With excellent credit, pick a card for how you spend, not for how exclusive it is. For most people, that’s a no-fee 2% card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash. Pay for a premium travel card like the Capital One Venture X only if you’ll use its yearly travel credit.
The first decision is whether to pay an annual fee. A premium travel card earns it back through statement credits, lounge visits, and points, but only on trips and spending you’d have anyway. Without those, a no-fee card that pays 2% on everything, or up to 5% in bonus categories, comes out ahead.
Each card below is a top pick for one way of spending. If most of your card spending goes to restaurants or supermarkets, a dining card or a grocery card pays more there than a flat 2%.
Premium travel
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
It suits travelers who want lounge access and one yearly travel credit to use, not a list of monthly ones. Capital One lists it for applicants with excellent credit.
- Best for: Frequent travelers who’ll book at least $300 a year through Capital One Travel
- What Sets It Apart: $300 yearly travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles worth $400 toward travel, more than the $395 fee
- Cost: $395 annual fee; 19.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74% variable APR; no foreign transaction fees
- Rewards: 10X on Capital One Travel hotels and rental cars; 5X on Capital One Travel flights and vacation rentals; 2X miles on all purchases
- Welcome Offer: 75,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in 3 months
- Features: Up to $120 back for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years
- Pros: Lounge access for the primary cardholder at Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges; miles worth 1 cent each toward travel; transfers to more than 15 airline and hotel programs
- Cons: Travel credit works only on Capital One Travel bookings and expires each year; lounge guests cost $45 per adult at Capital One Lounges and $35 at Priority Pass; $125 a year for each authorized user’s lounge access
For more information, read our full Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Review.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Pick it if you’d use its dining, StubHub, and prepaid-hotel credits on spending you do anyway. Chase says higher scores may bring higher limits, which helps when one card pays for a trip.
- Best for: Frequent travelers who will use the travel credit and at least two of the dining, StubHub, and The Edit credits
- What Sets It Apart: $300 travel credit that covers almost any travel purchase; lounge access with up to two guests; points worth up to 2 cents each with Points Boost
- Cost: $795 annual fee; 19.74% to 28.24% variable interest rate; no foreign transaction fees; $195 per authorized user
- Rewards: 8x on Chase Travel; 4x on flights and hotels booked direct; 3x on dining; points worth up to 2 cents each with Points Boost
- Welcome Offer: 100,000 points after $6,000 in 3 months
- Features: Up to $500 for prepaid The Edit stays; $300 dining credit; $300 StubHub credit; up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit every 4 years
- Pros: Automatic $300 travel credit; Chase Sapphire Lounges and 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges; transfers to United, Southwest, and World of Hyatt; up to $75,000 in rental car coverage
- Cons: $795 fee; dining and StubHub credits paid in $150 halves; several perks end in 2027; 1 cent per point in Chase Travel without Points Boost
For more information, read our full Chase Sapphire Reserve® Review.
American Express Platinum Card®
This is the card for flyers who care most about airport lounges. Amex shows whether you’re approved with no effect on your score, which can change only if you accept the card.
- Best for: Frequent travelers who’ll use airport lounges and most of the card’s credits without changing how they spend
- What Sets It Apart: Access to more than 1,550 airport lounges; Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status; 11 yearly credits worth $2,994 at face value
- Cost: $895 annual fee; 19.74% to 28.74% variable APR on Pay Over Time balances; no foreign transaction fee; $195 per additional Platinum card
- Rewards: 5 points per dollar on flights booked with airlines or Amex Travel (up to $500,000 a year) and on prepaid Amex Travel hotels; 1 point elsewhere
- Welcome Offer: Welcome offer of up to 175,000 points after $12,000 in purchases in 6 months
- Features: $15 a month in Uber Cash, plus $20 more in December, for U.S. rides and Uber Eats orders, expiring at the end of each month; up to $120 a year back on an Uber One membership; $600 a year, in two $300 halves, for prepaid stays booked through The Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels + Resorts; $200 a year for fees on one chosen airline; $219 for CLEAR+; $120 for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4 years, NEXUS not covered; no preset spending limit; what you can spend adjusts with your purchase, payment, and credit history
- Pros: Free entry to Centurion lounges and 10 Delta Sky Club visits a year on eligible Delta flights; up to two free guests at Priority Pass, Escape, and Plaza Premium lounges; Hilton and Marriott Gold status
- Cons: Credits split into monthly, quarterly, and half-year amounts; $50 per adult Centurion Lounge guest and per Delta Sky Club visit past 10 until $75,000 in calendar-year spending; 1 point per dollar on everyday spending
For more information, read our full American Express Platinum Card® Review.
Flat-rate cash back
Each pays 2% on every purchase with no annual fee but charges 3% on foreign purchases, so take a card with no foreign transaction fee abroad.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Spenders who want time to pay off a big purchase get 0% for 12 months. After that, Wells Fargo sets your rate at one of three tiers by creditworthiness.
- Best for: People who want one no-fee card for all their U.S. spending
- What Sets It Apart: Flat 2% cash rewards with 0% interest on both purchases and balance transfers for 12 months; cell phone protection when the card pays your phone bill
- Cost: $0 annual fee; 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months; a variable APR of 18.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74% after the 0% period; 3% balance transfer fee (at least $5) for 120 days, then up to 5%
- Rewards: Flat 2% cash rewards
- Welcome Offer: $100 bonus once you spend $500 in 3 months
- Features: Visa Signature card; up to $600 per claim in cell phone protection with a $25 deductible; rewards as a card or Wells Fargo account credit, gift cards, or PayPal checkout
- Pros: No categories to track; 0% on purchases as well as balance transfers; coverage for every phone line on the bill; rewards don’t expire while the account is open
- Cons: 3% foreign transaction fee; less than a category card pays in its bonus categories; balance transfer fee during the 0% period; no coverage for a phone that goes missing
For more information, read our full Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card Review.
Citi Double Cash® Card
Choose it to move a balance off a higher-rate card. Citi sets the limit by creditworthiness, and a transfer plus its fee must fit under it, so top credit can mean room to move more.
- Best for: Spenders who pay in full and want one rate on everything; moving a balance to 0% for 18 months
- What Sets It Apart: 1% on each purchase plus 1% when you pay for it; 18 months at 0% on balance transfers
- Cost: $0 annual fee; 0% interest for 18 months from account opening on balances transferred in the first 4 months; 18.49% to 28.74% variable APR; 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) in the first 4 months, then 5%; 3% foreign purchase fee
- Rewards: 5 points per $1 on Citi Travel hotels, car rentals, and attractions; 1% on each purchase plus 1% when you pay for it; points worth 1 cent each as cash
- Welcome Offer: $200 bonus after $1,500 in purchases in 6 months
- Pros: No categories or caps; long balance transfer intro; cash redemptions in any amount
- Cons: No intro APR on purchases; 3% foreign purchase fee; purchases accrue interest while a transferred balance remains
For more information, read our full Citi Double Cash® Card Review.
Bonus categories with nothing to activate
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
As one card for everything, it pays 3% on dining and drugstores and at least 1.5% on the rest. That beats a flat 2% card once those two make up a third of your spending.
- Best for: Cardholders who want one no-fee card with nothing to activate and who eat out often
- What Sets It Apart: 1.5% on every purchase, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, and 5% through Chase Travel, with no rotating categories
- Cost: $0 annual fee; 18.49% to 27.99% variable APR after a 15-month 0% intro period; balance transfer fee 3% (min. $5) for 60 days, then 5%; 3% foreign transaction fee
- Rewards: 1.5% on every purchase, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, and 5% through Chase Travel, with no rotating categories
- Welcome Offer: $200 bonus after $500 in purchases in 3 months
- Features: Purchase protection and extended warranty; trip cancellation coverage
- Pros: Nothing to activate; 3% on dining including takeout; points don’t expire while the account is open
- Cons: 1.5% base trails 2% flat-rate cards; 3% foreign transaction fee; 5% travel only through Chase Travel
For more information, read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited® Review.
Rotating 5% categories
Each pays 5% on up to $1,500 of purchases a quarter in categories you activate and 1% on most other purchases, so pair it with a flat 2% card.
Discover it® Cash Back
For a big first year from a rotating card, it’s the pick. Discover matches all the cash back you earn in year one, so its category rate works out to 10% that year.
- Best for: People who’ll activate rotating 5% categories every quarter and pay their balance in full
- What Sets It Apart: Cashback Match doubles all the cash back you earn in your first year, with no cap; no annual or foreign transaction fee
- Cost: $0 annual fee; 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 18.74% to 28.74% variable APR; no foreign transaction fee; 3% fee on balances transferred in the first 15 months
- Rewards: 5% on up to $1,500 a quarter in categories you activate; 5% on Capital One Travel bookings of hotels, vacation rentals, rental cars, and activities, and on Capital One Entertainment tickets; 1% on all other purchases
- Welcome Offer: $200 statement credit after $500 in purchases in 3 months when you apply through Discover’s page; Cashback Match doubles all the cash back you earn in your first year, with no cap
- Pros: First-year match on every purchase; categories that cover everyday spending; no late fee the first time you pay late
- Cons: Categories need activating every quarter; 5% capped at $1,500 of purchases a quarter; 1% on everything else after year one; 5% categories only at U.S. merchants
For more information, read our full Discover it® Cash Back Review.
Chase Freedom Flex®
Beyond its quarterly categories, it pays 3% at restaurants and drugstores and charges no foreign transaction fee, which makes it a rotating card worth keeping after year one.
- Best for: Cardholders who will activate rotating 5% categories every quarter
- What Sets It Apart: 5% on up to $1,500 in quarterly categories plus 3% on dining and drugstores, with no annual or foreign transaction fee
- Cost: $0 annual fee; 18.49% to 27.99% variable APR after a 15-month 0% intro period; balance transfer fee 3% (min. $5) for 60 days, then 5%
- Rewards: 5% on Chase Travel; 5% on up to $1,500 in quarterly categories plus 3% on dining and drugstores
- Welcome Offer: $250 bonus after $500 in purchases in 3 months (limited time)
- Features: Purchase protection and extended warranty
- Pros: Up to $75 a quarter from the categories; no foreign transaction fee; points don’t expire while the account is open
- Cons: 5% requires activation each quarter; $1,500 quarterly cap; 1% base rate
For more information, read our full Chase Freedom Flex® Review.
With top credit, the right card is the one that pays most on what you already buy, and a fee is worth paying only for perks you’d use. Start with the Wells Fargo Active Cash, and add the Capital One Venture X once you’d spend $300 a year through Capital One Travel.
For travel rewards on a smaller annual fee, compare the best travel rewards credit cards.
Editorial & Advertiser Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser. Opinions expressed here are ours alone, not those of any advertiser. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. That compensation may influence which products we cover and where and how they appear on a page – including the order in which they appear – but it does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions. We do not include every company or offer available in the marketplace.
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