By ProudMoney.com Staff
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’ll be proud to go into financial battle with any of the others, too:
#1. PayPal Cashback Mastercard – You get 2% cash back on every purchase with this card, which is accepted anywhere that takes 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 newer credit card right up at the top as the everyday cash-back choice in today’s market. No foreign transaction fees, either. (The only downside is high interest rates over 20%, so don’t carry a balance!)
#2. Blue Cash Preferred – If you have a big grocery bill every month, this American Express credit card is for you. The card has a $95 annual fee, but it very well could be worth it. You’ll earn a 6% rebate on your supermarket purchases (on up to $6000 per year on groceries), 6% back on streaming services, 3% at U.S. gas stations, 3% on transit (taxis, tolls, trains, Uber/Lyft), and 1% on any other purchases. If you’re spending over $3000 per year on groceries, this is a great rebate on those purchases even with the annual fee. (If you’re not spending that much on groceries, you may want to look at the no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday, which gives you 3% back on those groceries as well as 2% cash back on gas.)
#3. Chase Freedom Flex – Chase took a pretty good card and made it much better in 2020, allowing this card to climb higher on this list. On top of earning 5% cash back in certain rotating purchasing categories each quarter, this card now offers 3% back on dining purchases, 5% back on travel purchased through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards travel site, 3% on drugstore purchases, and 1% everywhere else. The card has also been offering hefty bonuses for new cardholders. Overall, this card got a really nice facelift which makes it a must-have.
#4. Wells Fargo Propel American Express – Get 3 points per dollar in a multitude of categories, including travel, restaurants, gas, streaming services, ride-sharing, etc., and 1 point per dollar everywhere else. You can redeem those for cash, so it’s basically a 3%/1% equivalent in cash back. No annual fee. The best card Wells Fargo has developed in a long… well, ever, really.
#5. 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%. No annual fee.
#6. U.S. Bank Cash Plus Visa – Cash back card with interesting choices to make: you get 5% cash back on two purchase categories (out of 12 categories that include cell phone service, utilities, department stores, etc.) and 2% in two other categories (pick 2 out of these 3: gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants) and 1% everywhere else. The 5% categories are somewhat unique with this card, making it a good go-to card or a complement to other cash-back cards if you really want to maximize your rewards.
#7. American Express Gold Card – With its $250 annual fee, this card is not for everyone, but it’s a good card to earn American Express Membership Rewards points toward travel rewards if you are someone who doesn’t otherwise do a lot of travel. You get 4 points per dollar at supermarkets, 4 points per dollar at restaurants, 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1 point per dollar everywhere else. Potential credits that help offset that annual fee include a credit of up to $100 on incidentals from a single airline (for example, checked bags or in-flight refreshments) and a credit of up $120 on dining purchases using Grubhub or at certain other restaurant chains.
#8. US Bank Altitude Go Visa – This no-annual-fee rewards card’s main attraction is the 4% (4 points per dollar) cash back on all dining purchases, the best rebate on restaurants you’ll find on a no annual fee credit card. You also get 2% on groceries, 2% at gas stations, 2% on streaming services, and 1% everywhere else. Those other categories are OK, but the main differentiator here is that 4% for eating out (or taking out and eating at home).
#9. & #10. 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.
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