I’ve monitored credit card offers since 2007. A lot has changed since then, as credit card rewards have grown in value. From a database of hundreds of cards, this article contains what I think our the overall best credit cards. This list is updated monthly.
Finding the best credit cards is both an art and a science. To some extent, it’s about the numbers. You look for cards with the lowest interest rates or fees, or the highest rewards. But it’s also about matching the best credit card with your specific financial needs.
As a result, the top card will vary from one person to the next. You should consider what your financial goals are, such as earning rewards, paying down debt with a 0% offer, or just having an everyday card you can use. You also need to consider your credit score. If you don’t know your score, there are plenty of ways to access your score for free.
With those caveats in mind, we’ve assembled a list of the Best Credit Cards for 2020. With each category we’ve included a link to a larger list of credit cards. And following this list, you’ll find more details about these offers and information about our ranking methodology.
Best Credit Cards of September 2020
| Credit Card | Best for | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve Card | Signup Bonus | 50,000 Bonus Miles |
| Citi Double Cash Credit Card | Simple Cash Back | 2% Cash Back* |
| Chase Freedom Flex | Bonus Cash Back | Up to 5% Cash Back |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Groceries | Up to 6% Cash Back |
| Capital One® Secured Mastercard® | Building Credit | Reports to Credit Bureaus |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | Travel | 5% Cash Back |
| Citi Diamond Preferred Card | 0% APR | 0% for 18 Months |
| Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One® | Student | Up to 1.25% Cash Back |
| Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Fair Credit | 1.5% Cash Back |
*You earn 1% at the time of purchases and 1% when you pay your credit card bill.
Best Overall Credit Cards
There are three cards that make the cut as the best overall. I carry and regularly use all three. I should add that I save and invest ALL of the rewards earned from these cards. For more on my approach to credit card rewards, check out this video:
Here are my top three cards.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card makes the cut for several reasons. It has an excellent signup bonus, up to 3x rewards, a $300 a year travel credit, and unparalleled travel benefits and perks (including free airport lounge access).
- Welcome Offer: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit.
- 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $0 foreign transaction fees.
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™
- Select Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®
This card does come with a $550 annual fee. The benefits, however, make the card well worth the cost.
Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card
The Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card is my goto cash back credit card. It pays 2.5% on all purchases for the first $10,000 in purchases per month; 1% thereafter. There is a $99 annual fee (waived the first year). That means you’ll need to spend at least $20,000 a year, otherwise, a no-fee 2% cashback credit card is better.
- 2.5% cash back on all purchases (up to $10,000 in purchases each month)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- $99 annual fee (waived the first year)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Works with Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay
Chase Freedom Flex
Chase just introduced the Chase Freedom Flex and it’s loaded with rewards. It’s arguably one of the most rewarding cash back cards available today, and that’s why it made our list here.
- $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months.
- 5% cash back at the grocery store (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 in purchases the first year.
- 5% on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout or eligible delivery services.
- 3% on drugstore purchases
- 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories every quarter (activation required)
- 1% on all other purchases
- 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 2022
- Free access to your credit score
- 0% APR introductory rate for 15 months on purchases.
- No annual fee
Cash Back Cards
There are two approaches to cash back cards. Either you carry one card with excellent rewards, or you carry multiple cards to get the most out of every purchase. The one card approach is simple, but doesn’t maximize your rewards. The multiple card approach is a bit of a hassle, but you get the most cash back.
If you want to maximize your cash, the Chase Freedom Flex mentioned above and Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express are two excellent options.
Here are details on these and other cash back credit cards.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Welcome Bonus: Earn $200 after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
- Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 3% cash back at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% cash back at drugstores
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Intro APR: 0% for 15 months from account opening on purchases
- Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey
- No annual fee
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Cash Back: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase
- Get automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Free credit monitoring with the CreditWise® app
- $0 fraud liability if your card is ever lost or stolen
- Get customized alerts and manage your account with the Capital One mobile app
- $39 annual fee
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
- Welcome Offer: Earn $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening..
- Earn Cash Back: 6% at U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), and 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions including Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, ShowTime, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon Music or Video (Does not include Prime membership).
- Earn 3% at U.S. gas stations and on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
- 1% on all other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.
- With the Blue Cash Preferred® Card, you can start earning cashback. No rotating reward categories. No enrollment required.
- Cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. Cashback is earned only on eligible purchases.
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, then a variable rate based on your creditworthiness and other factors.
- Annual Fee: $95
- Terms Apply
Chase Freedom Flex
- $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months.
- 5% cash back at the grocery store (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 in purchases the first year.
- 5% on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout or eligible delivery services.
- 3% on drugstore purchases
- 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories every quarter (activation required)
- 1% on all other purchases
- 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 2022
- Free access to your credit score
- 0% APR introductory rate for 15 months on purchases.
- No annual fee
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
One card that gets an honorable mention is the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. If you buy from Amazon or Whole Foods, this card is a must. You get 5% cash back on both, with no caps and no annual fee. You also earn 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores.
See also: Check out our complete list of cash back credit cards
Balance Transfer Credit Cards
Finding the best 0% card for balance transfers is primarily about the numbers. You want a 0% offer that lasts as long as possible. And to the extent available, you’d prefer not to pay a transfer fee. That has become much hard to find lately.
Citi Diamond Preferred Card
- The key feature is the card’s 0% Intro APR for 18 months on purchases and balance transfers.
- After that the variable APR will apply based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
- There is a fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- You get free access to your FICO® Score, although it’s a specialized score designed for credit cards
- No Annual Fee
With the economic uncertainties brought about my Covid-19, many credit card issuers have removed their 0% balance transfer offers There are cards still remaining, however, that offer 0% on balance transfers and purchases for up to 18 months. You can find these and other offers here.
See also: A longer list of 0% credit cards
Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Travel cards represent a diverse universe of rewards. They include general travel rewards that are independent of a specific company, airline miles cards, hotel rewards cards, and even specialty cards. As such, it’s difficult to pick the “best” travel card. A lot will depend on how you use the card and how you travel.
With that said, here are our picks for 2020.
American Express Gold Card
- Welcome Offer: Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening..
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- 1X points on other purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees, making this an excellent card for international travel.
- $100 airline fee credit and up to $100 per calendar year for baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline.
- Annual Fee $250.
- Terms Apply.
Hilton Honors Credit Card from American Express
- Welcome Offer: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening..
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for every dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands.
- Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for every dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your Card.
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
British Airways Visa Signature
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British Airways Visa Signature
- Signup Bonus: Earn 50,000 statement credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.50,000 statement credit after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening..
- Welcome Offer #2: Earn an additional 50,000 bonus Avios after spending $20,000 within your first year of account opening.
- Each year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
- Earn 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months
- Earn 6x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Earn 4x points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, U.S. purchases on shipping, and wireless telephone services purchased from U.S. service providers
- Earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases
- Receive 1 Free Night Award each year after your Card account anniversary you can use at a participating hotel.
- Enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
- Earn Gold Elite status after spending $35,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year.
- Annual fee is $125
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
- Bonus Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening..
- Earn a free night award (worth up to 35,000 points) every year after your account anniversary
- Earn 6X points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Earn 2X Bonvoy points on all other purchasers
- Earn Silver Elite Status each account anniversary, path to Gold Status after users spend $35,000 each year
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits granted each calendar year.
- Unlimited Marriott Bonvoy Points
- $95 Annual Fee
Bad Credit, Fair Credit and No Credit
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
- Rewards: Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases.
- Bonus: Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Get access to a higher credit line after making your first 5 monthly payments on time
- Monitor your credit profile with the CreditWise® app
- $0 fraud liability if your card is ever lost or stolen
- Pick the monthly due date that works best for you
- Get customized alerts and manage your account with the Capital One mobile app
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Cash Back: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase
- Get automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Free credit monitoring with the CreditWise® app
- $0 fraud liability if your card is ever lost or stolen
- Get customized alerts and manage your account with the Capital One mobile app
- $39 annual fee
