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 2021. 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 January 2021
| Credit Card | Best for | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Signup Bonus | 60,000 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 |
| Secured MasterCard® from Capital One | Building Credit | Reports to all 3 Credit Bureaus |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | Travel | Up to 5% Cash Back |
| U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card | 0% APR | 0% for 20 Billing Cycles |
| 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 the cards that make the cut as the best overall. I carry and regularly use many of these cards. 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 Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card makes the cut for several reasons. It has an excellent signup bonus, up to 2x rewards and unparalleled travel benefits and perks.
- Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases with the card in the first months. These points are worth $750 in travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Get 25% point bonus when you redeem points for travel through Chase
- $0 foreign transaction fees
- 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs at full value
- $95 Annual Fee
This card does come with a $95 annual fee. The benefits, however, make the card well worth the cost.
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% 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 bonus after spending $500 within your first 3 months.
- 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
- Limited Time Offer: $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months.
- 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.
- Annual Fee: $95
- 0% APR on purchases for 12 months
- Terms Apply
Chase Freedom Flex
- $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months.
- 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
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
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 impossible today, as many balance transfer offers have left the market.
Here is the best option available today:
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
- 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 20 billing cycles. After that, a variable APR
- No Annual Fee*
- Choose your own payment due date that fits your schedule.
- Get up to $600 protection on your cell phone (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft when you pay your monthly cellular telephone bill with your U.S.Bank Visa® Platinum Credit Card. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions apply.
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 20 months. You can find these and other offers here and 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 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 within your first 6 months.
- 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.
- Annual Fee: $250.
- Terms Apply.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases with the card in the first months. These points are worth $750 in travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Get 25% point bonus when you redeem points for travel through Chase
- $0 foreign transaction fees
- 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs at full value
- $95 Annual Fee
The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Welcome Offer: Earn
60,00075,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases with the card in the first 6 months. - Earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- 5X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Beginning 1/1/2021, the 5X rewards is capped at $500,000 on these purchases annually.
- 5X Membership Rewards points on eligible hotels booked on amextravel.com.
- 1X Membership Rewards points on all other purchases.
- Up to $200 Airline Fee Credit
- Up to $200 Uber savings every year
- Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit
- Annual fee: $550
- Terms Apply.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- One-time Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 within your first 3 months
- Earn 2X miles on every purchase
- Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®
- Miles aren’t specific to any airline or hotel, so they can be used anywhere
- Travel when you want with no blackout dates
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account
- No foreign transaction fees
- $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
- 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
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