If you’re in the market for a new credit card, you’ve probably come across quite a collection of introductory offers in the credit card deals you’ve compared. And they can be extremely tempting, right? After all, who could resist a 0% interest offer on purchases like the five month introductory offer on the Westpac 55 Day credit card?

Here’s the thing. There are good introductory offers. And there are bad introductory offers — or at least “bad” if you’re sucked into them for the wrong reasons. Let’s take a look at how to tell the difference between a great deal and an introductory offer that might be manipulating you into a bad situation.

How to Spot a Good Deal in an Introductory Offer

The most important thing to consider with introductory offers is whether or not you’ll actually use them. For example, if you have a high interest credit card and you want to transfer your balance, a balance transfer introductory offer on a new card would be a good deal. An introductory offer of bonus rewards points for the new card wouldn’t suit your situation.

Let’s take that a step further. One of the best ways to spot a great introductory balance transfer offer is to look at the rate your balance will revert to when the offer expires. For example, many balance transfer rates revert to very high cash advance rates — not a good deal. An exception would be the ANZ Low Rate MasterCard where the low 2.9% balance transfer rate not only lasts up to 18 months (longer than most) but also reverts to the low regular purchase rate of 13.49%.

You can apply the same principle to other types of introductory offers like low purchase rates or no annual fees during your first year. The trick to finding a good introductory offer is to find one that meets your current needs, but find one that also won’t cause a shock to the system when the rates or fees revert to their normal levels.

When Introductory Offers Might be Manipulation

There’s a slightly more dangerous side to credit card introductory offers — offers designed to get you into a specific usage habit where it will cost you much more money when the offer expires. For example, think back to that 0% purchase rate offer that was mentioned earlier. That introductory rate is valid for only five months from the time you are approved as a card-holder.

A rate like that encourages consumers to finance something over time, paying it off “for free” over the next several months. What’s the benefit to the credit card company? Well, if you don’t pay off the balance by the time the offer expires, you’re saddled with a high 19.59% interest rate on the remaining balance. That’s extremely high! It’s in their interest for you to charge more than you can pay off during that period. Of course you can outsmart them and carefully budget to pay the balance off before the interest rate sky-rockets.

The same thing happens when a credit card company makes a card look like a good deal by waiving the annual fee for the first year. Many consumers will forget all about it and then be shocked when they’re charged a fee the following year. If that fee is low, it’s probably a reasonable deal. If you come across an offer with a $0 to three-figure fee change, run the other way. That’s a case of manipulating consumers into accepting a deal, hoping they’ll forget before they’re charged next year’s fee.

In the end introductory credit card offers are what you make of them. Even a seemingly “bad” offer can work out fine if you’re careful about planning for future changes — like paying off your balance transfer before your higher interest rate kicks in. Then again, it’s always a good idea to be fully aware of your financial situation, introductory offers or not.

Disclaimer: Credit card details mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of writing, and may have changed at the discretion of the credit card company. Please click the links above to visit each credit card’s information page for the latest offer details.