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Earn Cash Back, Pay Down Debt, or Rake In the Miles — These Nerd-Approved Cards Have Something for Everyone
From huge sign-up bonuses to generous rewards, we've picked credit cards that stand out from the crowd. Compare these deals, some of which are from our partners, to find the right one for you.
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NerdWallet's Earn Cash Back, Pay Down Debt, or Rake In the Miles — These Nerd-Approved Cards Have Something for Everyone
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: Best for Cash Back — High Flat Rate + Incentives
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
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
Discover it® Cash Back: Best for High Rewards Rate in Rotating Categories and First Year Cashback Match
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards
Citi Simplicity® Card: Best for Long 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases, Plus No Late Fees
Earn Cash Back, Pay Down Debt, or Rake In the Miles — These Nerd-Approved Cards Have Something for Everyone From Our Partners
| Credit card | NerdWallet rating | Annual fee | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent for Cash Back — High Flat Rate + Incentives | $0 | 2% | $200 | Apply Now on Wells Fargo's website on Wells Fargo's website | |
| Excellent for Cash-Back Pairing with Chase Sapphire Preferred® | $0 | 1.5%-6.5% | $300 | 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 | 1%-10% | $200 | Apply Now on Capital One's website on Capital One's website |
| Excellent for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus | $95 | 1x-5x | 60,000 | Apply Now on Chase's website on Chase's website | |
| Excellent for High Rewards Rate in Rotating Categories and First Year Cashback Match | $0 | 1%-5% | Cashback Match™ | ||
| Excellent for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards | $95 | 2x-5x | 75,000 | Apply Now on Capital One's website on Capital One's website | |
| Excellent for Long 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases, Plus No Late Fees | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply Now on Citibank's application on Citibank's application |
Excellent for: Cash Back — High Flat Rate + Incentives
Apply Now
on Wells Fargo's website
on Wells Fargo's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
2%
CashbackIntro offer
$200
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 20.24%, 25.24%, 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
Apply Now
on Wells Fargo's website
on Wells Fargo's website
Excellent for: Cash-Back Pairing with Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%-6.5%
CashbackIntro offer
$300
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 20.49% - 29.24%.
- 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
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Excellent for: Dining and Groceries + No Annual Fee
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-10%
CashbackIntro offer
$200
Recommended Credit Score
- 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
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Excellent for: Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-5x
PointsIntro offer
60,000
PointsRecommended 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
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Excellent for: High Rewards Rate in Rotating Categories and First Year Cashback Match
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-5%
CashbackIntro offer
Cashback Match™
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 17.24% to 28.24% 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
Apply Now
on Discover's website,
on Discover's website,or call 800-347-0264
Excellent for: Flat-Rate Travel Rewards
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
2x-5x
MilesIntro offer
75,000
MilesRecommended Credit Score
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- View Rates & Fees
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Excellent for: Long 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases, Plus No Late Fees
Apply Now
on Citibank's application
on Citibank's application
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
N/A
Intro offer
N/A
Recommended Credit Score
- No Late Fees, No Penalty Rate, and No Annual Fee... Ever
- 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
- There is an introductory balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater for balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening.
- Stay protected with Citi® Quick Lock
- View Rates & Fees
Apply Now
on Citibank's application
on Citibank's application
