Looking for the best credit card for your individual spending patterns? In the past, I have talked about a site called CreditCardTuneUp.com that analyzes your charging and payment patterns, based on the info you supply, and offers you a list of the cards that have the best rewards for you.

Now there's a new competitor called NerdWallet.com that I read about on The New York Times' Bucks blog. (Insert executive producer Christa's joke about me being a nerd here!)

NerdWallet.com uses a slightly different routine from CreditCardTuneUp to find the best card for you. I particular like that if you know your credit score, you can enter it on NerdWallet.com and that will change your list of potential best cards.

Otherwise, you simply put in info about your overall spending, along with estimates of spending in certain categories (gas, grocery/drugstore, dining) to see if you are eligible for booster shot rewards. Additional questions require you to assess if your card will be for personal or business use; whether or not you plan to pay the bill in full each month; how long you expect to keep the card; if you're willing to pay an annual fee and on and on. Basically, all kind of things to narrow down the choices.

I recommending using both CreditCardTuneUp and NerdWallet and comparing the results. If both sites find the same card(s) as the first, second or third choice for you, that would be great independent validation. At any rate, it sure beats picking a card based on the fancy envelope that comes in the mail, as many people do! CreditCardTuneUp and NerdWallet give you a way to methodically and scientifically select the right credit card for you.

Editor's note: This segment originally aired in December 2010.