Best Credit Cards for Excellent Credit

One of the best cash back credit cards for excellent credit is the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express because it offers a $350 statement credit for spending $3,000 in the first 6 months. With this card, you can also earn 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 U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% back on all other purchases, earned as statement credits.

The very best card for you will depend on the types of purchases that you plan to charge to your credit card, along with which secondary features you value most. Some cash back credit cards offer rewards at a flat rate on all purchases, while others give more cash back in certain spending categories. Some also offer initial rewards bonuses, while others have low intro APRs.

Best Cash Back Credit Cards for Excellent Credit in 2022

The best cash back credit cards for excellent credit are the market’s best overall cash rewards cards. People with excellent credit have the luxury of picking the best offer for their needs. More specifically, they can choose from the pool of credit cards reserved for the highest creditworthiness tier. The better an applicant’s credit score is and the less debt they already owe, the higher their odds of approval will be for one of the top cash back credit cards for excellent credit.

Finally, when using one of these cards, it’s best not to carry a balance between months (unless you have a 0% APR). If you carry a balance, your rewards will be diminished by interest.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of the best credit cards for excellent credit with no annual fee as it offers 5% cash back on travel through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases (plus an additional 1.5% cash back on everything, up to $20,000 spent the first year). In addition to its $0 annual fee, Chase Freedom Unlimited also offers an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases, which also makes it a good financing option.

While the Chase Freedom Unlimited is a great overall option, the best credit card for excellent credit with no annual fee will depend on your individual needs. And some of the best cards on the market with no annual fee will only require good credit or better.

Here are the best credit cards for excellent credit with no annual fee:

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is one of the best excellent credit cards with a $0 annual fee. It offers 5% cash back on travel through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases (plus an additional 1.5% cash back on everything, up to $20,000 spent the first year).

Plus, it has an introductory purchase APR of 0% for 15 months, coupled with an introductory balance transfer APR of 0% for 15 months. Each balance transfer is subject to a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days (5%, min $5 after). The card’s regular APR is 16.49% - 25.24% (V), based on creditworthiness.

The Citi Double Cash Card is also a great option for excellent credit with a $0 annual fee. It offers 2% cash back on every purchase (half when you make a purchase and the other half as you pay for it).

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card offers 25,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. Plus, you can earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases. Apart from a $0 annual fee, the card also has a 0% foreign transaction fee.

The U.S. Bank Platinum card offers an introductory purchase APR of 0% for 20 billing cycles, coupled with an introductory balance transfer APR of 0% for 20 billing cycles for transfers within 60 days of account opening. Each balance transfer is subject to a balance transfer fee of 3% (min $5). The card’s regular APR is 16.74% - 26.74% (V), based on creditworthiness.

With excellent credit, you'll qualify for the best credit card offers on the market. Such cards offer everything from low interest rates and high credit limits to substantial rewards and perks. A $0 annual fee is a highly sought-after perk because it allows the cardholder to enjoy all of the card's rewards and benefits without having to pay for the privilege of owning the card every year.

You might assume that the best credit cards are the cheapest. But with rewards in particular, it’s often a case of getting what you pay for. Issuers can only give away so much free stuff, after all. So those that offer truly generous rewards may use annual fees to offset some of the cost. But such offers can still end up saving you more money than the no-fee alternatives, assuming you pick the right one and use it strategically.

This is one reason comparing rewards credit cards can be so confusing. It’s also why crunching the numbers to see how much net rewards value each card will provide based on your own spending habits is so important.

With that being said, things are a bit different if you don’t plan to pay your bill in full every month or make purchases on a regular basis. You don’t want to pay a fee to finance a big-ticket purchase or transfer a balance, as doing so would be like paying interest in advance. And most 0% credit cards for people with excellent credit don’t charge annual fees in recognition of the fact that prospective customers want to minimize costs. Similarly, you’ll want to choose from one of the many no-annual-fee credit cards for excellent credit if you plan to use your card sparingly because you might not earn enough rewards to break even.

It usually takes a few years to truly establish excellent credit. But it’s possible to get there much quicker, even in a matter of months, if only temporarily. The exact timeframe depends on your starting point and how responsibly you manage your finances. For example, someone with no prior credit history who gets a credit card and makes on-time payments every month will reach excellent credit much faster than someone with severely damaged credit who regularly pays late.

It’s also worth noting that having an excellent credit score isn’t always enough to get an excellent-credit credit card. Your income and debt obligations play a big role, too. For one thing, you have to demonstrate the ability to make payments on a card with a fairly high spending limit.

You can see where your credit stands at the moment, get personalized advice for how to improve it as quickly as possible, and track your progress from day to day by signing up for a free WalletHub account. You can also learn more about credit improvement and how long it typically takes from this WalletHub guide.

I definitely agree that cards requiring "excellent" credit most always have the best perks, as there is less liability involved. As someone who had credit problems in the past, I do not recall any of the "so-so' cards having lucrative rewards programs (in fact, most offered no points and involved paying high annual maintenance fees). After re-building my credit and responding to an offer for the Chase Sapphire card in the mail, I gained approval and access to some of the best benefits on the market! I now use my card for nearly all purchases and pay it off in full each billing cycle.

More than one-third (38%) of U.S. adults have excellent credit, according to WalletHub data. And another 17% are in shouting distance, with good credit. If you don’t know which group you’re in, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub.

Doing so will make it easier to gauge your odds of approval for an excellent-credit credit card. Just remember that you credit score isn’t the only factor that an issuer will take into account. Your income and existing debt obligations also contribute to your overall creditworthiness, for example.

The best rewards credit card for excellent credit is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card because it offers 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Cardholders also get 2 - 10 miles per $1 spent on purchases. The card offers many other worthwhile benefits, too, such as cell phone protection, access to over 1,400 airport lounges, and reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees. Capital One Venture X does charge a substantial annual fee ($395), though paying it might be well worth it given the card’s lucrative rewards.

Best Rewards Credit Cards for Excellent Credit

If you want to maximize your rewards earnings, it might be worthwhile to use multiple credit cards that complement each other. For help finding the best rewards credit cards for your spending habits, try our free CardAdvisor tool or sign up for a free WalletHub account to get personalized recommendations.