What’s the best OVERALL credit card (if choosing just one)?

If I had to choose just one credit card as the best overall, meaning it is the only card you would carry, my first choice would be:

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express – Why It’s Best Overall: You earn 3% cash back in a ton of “everyday” categories where you’re likely to spend the most, like groceries, gas, and online purchases, all with no annual fee! (Plus you can earn a nice bonus as a new cardholder!)

EARN: 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. See Rates & Fees. Terms Apply. American Express is a ProudMoney advertiser.

What if I don’t want to think about reward categories? What would be best overall then?

Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer – Why It Could Be Best Overall For You: Simple, generous 2% cash back on ALL of your purchases, regardless of what you are buying, no categories to worry about. (And no annual fee, too.)

EARN: 2% cash back on purchases: 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay — no categories to worry about, and no cap on the 2% cash back you can earn.

ALSO: 0% Balance Transfer Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.49% – 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance Transfer Fee: There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee would be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

Any others?

Well, you only wanted the best overall credit card, so those are my two best ideas for you. But, yeah, there are plenty of other cards that you might consider the best overall, or maybe as complementary cards to one of the cards above. For example:

Citi Custom Cash℠ Card – Why We Suggest It: While it might not be the best overall credit card if you wanted to carry just one, it’s the card I’d tell anyone to get no matter what other credit cards they have. Why? Because it gives you a no-brainer opportunity to earn 5% cash back in the everyday category you shop most each month, with no annual fee! (And it’s got a nice potential bonus for new cardholders, too!)

The Details: EARN 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter and on all other purchases. The 5% eligible categories are: Restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment. NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card – Why It Might Be Best Overall: This one also offers generous cash back in everyday categories where you are likely to be doing real spending, with no annual fee. So, if you weren’t excited about the first card on this list as your one go-to, best overall credit card, this might fit the bill as an alternative.

EARN: 3% cash back on dining and 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), and 3% cash back on entertainment purchases and 3% cash back on popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases. EARLY SPEND BONUS: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

I know I only asked for one and you gave me four, but anything else?

Are you kidding? We’ve got all kind of ideas if you want to dig further:

You could start with our Best Credit Cards Right Now page, which includes the cards we’ve already talked about but others as well.

Or you could choose one of these pages where we break it down in all sorts of different ways:

Author: Adam Jusko