Credit Cards For Good Credit

All information about The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Comparing credit credits for good credit

Editor’s picks: Credit cards for good credit details

Best for cash back: Citi® Double Cash Card

• Best features: The Citi Double Cash offers 2% cash back in a unique way: 1% on general purchases (excluding gift cards) and then an additional 1% cash back as you pay off those purchases. With no annual fee, there are no category restrictions or rules to follow, so earning cash back is simple and easy to track..
• Biggest drawbacks: If you decide to take advantage of the balance transfer opportunity, there’s an intro balance transfer fee of 3% or $5, whichever is greater, for balance transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening.
• Alternative: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card takes the flat-rate 2% cash rewards credit card to the next level by also offering an intro APR on both purchases and qualifying balance transfers. Learn more about how to pick a 2% cash back card.
• Bottom line: Thanks to its simplicity, this cash back card is a good fit for someone who values freedom and flexibility, particularly for existing Citi customers already familiar with earning ThankYou points. And if you have credit card debt to combat, the intro APR window on balance transfers could be a valuable perk.

Read our Citi® Double Cash Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best backup card: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Best features: With the Quicksilver, you won’t have to settle for a credit card that only offers 1% back on general purchases, charges foreign transaction fees and lacks perks like extended warranty, travel accident insurance, and complimentary concierge service. This no-fuss card also packs in a generous sign-up bonus and 15-month 0% intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers (19.24% to 29.24% variable APR afterwards).
• Biggest drawbacks: The 1.5% cash back rate isn’t the most lucrative flat-rate option, and there is a 3% balance transfer fee that applies to amounts transferred within the first 15 months.
• Alternative: The sign-up bonus and 2% flat rate cash rewards on purchases make the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card a solid pick for people who can qualify.
• Bottom line: The intro APR offer and 1.5% rewards rate make the Quicksilver a great fit for anyone who wants to spend 2022 making interest-free payments on purchases and past debt while also earning rewards.

Read our Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for long low intro APR: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

• Best features: The Blue Cash Everyday is a no-annual-fee card with great cash back rates. It comes with a lengthy intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers – 0% for the first 15 months (then 18.49% to 29.49%, variable). Along with the generous APR window, this card features a great welcome offer where cardholders can earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first six months.
• Biggest drawbacks: There are limitations on the amount you can earn in the highest rewards categories, which might hold you back from some much-appreciated earnings late in the year, and rewards can’t be transferred or combined.
• Alternative: You can supersize your earnings by upgrading to the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. It comes with an ongoing $95 annual fee ($0 intro annual fee for the first year) but also comes with increased rewards rates, including a jump from 3% to 6% at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 a year in purchases, then 1%).
• Bottom line: Family shoppers might want to take a good look at these high-earning rewards categories. Plus, the intro APR on purchases can come in handy if you want to make a large purchase and carry the balance for a bit.

Read our Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best for groceries

• Best features: Your everyday spending on groceries, gas, transit and even streaming services could help you rake in hundreds of dollars in cash back — enough to offset the card’s ongoing annual fee after the first year and still come away well ahead in cash back rewards.
• Biggest drawbacks: The card’s ongoing annual fee and spending cap on U.S. supermarket purchases could put the card out of reach for budget shoppers and households with larger spending habits.
• Alternatives: If you don’t spend enough to justify an annual fee, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a solid pick that offers cash back rewards on your purchases made at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations. Or if your spending habits fall more in line with groceries and entertainment, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great pick.
• Bottom line: This is one of the best rewards cards around as long as your everyday spending lets you take full advantage of as many of the cash back categories as possible

Read our Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for Southwest rewards: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• Best features: This card’s Southwest-related rewards are sky-high. You’ll earn 2X points on Southwest purchases; 2X points on local transit and commuting; and 2X points on internet, cable, phone and select streaming services. All other purchases will earn 1X point – including the first $10,000 of balance transfers made in the first 90 days of your original account opening date. Plus, if you earn 135,000 points or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest in a calendar year, you’ll score one of the most coveted perks in all of travel rewards: the Southwest Companion Pass®. This pass lets you bring a companion with you on any Southwest flight you purchase with cash or points for up to the next two years for free (minus taxes and fees).
• Biggest drawbacks: Being a Southwest-centric card, there aren’t many uses for it if you don’t travel often. If you don’t frequently want to get away, you’ll be better served by a different travel rewards credit card.
• Alternative: Despite a $99 annual fee, you can find more generous rewards with this card’s big brother, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.
• Bottom line: Frequent flyers with Southwest or someone looking to get started on earning airline rewards are a good fit for this card.

Read our Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

My GM Rewards Card™: Best for GM rewards

• Best features: Cardmembers can take advantage of two limited-time offers: Get 15,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in the first three months of account opening. There’s also a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months from account opening (then a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.24%).
• Biggest drawback: This card is only truly useful if you want to redeem points for GM products and services. For example, when redeeming points for an eligible Certified Pre-Owned GM vehicle, 100,000 points = $1,000. But try to redeem your rewards for gift cards, and the redemption value drops to $0.0025 (100,000 points = $250).
• Alternative: General-purpose cash back credit cards or cards that earn flexible points are the way to go if you’re not in the market to buy or lease a GM vehicle.
• Bottom line: Planning to buy or lease a new car or truck in the near future? If so, GM is offering some eye-catching incentives to get people to consider its lineup of vehicles. When you use the My GM Rewards Card, you earn an impressive 7X points for every $1 spent on eligible GM purchases and 4X points per $1 on all other purchases. Points never expire and can be redeemed toward numerous GM products and services like new GM vehicles and vehicle maintenance.

Read our My GM Rewards Card™ or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for cash rewards: Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®

• Best features: The way this card works is a bit unique: Visa combines elements of a credit card with elements of a personal loan, where cardholders make purchases which are automatically rolled into an installment plan with a fixed monthly payment. You’re expected to pay the full balance back within a 12-to-60-month period at an interest rate between 14.99% to 29.99% (depending on your terms). Designed to help get into a routine, this structure could spare you from overspending or underpaying your balance each month.
• Biggest drawbacks: Some cardholders might enjoy a low APR, but some may not, given the high-end of the APR range is 29.99%. There are also limited additional benefits, so if you don’t have a hard time keeping balances under control, you’re likely better served by a traditional cash back credit card.
• Alternative: The Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card goes further than most secured credit cards. It doesn’t require a credit check or a minimum security deposit and doesn’t charge interest.
• Bottom line: If you’ve struggled with paying off credit cards in the past, this personal loan/credit card hybrid could be an extremely helpful tool. Those looking to rebuild credit will appreciate the ability to earn consistent cash back.

Read our Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for Walmart rewards: Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®

• Best features: This card comes with a whole lot of cash back. Earn 5% on Walmart.com purchases (including pickup and delivery orders), 2% on in-store Walmart purchases and Walmart fuel stations, 2% on restaurants and travel purchases and 1% cash back elsewhere. Also, there’s no minimum to redeem rewards, no foreign transaction fee and your rewards don’t expire. And to ease the application process, you can get instant approval via the Walmart App.
• Biggest drawbacks: The card carries a high APR range at 17.99% or 28.99% variable. Also, there’s no sign-up bonus or introductory APR.
• Alternative: If Walmart isn’t your go-to, one-stop shop, you may prefer a general-purpose credit card you can use at a variety of stores. One of Amex’s Blue Cash credit cards, such as the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, could be a better fit for people who shop at a variety of U.S. supermarkets.
• Bottom line: If Walmart is your go-to for groceries, gas or any other need, this card can pack a punch with its high-yielding cash back offers for no annual fee.

Read our Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard® review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for Delta airlines: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card:

• Best features: Earn 2X miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. All other eligible purchases will earn 1X mile. In addition to Delta, travelers have its large network of airline partners to choose from, plus no blackout dates (on Delta flights), and miles don’t expire. For a limited time, you can earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months (offer ends 3/29/23).
• Biggest drawbacks: Unfortunately, frequent flyers looking for comfort and additional perks won’t get lounge access or reach elite status with this card.
• Alternative: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a better fit for people who don’t fly Delta often or who aren’t frequent travelers. Though it has a $95 annual fee, the sign-up bonus, unlimited 2X miles you earn on every purchase and numerous other perks will go a long way to bringing down the costs of your next vacation.
• Bottom line: Anyone frequently flying with Delta should take a long look at where the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card can take you.

Read our Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for frequent hotel stays: Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card

• Best features: Cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Your earnings from the sign-up bonus are worthwhile, with an estimated value of around $480 in Marriott stays. Also, for no annual fee, you get automatic Silver Elite Status and have the ability to transfer points to 40+ airline partners as well as have access to the world’s largest hotel network.
• Biggest drawbacks: The available redemption options outside of room awards generally have poor value, and this card’s overall rate for earning points is comparatively low.
• Alternative: Reward seekers who want a travel credit card with more value should consider upgrading to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, which has a $95 annual fee. The sign-up bonus and points you earn on purchases made at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program are higher, and there are numerous other perks that you won’t find with the Bonvoy Bold card.
• Bottom line: Marriott enthusiasts looking to earn some perks with the brand while skipping an annual fee should consider this card.

Read our Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

What is a good credit score?

A good credit score using the FICO credit-score model is 670 to 739 out of a range of 300 to 850. Using the VantageScore model, a good credit score is 661 to 780. According to FICO data from credit bureau Experian, 21% of consumers have good credit, while 34% have bad or fair and 45% have very good or exceptional credit.

With good credit, you can enjoy not only better lending products but lower insurance rates, improved rental options and even better job opportunities. With bad credit, you’ll tend to get stuck with higher interest rates and inferior rewards.

What determines good credit?

Good credit means that your score is high enough to qualify for better financial products.

The scoring models look at several factors to see if you are a good credit risk. The higher your score, the less risk you are for the lender. Below we have listed the primary factors that scoring models focus on:

• Paying on time. The most important aspect of your credit score is on-time payments. It makes up 35% of your FICO score, the score most used by lenders to assess your creditworthiness. One late payment can drop your score to the next range, although the older that late payment gets, the less impact it has. This category is also the most important factor for VantageScore, the scoring model developed by the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
• Paying in full. This category makes up 30% of your FICO score. It looks at the amount of credit you have available compared to the amount you owe. That’s called your utilization ratio. For example, if you owe $100 and you have $1,000 in available credit, your utilization ratio is 10% – you want the percentage as close to zero as possible. The amount of credit used is considered highly influential in the VantageScore model.
• Credit history. How old are your accounts in your credit file with the three credit bureaus? This makes up 15% of your FICO credit score and it’s highly influential with VantageScore.
• Recent credit. Avoid applying for multiple credit cards at once, because that can negatively impact your score, although a single pull typically only impacts your score by about five points. Recent credit makes up 10% of your FICO score and falls under “less influential” on VantageScore.
• Credit mix. FICO likes it when you have different types of credit, such as revolving credit (cards) and installment credit (car loans and mortgages). It makes up 10% of your FICO score and is highly influential in VantageScore.

What is the difference between good and fair credit?

Per FICO, a fair credit score falls in the 580 to 669 range, just below what qualifies for good credit.

Having a good credit score will create better financial opportunities than a fair score. A good credit score helps earn the trust of lenders and other major decision makers, often leading to more affordable plans with better terms and rates. This will come in handy when looking for a home, rental property, personal loan, new job and more.

Those with fair credit scores are sometimes only given access to unfavorable terms because they’re deemed riskier. This is why it’s important to practice good financial habits like making on-time payments and not using too much of your available credit.

If your score needs a boost, cards for fair credit can help. When used responsibly, they can improve your credit score and show lenders your good financial habits. They may also come with extra features and benefits to enhance their value. These may include a sign-up bonus, cash back rewards, and free credit score and credit monitoring.

How to maintain good credit

In some ways, maintaining good credit is more difficult than building because one false step can drive your score down to the next tier. Here are a few tips for maintaining your credit:

• Make reminders or use autopay: You know you need to pay on time and in full each month. So you don’t forget, set up a reminder to help you remember to pay by the due dates. Also, some credit cards allow you to set up automatic payments, so there’s no worry whether your bills are paid on time.
• Make a small payment: Even if you don’t use a card much, make a small payment each month to keep the account active.
• Don’t close accounts: Typically it’s a good idea to keep accounts open and active because available credit with a low balance helps your score. Even if you don’t use a card much, make a small purchase each month or so and pay it off to keep the account active.
• Keep a budget: Allowing for saving and fun, maintain a workable budget to ensure you don’t overspend on your credit card.

How we picked the top credit cards for good credit

• Rewards program: The best credit cards for good credit offer rewards as incentive to use the card. So we looked for credit cards that offer high points, miles, or cash back rewards for a variety of everyday purchases. We also looked to see if the redemption policies are easy to understand.
• Redemption options and flexibility: We considered whether the credit card provides multiple options for redemption, including the usual methods (statement credit, direct deposit to bank account, or check) as well as alternative options (travel purchases, gift cards).
• Sign-up bonus: A good sign-up bonus can help maximize the value of a credit card for good credit. So we looked to see if there is a sign-up bonus and considered the amount of the bonus as well as the required spending threshold.
• Rates and fees: It’s important to pay attention to the interest rate you’ll be charged. Interest charges are how credit card companies make money, and that’s how people fall further into debt. That’s why we look to make sure the regular annual percentage rate (APR) is reasonable compared to the current industry average. (See the current average credit card interest rates.) We also looked to see if the card has any other fees (annual fee, penalty fees) and whether the rewards and benefits are enough to make the potential fees worth the cost.

More information on credit cards for good credit

For more information on all things credit cards, continue reading content from our credit card experts:

• What is a good credit score?
• How to build good credit
• What is a good credit utilization ratio?

About the Author

Tracy Stewart

Tracy Stewart is a personal finance writer specializing in credit card loyalty programs, travel benefits, and consumer protections. He previously covered travel rewards credit cards, budget travel, and aviation news at SmarterTravel Media. His money-saving tips have appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, MarketWatch, Vice, People, the Zoe Report and elsewhere.

About the Editor

Jeanine Skowronski

Jeanine Skowronski is a credit card expert, analyst, and multimedia journalist with over 10 years of experience covering business and personal finance. She has previously served as the Head of Content at Policygenius, Executive Editor of Credit.com, Deputy Editor at American Banker, Staff Reporter at TheStreet and a columnist for Inc. Magazine.

About the Reviewer

Jason Steele

Jason Steele is a professional journalist and credit card expert who has been contributing to online publications since 2008. He was one of the original contributors to The Points Guy, and his work has been appearing there since 2011. He has also contributed to over 100 of the leading personal finance and travel outlets. He’s frequently interviewed and quoted by mainstream outlets on the subjects of credit cards and travel. Jason is passionate about travel rewards credit cards, which he uses to earn rewards that he can redeem for him and his family to travel around the world. Jason is also the founder and producer of CardCon, a conference for credit and credit card journalists that’s held annually.