Erika Kullberg's Favorite Credit Cards
- Best for first-time-cardholders:
Chase Freedom Unlimited® - Best for dining and entertainment:
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card - Best for frequent travelers:
Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Best for rotating cashback:
Chase Freedom Flex® - Best for bad credit:
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card - Best for small businesses:
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The best credit cards offer lucrative welcome bonuses, outstanding rewards programs, and more. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to finding the best credit card, we’ve selected some top contenders that have exceptional features.
Whether you’re looking to build credit, save money on interest, or offset the cost of an upcoming vacation, the cards below are great additions to your wallet.
Best for First-Time Cardholders
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Rewards Rate
- 5% cashback on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3% cashback on drugstore purchases, restaurants, takeout, and eligible delivery services
- 1.5% on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn an additional 1.5% cashback on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cashback
Annual Fee
$0
If you’re looking for your first credit card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good place to start. This is a great choice for covering everyday expenses and there's no annual fee.
Points can be redeemed through Chase Travel℠ or applied as a statement credit on your balance. There are other perks you can access too, like trip cancellation insurance and travel assistance services.
The main drawback is that the card’s reward structure can be difficult to keep up with as some categories earn at different rates than others.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of the best credit cards for beginners.
It's got strong cashback rates, especially if you like to travel and dine out (or do delivery). And its 1.5% cashback rate on everything else is better than many other beginner cards, which typically only offer 1% on purchases outside of special earning categories. This also makes it handy if you don’t want to juggle multiple cards.
We also really like that the card has so many extra perks, like travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty, which are usually hard to find with cards that don't charge an annual fee.
Best for Dining and Entertainment
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 8% cashback on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 3% on dining, entertainment, select streaming subscriptions, and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores)
- 1% on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$0
If you find yourself regularly dining out, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is good to have in your wallet. It rewards you for dining and entertainment and the points you earn from this card can even be used to pay for future nights out.
If you're a concertgoer or sports fan, you can earn even more. SavorOne offers 8% cashback on Capital One Entertainment Purchases and you get exclusive presale access to popular shows.
Other notable SavorOne card benefits include extended warranty protection, 24-hour travel assistance services and travel accident insurance, exclusive travel deals, CreditWise credit monitoring, and complimentary concierge services for dining, entertainment, and travel.
However, note that it doesn’t offer lounge access or baggage insurance, which usually comes with more premium travel credit cards.
If you’re a beginner looking to get started with easy cashback, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid choice. It doesn’t have rotating categories that you need to activate and it has no annual fee, so you can keep it in your wallet forever, even if you stop using it.
Its tailor-designed for people who spend a lot on dining out, grocery stores, streaming services, and entertainment. If you pay your balance off in full every month, you're basically getting discounted groceries, takeout, and streaming via cashback.
Lastly, the SavorOne doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, which gives it some basic use as both a cashback card and a travel card.
Best for Frequent Travelers
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Rewards Rate
- 10x points on hotel stays and car rentals through Chase Travel℠
- 5x points on dining purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards and on Lyft purchases (through March 2025)
- 5x points on flights booked through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 3x points on restaurants and travel
- 1x points on everything else
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$550
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the top-tier travel rewards card offered by Chase. Although the annual fee might seem steep, the benefits outweigh the costs, so long as you travel a lot and can take advantage of the perks.
For example, the card has a $300 annual travel credit, and you'll get a statement credit of up to $100 every four years for your TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application. The card also grants you global lounge access through Priority Pass and Chase lounges, and you'll score extra perks at Luxury Hotel Collection properties, like complimentary breakfast, free upgrades (when available), and late checkout.
Finally, this card offers coverage for trip delays, trip cancellation/interruption, baggage delays, and lost baggage, plus primary auto coverage insurance.
If you don’t travel enough to reap the full rewards of this card, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which offers many of the same benefits for a lower annual fee.
For frequent flyers, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is arguably the best travel card on the market.
It has very high earning rates for travel and dining, especially when booking through Chase Travel℠ and Chase Ultimate Rewards. You also get a boosted redemption value when booking through Chase Travel℠ — your points are worth 50% more. Plus, you get a $300 annual travel credit.
This card does come with a hefty annual fee, but many benefits make it worth it. You’ll get access to more than 1,300 VIP airport lounges worldwide, including the new Chase Sapphire Lounges. You’ll also get up to $100 statement credit every four years to put towards your application for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry.
Best for Rotating Cashback
Chase Freedom Flex®
Rewards Rate
- 5% cashback on rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1%; activation required) and travel purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 3% on dining and drugstore purchases
- 1% on all other spending
Welcome Offer
Earn $200 cashback after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$0
The Chase Freedom Flex® is a great way to get rewarded for everyday purchases, as you can earn 5% cashback in specific categories that rotate every quarter. These can range from filling up your gas tank to going to the movies or paying for your gym membership.
Categories require activation each quarter, and rewards earned in the bonus categories are capped at $1,500. However, your cashback rewards don't expire and there's no minimum to redeem for cashback.
With the Freedom Flex, you also get free access to Chase Credit Journey, which shows your credit score, updated every week. If you’re trying to rebuild your credit, this can help you see if you’re on track.
The Chase Freedom Flex® has one of the highest rewards for a cashback card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. When used strategically, the Freedom Flex can help you earn cashback on things you were already planning on spending money on.
Plus, the card comes with a lot of redemption options. You can convert your cashback into statement credit or have the funds deposited into your bank account — which doesn’t have to be a Chase account. You can also redeem the rewards for gift cards or use them for travel expenses through Chase Travel℠.
For travelers and those who like to dine out, the increased cashback rates on those categories are pretty appealing. And if you're willing to put in the work to activate the rotating categories each quarter, you can earn even more.
Best for Bad Credit
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- None
Welcome Offer
None
Annual Fee
$0
Minimum security deposit
$49
On its surface, the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card may not be as flashy as the more lucrative rewards credit cards on our list. It doesn’t have a big sign-up bonus (or any sign-up bonus) and it doesn’t earn points or cashback for its purchases. But it’s a great stepping stone if you have a low credit score and are trying to build your credit.
To open the card, you will need to make a refundable deposit of $49, $99, or $200. Your deposit amount can vary based on your eligibility (lower deposits are for those with higher scores), but your starting credit line will be $200.
Before your account opens, you can deposit additional funds to increase your credit limit up to a maximum of $1,000. You need to pay off your credit card balance each month to reset your credit limit.
Capital One will consider increasing your credit limit as soon as six months after you open your account. Once you’re eligible for an upgrade to unsecured status, your deposit is refunded.
The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card stands out from other secured credit cards because it has a very accessible minimum deposit requirement: You can get a credit limit of $200 with a deposit as low as $49. By contrast, most secured cards have a minimum deposit of at least $200, and their credit limits typically match the deposit amount.
While you won’t earn rewards like cashback, points, or miles, you will get other valuable benefits, like 24/7 customer support, $0 fraud liability when the card is lost or stolen, account alerts from Eno about possible mistake charges, and CreditWise credit monitoring and alerts.
The Platinum Secured also doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee or charge for emergency replacement cards, which makes it a good card to take with you when you travel overseas.
Best for Small Businesses
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Unlimited 1.5% cashback on every purchase made for your business
Welcome Offer
Earn $900 bonus cashback after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$0
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has long-term value for businesses that want to earn a respectable amount of cashback on every purchase. And Chase doesn’t skimp out on other attractive features, either.
Purchases made with the card get:
- Extended warranty that increases U.S. manufacturers’ warranties of three years or less by an additional year
- Purchase protection for up to 120 days against damage or theft, with a very high reimbursement limit of up to $10,000 per claim
- Rental car insurance covering up to a rental vehicle’s actual cash value if it’s stolen or sustains collision damage
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has a simple earning structure that makes it suited to businesses with a diverse expense sheet, or for new entrepreneurs who want to earn money back on business purchases but aren’t yet certain where most of their spending will go.
Plus, it's got flexible redemptions options. Rewards can be redeemed as cashback, deposited into most checking or savings accounts, for gift cards from over 150 brands (including hotel chains, electronics, and office supply stores), for Apple products via the Apple® Ultimate Rewards Store, or for business travel booked through Chase Travel℠.
The Bottom Line
There are lots of types of credit cards you can choose from! Depending on your goals, habits, and comfort level, you might maintain just one card or you could open several cards. You might be interested in a rewards card that offers cashback or redeemable travel points, or a business credit card if you're an entrepreneur.
Evaluate your spending habits and goals. The features of a card need to align with your budget, so opt for a card that will complement your lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends. Even though some credit cards charge an annual fee, those cards might provide you with more value in the long run. This is especially true for travel cards. Many of the added rewards that come with these cards, such as lounge access, might be invaluable to you depending on your personal situation.
Do the math and compare the rewards across fee-bearing cards and cards with no annual fees. If the rewards exceed the cost of the annual fee, it could be worth paying it.
The best credit card for you depends on your financial situation and your goals. For example, a simple no-frills credit card like the Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is available to people with limited credit and is a great way to start building credit.
If you’re a traveler, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great beginner travel card, with a big sign-up bonus and low annual fee. Its big sister, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, comes at a much higher cost but delivers high-end travel perks to back it up, so it’s often the best choice for frequent travelers.
A debit card is directly linked to a bank account. When you buy something, the money is withdrawn from your account. A credit card, on the other hand, isn’t connected to a bank account. It essentially acts as a mini loan to cover the cost of the transaction until you can pay it back.
A credit card can protect against fraud and scams. If someone steals your credit card information, they can make fraudulent purchases with your card number, but they won’t access your bank account and saved money. Consumer credit cards provide $0 fraud liability, ensuring you won’t have to pay for fraudulent charges.
It also comes with opportunities to earn rewards for purchases that you won’t get with a debit card. Many credit card companies have special cards that offer cashback on purchases or allow you to earn points you can redeem for travel. This can help you maximize the value of spending money, especially if it’s on things you’re already planning to purchase.
