Thursday, March 28, 2024

New to credit? These are the best first-time credit cards

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Heads up! We share savvy shopping and personal finance tips to put extra cash in your wallet. Android Central may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network. Please note that the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available.

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Looking for your first credit card can be stressful. You’re being introduced to a world of annual fees, points, miles, cash back, and welcome bonuses across hundreds of different cards and dozens of credit card companies. It can be overwhelming figuring out who has the best card for how you spend your money.

Well, we’re hoping to make that journey a little easier. We’ve assembled some of the most popular and highly rated credit cards on the market, ranging from cards that earn you for travel to cards that reward you for eating out. We also have some of the most basic credit cards out there with a drop-dead-easy rewards program.

If this is your first time looking into getting a credit card, these are some of the best in the market out there right now.

Chase Sapphire Preferred®

A travel monster

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Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. No delivery fees for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with a DashPass subscription from DoorDash. Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022.

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

A worthy adversary

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Enjoy a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $500 in travel. Earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. Fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime; no blackout dates. Plus transfer your miles to over 12 leading travel loyalty programs Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn. Named ‘The Best Travel Card’ by CNBC, 2018. No foreign transaction fees. $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that

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Chase Freedom® Unlimited

Unlimited power

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Earn a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers (then a variable APR of 16.49 – 25.24%). 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days your account is open, with a minimum of $5. No annual fee. No minimum to redeem for cash back. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open

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American Express® Gold Card

Dine in style

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Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points when you dine at restaurants worldwide. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required. $100 Airline Fee Credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline. Choose to carry a balance with interest on eligible charges of $100 or more. No Foreign Transaction Fees. Annual Fee is $250.

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Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Super basic

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Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. Earn cash rewards without signing up for rotating categories. Get access to a higher credit line after making your first 5 monthly payments on time. Monitor your credit profile with the CreditWise® app, free for everyone. $0 fraud liability if your card is ever lost or stolen. No limit to how much cash back you can earn, and cash back doesn’t expire for the life of the account. Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use. Get customized alerts and manage your account with the Capital One mobile app

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No matter which of these cards you choose, you’re sure to get a card that gets you the experience you are looking for. Whether you are ready to jump in completely into the world of points and miles or want to just dip a toe in to get started, there’s a card here for you.

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