
The title of 2021’s best credit card could go a lot of different ways, though. There are many worthy candidates, each of which excels in different areas. Keep that in mind as you consider WalletHub’s picks for the best of the year’s best credit card offers, which can be found below.
Best Credit Cards Compared
Credit Card | Type |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Best Credit Card Bonus |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Best Travel Credit Card |
Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card | Best Credit Card for Beginners |
Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer | Best Credit Card in USA |
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card | Best Credit Card Rates |
Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Best Credit Card for Good Credit |
Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students | Best Credit Card for Students |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card | Best Credit Card for Bad Credit |
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Best Credit Card for Groceries |
It’s important to remember that lots of credit cards have great terms in one or more categories, but even the best credit card offers aren’t perfect. So it's easiest to identify the best credit card for your needs if you know exactly what you’ll be using it for.
Plus, you can get great terms for every transaction that you make by following the Island Approach. That means using a few different cards for specific purposes. For example, you could have separate cards for earning rewards on everyday purchases, doing a balance transfer and saving money at your favorite store.
Finally, knowing your credit score is crucial to finding the right credit card. If you don’t know where you currently stand, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub. The top credit cards overall require good or excellent credit for approval.
Methodology for Selecting the Best Credit Cards
To identify the best credit cards, WalletHub’s editors routinely compare the latest rewards, interest rates and fees offered by 1,500+ credit cards, including cards from WalletHub’s partners and notable new offers. We then select the best credit cards for each credit rating, plus newcomers, as well as for each major credit card category.
For example, our editors’ picks for the best credit cards for people with good credit and excellent credit typically include cards with the biggest initial rewards bonuses, the highest two-year rewards earnings (after annual fees) and the longest 0% APR introductory periods. When picking the best credit cards for people with fair, limited or bad credit, we focus on low fees and use rewards as a tiebreaker.
To make it onto WalletHub’s best credit cards list, a card must have truly stand-out terms compared to the competing options. Staying on the list is even more difficult, considering how competitive the credit card landscape has become. For points of reference, WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report has updated averages for the most important credit card features, from fees and interest rates to rewards.