A lot of credit cards offer 0% on purchases for upto 6 months or even longer. This means, that if for example you could take out a card to purchase items for home improvements etc. If the card had a 0% APR offer then you would not pay any interest on your purchases during this introductory period.
This can also be a cost effective alternative to taking out a loan, however it is important to be aware of the APR that will be applied to your card after the introductory period.
Many such cards will also offer reward schemes or cash back on your purchases.