The October 2007 issue of Consumer Reports has a long article reporting the results of their Credit Card opinion survey of 36,298 readers. They rate 20+ credit cards based on primarily customer service.

The top rated Credit Card was USAA’s Federal Savings Card. Credit Union cards also had good customer service ratings.

Of the major issuers, American Express and Discover were rated in the top 10.

HSBC, Chase, MBNA and Capital One were rated near the bottom in customer service.

What does this mean?

If you tend to interact with your card-issuer a lot on the phone, consider American Express and Discover cards. I’ve found Discover to be especially helpful in certain cases, and their phone service is usual very good. American Express card holders tend to expect premium service - since it’s a selling point for many Amex high-end cards.

If you tend to pay your balance off, and never miss a payment date or incur a late fee, you should be OK with any card. In those cases, you should look for low-interest credit cards or rewards program cards.

The article also gives tips on lowering your interest rate by informing your issuer that you intend to switch cards or cancel your card. According to CR, “57 percent of people who bargained with their banks or card issuers over fees saved $50 or more.”