Best Credit Cards for Families

Why We Like It: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card comes with an initial bonus of $200 cash rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months and gives you 2% cash rewards on purchases. You don’t even have to pay an annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has a high APR.

Who Should Get It: Get Wells Fargo Active Cash if you have good credit or better and you want a high rewards rate.

Why We Like It: Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a $0 annual fee and gives bonus rewards on eligible purchases. Specifically, cardholders earn 5% cash back on travel through Chase Travel, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases. The restaurant category includes takeout and eligible delivery services, too. Chase Freedom Unlimited also offers an initial bonus of $200 for spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months

In addition to the rewards, you can also get an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months from Chase Freedom Unlimited.

What We Don’t Like: Chase Freedom Unlimited has an APR of 18.74% - 28.24% (V) after the introductory period ends. Fortunately, you can avoid expensive interest charges by paying your bill in full each month.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Chase Freedom Unlimited if you have good credit and you want to save on day-to-day purchases, particularly drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
 

Why We Like It: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers an initial bonus of $250 statement credit for spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Cardholders also get 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 spent per year), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% back on other eligible purchases, received as rewards dollars (which can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout).

What We Don’t Like: Blue Cash Preferred charges an annual fee of $95 from the second year on.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Blue Cash Preferred if you have good credit or better and your expenses match up well with the card’s bonus rewards.
 

Why We Like It: The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers $300 in welcome bonuses: a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year (limited-time offer), plus a $200 cash bonus for spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. You will also earn 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, along with 1% back on all other purchases (except for 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases).

What We Don’t Like: The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has a high regular APR.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card if you have good credit or better and you regularly spend money on streaming subscriptions, dining, and entertainment purchases. 
 

Why We Like It: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers an initial bonus of 75,000 points for spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. The bonus is worth $750 when redeemed for cash, gift cards, and travel. Chase Sapphire Preferred also gives 5 points per $1 spent on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases, 3 points per $1 on dining and online grocery purchases, 3 points per $1 on select streaming services, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

What We Don’t Like: Chase Sapphire Preferred has an annual fee of $95 and a high APR.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Chase Sapphire Preferred if you have at least good credit, you expect to spend enough to earn the initial bonus, and you are a frequent traveler.
 

Why We Like It: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers an initial bonus of 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. The bonus is worth $750 in travel. 

Capital One Venture also gives 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per $1 spent on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25, as well as 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases. Plus, you can redeem your rewards for pretty much any travel expense charged to your card.

What We Don’t Like: This card charges an annual fee of $95 and has a high APR.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Capital One Venture if you have good credit or better and want to earn elite rewards on all travel purchases. You should also plan to pay the bill in full monthly to avoid expensive interest charges.
 

Why We Like It: The Regions Prestige Visa® Signature Credit Card offers 3 points per $1 spent on dining and entertainment purchases, 2 points per $1 spent on gas and grocery store purchases, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. You can also earn an initial bonus of 10,000 points after spending $500 or 20,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days, worth $200- $300 depending on how you redeem.

Additionally, cardholders get an introductory APR of 0% for 12 months.

What We Don’t Like: The Regions Prestige Visa® Signature Credit Card has a high regular APR, charging 18.74% - 28.74% (V).

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Regions Prestige Visa® Signature Credit Card if you have good credit or better and dining purchases are among your biggest expenses.
 

Why We Like It: The U.S. Bank Shield™ Visa® Card offers an introductory APR of 0% for 24 months on purchases, making it easy for families to minimize the cost of big expenses that will take months to pay off. The card also has a $0 annual fee and even gives you rewards on select purchases.

What We Don’t Like: The card’s regular APR is 17.24% - 28.24% (V). You don’t want to leave much of a balance, if any, exposed to such a high interest rate.

Who Should Get It: Apply for U.S. Bank Shield™ Visa® Card if you have a credit score of 700+ and you need months to pay off a big-ticket purchase.

Why We Like It: The Citi Simplicity® Card offers an introductory balance transfer APR of 0% for 21 months from account opening for balances transferred in the first 4 months after opening an account. The Citi Simplicity Card also has a $0 annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: This card charges a 3% intro fee ($5 min) for each transfer in first 4 months, and 5% ($5 min) for each transfer after that. Plus, its regular APR is 17.74% - 28.49% (V).

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Citi Simplicity Card if you have a 700+ credit score as well as high-interest debt that you want to get rid of.
 

Why We Like It: The Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® is the best credit card for people with fair credit. It has a $0 annual fee and gives 1.5% cash back on all purchases, credited when you pay your bill.

What We Don’t Like: You don’t get your rewards until you pay the bill. The regular APR is pretty high, too.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® if you have fair credit or better and you want to earn straightforward rewards without sacrificing value no matter what you buy.

Why We Like It: The Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card is the best credit card for people with limited or no credit history. It has a $0 annual fee, reports to the three major credit bureaus each month, and gives 1% cash back on all eligible purchases, up to 1.25% back after 6 months of on-time payments, and 1.5% cash back after 12 consecutive months of paying on time.

What We Don’t Like: The card has a high APR, but you can avoid it by paying your bill in full each month. That’s a good habit to get into when you have limited credit.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card if you have limited credit history and you want to earn very good rewards on purchases while building credit. 
 

Why We Like It: The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card has a $0 annual fee and rewards cardholders with 1 - 5% cash back on purchases.

Specifically, this card gives you 5% cash back on two categories of your choice up to $2,000 each quarter, 5% back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked in the Rewards Travel Center, 2% back on your choice of one everyday category like gas stations, EV charging stations, grocery stores or restaurants (discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs excluded) and 1% back on all other purchases. It can also help you rebuild your credit if you pay the bills on time.

What We Don’t Like: You need to place a refundable security deposit of at least $300. The amount you put down becomes your spending limit.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card if you have bad credit and want to earn rewards while you fix it.
 

Why We Like It: The Prime Visa has a $0 annual fee and offers a $250 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval. Most importantly, you will also get 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership, 5% back on Chase Travel purchases, 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), as well as 1% back on all other purchases.

What We Don’t Like: This card has a high APR, and Prime membership is required but not included.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Prime Visa if you’re a frequent Amazon shopper who has good credit or better and a Prime membership. If you don’t have Prime, consider the Amazon Credit Card instead.
 

Why We Like It: The Kohl's Credit Card is the best store credit card available right now because it offers great rewards and does not charge an annual fee. For starters, you can get an initial bonus of 40% discount on your first purchase within 30 days. You will also earn 7.5% back in rewards on every qualifying purchase made at Kohl's.

What We Don’t Like: The card has a high APR, and it can only be used at Kohl’s.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for this card if you have fair credit or better, regularly shop at Kohl’s, and you plan to pay the bill in full monthly to avoid interest charges.
 

Why We Like It: The Target Credit Card offers 5% discount at Target and Target.com. Plus, you can get an initial bonus of $50 off a future qualifying purchase over $50 in the first 60 days.

What We Don’t Like: You can only use this card for Target purchases, and interest charges will prove very costly if you don’t pay your bill in full monthly.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for this card if you have fair credit or better and regularly shop at Target.