Credit Card Categories

Find the Best Credit Card by Category

With thousands of credit cards available in the U.S. alone, it can be challenging to find exactly what you’re looking for. Fortunately, we’ve broken our top picks down into select categories:

The Best Credit Card for 0% Intro APR

A 0% intro APR credit card is quite simply a card that offers an introductory interest rate of 0%. This welcome rate can apply to purchases, balances transfers, or both. A card with a 0% intro APR is often as popular as balance transfer credit cards. This is especially true when the former feature a low APR once the introductory period ends.

BEST FEATURES

  • 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months
  • Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
  • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back

MORE INFO

  • Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening
  • There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
  • View the full terms and conditions here

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The Best Credit Card for Balance Transfers

Maintaining a solid credit score means keeping your card balances below 30% of your overall available credit. One way to quickly pay down existing credit card balances is by transferring existing debt to a new credit card at a lower interest rate. Save money with some of the top balance transfer credit card picks from our staff:

BEST FEATURES

  • Earn a $200 bonus on your Upgrade Card after opening a Rewards Checking account and making 3 debit card transactions*
  • Earn 1.5% unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment
  • Combine the flexibility of a card with the low cost and predictability of a loan
  • $0 fees – $0 annual fee, $0 activation fees, $0 maintenance fees

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The Best Credit Card With a Low APR

The best credit scores enjoy the lowest interest rates. A low APR credit card is one where the interest charged is below the national average. Browse leading low APR credit card picks from our team.

BEST FEATURES

  • Get free access to your FICO® Score online
  • 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. 
  • With Citi Entertainment®, get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more

MORE INFO

  • Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
  • There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
  • View the full terms and conditions here

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The Best Credit Card for Businesses

Business credit cards work like personal cards, with a few key differences – namely, how they use and affect credit. Don’t settle for a personal card that doesn’t fit your company’s needs; browse the top small business credit cards available.

BEST FEATURES

  • Ideal for companies that struggle with expense reports, reimbursements, receipts, and expensive annual service contracts
  • Combines seamless expense management software with business cards so you never have to process another expense report

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The Best Credit Card for Improving Poor Credit

If you have no credit history or you’ve had some issues with finances in the past, you may have a hard time getting approved for a credit card. Yet without one, it can be difficult to build or rebuild your credit score to qualify for future offers. Build credit with a credit repair or credit builder credit card.

BEST FEATURES

  • No credit check to apply and find out instantly if you are approved
  • You could be eligible for the OpenSky Gold Unsecured Card after as few as 6 months
  • Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus monthly, unlike a prepaid or debit card

MORE INFO

  • View the full terms and conditions here.

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The Best Secured Credit Card

Building credit can start at any time, and a secured credit card is a great way to begin!

BEST FEATURES

  • Start Building Your Credit with as Little as $100
  • No Credit History or Minimum Credit Score Required!
  • Reports to all 3 Major Credit Bureaus

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  • Pay 6-months-on-time and apply to get a second credit card in your wallet!

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The Best Credit Card for Crypto Rewards

Crypto rewards cards, including crypto credit, debit, and prepaid cards, are innovative products that often offer cash back rewards in the form of cryptocurrency. Browse the best crypto rewards card offers to find the ideal card for your spending style.

BEST FEATURES

  • Earn crypto rewards on every purchase
  • Earn rewards in 60+ cryptos on every purchase
  • Get up to 3% crypto back* on every purchase

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The Best Credit Card for Students

Building credit can start at any time, but your college years are an ideal place to begin.  Our team has compiled a selection of student credit cards designed to help cardholders build or improve their credit history.

BEST FEATURES

  • Earn 1% cash back on all eligible purchases. When you redeem it to pay down eligible debt, save, or invest with SoFi, you’ll earn an additional 1% cash back
  • Get a 1% lower APR when you make 12 on-time payments
  • Earn additional rewards when you spend with Lyft, ShopRunner, and Boxed

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  • No annual fee

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The Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees

The best way to completely avoid foreign transaction fees is with a credit card that doesn’t charge any. Paying with cash works too, but any savings will likely be eaten up by the higher currency conversion rates. While many credit cards do include these fees, there are plenty that don’t. In fact, several of the best travel credit cards include this as one of their many benefits, along with travel credits and rewards.

BEST FEATURES

  • Earn 5% cash back on gas anywhere Mastercard is accepted (on first $6,000 per year, then 1%)
  • Earn 3% cash back on Sam’s Club purchases for Plus members. Club members earn 1% cash back
  • Earn 3% cash back on dining and takeout
  • Earn 1% cash back on other purchases at Sam’s Club and wherever Mastercard is accepted

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The Best Prepaid and Debit Card

When consumers seek out the best prepaid cards, they’re looking for an alternative to traditional banking. Unlike credit cards, prepaid cards don’t follow the “pay later” model. Instead, cardholders load them with funds they already have access to in order to make purchases.

BEST FEATURES

  • Every purchase builds your credit. At the end of every month, purchases made with the Extra Debit Card are tallied up and reported to credit bureaus
  • 0% interest
  • Earn rewards points everywhere. Earn up to 1% in points for everyday purchases like rideshares, coffees and your phone bills

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  • Connects with your bank account
  • Plans start at $7/month (based on annual subscription)
  • Read the full terms and conditions here

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The Best Charge Card

Because charge cards have no preset spending limit, they are typically for applicants with excellent credit – or at least a very good credit score. Charge cards are not really a tool to build credit. Rather, a charge card is something like a personal finance payment card for someone with excellent credit to take advantage of and use for their everyday needs.

BEST FEATURES

  • 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline
  • Over $1,00 in statement credits per year

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The Best Credit Union Credit Card

Credit unions are community banks and financial institutions. These community banks are entirely member-owned and operated and are designed to serve the best interests of those members. Credit unions, like traditional banks, offer a wide variety of financial products and services, including savings accounts, checking accounts, mortgages, car loans, and credit cards.

BEST FEATURES

  • Earn up to 2.5% cash back with no categories to keep track of
  • Earn up to $250 in cash back per billing cycle
  • Use this card with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay

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How to Freeze Your Credit With TransUnion

A credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, is widely considered the best way to prevent the release of your credit score and credit report in order to protect against the instance of credit card fraud. Discover how to freeze your credit with TransUnion with our how-to guide.

Advertiser Disclosure

BestCards is an independent, Florida-based credit card comparison platform. Many of the card offers that appear on this site are from companies from which BestCards receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). BestCards does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace.