good choice for M&S shoppers, as long as they are able to pay off their balance within 15 months."
Alternative options include the Tesco Clubcard Credit Card, which also offers 15 months at 0% on purchases, plus nine months at 0% on balance transfers (subject to a 2.9% fee).
It has a slightly higher representative APR of 16.9% (variable) once the introductory period ends. However, it could still prove a better choice if you tend to shop more at Tesco than at M&S due to its Clubcard reward scheme, which gives you one point for every £4 spent, on top of your ordinary Clubcard points.
You could also look at the Barclaycard Platinum with Purchase card, which offers 14 months at 0% on both purchases and balance transfers, again subject to a 2.9% fee.
This card also has a reward scheme, but comes with a hefty representative APR of 18.9% (variable).
I would like to get cashback on my Christmas spending. What are the best cards for me?
If you are confident that you will be able to pay off your Christmas bills in full within the interest-free period offered by standard credit cards, a cashback card can be a great way to get more for your money.
This is because a percentage of the amount you spend will be returned to you, either as a cash payment or a reduction in your bill. "Basically, the more you spend, the more you get back - making cards of this kind a great choice for Christmas shoppers," Mountford said.
The best cashback card on the market at the moment is the Santander 123 Cashback card, which offers 3% cashback on fuel purchases, 2% on department store transactions and 1% on supermarket spending.
But beware: The card has a £24 annual fee, pushing its representative APR up to 22.8% (variable). Given this and its bias towards fuel purchases, Christmas shoppers will probably therefore be better off with Capital One's fee-free World Mastercard, which pays a massive 5% cashback on all purchases made in the first three months.
There is a maximum cashback amount of £100 during this period, meaning that you can only earn 5% on your first £2,000-worth of purchases.
That should be enough for the average Briton's Christmas list, but it is worth pointing out that after this point the cashback rate drops to between 0.5% and 1.25% depending on how much you spend.
The representative APR on the card is also relatively high at 19.9%, meaning that any payment slip-ups could prove costly.
Other cashback cards worth a look include the American Express Platinum Cashback card, which pays 2.5% cashback on all purchases in the first three months - again up to a maximum of £100.
The introductory deal means that it too is particularly well suited to Christmas shoppers looking to get something back from a credit card, and the ongoing cashback offer is also competitive at 1.25% on virtually all puchases.
The bad news, however, is that it too has an annual fee of £25, giving it a representative APR of 18.5% (variable).
By Melanie Wright, financial journalist for moneysupermarket.com
