6 Excellent Credit Cards of 2023
Show summary
NerdWallet's 6 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 | 16.74%-27.74% Variable APR | ||
| Excellent for Cash-Back Pairing with Chase Sapphire Preferred® | $0 | 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers | 19.74%-28.49% Variable APR | Apply Now on Chase's website | |
| Excellent for Dining and Groceries + No Annual Fee | $0 | 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers | 19.74%-29.74% Variable APR | Apply Now 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 | 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% Variable APR | Apply Now on Wells Fargo's website | |
| Excellent for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus | $95 | N/A | 21.24%-28.24% Variable APR | Apply Now on Chase's 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 | 18.99%-29.99% Variable APR | Apply Now on American Express' website |
Excellent for: Bonus Categories and First Year Cashback Match
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
16.74%-27.74% Variable APR
Recommended Credit Score
- 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 each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
- 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.
- Every $1 you earn in cash back is $1 you can redeem.
- Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 16.74% to 27.74% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
- No annual fee.
- Click through to Discover’s website to see terms and conditions.
- View Rates & Fees
Excellent for: Cash-Back Pairing with Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
19.74%-28.49% Variable APR
Recommended Credit Score
- INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% 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; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- 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!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%.
- 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.
Excellent for: Dining and Groceries + No Annual Fee
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
19.74%-29.74% Variable APR
Recommended Credit Score
- Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $1,000 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; 19.74% - 29.74% variable APR after that; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months
- No foreign transaction fee
- No annual fee
Excellent for: Cash Back — High Flat Rate + Incentives
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
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
Regular APR
19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% Variable APR
Recommended Credit Score
- 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, then a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% variable APR; 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
- Enjoy a premium collection of benefits at a selection of the world's most intriguing and prestigious hotel properties with Visa Signature Concierge
- Get up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your eligible Wells Fargo card (subject to a $25 deductible).
- Select “Apply Now” to learn more about the product features, terms and conditions
- View Rates & Fees
Excellent for: Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
21.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Recommended Credit Score
- 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
Excellent for: Everyday Spending
Annual fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
18.99%-29.99% Variable APR
Recommended Credit Score
- 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% for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.99% to 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 and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Get $7 back each month after using your Blue Cash Preferred Card to spend $12.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Enrollment required.
- Terms Apply.
- View Rates & Fees
