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

Read more How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work? Plus Our 8 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

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

Spending Rewards
10X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar: Chase Dining through Ultimate Rewards Hotel stays and Car rentals through Ultimate Rewards (after the full travel credit is used) Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Air travel through Ultimate Rewards (after the full travel credit is used)
3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar: Travel (after the full travel credit is used) Dining
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases

Introductory Bonus
50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months

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

• $300 annual travel credit: You’ll get a $300 travel credit every year that will be automatically applied to any travel-related expenses you charge to your card.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Cardholders get complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which provides access to over 1,000 airport lounges and restaurants worldwide. You must manually activate this benefit, and you’ll receive a Priority Pass Select member card in the mail.
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Every four years you’ll get up to a $100 credit towards the application fee for either Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85).
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection provides some complimentary services and benefits at participating hotels and resorts.
• Elite hotel benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Cardholders get accelerated progress towards Club 5C member status with Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel and resort properties; just stay two nights at qualifying properties in a 12-month period. Club 5C status provides benefits like a VIP welcome, room upgrades, access to a unique experience at each property, and invitations to exclusive events. You must book using the Visa Infinite Concierge.
• $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.
• Visa Infinite Concierge: Call 1-877-660-0905 for non-emergency help of all kinds, like making dinner reservations or finding good tickets to a show. You can also ask for travel recommendations, for flights, tourist attractions, the best shopping spots, restaurants, night clubs, etc. This benefit is probably most useful when visiting a new city.
• Special car rental privileges: You can access your special car rental privileges by logging in to Chase Ultimate Rewards and following the instructions to enroll. You’ll get perks at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental like rental upgrades, discounts, and occasional promotional offers.
• Lyft Pink membership: One-year exclusive saving opportunities with Lyft Pink membership, providing 15% off rides, relaxed cancellation fees, priority dispatch at airports, and more
• DoorDash membership, $60 annual DoorDash credit: Chase will pay for a DoorDash subscription for two years (a DashPass). You’ll also get $60 in DoorDash credits in 2020, and $60 in 2021 (learn more about Chase DoorDash benefits).
• Shopping protections: Purchase Protection; Extended Warranty Protection; Return Protection
• Travel protections: Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver; Roadside Assistance; Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance; Baggage Delay Insurance; Travel Accident Insurance; Trip Delay Reimbursement; Lost Luggage Reimbursement; Travel and Emergency Assistance; Emergency Evacuation & Transportation
• No foreign transaction fee
• Annual fee: $550

Read more in our Review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Runners Up

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

Spending Rewards
1% cash back on all purchases 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.

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

• Access a higher credit line: You may be automatically considered for a higher credit line after six months.
• $60 streaming credit: $5 per month for 12 months on select streaming services, when you pay on time
• Capital One CreditWise: The CreditWise service provides free access to one of your VantageScore 3.0 credit scores, based on your TransUnion credit report. You can monitor your score over time and get alerts about any changes.
• Capital One Second Look account monitoring: Keep an eye on your account with Second Look, and get access to account alerts to be notified of any activity on your account.
• No foreign transaction fee
• Annual fee: $0

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

Runner Up

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

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.