Best Credit Cards in December 2023

When comparing credit cards, consider which benefits and features matter most to you and which drawbacks — like fees and high interest rates — you can live with.

Common benefits

  Rewards: Most people can benefit from credit cards that earn rewards in the form of cash back or points. When comparing credit cards, choose a card that offers rewards for spending money on categories that make up a large chunk of your monthly budget. If you’re choosing a card for building credit like a secured or student credit card, having a rewards rate at all is a major plus.
  Sign-up bonuses: Many credit cards offer bonuses in the form of cash or points in order to get more people to apply for the card. You’ll likely have to spend a specified amount of money within the first three to six months in order to earn the sign-up bonus.
  Travel insurance/protection: Travel cards often offer benefits that reimburse you for your trouble when something goes wrong on your trip. Common benefits include trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance and emergency assistance services.
  Concierge service: Concierge services can help you make arrangements for travel, restaurants, entertainment and more.
  $0 fraud liability: If your card is stolen and used to purchase something, you won’t be held liable for the charge when your card has this feature.
  Purchase protection: Cards with purchase protection will reimburse you if a purchase you made with your card is damaged or stolen. This protection is typically limited to a certain period of time and up to a particular amount.

You can check the card issuer’s website or the card’s terms and conditions to see if a particular card offers any of these benefits.

Common credit card fees and drawbacks

  Annual fee: This is the fee you pay every year for having the card. Some cards don’t have an annual fee, but the ones that do typically charge between $95 and $695. In order to get some of the best benefits listed above, you might have to pay an annual fee.
  High APRs: Annual percent rates (APRs) are what cards charge you when you don’t pay your entire credit card balance every month — think of them as the cost of borrowing money. Interest rates may not be an important factor for you if you pay off your card every month. However, if you plan to carry a balance, you should choose a card with low interest rates.
  Foreign transaction fee: Some credit cards charge a fee for using your card outside of the U.S. Cards that have foreign transaction fees typically charge 3% to 5% of each transaction.
  Balance transfer fee: This is the fee for transferring a balance onto a new card — it’s typically 3% to 5% of the balance, with a minimum of $5 to $10.
  Cash advance fee: This is the fee for using your credit card to get cash, typically 5% of each cash advance. You also may be subject to a cash advance APR, which is higher than regular interest rates.
  Authorized user fee: When you add authorized users to your account, they’ll be able to make charges. Some cards allow you to add your first few authorized users for free, then charge a fee per authorized user after you pass that number.

Before you apply for a card, you can check the terms and conditions on the issuer’s website. You should also make sure that your credit score makes you likely to qualify for the card you’re interested in.

Credit cards work as a convenient payment method and can also help build your credit history if you make your payments on time and don’t carry too large of a balance.

The best credit cards also give you rewards for making purchases and offer a variety of other perks like travel and purchase protections. Different types of credit cards vary in the kinds of rewards and perks they offer.

Credit card companies: Credit card issuer vs. credit card networks

Credit card issuers and credit card networks work together to process credit card payments within seconds.

• Credit card issuers are the banks that lend you money in the form of credit when you use your card. Popular credit card issuers include Chase, American Express, Capital One and Discover.
• Credit card networks work as the go-between for the merchant and the credit card issuer. When you swipe or tap your card, the credit card network will confirm with the issuer that you have enough funds in your account and communicate this information to the merchant. The four major credit card networks are Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.

Visa vs. Mastercard

Visa and Mastercard are the two most popular credit card networks. Both are accepted almost everywhere that takes credit cards, and their benefits are so similar that most people won’t notice a difference between having one card or another. That said, Visa does offer slightly better benefits.

 Read more about our comparison of Visa vs. Mastercard.

To get a credit card, follow these steps:

1. Check your credit score to know which cards you’re likely to get approved for.
2. Learn key credit card terms to know what fees you’ll have to pay with your card.
3. Determine what type of card best fits your needs.
4. Compare credit card offers.
5. Gather personal information, like your full legal name, address, Social Security number, annual gross income and employment status.
6. Prepare for an impact on your credit score.
7. Choose where you will apply for the card. This is typically done online.
8. Fill out and submit your application.

How many credit cards should I have?

The number of credit cards you should have will depend on your lifestyle and financial goals. You may use one credit card for cash back on your weekly grocery trips and another to finance a large purchase interest-free for an extended period of time. Having multiple cards will increase the amount of credit you have available, which can have a positive impact on your credit score.

Some people find it difficult to juggle several cards with different due dates and interest rates. If you struggle with credit card debt or managing payments, keep the number of credit cards in your wallet to a minimum.

 Tip: To make paying on time easier, set up automatic payments and due date alerts. You can also request the same payment due dates for all of your cards from the credit card companies that issue them.

How long does it take to get credit card approval?

Generally, you’ll have a decision within a few minutes of applying for a new credit card. If you are approved, you’ll likely receive the card within seven to 10 business days.

This time frame varies by the card issuer and by credit card. To illustrate how different each bank is, here are the timelines provided by a few of the most popular credit card issuers:

• American Express: Seven to 10 days
• Bank of America: Within 10 business days
• Capital One: Seven to 10 business days
• Chase: Seven to 10 business days

There are some credit card company rules to keep in mind:

→ Wells Fargo: If you’ve opened a Wells Fargo credit card in the past six months, you won’t qualify for another card.
→ Chase: Chase has an unwritten rule referred to as the Chase 5/24 rule. If you’ve been approved for five or more personal credit cards over the past 24 months, Chase will deny your application for a new credit card.

 Learn more about how to get instant approval on credit cards.

• Cash back credit cards

  Cash back credit cards let you earn back a percentage of each purchase you make, effectively lowering the cost of everything you buy using the card. Cash back rewards are usually redeemed via statement credits, which are used to pay your balance. They can also often be redeemed for direct deposits, gift cards and more.

• Travel credit cards

  Travel credit cards earn points or miles instead of cash back. Points and miles are typically worth around 1 to 2 cents each and can be redeemed for flights or hotel stays. Some cards are flexible and allow you to earn rewards on any travel purchase. Others only give you points on purchases from a partner airline or hotel chain.

   Best airline credit card: Most airlines offer credit cards that give you points and miles for everyday spending that you can redeem as credit toward your next flight. Many of these cards offer extra travel perks like free checked bags, early boarding, lounge access and more. Choosing an airline credit card depends on where your loyalty lies. If you travel with one airline frequently, an airline credit card could be worth it, even if it comes with an annual fee.

  The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card are our top picks for best airline credit cards. They offer generous earning rates on travel purchases, travel protections and valuable welcome offers.

   Best hotel credit card: Hotel credit cards are either general travel cards that let you earn rewards to use toward free hotel night stays, or co-branded ones where you stay with a specific chain. These cards also unlock a number of hotel benefits, like complimentary room upgrades, early check-in/late checkout, free WiFi and more.

  The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is our pick for best hotel credit card. It has a high earning rate on travel, numerous travel credits, an annual free night reward and complimentary Hilton Diamond status (enrollment required).

  The information related to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
   Best credit card for international travel: Costs add up quickly when you’re using a credit card with foreign transaction fees abroad. The best international travel cards have valuable travel benefits and don’t charge foreign transaction fees. Our current favorites are the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, United℠ Explorer Card and The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

• Credit cards for bad credit

  There are two kinds of cards for people with bad credit: subprime credit cards with high interest rates and secured credit cards. To steer clear of high-interest credit card debt, avoid subprime cards and apply for a secured credit card instead. You’ll need to put down a security deposit, but you’ll typically get your deposit back when you upgrade your card or pay it off and close your account.

• Credit cards for fair credit

  The best credit cards for people with fair credit offer several perks, including no annual fee, rewards programs, lower interest rates and introductory APRs that allow you to pay off a big purchase. While it’s reasonable to expect a card for good credit to have all of these perks, cards designed for fair credit typically offer one or two. You’ll need to decide which features are most important to you while you build your credit in order to qualify for cards with more valuable perks.

• 0% APR credit cards

  The best credit cards for making and paying off a large purchase are cards that offer a long introductory 0% APR. You’ll have breathing room — typically between a year and 18 months — to pay off your purchase over time. Look for cards with sign-up bonuses and rewards programs that you can use to offset the cost of your purchase.

• Student credit cards

  If you’re a student, a student credit card can help you build credit while earning rewards. These cards typically earn cash back rewards, offer lower credit limits and are available to people with a limited credit history.

• Credit cards to build credit

  The best cards for building credit offer free access to your credit score and report to the credit bureaus monthly. Look for cards that don’t charge annual or late fees in order to keep costs down. Some of our top credit-building card picks offer sign-up bonuses and rewards programs, though these will be less valuable than those of a typical rewards credit card.

• Balance transfer credit cards

  Balance transfer credit cards allow you to save money by transferring your high-interest credit card debt to a card with a lower APR. The best balance transfer cards offer a 0% intro APR for a year or longer.

  While it is possible to find a card with no balance transfer fees, those cards tend to offer shorter interest-free periods than ones that charge 3% to 5% of each transferred balance.

• Low-interest credit cards

  If you aren’t able to pay off your card in full every month, skip the rewards and travel cards and choose a low interest credit card instead. It’s simple math: The interest rates that credit card companies charge will always be higher than rewards rates. Using a low-interest card is the best way to save money if you regularly carry a balance.

• Business credit cards

  Knowing how to use a business credit card can help keep you out of the red. Look for cards with features that match your current business needs. For instance, look for a card with a 0% APR period if you want to finance a large purchase. Or, look for cards with good rewards programs to earn points or cash back on your most common business purchases.

In selecting the best credit cards, we evaluated a variety of factors, including:

• Rewards rates and redemption options
• Sign-up bonuses
• Interest rates
• 0% intro APRs
• Accessibility to consumers with varied credit histories
• Annual fees
• Benefits such as travel and extended warranty protections

Several cards on this list don’t charge an annual fee. Cards on the list that do charge annual fees offer enough value through rewards and benefits to make them worth the fee in certain situations.