Credit cards might look pretty much alike, but our new survey shows vast differences in how pleased people are with their plastic. And we're not just talking about interest rates, which vary widely from one card to another.

The survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, covered 36,298 readers' experiences with 61,944 cards. It found that consumers had far fewer billing headaches and other problems with the card issuers at the top of the Ratings. By contrast, some of the biggest banks (and most ubiquitous credit-card advertisers) earned scores that put them at or near the bottom of our Ratings.

The card issuers that scored exceptionally well in our Ratings--USAA Federal Savings, the Navy Federal Credit Union, and a group of other credit unions--also charged median interest rates between 9 and 11 percent, compared with the 17 percent imposed by the two issuers at the bottom of the Ratings.

USAA Federal Savings, which issues American Express- and MasterCardbranded cards, earned a reader score of 95 out of a possible 100. That's one of the highest scores we have seen in recent years. The Navy Federal Credit Union, which offers MasterCard and Visa, was also very highly rated by our readers, as were the other credit unions.

"Credit unions are run by members, so they have a vested interest in providing credit at very low rates," says George Overstreet, a University of Virginia finance professor who studies creditunion operations. "And they are more focused on keeping their members happy, while banks have to worry more about keeping their investors happy."

The details

The USAA card is limited to members of the military, retired military personnel, and their families. However, almost anyone can join a credit union these days, and it might be a good idea, if only for a good credit card.

Years ago, credit-union membership was restricted to people who were closely connected in some way: They worked for the same employer, lived in the same town, or attended the same house of worship. But regulators have loosened many of the membership restrictions, so people can now join the same credit union if they work in the same industry, live in the same general geographic area, or share a common religion.

Two retailers--Cabela's, which sells sporting equipment, and Nordstrom, an upscale department store--also scored very well. Both companies charge average interest rates on their Visa cards and have a long history of superior customer service. For example, both promise 100 percent satisfaction on purchases and will accept returns or exchanges for any reason. Nordstrom even pays the postage for exchanges sent through the mail.

At the other end of the spectrum, the two issuers at the bottom of our Ratings, Providian and Direct Merchants, charged the highest median interest rates reported in our survey: 17 percent. Survey respondents gave Providian the worst marks for unexpected interest-rate hikes. Providian cardholders reported that they had more trouble with bills that arrived too late for them to get their payments in on time or were more likely to be assessed late fees even when they sent their payments a week before the due date.

The nation's five largest MasterCard and Visa issuers--JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Capital One, and HSBC, which control almost 80 percent of the Visa and MasterCard market--all had undistinguished scores. More of our readers who used those banks' cards complained that they were assessed unfair late fees or experienced unexpected interest-rate increases than did readers who held cards from the top-rated issuers. And none of them was exceptional at resolving problems.