Updated Jan 14, 2021 | Published Sep 05, 2019 • 11 min read
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Building a healthy credit history as a young professional is an important pillar of financial wellness. Secure a card that offers rewards, an affordable annual fee, or a 0% intro period as a bonus to improving your credit.
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The information related to Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, Discover it® Miles, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, Journey Student Rewards from Capital One, and Citi Simplicity® Card - No Late Fees Ever have been collected by Credit Card Insider and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of these products.
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?
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.
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Balance Transfer Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 13.99% – 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
Balance Transfers do not earn cash back.
If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 13.99% – 23.99% based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi’s discretion.
Citi is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
Rewards
Spending Rewards
2% cash back for every purchase (must pay at least the minimum due on time)
1% back when you make the initial purchase
1% back when you pay for that purchase later on
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)
The information related to Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
1.5% cash back for every purchase
$200 for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening
Purchase APR: 0% for 15 months, then 15.49% - 25.49% (Variable)
Annual fee: $0
Discover it® Miles
Our rating
Min. credit levelGood
Details
Annual Fee$0
Regular APRSee Terms
The information related to Discover it® Miles has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
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 moreHow Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work? Plus Our 9 Favorites
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent everywhere else
Introductory Bonus Offer
60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
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% pointbonus 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
The information related to Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
5X miles per dollar with Uber Eats (through 1/31/21)
1.25X miles on all other purchases
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 for 12 months, then your rate will be 15.49% - 25.49% (Variable)
Receive 50,000 bonus points – a $500 value – after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
If you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase
No limit to the points you can earn and your points don’t expire
Redeem for cash back as a statement credit, deposit into eligible Bank of America® accounts, credit to eligible Merrill Edge® and Merrill Lynch® accounts, or gift cards or purchases at the Bank of America Travel Center
Get up to $200 in combined airline incidental and airport expedited screening statement credits + valuable travel insurance protections
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Low $95 annual fee
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
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.
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
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% pointbonus 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.
Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
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. That’s an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases.
Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.
Enjoy complimentary access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world.
Receive complimentary benefits through American Express Travel with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts® program at over 1,100 properties . Learn More.
Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$550 annual fee.
Terms Apply.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
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 Airline Fee Credit for incidental charges through 2021 (not flight tickets)
$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
The information related to Journey Student Rewards from Capital One has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Rewards
Spending Rewards
1% cash back for every purchase
Pay on time and that goes up to 1.25% cash back
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.
No fees whatsoever. No late fee, international fee, annual fee, or any-other-kind-of-fee, fee.
Up to 1.5% cash back after making 12 on-time monthly payments
1% cash back on eligible purchases right away
2% – 10% cash back from select merchants
$500 – $10,000 credit limits
Variable APRs 12.99% – 26.99%
Build credit alongside tens of thousands of Petal Card members
Cash flow technology may help applicants without credit history get approved
Petal’s mobile app makes it easy to manage your money, track your spending, and automate payments
See if you’re pre-approved within minutes without impacting your credit score
Petal reports to all 3 major credit bureaus
No deposits required
Card issued by WebBank, Member FDIC
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
Insider tip
With limited or no credit, your card options will be relatively restricted. You may want to look into secured credit cards, which require a security deposit to fund the credit line. The Discover it® Secured (Review) is our best pick among secured cards. With responsible use, your security deposit may be returned, and you can continue using the card; this is a handy feature to have for a secured card.
If you’re a college student, you might want to start off with a more rewarding student card instead. See our picks for the Best Student Credit Cards.
Or, for another option to build your credit besides credit cards, check out credit builder loans through Self (formerly known as Self Lender).
0% Intro APR for 18 months on purchases from date of account opening and 0% Intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer. After that the variable APR will be 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Get free access to your FICO® Score online.
With Citi Entertainment®, get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more.
Shop with confidence knowing that you have dependable protection benefits, including $0 Liability on Unauthorized Purchases and Citi® Identity Theft Solutions.
The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi’s discretion.
Citi is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
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)
No Late Fees, No Penalty Rate, and No Annual Fee… Ever
0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months from date of first transfer. All transfers must be completed in first 4 months. After that, the variable APR will be 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
0% Intro APR on purchases for 18 months from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
If you transfer a balance with this offer, after your 0% Intro purchase APR expires, both new purchases and unpaid purchase balances will automatically accrue interest until all balances, including your transferred balances, are paid in full
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 14.74% – 24.74%, based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi’s discretion.
Stay protected with Citi® Quick Lock and $0 liability on unauthorized charges
The information related to Citi Simplicity® Card - No Late Fees Ever has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
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?
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:
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.
Brendan has been writing about personal finance for over eight years, and is now taking on the challenge of bringing high quality credit education to the masses. He makes sure that Credit Card Insider is covering the most important credit topics transparently and precisely, and that we have up-to-date reviews of credit cards so you can find cards that are right for you.
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The responses below are not provided or commissioned by bank advertisers. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by bank advertisers. It is not the bank advertisers' responsibility to ensure all posts are accurate and/or questions are answered.