Best Credit Cards for Young Adults and Young Professionals: 2021

If you’re just starting your career, a credit card can be a valuable part of your financial toolbox. You may be thinking one (or more) of the following:

• I’m spending a lot of money every month and know I could be getting some rewards. What’s a good, simple cash back card?
• I travel occasionally for work and want to earn points. What travel card should I get?
• I travel very frequently, and want a card to earn points and enhance my experience. Does it make sense to pay a high annual fee?
• I don’t have any credit history. What should I get as my first credit card?
• I got myself into some credit card debt during college. How can I reduce the amount of interest I’m paying?

We’ve surveyed the marketplace and here are our top credit card picks to suit your individual needs, whatever they may be.

Read more Best Business Credit Cards

The Best Credit Cards for Young Adults and Professionals

One of these might be a good fit for you, but keep in mind you don’t have to limit yourself to just one credit card. Having several credit cards will give you more spending power and can actually improve your credit scores. You can also come up with a strategy to optimize your spending across multiple cards to maximize rewards. As you build up your credit, you’ll be able to qualify for better cards.

Best for All-Around Spending and Cash Back

Looking for a simple rewards card you can use everywhere, without giving it a second thought? The Citi^® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer (Review) is that card.

Rewards

Where most reward cards have bonus categories, the Double Cash cardholders 2% cash back rewards for everything you buy.

Key Terms & Features

• Free FICO Score 8: Check your FICO credit score anytime you’d like, based on your Equifax credit report
• Personal Concierge: Call for help with non-emergency tasks like making dining or travel reservations
• Citi Private Pass: Preferred access and presale tickets to events in big cities around the U.S.
• Quick Customer Service: Call and say “representative” to be connected with a human more quickly than usual
• First late payment fee is waived
• Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers, followed by a regular rate of 13.99% – 23.99% (Variable)
• Annual fee: $0

Read more in our Review of the Citi Double Cash Card

Runners Up

• 5% cash back on:
  • Travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • Lyft rides (through March 2022)
• 3% cash back at:
  • Restaurants
  • Drugstores
• 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
• $200 bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months
• Purchase APR: 0% for 15 months, then 14.99% - 23.74% Variable
• Balance Transfer APR: 14.99% - 23.74% Variable
• Annual fee: $0

 

• 1.5% cash back for every purchase
• $150 signup bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months
• Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% intro APR for 15 months on qualifying balance transfers, then 14.49%-24.99% Variable
• Annual fee: $0

 

• 1.5% cash back for every purchase
• $200 for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening
• Purchase APR: 0% 15 months, then 15.49% - 25.49% Variable
• Annual fee: $0

 

• 1.5X miles for every purchase
• Double miles your first year
• Purchase APR: See Terms for See Terms, then your rate will be See Terms
• Annual fee: $0

Read more How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work? Plus Our 9 Favorites

Best for Travel

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review) is one of the most popular general travel credit cards, much-loved for its redemption bonus and point transfer options. The card also provides a host of attractive benefits.

Rewards

Ultimate Rewards points are usually worth 1 cent each, but the Sapphire Preferred adds a 25% bonus when you redeem for travel expenses. That will give you a cash back equivalent of 2.5% for travel and dining, with 1.25% for every other purchase. Your intro bonus points will be worth a lot more too.

You can also transfer your points to 13 different airline and hotel loyalty programs at a 1:1 rate. This could give you a better value per point, upwards of 2 cents each. At that rate you’d be getting a 4% cash back equivalent for travel and dining, with 2% back for everything else. That would be a pretty competitive redemption value for non-category purchases, equal to the Double Cash card above.

Key Terms & Features

• 25% point bonus when redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 1:1 Point Transfers: To airline and hotel loyalty programs including JetBlue, Southwest, Marriott, and Hyatt
• $60 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $60 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
• DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Benefits at participating locations, like daily breakfast for two, late check-out, and more
• Shop Through Chase: A selection of retailers where you can earn extra points, like Saks.com, Macy’s, and The Apple Store (current offers at the time of publication).
• Chase Preferred Experiences: Access to exclusive events and experiences at big cities around the world
• Visa Signature Concierge: Call at any time for help making reservations, finding interesting gifts, getting good tickets, and more
• Direct Access to Customer Support: Call the number on the back of your card to be directly connected with a human customer service representative
• Shopping and Travel Benefits: Including Purchase Protection, Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, and Baggage Delay Insurance
• Foreign transaction fees: $0
• Annual fee: $95

Read more in our Review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Runners Up

Spending Rewards
1.25X miles per dollar spent on all purchases

Introductory Bonus
20,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening

• Transfer miles to a variety of airline loyalty programs
• Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then your rate will be 15.49% - 25.49% Variable
• Annual fee: $0

 

• 3X points for travel, dining, gas, and streaming services
• 20,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
• Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening, then your rates will be 14.49%-24.99% Variable
• Annual fee: $0

 

• 2X points for travel and dining, 1.5X points for other purchases
• 50,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in the first 90 days
• $100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit
• $100 Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ application fee credit
• Annual fee: $95

Best for Premium Travel

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review) is the upgraded version of the Sapphire Preferred above, with better earning/redemption rates and luxury travel benefits.

It has a fairly high annual fee of $550, but this is offset quite a bit by the perks you’ll get. When considering expensive cards like these, take some time to be sure that you’ll be getting a positive expected value for the fee.

Rewards

The Sapphire Reserve earns Ultimate Rewards points, like the Sapphire Preferred. But in this case you’ll be earning 10X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides, 3X points on travel and dining, with a 50% point bonus when redeeming for travel through Ultimate Rewards.

That means you’d be getting a 4.5% cash back equivalent for travel and dining, with 1.5% back for everything else. If you transfer those points to an airline or hotel program and get 2 cents per point, for instance, you’d be earning cash back equivalents of 6% in the first case, and 2% in the second.

Key Terms & Features

• 50% point bonus when redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 1:1 Point Transfers: To a variety of popular airline and hotel loyalty programs, like British Airways, United, IHG, and Marriott
• $300 Annual Travel Credit: Good for any travel expenses, including airfare and hotel stays
• Priority Pass Select membership: Complimentary access for you and two guests to hundreds of airport lounges around the world (additional guests cost $27)
• $100 Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ Credit: Get a credit for the application fee for Global Entry ($100) or TSA Pre✓ ($85) once every four years
• $120 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $120 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Perks at participating locations, like daily breakfast and room upgrades
• Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress towards Club 5C status at Relais & Châteaux
• Visa Infinite Concierge: Call for help with whatever you may need, like finding a nearby hotel with open rooms or good concert tickets
• Car Rental Privileges: Upgrades, discounts, and promotional offers at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental
• Lyft Pink membership: One free year of Lyft Pink, which includes 15% off rides, relaxed cancellations, surprise offers, and priority airport pickup
• DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12
• $60 annual DoorDash credit: Get $60 in DoorDash credits in 2020, and $60 in credits in 2021.
• Foreign transaction fees: $0
  
• Annual fee: $550

Read more in our Review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Runners Up

• 5X points per dollar (starting 1/1/21, on up to $500,000 spent per calendar year) for:
  • flights booked directly with airlines
  • flights and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
• 75,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10X points on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, in the first 6 months
• $200 in annual Uber credits ($15 per month, $35 in December)
• One-year Eats Pass: Enroll to get a complimentary Uber Eats membership for one year, which provides free delivery and 5% off restaurant orders over $15, and free delivery on grocery orders over $30 (through 2021).
• $100 Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ application fee credit
• Global Lounge Collection airport lounge access, including Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, Delta Sky Clubs, and more
• Fine Hotels & Resorts Collection
• Foreign transaction fees: None
  
• Annual fee: $550

 

• 3X points per dollar for eligible travel and mobile wallet spending
• 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of membership
• $325 Annual Travel Statement Credit
• $100 Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ application fee credit
• 12-month Priority Pass Select membership
• 12 complimentary Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi passes per year
• Fine Hotels & Resorts Collection
• Foreign transaction fees: None
  
• Annual fee: $400

Best for Limited Credit History

If you’re just beginning your credit journey, you’ll need to start somewhere.

The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One (Review) is a good first credit card, and it doesn’t actually require you to be a student, despite the name. Unlike most card offers made for limited credit, this one actually provides a bit of cash back.

Rewards

It’s a very simple rewards program. Pay on time to get a 25% bonus on your 1% cash back, but you should always make timely credit card payments whether you get a bonus or not. Payment history is one of the biggest factors in your credit scores, and late payments will bring your scores down significantly.

After using cards like this responsibly for some time and building up your credit, you’ll be able to qualify for more valuable rewards cards, including the premium travel cards in this post.

Key Terms & Features

• $60 streaming credit: $5 per month for 12 months on select streaming services, when you pay on time
• Access a higher credit line: You may be automatically considered for a higher credit line after six months.
• Capital One CreditWise: Monitor your VantageScore 3.0, based on your TransUnion credit report, and see data from that report as well
• Capital One Second Look Account Monitoring: Real-time fraud monitoring to help keep your account secure
• Shopping and Travel Protections: Including Extended Warranties, Travel and Emergency Assistance, Travel Accident Insurance, and more
• Foreign transaction fees: None
  
• Annual fee: $0

Read more in our Review of the Capital One Journey Student Card

Runner Up

• 1% cash back on purchases initially
  • 1.25% cash back on purchases after 6 on-time payments
  • 1.5% cash back on purchases after 12 on-time payments
• Petal Offers: Get 2% – 10% cash back from select merchants, with no activation necessary.
• Visa Local Offers: Earn Uber Cash when making purchases at select merchants by adding your Petal card to the Uber app.
• Free credit score: Check one of your credit scores from your Experian credit report, whenever you’d like.
• Purchase APR: 12.99 - 26.99% Variable
• Credit limit: $500–$10,000
• No foreign transaction fee
• Annual fee: $0

Best for Transferring or Carrying a Balance

The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card (Review) excels at balance transfers.

Why? It has an exceptionally long 0% APR balance transfer offer, giving you more time than most other credit cards.

If you’re already dealing with credit card debt, making a balance transfer to a 0% card like this will give you time to pay it off at no interest.

Key Terms & Features

• Free Credit Score: Check your VantageScore 3.0 credit score, based on your TransUnion credit report, for free.
• Purchase APR: 0%* for 20 billing cycles on purchases, then your rates will be 14.49% - 24.49%* Variable
• Balance Transfer APR: 0%* intro on BTs for 20 billing cycles on balance transfers*, then 14.49% - 24.49%* Variable
• Balance Transfer fee: Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater
• No penalty APR
• Annual fee: $0*

Runners Up

• Purchase APR: 0% for 18 months, then 14.74% – 24.74% (Variable)
• Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 18 months, then 14.74% – 24.74% (Variable)
• Annual fee: $0

• Purchase APR: 0% for 18 months, then 14.74% - 24.74% (Variable)
• Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 18 months, then 14.74% - 24.74% (Variable)
• Annual fee: $0

Is a New Credit Card Right For You?

Getting a new credit card can be a bit intimidating, especially if you’re going to be a first time cardholder. Applying for new cards is simple, but if you’ve never done it before the credit card application process can be intimidating. You may want to learn a bit first.

As a young adult, you may or may not have established a credit history. Even if you’ve never had a credit card before, student loans, auto loans, and personal loans will all contribute to your credit profile because they’re reported to the three major credit bureaus. So a good first step is to check your credit reports and scores to see where you stand.

If you have good credit already, that’s great! That means you’ll meet the standard for most credit cards, although factors like income and monthly rent payments also play a role in your overall creditworthiness — so approval is definitely not guaranteed just because you have good credit.

If you haven’t started building credit yet, or you have poor credit scores, you’ll still have quite a few credit card options. Some cards are designed for people with limited or no credit, while others are designed for people with bad credit.

Whatever your credit scores might be, you should check to see if you’re pre-qualified for any credit card offers before applying. This can give you an idea of the types of cards you’ll be approved for, and you may even find a private offer featuring a better-than-usual signup bonus.

Maybe you already have a credit card or two, and you’re concerned that opening more cards will hurt your credit. But not to worry: As long as you use your cards responsibly, having multiple credit cards won’t have an overall negative impact on your credit. In fact, it will generally have a positive effect because you’ll be lowering your credit utilization, a measure of how much of your total credit limits you’re using. Lower utilization is better for your credit scores.

No matter what type of card you get or how many you have, maintain good credit behavior. This means understanding the terms and always paying your bills on time. We recommend paying the statement balance in full each billing period, which will let you completely avoid interest on purchases. It’s good for your credit utilization too.

Treat your credit cards a bit like debit cards to help you stay on track — pay them off every month, and never carry a balance. Once you start accruing interest on a credit card, it’s easy for that balance to spiral out of control.

What Makes a Great Credit Card for Young Adults and Professionals?

• Affordable annual fee: There are many cards without annual fees, but if you choose to pay for a credit card be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
• Fits your credit history: If you have limited or no credit history, your card options will be limited as well. But you should look for pre-approved offers, because you might qualify for cards you didn’t expect.
• Good rewards: Find a card that will provide the best reward rate for your regular, everyday spending. Signup bonuses can be very valuable as well.
• Cost-saving travel benefits: Anyone spending a lot of money on travel every year could use perks on travel rewards cards for airport lounge access, travel credits, and upgraded member status with airlines and hotels.
• 0% intro rates: Avoid carrying a balance on credit cards, unless you’re using a card with a 0% APR.
• No foreign transaction fees: If you’re traveling outside the country or paying in foreign currency, look for cards without foreign transaction fees. This feature isn’t very important otherwise.
• Reliable customer service: Bad customer support can be a nightmare, especially if you’re new to credit cards. The major credit card issuers generally have decent customer support.

What’s the Best Credit Card for Beginners?

The best credit card for someone new to the world of credit, or an up-and-coming professional, will usually be a card with no annual fee, although not always.

Our favorite cards for first-time users and young adults include:

• Citi^® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer (Review), if you’re looking for an all-around cash back card
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review), if you’ll be traveling occasionally
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review), if you’ll be traveling quite a bit
• Journey Student Rewards from Capital One (Review), if you have a limited credit history (you don’t have to be a student to qualify)
• U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card (Review), if you want to transfer a balance or pay off new purchases over time

How Old Do You Have to Be to Get a Credit Card?

By law, you need to be at least 18 to get your own credit card (those under 18 may be able to become authorized users).

If you’re younger than 21, you’ll also be held to a higher standard when it comes to proving that you’ll be able to make payments. Credit card issuers ask about your income when you apply, to help determine your ability to pay off the card; if you’re under 21, you can only report your own independent income (most credit card issuers don’t allow cosigners).

If you’re 21 or older, however, you can include your overall household income, which can include your spouse’s income. And that extra cash flow can make it easier to qualify for credit cards.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.