This Year’s Top 10 Credit Cards

The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer is an ideal workhorse card thanks to its exceptional ongoing rewards rate: 2% cash back on all purchases (1% when you buy something, and 1% when you pay it off). It lacks some of the incentives often found on cash-back cards — there's no sign-up bonus or 0% intro APR period on purchases — but with no bonus categories to track and no annual fee to worry about, it’s a top-notch option for everyday spending.

The Discover it® Cash Back offers a stellar rewards rate for those who don’t mind a little maintenance. It earns 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories, on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter, and 1% back on other purchases. The catch: You have to remember to activate the categories via web or app every few months. Historically, the bonus categories have included common household expenses like restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and Amazon, making it a solid pick either as an everyday card or paired with a flat-rate cash-back card. Add in Discover's signature cash-back match bonus offer, and this card delivers.

We chose the Chase Sapphire Reserve® as our winner in this category before it raised its annual fee by $100 in mid-January. Even at $550, though, the card can be a bargain for frequent travelers. It gives you a broad $300 travel credit every year, cutting the sticker price by more than half. You earn 3 points per dollar on travel and dining and 1 point per dollar elsewhere. Plus, through March 2022, you'll earn an industry-leading 10 points per dollar on Lyft rides. Points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel booked through Chase. You can also transfer them on a 1:1 basis to multiple airline and hotel travel partners, including Southwest, United, Marriott and IHG. Valuable perks include airport lounge access and an application fee credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry. Plus, there's a lucrative bonus offer.

When it comes to secured cards, the Discover it® Secured stands out. As with all secured cards, you’ll need to put down a refundable deposit, in this case at least $200. But the annual fee is $0, and after eight months, Discover automatically begins reviewing your account for a possible upgrade to a regular unsecured card. It's one of the rare secured cards that offers a rewards program, and new cardholders get Discover's signature cash-back match bonus in their first year.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express carries an eye-popping annual fee of $595, so it’s certainly not for everyone. But that fee is a deductible business expense, and as with the consumer version of this card, it unlocks a suite of generous perks and benefits that can ease a lot of the pain points for frequent travelers. You get unmatched access to airport lounges worldwide, automatic elite status with eligible hotel chains Marriott and Hilton, a $200 credit each year for eligible airline fees, a TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee credit, plus a major welcome offer. The card earns 5 points per $1 spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked via amextravel.com, 1.5 points per $1 on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. (And you can get 35% of those points back when you redeem them for eligible flights through American Express Travel.) Terms apply.

Simplicity and student-friendly rewards push the $0-annual-fee Discover it® Student chrome to the head of the class. It earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, and 1% back on all other purchases. Unlike with some other Discover cards, you don’t need to track or activate bonus categories — one less hassle for students just getting started with credit. New cardholders get Discover's cash-back match bonus, and students with good grades can earn a $20 credit each year for up to five years. Note, however, that merely being a student doesn’t guarantee approval, and since Discover is less accepted outside the U.S. than Visa or Mastercard, it’s not an ideal companion for studying abroad.

International students not only lack a U.S. credit history, but they usually don't have a Social Security number, making a U.S. credit card next to impossible to get. The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students can evaluate creditworthiness without either. For applicants with no credit file, the issuer can use its own underwriting criteria, considering factors such as your school, your major, your likelihood of graduating and becoming employed, and how much you have in the bank. International students without a Social Security number can apply with other documentation, such as a visa, passport and certain school forms. The annual fee is $0, there’s no foreign transaction fee, and the card even earns rewards: 1% cash back on all purchases.

The United℠ Explorer Card has mass appeal, even for those who fly United only occasionally. You’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases, but also at restaurants and on hotel stays when you book directly via the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 mile per $1. Perhaps just as valuable are the card’s perks. If you and a companion take just one round trip a year, the free checked bag benefit alone can more than make up for the annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95. The card also offers a statement credit for the cost of a TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee, 25% back on in-flight purchases, and — unique among major U.S. airline credit cards in this price range — two free lounge passes per year. You're eligible for a sign-up bonus, too.

Hyatt doesn't have as many locations as its bigger rivals, but The World Of Hyatt Credit Card makes up for it with tremendous value that easily earns back the $95 annual fee. You get a great sign-up bonus, a free night every anniversary year and another free night each year you hit a spending threshold. The high-value points you rack up along the way also help: 4 points per $1 spent at eligible Hyatt properties, as well as 2 points per $1 spent on dining, eligible airline tickets, fitness club and gym memberships, and local transit and commuting services. All other purchases earn 1 point per $1. Throw in the automatic elite status the card grants you — which includes room upgrades when available — and you’ve got an essential card for Hyatt loyalists (or anyone who could become one).

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express rewards families where they typically spend the most. It earns an industry-leading 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year (then 1%); 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3% back on eligible transit including U.S. gas stations; and 1% back on everything else. Terms apply. With this card, you’ve got groceries, gas, Uber and Netflix all covered. The $0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee is hefty for a cash-back card and might be a turnoff for some. But spend just $31 per week at the supermarket alone — an easy feat for big families — and you’ll make up that cost in rewards. The card also has a juicy welcome offer.

UPDATE April 1, 2020: The Ducks Unlimited Rewards Platinum Edition® Visa® Card has changed its rewards structure. It now pays a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases. While that's a decent rewards rate, this card is no longer especially valuable for gas. When NerdWallet chose it as our best card for gas of 2020, it was offering unlimited 5% cash back on gas and at sporting goods stores.