Best Cards for Good or Excellent Credit

What do you pay with when you’re outside your typical bonus categories?

A smart shopper could pull out the Citi^® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer, to earn twice as much as you typically would on non-category purchases (normally just 1%). There’s even an intro APR offer for balance transfers.

• 2% cash back for every purchase you make
  • 1% cash back when you make a purchase
  • 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase

There are quite a few good flat-rate rewards cards these days; check out the runners up, where you’ll find one-time intro bonuses and bonus cash back in your first year.

• Citi Concierge: Call for non-emergency help whenever you need it, like assistance making travel reservations.
• ShopRunner membership: Use ShopRunner to get free two-day shipping and returns at participating retailers.
• Shopping and Travel protections: Including Price Rewind, Purchase Protection, Extended Warranties, and more
• Free FICO credit score: Check your FICO Bankcard Score 8 for free, based on your Equifax credit report.
• Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers, then 15.49% – 25.49% (Variable) (for transfers made during the first four months)
• Annual fee: $0

Occasional travelers can feel right at home using the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, with solid travel features for a reasonable annual fee.

If you travel more often you’ll probably want something bigger and better, to help you get the most out of your trips — check out the premium travel cards below if that sounds like you.

• 2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
  • Travel
  • Dining
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar for every other purchase
• 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $600–$1,200 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 15%–30%

• 25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Point transfer: Transfer points at a 1:1 rate to leading airline and hotel frequent travel loyalty programs, like Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus.
• 15,000-point referral bonus: Get 15,000 points for every friend you refer who applies for the card and is approved, up to 75,000 bonus points per year.
• Luxury Hotel Collection: Book eligible rooms to get perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in or late checkout, and unique gifts.
• Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers shopping portals.
• Visa Signature Concierge: Call to speak with your Visa Signature Concierge any time, day or night.
• Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Get primary coverage on eligible rental vehicles so you don’t have to pay for rental insurance and your premiums won’t go up after an accident.
• Annual fee: $95

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of our favorite cards overall, with great perks that should offset the annual fee pretty easily.

You can find a lot of value in the rewards, travel and airport security credits, Priority Pass Select membership, and hotel/rental car privileges — and those are just some of the highlights of this useful card.

• 3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on:
  • Travel (after using the full $300 travel credit)
  • Dining
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent on all other purchases
• 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 12.5%–25%

• Point transfer: Transfer your points at a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, like United, JetBlue, and Marriott
• $300 annual travel credit: A $300 travel credit every year that will be automatically applied toward a broad range of travel-related expenses charged to the card
• Priority Pass Select membership: Enjoy access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide plus a selection of restaurants. The cardholder and two guests can enter for free; additional guests cost $27 each.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Get a statement credit to offset the cost of applying for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every four years.
• Elite hotel benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress towards Club 5C member status with Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel and resort properties
• Visa Infinite Concierge: Call for non-emergency help of all kinds, like making dinner reservations or finding good tickets to a show.
• Special car rental privileges: Rental upgrades, discounts, and promotional offers at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental
• Shopping and Travel protections: Purchase Protection, a Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Trip Delay Reimbursement, and more
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $450

The Ducks Unlimited Rewards Visa Signature® Card kinda comes out of left field, but it’s not hard to say that this is an excellent cash back card for gas.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find an unlimited 5% back for gas year-round on other cards. Usually you’ll have a spending limit, or the category will only be available for a few months out of the year.

There isn’t much else to see here, but you can make this your go-to gas card to get a nice discount every time you fill up.

• 5% cash back at:
  • Gas stations
  • Sporting goods stores
• 1% cash back for every other purchase

• Free FICO credit score: Check your FICO Bankcard Score 9 for free, whenever you’d like.
• Visa Platinum benefits: Basic Visa Platinum protections may include Roadside Dispatch and an Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
• Visa Signature benefits: Upgraded Visa Signature benefits may include Purchase Protection, Return Protection, Trip Delay Reimbursement, and others.
• Annual fee: $0

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express blows most other cards out of the water when it comes to groceries, and it’s quite good in some other categories too.

It is possible to get a better return on your grocery spending than 6%, using some of the runners up below. But in those cases you’ll have to do some work (transferring rewards and redeeming for travel), whereas the Blue Cash Preferred gives you easy cash back with no further effort.

• 6% cash back for:
  • U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 spent annually)
  • Select U.S. streaming services
• 3% cash back for:
  • U.S. gas stations
  • Transit
• 1% cash back for every other purchase
• $250 statement credit for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Return on spend: 25%

• Amex Offers: Find significant discounts at a changing selection of merchants and websites.
• ShopRunner membership: ShopRunner provides free two-day shipping and returns at participating online retailers.
• Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 14.49–25.49% Variable (for transfers made during the first 60 days) (Rates & Fees)
• Annual fee: $95

When transferring a balance you typically want the longest possible 0% introductory APR period, and that’s what you’ll get from the Citi Simplicity^® Card – No Late Fees Ever.

You’ll get a shorter intro period for purchases, and there isn’t much else to this card. But if you want to pay down a large existing balance over time at no interest, you should look no further. If you’re more interested in transferring a balance at no fee, see the runners up below.

• Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 21 months (for transfers completed in the first 4 months), then 16.24% - 26.24% (Variable)
• Balance Transfer fee: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
• Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then 16.24% - 26.24% (Variable)
• Annual fee: $0

The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Review) is a business travel powerhouse, thanks to its unparalleled airport lounge access and hotel benefits. There are also some specific business perks like Dell credits and WeWork access, so explore the card to see if your company can actually use the major features.

Take note that you’ll earn 5X points on flights booked with airlines, but you’ll need to book through Amex Travel to earn that rewards rate on hotels. Some other cards are a bit more generous with their travel categories, like some of the runners up below and premium travel cards above.

• 5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on:
  • Flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel
  • Prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through Amex Travel
• 1.5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on purchases over $5,000, up to 1 million additional points per year (then 1X)
• 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar for every other purchase
• 50,000 bonus points for spending $10,000 in the first 3 months of card membership (expires 12/4/19)
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 5%–10%
• 50,000 bonus points for spending an additional $15,000 in the first 3 months of card membership (expires 12/4/19)
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 3.33%–6.67%

• Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Priority Pass, Centurion, American Express International, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Airspace, Lufthansa, and Plaza Premium Lounges
• $200 annual airline fee credit: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food, not tickets, at your selected airline
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 every four-and-a-half years)
• Elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• $200 Dell statement credit: Enroll to get an annual $200 statement credit for U.S. purchases with Dell: $100 from January through June, and $100 from July through December.
• Platinum Global Access from WeWork: Get a year of Platinum Global Access from WeWork and gain access to over 300 premium, select workspaces in over 75 cities.
• The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay
• Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners
• No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
  
• Annual fee: $595
• Charge card: You must pay your balance in full each month.