Best Credit Cards 2024

The Capital One® Quicksilver Cash Rewards card is our best overall credit card and best for cash back because of its combination of low fees, low interest, and high rewards earning rate. With no annual fee, you don't need to worry about making sure you're extracting maximum value from the card every year to make it worth it.

The absence of a foreign transaction fee makes this a rare cash back credit card that’s worth bringing on a trip abroad and helps make a compelling case that if you're only going to carry one card, this should be it.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is our best credit card for travel and best for rewards because of its competitive one-time point bonus, high rewards earning rate, and its suitcase-full of travel perks and benefits. Points are worth 50% more if you redeem them for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and you can transfer points on a 1:1 basis to a long list of eligible hotel and airline partners.

While the annual fee is high, if you're an avid traveler, the $300 annual travel credit can help justify the expense. Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers numerous other premium travel-related benefits and flexible redemption options through Chase's Ultimate Rewards program.

Based on our analysis, the United Explorer Card offers the one of the highest value per mile earned of any airline credit card, and miles can be redeemed in multiple ways, including for flights on member participating airlines in its Star Alliance, one of the largest global airline partnerships. You'll need to be committed to United as your primary airline in order to maximize the benefit from the card.

The card's compelling introductory bonus really adds to the card's value because of the high value placed on redeeming those miles with United. The $95 annual fee is in line with its competitors and is waived the first year. The card does not charge foreign transaction fees, which helps make it an excellent choice for international travel.

United has announced that it has permanently eliminated reservation change fees, which should greatly reduce any traveler anxiety around booking future award travel with earned miles and make the introductory bonus on this card that much more appealing.

Our choice for the best overall credit card for hotels is the World of Hyatt Credit Card because it offers an attractive introductory one-time bonus of 30,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. World of Hyatt cardmembers also earn an automatic award night at a category 1-4 Hyatt property upon each anniversary, which alone can justify the card's modest annual fee of $95.

As for the World of Hyatt Credit Card's rewards earning rate, cardmembers can enjoy 4 Bonus points per $1 spent on purchases at all Hyatt hotels. Plus, 5 Base points for Hyatt per eligible $1 spent for being a World of Hyatt member. Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, and commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships. Plus, earn 1 Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Investopedia values World of Hyatt points higher than any other hotel brand.

The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Credit Card is an excellent choice for transferring a balance. It offers a 0% introductory rate on purchases for 12 months and 0% on balance transfers for 21 months.

Balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening and incur a 5% fee (min $5) of the amount transferred. After the promotion expires, the interest rate reverts to a variable APR ranging from 18.24% to 28.99%, depending on your creditworthiness. The card does not charge an annual fee.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students is our pick for the best student credit card because of the high earning rate on its rewards program that you can then redeem for all sorts of travel expenses.

It also has a long introductory APR on purchases and no annual fee, which add to the card's strong rating. Plus, the lack of foreign transaction fees makes this an ideal card for student travel outside the U.S. The Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card also offers excellent credit education and monitoring services.

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is the best card for business owners because of its earning power. You'll earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 you spend each year in combined purchases of travel, shipping, online advertising, and internet, cable, and phone services. New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 within three months. That's worth $1,000 in cash back or $1,250 in travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Points earned with this card can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, redeemed for cash and gift cards, or used to book travel with a 25% bonus through the Chase travel portal. Employee cards are available at no extra cost, and complimentary tools allow you to stay on top of your business. These tools include fraud protection, purchase protection, personalized account alerts, and more.

Grocery shopping is more rewarding with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. You can earn a full 6% back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back on eligible transit and U.S. gas stations, and 1% back on all other purchases. Plus, you'll earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 within six months.

New cardholders can also use the 0% APR introductory offer on purchases for 12 months. There is a $95 annual fee, but it is waived the first year. So, you can enjoy the cash back features of this card during that period to experience its benefits before paying an annual fee in year two.

The Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards credit card is an excellent choice for shopping online, including groceries (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) and take out food as well as for charging online entertainment streaming services like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and Hulu. Specifically, it earns a full 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and on grocery store purchases, plus 1% on all other spending. So, you can earn extra cash back rewards whether you're shopping online, out with friends, or enjoying a quiet night at home.

New cardmembers receive a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 within three months. Plus, there is no annual fee, so all of the cash back that you earn is yours to keep. Travelers will love that there are no foreign transaction fees, so there are no surprises when making international purchases.

The Capital One Platinum Secured Card is Investopedia's choice for best secured card due to its lack of an annual fee and its security deposit flexibility, allowing customers to make installment deposits over time rather than all upfront. Capital One also provides automatic credit line increases over time with responsible card use and offers an array of non-secured card options that customers can consider once they have built up their credit scores. No annual fee makes the Capital One Platinum Secured Card an affordable on-ramp to establishing a positive credit history.