Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach(R),
Want the best credit card for your unique situation? You’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re a frequent flyer hoping to maximize the benefits of a travel rewards card (think free airline flights, complimentary hotel nights, and lower car rental prices) or you’re a student trying to establish credit for the first time, you’ll find my top picks to help you get the most out of the cards you use. Looking for cash-back deals, zero-percent cards, or cards that help you rebuild your credit rating? I’ve got you covered there too. So don’t just accept any old card. Get on the hunt for the best credit card for YOU and enjoy the card benefits you deserve! While you’re here, be sure to also check out all my content (articles and videos) on smart ways to manage credit and debt wisely, and master your overall personal finances.

Choose a category that best suits your business needs.

 
Travel Rewards
 
Zero Percent
 
Cash Back
 
Student / Credit-building

About Our Ratings

All credit cards are rated objectively based on the features the credit card offers, the fees and interest rates, and how a credit card compares with other cards in its category. The ratings are the expert opinion of our editors, and not influenced by any remuneration this site receives from card issuers.

Travel Rewards

card_name Our Ratingseditor_rating

card_name

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Key Benefits

Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

card_name Our Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Key Benefits

2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.

Key Benefits

Earn 10x on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn up to 3X points with the Bilt Mastercard, including 1X points on rent payments (up to 100,000 points)

Key Benefits

Earn up to 1X points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year; 2X points on travel; 3X points on dining; 1X points on other purchases

Zero Percent cards

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases

Key Benefits

3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Key Benefits

Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Key Benefits

2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

Key Benefits

1.5 % Cash Back on every purchase, every day. 5 % Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).

Cash Back Cards

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

0% Intro APR for the first 12 months; 21.24% – 29.24% variable APR after that

Key Benefits

1.5 % Cash Back on every purchase. 5 % Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Key Benefits

Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

Key Benefits

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. Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.

Student/Credit Building Cards

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Welcome offer: In order to be eligible for this secured credit card, you must first open a Chime(R) Checking account and receive a qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more.

Introducing Credit Builder (effective 10/28/24, members can apply for Credit Builder without $200+ direct deposit requirement), to apply for Credit Builder, you must have an active Chime® Checking Account. Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. The secured Chime Credit Builder Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank. Note: Visa exception: If the actual card is shown, we can remove “pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit/credit cards are accepted.”

Key Benefits

No Reward information available

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Start banking & building credit

Key Benefits

Earn up to 7x the points on card swipes at over 14,000 participating merchants, then redeem them for cash back

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Welcome offer: Start with a Credit Builder Account, which is a loan in a bank-held Certificate of Deposit that you pay off in monthly installments. Choose the plan that works for you.

Key Benefits

No Reward info available

card_nameOur Ratingseditor_rating

Regular APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type

Annual Fee annual_fees

discontinued_disclaimer

Welcome offer

Earn $50 Cash Back when you spend $100 in the first three months

Key Benefits

1.5 % Cash Back on every purchase, every day. 5 % Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).

Take a look at Lynette’s articles for additional education


Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach(R), is a nationally known personal finance expert, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author who has written 16 books. Her specialties include credit, debt, paying for college, entrepreneurship, real estate, and wealth building. Lynnette has been interviewed on thousands of TV shows ranging from Good Morning America and The TODAY Show to Oprah and The Talk. She has also been published by outlets such as AARP, Black Enterprise, Essence, Kiplinger Advisor, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and VOX.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.

This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.