The best credit cards on the market today stand out for various features and characteristics, from exclusive travel perks to intro APR offers, and everything in between. Each card is built with different consumer profiles in mind, which means the best card option varies from person to person.
To help you evaluate your options, we created this list of the best credit cards for various purposes, each of which stands out among its peers as a top option in its category.
Without further ado, here are our picks for the best credit cards of 2024.
Earn 6% cash back on up to $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year (then 1% back), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
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Although this card has an annual fee, most families will be able to easily get enough value out of the everyday categories to make it worth it.
Earn 5X points on Chase Travel℠ purchases, 3X points on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, and 1X points on other purchases.
Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% back on all other purchases. Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal. Earn 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
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The cash-back categories and welcome bonus are pretty solid, especially for a card without an annual fee.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X. Earn 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases
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If you like to dine out frequently, the $200+ worth of dining-related annual statement credits can easily help justify the yearly fee.
Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 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 travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
Earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel℠, 10X points on Chase Dining purchases, 5X points on flights booked through Chase Travel, 3X points on non-Chase travel and dining, and 1X points on all non-bonus spending.
Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases and 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel platform.
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This is a solid, straightforward cash-back card for people who don’t want to pay an annual fee or activate categories, but other cards may earn more.
Earn 3% cash back on up to $6,000/year spent at U.S. supermarkets (then 1%), 3% cash back on up to $6,000/year at U.S. gas stations (then 1%), 3% cash back on up to $6,000/year on online retail purchases (then 1%), and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
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For a no-annual-fee option, the reward rate on this card is pretty solid, but for heavy spenders, other cards may offer more value.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, and 1X points on other eligible purchases.
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This is quite a spectacular card with incredibly valuable benefits, but the annual fee is objectively very high.
Earn 5X miles per dollar on hotel stays, vacation rentals or rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on all other purchases.
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The massive sign-up offer and generous, flexible rewards make this card a great option for casual travelers.
Earn 10X miles on hotel and rental car purchases made through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on airfare and vacation rentals purchased through the portal, and 2X miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.
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With a lower annual fee than some premium cards and extremely valuable benefits, this card can easily be worth the annual fee for the frequent traveler.
Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases made for your business.
There is no one-size-fits-all credit card, much like there is no “best” credit card provider. Each is dependent on your needs and what you want most out of your card.
Some of the most popular credit card providers are American Express, Chase, Citi, Discover, and Capital One, each of which has a variety of options for you to choose from.
American Express is one of the most popular credit card companies, and it’s easy to see why consumers and small business owners gravitate toward them. With generous rewards on flights, groceries, and restaurants, Amex members can earn points and cash back with their Amex Membership Rewards account. Learn more in our guide to the best Amex cards.
Chase is known for their cash back and exceptional Chase Rewards program, making it one of the best credit card companies around. Learn more in our guide to the best Chase cards.
While the rewards rates of Capital One aren’t as grandiose as other issuers, they offer opportunities for every credit profile and give you a chance to get your credit to a better place so you can apply for “fancier” cards later on. They even offer cards for students who are looking to start building their credit and do have some competitive rewards on certain cards, making Capital One a great option for many users. Learn more in our guide to the best Capital One cards.
Citi has rewards that only they offer like Citi ThankYou points with flexible redemption options and competitive rewards rates.
With multiple options for students, secured credit cards, rewards cards, and even an NHL-specific branded card, Discover quite honestly has something for everyone. Discover has perks such as low to no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no fee on your first late payment, giving consumers peace of mind and making Discover a great choice for a credit card.
There are quite a few types of credit cards out there, each of which is designed to target a different type of consumer.
As you look for the best credit card for your needs, consider the following types of cards and how they might help you meet your goals.
Credit cards for building your credit are for individuals with poor credit or no credit to build or rebuild their score. Learn more in our guides to the best credit cards for no credit and the best credit cards for bad credit.
The best travel credit cards tend to offer more points on travel purchases and may offer benefits like airport lounge access and expedited airport security through Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Learn more in our guide to the best travel credit cards.
Cash-back credit cards focus on offering monetary rewards instead of travel rewards. However, some cash-back cards let you redeem your rewards for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, travel, and more. Learn more in our guide to the best cash-back credit cards.
0% interest credit cards can provide extra time to finance a balance transfer or a large purchase without paying interest. Learn more in our guide to the best zero interest credit cards.
Business credit cards can help business owners keep their company and personal expenses separate and often provide higher reward rates than personal cards. Learn more in our guide to the best business credit cards.
To find the best credit cards on the market today, we looked for different types of cards to suit a variety of circumstances and spending styles.
We also looked closely at all the credit cards on the market today to compare them based on their annual fees, balance transfer fees, transaction fees, regular APR, and intro APR.
Overall, we sought out rewards cards and other types of cards that offer the best perks and features, like cards with good sign-up bonuses, among all cards in their niche.
If you’re new to the world of credit, you may be wondering, how do credit cards work? Credit cards work by extending a line of credit you can use to make purchases or pay bills.
In most cases, applicants who are approved will be assigned a credit limit. This is the amount of money you can have charged to your credit card at any given time. If you use your card responsibly, over time you may be eligible to increase your credit limit.
If you want to understand how to best utilize your credit card, you need to know how credit card interest works.
Credit cards give you the opportunity to pay your credit card charges in full every month, in which case you won’t be charged any interest on your purchases. On the other hand, you can also pay what is called a minimum payment, or the minimum amount your credit card provider will accept as payment in any given month. You can also pay any amount over the minimum payment if you prefer.
If you don’t pay your balance off entirely by your credit card bill due date, you’ll be charged interest on your purchases. While credit card interest rates vary, the average credit card currently charges a variable APR that around 20%, while a good APR for a credit card is anything below that average.
While you may be able to get by in life without ever having a credit card, there are plenty of reasons to pick one up anyway — even if it’s just a one-time move.
After all, credit cards can work as a valuable tool, and they can even save your finances if you find yourself in a cash crunch at the worst possible time. If you’re in a financial pickle or want to be prepared just in case, check out our guide on how to make money fast.
Some of the most common reasons to get a credit card include:
Here’s a step-by-step process of how to choose a credit card:
There are specific credit cards for people with no credit history.
Most likely, you’ll need to start building credit with a secured credit card — a type of credit card that requires a cash deposit as collateral.
With a secured credit card, you will likely need to put down around $200 in cash as collateral, which would equal your new credit limit. From there, you could make purchases and pay them off every month. As your card issuer reports your on-time payments to the credit bureaus, you get the chance to build a valuable credit history that can improve your score.
While secured credit cards may not sound ideal, they are often the best way to build credit when you have none. And remember, you can get your security deposit back when you upgrade or close your account in good standing.
If your credit isn’t great, you may think another credit card is the last thing you need.
However, credit cards can help you build credit or improve your credit score — that is if you use one wisely.
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For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this page.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this page.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please visit this page.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.
The right number of credit cards varies from person to person. Ideally, you’ll have whatever number of cards you want to have without getting overwhelmed or racking up debt that you’ll have trouble repaying.
It’s difficult to choose just one credit card as the best, but our top 3 choices are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for flexible travel rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express for groceries and streaming services, and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® for flexible cash back.
In general, you need to be at least 18 years old with your own income to apply for a credit card. However, you may be eligible to be an authorized user on someone else’s credit card before that age.
We think the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the best all-purpose card, with high rewards rates in a variety of everyday categories, a higher non-bonus rate than many cards, and flexible redemption options.
You should strive to pay off your credit card balance each month, particularly if your card’s regular APR is high. Because of the high interest rates credit cards charge, they are a poor option if you really need a loan.
Applying for a credit card will result in a hard inquiry on your credit report and credit history. This can temporarily ding your credit score, although the impact shouldn’t last long.
The easiest credit cards to get are typically secured cards, which require a refundable cash deposit as collateral, such as:
The top 4 types of credit cards are:
The best credit card for beginners is the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card, as it’s easy to qualify for with limited credit and has a solid reward structure.
Credit cards are worth keeping if they fit into your lifestyle and spending habits enough to make their annual fee worthwhile. Or, if you have a card without an annual fee, it doesn’t hurt to keep it even if you don’t use it very much. Some of the best credit cards are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, and the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
Holly D. Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer who covers topics like insurance, investing, credit and family finance. As a leading voice in the travel and loyalty space, Johnson has traveled with her family to more than 50 countries over the last decade.
The author has also written extensively on the power of household budgeting, and she even co-authored a book on the topic. Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love was originally published in 2017, and it teaches families how to use zero-sum budgeting to reach their financial goals. She is also the co-owner and founder of the family finance and travel website, ClubThrifty.com.
Johnson’s 10+ years of writing have focused on helping families make important financial decisions at each stage of their lives. The author also applies the financial principles she teaches to her own life, and she is currently on track to retire in her late 40’s with her partner. She currently lives in Central Indiana with her husband and children, and she is a regular contributor for Bankrate, CNN, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report Travel and many other notable publications.
* Opinions expressed here are those of the LA Times Compare Cards Team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser or entities included within this content. See our editorial policy for more details.
All products or services are presented in this content without warranty. The information, including card details such as rates and fees, is accurate at the time of publish. Please visit each bank's website directly for the most current information.
