Top 10 Credit Cards – October 2017
This is the cut-to-the-chase list of our Top 10 credit cards, based on overall quality, which could mean any combination of rewards, low interest rates, or other features that we choose. Which is the best credit card? We’ll give you our #1 choice, but you should be proud to go into financial battle with any of the others, too:
#1 Citi Double Cash Card – Citi unnecessarily complicates this offer, which fools some into not realizing how good it is. Bottom line: You get 2% cash back on all your purchases, provided you eventually pay them off. What that means: You get 1% cash back on the purchase as soon as you make it, then you get 1% cash back on your card balance payments. 1% + 1% = 2%. If your credit is good, you could qualify for an interest rate as low as 14.49%. No annual fee.
#2 PayPal Cashback MasterCard – You get 2% cash back on every purchase with this card, which is accepted anywhere that accepts MasterCard, both online and offline. Your cash rebates are deposited straight to your PayPal account (you’ll need to establish a PayPal account if you don’t already have one), where you can use that cash toward online purchases or have it moved to your bank account. No annual fee and a generous, easy-to-understand rebate formula puts this new credit card right up near the top in today’s market.
#3 Discover It Miles Card – Discover’s travel card offers 1.5 “miles” per dollar charged to the card, with each mile being worth a penny. You can use your miles to offset travel expenses or take them as cash back, making this essentially a 1.5% cash back credit card. That’s pretty good, but what puts this card high on this list is the first-year bonus offer: after the first year, the “miles” you earned in that year are doubled, becoming 3 miles per dollar — or 3% cash back on all your first-year purchases. And with no annual fee.
#4 Tie Chase Slate Visa and BankAmericard – These rank high solely due to their low interest offers, in particular a 0% rate on balances you transfer from other cards — with no balance transfer fee for the first 60 days. It is very rare to see a balance transfer offer that does not include a balance transfer fee of at least 3% (and after the first 60 days, these cards will have a balance transfer fee, too). Both cards also give you a 0% interest rate on new purchases for the first 15 months. No annual fee with either card.
#5 Fidelity Rewards Visa – The upside: you earn 2% cash back on all your card purchases. The downside: you only get that 2% if you deposit the rebate into a Fidelity account. (You also have the option to use the points earned on this card for other rewards, but those points will be worth less than the 2% rebate when redeemed.)
#6 First National Bank of Omaha Complete Rewards Visa – Offers 1% cash back, but you can double it to a full 2% cash back if you deposit the money into a First National account. You’ll also get a 0% interest rate on purchases with the card for 15 months. Also enjoy a quick $25 bonus ($50 if deposited to a First National account) after you use the card for the first time.
#7 Wyndham Rewards Visa – This credit card gets no attention from the masses, but its simplicity deserves recognition. Here’s why: For every 15,000 points you earn through the Wyndham Hotels Rewards program, you get a free night at any Wyndham. There are no point tiers for different types of hotels to confuse the issue, like almost every other hotel rewards program. And the credit card gets you there faster, with an upfront bonus equal to one free night. No annual fee.
#8 Tie Target REDcard and Lowe’s Credit Card – Both of these credit cards give you 5% off all the purchases you make with them at the respective stores. Sure, they don’t offer a whole lot more than that, and their interest rates are nothing to be happy about, but as long as you pay off your complete balance each month, it would be ridiculous not to get the Target and/or Lowe’s cards if you shop at those stores regularly.
#9 Tie Chase Freedom Unlimited and Capital One QuickSilver – Both of these cards offer a flat 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. They also both offer an upfront bonus of $150 if you spend at least $500 in 3 months. The Chase card offers a 0% interest rate for the first 15 months versus 0% for 9 months on the Quicksilver. Overall, though, not much difference with these offers.
#10 Tie Blue Cash Everyday from American Express and Bank of America Cash Rewards Visa and Capital One Premier Dining Rewards – These three cash back credit cards offer slightly different formulas, with greater cash back percentages for different spending categories. The Blue Cash Everyday gives you 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% back at gas stations and many department stores, and 1% back on everything else. The Cash Rewards Visa offers 3% cash back on gas purchases, 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 1% back on everything else. The Capital One Premier Dining Rewards card gives you 3% cash back on dining purchases, 2% on groceries, and 1% everywhere else. Personally we prefer the cash back cards earlier in this list that give a 2% or 1.5% flat rebate on everything, but you may prefer one of these if you spend heavily on gas and/or groceries.