Best Credit Cards
TL;DR: Check out the table for all recommended credit cards.
| Credit Card | Highlights | Welcome bonus | Credit Score Needed | Annual fee | Letter Score | High Priority Card? | Additional Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Double Cash | 2% cash back on everything! | None currently but there have been $100- $150 welcome bonuses popping up once in a while | Very good | $0 | A+ | Yes | |
| Uber Credit Card | 5% on Uber services 3% back on travel | $100 after spending $500 within 90 days | Good | $0 | A- | No | Updated!!: This card gives 5% back on Uber services and 3% back on travel. That's it. It's no longer that worth it. Only high priority if you don't already have the Propel or another similar card. |
| Amazon Prime Card | %5 back on Amazon and Whole Foods | $70 Amazon gift card | Fair | $0 | A | No | This requires an Amazon Prime membership. Otherwise the benefits are 3% back. Note that chase has the 5/24 rule. |
| Wells Fargo Propel | 3% back on food, travel, ride shares, gas, transit, popular streaming services | $300 after spending $3000 in the first 90 days | Good | $0 | A | Yes | Note that Wells Fargo has the 5/24 rule. |
| US Bank Cash Plus | 5% back on 2 categories of your choice | $150 after spending $500 in 90 days | Good | $0 | A+ | Yes | |
| Chase Freedom | 5% Back on rotating categories | $150 after spending $500 in 90 days | Fair | $0 | A | No | 5/24 applies. |
| Discover | 5% cash back on rotating categories | $50 and double cash back the first year | Fair | $0 | A | No | |
| Bank of America Cash Rewards | 3% back on a category of your choice | $200 after spending $1000 in 90 days | Very good | $0 | B+ | No | |
| CapitalOne SavorOne | 3% back on restaurants, 3% back on entertainment | $150 after spending $500 in 90 days | Good | $0 | A- | No | If entertainment is a really big focus on your spend, check out CapitalOne's Savor card |
| Ducks Unlimited | 5% back on gas and sporting goods stores | Good | $0 | A- | No | ||
| Target | 5% back on Target purchases and in-store Starbucks purchases | $25 off a Target purchase of $100 | Fair | $0 | A- | No | |
| Wells Fargo CashWise | 1.5% cash back on everything | $200 after spending $1000 in 3 months | Good | $0 | B- | No | This card isn't worth it unless you have the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card. Also, you must wait 15 months between applying for different Wells Fargo cards. |
| Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card | 1x points (1% cash back) on all purchases, and 50% bonus on point redemptions for travel | 5x points on gas, grocery, and drug stores | Good | $0 | B- | No | You must wait 15 months between applying for different Wells Fargo cards. |
| Amex Blue Cash Everday | 3% back on groceries | $150 after spending $1000 in the first 3 months | Good | $0 | A- | No | If you want more grocery rewards, check out the Amex Blue Cash Preferred. |
The above chart includes the cards I’d recommend for most people, starting with the “high priority” cards. Like last year, if you were to only get one credit card, I would recommend the Citi Double Cash. Unless most of your spending is on food and travel, then I would recommend the Uber card.
Almost all other cards mentioned on other websites are mathematically just not worth it. Every time someone suggests CapitalOne’s QuickSilver or Chase’s Freedom Unlimited cards as someone’s first and only credit card drives me insane. Airline-branded cards are also mostly underwhelming, except some have nice welcome bonuses. Be careful of online articles who recommend the “best” credit cards for every category, since they could be incentivized to promote certain cards or to write about more cards than necessary.
Most annual fee cards are also not worth it, with the exception of a few if your annual spend is much higher than the American average. Those will be discussed in future posts.
Note: Letter scores are based on estimated cash rewards for a hypothetical average person.
Happy credit carding!
TheJKW