No Annual Fee Credit Cards

The best travel credit card with no annual fee is the Capital One VentureOne card because it offers 20,000 bonus miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and rewards cardholders with at least 1.25 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. VentureOne also has a $0 foreign transaction fee, in addition to its $0 annual fee, and is accepted in 200+ countries and territories.

For consumers who don’t want to pay for the privilege of owning a travel rewards card, that’s a great all-around option. But it’s not the only one. There are a few others in the running for best travel credit card with no annual fee, including Discover it Miles and Wells Fargo Propel.

Best Travel Credit Cards with No Annual Fee:

• Capital One VentureOne: 20,000 miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. 10 miles per $1 at hotels.com/venture and 1.25 on all other purchases. $0 foreign transaction fee. Good credit required.
• Bank of America Travel Rewards: 25,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. 1.5 points per $1 on all purchases and 10% bonus with BofA checking or savings account. $0 foreign transaction fee. Excellent credit required.
• Discover it Miles: 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases. Discover matches first year’s miles. $0 foreign transaction fee. Good credit required.
• Expedia+ Card from Citi: 15,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on Expedia and 1 everywhere else. Expedia+ silver status. 3% foreign transaction fee. Excellent credit required.
• Amex Blue Delta SkyMiles: 10,000 miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months. 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and Delta and 1 everywhere else. 20% statement credit for in-flight purchases. 2.7% foreign transaction fee. Good credit required.
• PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express: 25,000 points for spending $2,500 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on travel (4 w/PenFed Honors Advantage) and 1.5 on all other purchases. $100 annual air travel credit. $0 foreign transaction fee. Excellent credit required.
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express: 30,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on dining, gas, transit and travel. 1 per $1 on everything else. $0 foreign transaction fee. Good credit needed.

There are many good choices among the best travel credit cards for no annual fee. But other types of rewards cards with no annual fee could still be useful for travel. For example, Capital One SavorOne doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee or an annual fee. And it offers a $150 bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months, plus 3% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on everything else.

The best secured credit card with no annual fee is the Discover it Secured Card because it offers 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent at restaurants and gas stations each quarter, gives 1% back everywhere else, and doubles the rewards you earn the first year. In addition to a $0 annual fee, Discover it Secured also has a $0 foreign transaction fee and reports to all 3 major credit bureaus each month.

It’s rare for a secured card to have no annual fee or rewards, let alone both. But you do have a few more options, at for low fees. Other top secured credit cards with no annual fee include the Capital One Secured Mastercard (deposit as low as $49 for a $200 credit limit) and the Harley Davidson Secured Card (1 point for every $1 spent).

Best Secured Credit Cards with No Annual Fee:

• Best rewards – Discover it Secured: $0 annual fee. $0 foreign transaction fee. 2% cash back on your first $1,000 per quarter at restaurants and gas stations. 1% back everywhere else. $200 minimum deposit.
• Lowest deposit – Capital One Secured Mastercard: $0 annual fee. $0 foreign transaction fee. No rewards. $49, $99 or $200 minimum deposit depending on your creditworthiness. $200 credit limit.
• Harley-Davidson rewards – Harley-Davidson Secured: $0 annual fee. 3% foreign transaction fee. 1 point per $1 spent. 2,500 points get you a $25 gift card. Entered for a chance to win a free motorcycle every time you use your card through 12/31/2018.
• Another reliable option – Citi Secured Mastercard: $0 annual fee. 3% foreign transaction fee. No rewards. $200 minimum deposit.

Even if your credit is damaged, there are several great options for a secured credit card with no annual fee. You may even be able to get some rewards. And once you get a secured card, you can start building up a positive payment history and rebuilding your credit score. Eventually, you’ll be able qualify for a better credit card, close your secured account, and get back your security deposit. 

The best credit cards with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee are the Capital One VentureOne Visa and the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard. That’s because they offer the most rewards in addition to their lack of fees. Capital One VentureOne gives you a 20,000-mile bonus for spending $1,000 in the first three months, 10 miles per dollar at Hotels.com, and 1.25 miles per dollar everywhere else. With the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard, you get 1.5% cash back on all purchases. You also get a $150 initial bonus for spending $500 in the first three months, and 10% of all the cash you’ve earned over the year as an anniversary bonus

But the best credit card with no annual or foreign fees really depends on your credit standing and what type of rewards you’re looking for. Fortunately, there’s a whole range of attractive possibilities.

Here are the best credit cards with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee:

• Travel Rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - 20,000-mile initial bonus for spending $1,000 in the first three months. 10 miles per $1 spent on hotels booked through hotels.com/venture, and 1.25 miles per $1 on all other purchases. The VentureOne card requires good credit.
• Cash Back: HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard - 1.5% cash back on all purchases. $150 bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months, and 10% of all the cash you’ve earned in the past year as an anniversary bonus. You’ll need good credit to get the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard. The Capital One Quicksilver Card is a close second.
• Hotel Points: Best Western Credit Card - 16,000 bonus points after you make your first purchase, and another 16,000 after your first Best Western stay. 13 points per $1 on Best Western stays, and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases. 10% discount when you book a room at the Rewards Member Rate on the Best Western site.This card requires good credit.
• Airline Miles: United TravelBank Card - $150 in TravelBank cash for spending $1,000 in your first three months. Each TravelBank dollar can be redeemed for $1 toward a United flight. 2% back on United tickets, and 1.5% on all other purchases. 25% off in-flight purchases on United flights. This card requires excellent credit.
• Bonus Rewards: Discover it - 5% cash back on a new set of bonus categories every three months, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. 1st year anniversary bonus matches all the cash back you’ve earned. You need good credit to get this card.
• Dining: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Card - $150 bonus for spending $500 in your first three months of card membership. 3% cash back on dining, 2% on groceries, and 1% on all other purchases. This card requires good credit.
• Students: Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students - 20,000-point bonus for spending $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of opening your account. 3 points per $1 at the Bank of America Travel Center, and 1 point per $1 everywhere else. You can get this card with limited credit.
• Small Business: Capital One Spark Cash for Business - $500 bonus for spending $4,500 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. 2% cash back on all purchases. You need excellent credit to get this card.
• No Credit: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card - 1.5% cash back on all purchases. 50% statement credit for your Spotify Premium subscription until April 2018.
• Bad Credit: Discover it Secured Credit Card - 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, up to $1,000 spent each quarter. 1% cash back everywhere else. 1st year anniversary bonus matches all the rewards you’ve earned. You can get this card with bad credit.

The best airline credit cards with no annual fee are Capital One VentureOne and Discover it Miles if you want a general miles card, or the Blue Delta SkyMiles, China Airlines and Frontier Airlines cards for those who want to earn airline-specific miles without paying an annual fee. The earning rates on the airline-specific cards aren’t quite as good, though, and you’ll only be able to use them for flights on one airline.

Here are the best airline credit cards with no annual fee:

• Capital One VentureOne: 20,000 bonus miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. 1.25 miles per $1 on all purchases (10 at hotels.com/venture). 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. No foreign transaction fee. You need good credit.
• Discover it Miles: 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases. First year’s miles matched. 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. No foreign transaction fee. You need good credit.
• Amex Blue Delta SkyMiles: 10,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months. 2 miles per $1 spent at U.S. restaurants and on Delta purchases (1 point per $1 on everything else). 20% statement credit on food, beverages and headsets purchased on Delta flights. 2.7% foreign transaction fee. You need good credit.
• China Airlines Credit Card with No Annual Fee: 2,500 bonus miles for making your first purchase in the first 3 billing cycles. 1 mile per $1 in China Airlines purchases, and 1 mile per $2 spent elsewhere. No foreign transaction fee. You need good credit.
• Frontier Airlines Credit Card with No Annual Fee: 10,000 bonus miles for making your first purchase. 1 mile per $1 in Frontier Airlines purchases, and 1 mile per $2 everywhere else. 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months (3% fee). 3% foreign transaction fee. You need good credit.

Overall, there aren’t too many airline credit cards with no annual fee. Most travel rewards credit cards charge, but many also offer more than enough rewards to make up for it, as long as you regularly make purchases and pay your bill in full every month. So you may want to waive your no-annual-fee rule if you spend at least $1,000 per month. That’s how much you have to shell out each of the first three months to get the Capital One Venture Card’s $500 initial bonus, for example. And that alone covers more than six years of annual fees, since Venture’s $95 charge is waived the first year.

But if you don’t spend quite that much, Capital One VentureOne or Discover it Miles is definitely the way to go. Keep in mind that Discover it has no foreign transaction fees, but it also has lower global acceptance than Visa or Mastercard. 

The best miles credit card with no annual fee is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card. VentureOne offers 20,000 bonus miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and gives you 1.25 miles per $1 on all purchases. In contrast, the Capital One Venture card offers 50,000 miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus 2 miles per $1 on all purchases. But it costs $95 annually after a free first year. 

The rest of the best miles credit cards with no annual fee are Discover it Miles, Blue Delta SkyMiles and the China Airlines Credit Card with No Annual Fee. Each offers a rewards bonus, and only the Blue SkyMiles card charges a foreign transaction fee (2.7%).

But miles credit cards with no annual fee are pretty rare, unfortunately. Airline miles cards tend to offer big bonuses and lots of travel perks, so most charge you to keep the card open. It can be worth paying a fee for great airline rewards, but probably not if you’re an infrequent or light spender. So it’s good there are at least a few fee-free options.

Here are the best miles credit cards with no annual fee:

• Best bonus - Capital One VentureOne: 20,000-mile initial bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. 10 miles per $1 at hotels.com/venture and 1.25 miles per $1 on all other purchases. No foreign transaction fee. Good credit needed.
• Best intro APR - Discover it Miles: 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases. First year’s miles matched. 0% APR on purchases for 14 months. No foreign transaction fee. Good credit needed.
• Best co-branded airline card - Blue Delta SkyMiles: 10,000-mile initial bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months. 2 miles per $1 at U.S. restaurants and through Delta (1 per $1 on everything else). 20% statement credit for food, beverages and audio headsets on Delta flights. 2.7% foreign transaction fee. Good credit needed. 
• Easiest initial bonus - China Airlines Credit Card with No Annual Fee: 2,500-mile initial bonus for making a purchase in the first 3 billing cycles. 1 mile per $1 on China Airlines purchases and 1 mile per $2 everywhere else. Miles expire after 36 months. No foreign transaction fee. Good credit needed.

You’ll need good credit to get any of the best miles credit cards with no annual fee. If your credit score is lower, you can find no annual fee credit cards or miles cards, just not both. And if you’re a frequent traveler, you shouldn’t necessarily shy away from miles cards with annual fees. You might be able to save more overall.