6 Excellent Credit Cards of 2023
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NerdWallet's Excellent Credit Cards of 2023
Discover it® Cash Back: Best for Bonus Categories and First Year Cashback Match
Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Best for Cash-Back Pairing with Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for Dining and Groceries + No Annual Fee
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: Best for Cash Back — High Flat Rate + Incentives
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best for Everyday Spending
Excellent Credit Cards From Our Partners
Credit card | NerdWallet rating | Annual fee | Intro APR | Regular APR | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent for Bonus Categories and First Year Cashback Match | $0 | 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers | 17.24%-28.24% Variable APR | Apply Now on Discover's website, on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264 | |
| Excellent for Cash-Back Pairing with Chase Sapphire Preferred® | $0 | 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months | 20.49%-29.24% Variable APR | Apply Now on Chase's website on Chase's website | |
 Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Apply Now on Capital One's website on Capital One's website | Excellent for Dining and Groceries + No Annual Fee | $0 | 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers | 19.99%-29.99% Variable APR | Apply Now on Capital One's website on Capital One's website |
| Excellent for Cash Back — High Flat Rate + Incentives | $0 | 0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months from account opening and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers | 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR | Apply Now on Wells Fargo's website on Wells Fargo's website | |
| Excellent for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus | $95 | N/A | 21.49%-28.49% Variable APR | Apply Now on Chase's website on Chase's website | |
 Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Apply Now on American Express' website on American Express' website | Excellent for Everyday Spending | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. | 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers | 19.24%-29.99% Variable APR | Apply Now on American Express' website on American Express' website |
Cash back at grocery stores up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
Cash back at restaurants up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
Cash back at gas stations up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
Cash back on all other purchases.
- INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
- Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
- Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
- Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 17.24% to 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
- No annual fee.
- Terms and conditions apply.
- View Rates & Fees
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- Bonus categories
- Cash rewards
- Complicated rewards
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Lower acceptance abroad
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.
Cash back on drugstore purchases.
Cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
Cash back on all other purchases.
- SPECIAL OFFER: Unlimited Matched Cash Back. Use your card for all your purchases and at the end of your first year, Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned! There is no limit to how much you can earn. Every dollar in cash back rewards you earn is a dollar Chase will match.
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back is just the beginning of what you can earn. You'll enjoy 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 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; and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- High rewards rate
- No minimum redemption amount
- Requires good/excellent credit
Cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats.
Cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.
Cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.
Cash back on dining.
Cash back on entertainment.
Cash back on popular streaming services.
Cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®).
Cash back on all other purchases.
- Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% on all other purchases
- Earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
- Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months
- No foreign transaction fee
- No annual fee
- View Rates & Fees
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- Requires good/excellent credit
Unlimited Cash Back on purchases.
- Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- View Rates & Fees
- High rewards rate
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- No bonus categories
Points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Points on dining.
Points on all other travel purchases.
Point on all other purchases.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Bonus categories
- Primary rental car coverage
- Flexible rewards redemption
- Transfer partners
- Has annual fee
- Requires good/excellent credit
- Complicated rewards
Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
Cash Back on other purchases.
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
- Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
- 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
- Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That’s $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
- Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.
- Terms Apply.
- View Rates & Fees
- High rewards rate
- Bonus categories
- Intro APR period
- Cash rewards
- Has annual fee
- Requires good/excellent credit
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
