Young adults have very diverse spending habits. You spend money on experiences such as concerts, dining out, travel, and shopping but also spend money on basic needs like groceries, gas, utilities, and rent.
There’s nothing wrong with that because it’s a healthy balance of spending on things you need as well as things you want, although, it’s just going to cost you more money.
However, using the right credit card can help you save a lot of money in the long run.
In this article, we’re going to discuss the best credit cards for young adults which lets you earn rewards on basic needs and leisure activities. Plus, most of these cards are also easy to get approved for so you can slowly build up your credit.
Best for Rent & General Spending: Bilt Mastercard®
Best Cashback Rates for General Spending: Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Best Travel Card with a Sub-$100 Annual Fee: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
1. Bilt Mastercard®
Best for Rent & General Spending
- Pay Rent Without Fees and Earn 1 Point Per Dollar on Rent (up to 50,000 Points Per Calendar Year)
- No Annual Fee
- 3x Points on Dining
- 2x Points on Travel
- Transfer Rewards to Airlines and Hotels
- Cell Phone, Primary Rental Car, and Trip Delay Insurance
Bilt Mastercard® is a no-annual-fee credit card that allows you to pay rent without a transaction fee and earn 1 point per dollar on rent (up to 50,000 points per calendar year).
You also earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points everywhere else.
The Bilt Rewards card also has great benefits for a no-annual fee card, including cell phone insurance, primary rental car insurance, 90-day purchase protection, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and no foreign transaction fees.
Plus, you can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners such as United Airlines, American Airlines, and World of Hyatt. Or redeem the points for travel or at Amazon.
2. Capital One SavorOne
Best for Entertainment
- Earn $200 Bonus Cash after Spending $500 in the First 3 Months
- 8% Cash Back at Vivid Seats
- 3% Cash Back on Dining, Entertainment, Streaming, and Grocery Stores
- No Annual Fee
The Capital One SavorOne is a no-annual-fee card that earns 3% cash back in four popular categories: dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®).
The SavorOne also has nice perks such as no foreign transaction fees and extended warranty protection.
3. Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Best for Flexibility
- Earn $200 Cash Back After Spending $1,500 in the First Six Months
- 5% Cash Back on Purchases in Your Top Eligible Spend Category Each Billing Cycle up to $500 (1% after that)
- 0% Intro APR for 15 Months on Purchases and Balance Transfers ($5 or 5% fee). After that, a variable APR of 18.74% – 28.74% applies.
- No Annual Fee
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is a no-annual-fee card that earns 5% cash back in your top spending category each billing cycle.
Eligible 5% cash back categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, home improvement stores, drug stores, select transit, select streaming, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.
This allows you to turn the Custom Cash into your 5% cash back card for gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, or several other categories.
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Best for Travel
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Bonus Points for Spending $4,000 in the First 3 Months
- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 3x Points on Select Streaming and Online Grocery (excluding Walmart, Target, and Wholesale Clubs)
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription, and a $50- anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
5. Chase Freedom Flex℠
Best for Rotating Categories and Dining
- Earn $200 Bonus Cash Back After Spending $500 in the First 3 Months
- 5% Cash Back in Quarterly Bonus Categories (up to $1,500 in combined spending after activation)
- 5% Cash Back on Travel Purchased Via Chase
- 3% Cash Back at Restaurants, Eligible Food Delivery, and Drug Stores
- Cell Phone Insurance and Purchase Protection
- No Annual Fee
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a great no-annual fee card that earns 5% cash back in quarterly categories (up to $1,500 in combined spending) and on travel purchased via Chase Ultimate Rewards.
The Freedom Flex also earns 3% cash back at restaurants, eligible food delivery, and drug stores.
The card also comes with nice benefits such as cell phone insurance, extended warranty, purchase protection, secondary rental car insurance, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
6. Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
Best for Amazon Purchases
- Earn a $150 Amazon Gift Card Upon Approval
- 5% Cash Back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods
- 2% Cash Back at Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Drugstores
- 1% Cash Back on All Other Purchases
- Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty, Secondary Rental Car Insurance, and Baggage Delay Insurance.
- No Annual Fee
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is a no-annual fee card that offers 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods if you have a Prime membership.
The Amazon Prime Visa also offers nice card benefits such as lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, secondary rental car insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
7. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Earn a $200 Statement Credit After Spending $2,000 in the First 6 Months.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets, U.S. Online Retail Purchases, & U.S. Gas Stations (each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1% thereafter)
- 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, 18.74% to 29.74% variable APR.
- No Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a great no-annual fee credit card option that earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail purchases, & U.S. gas stations (each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1% thereafter).
The Blue Cash also offers $7 back each month after using your Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $12.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. (Enrollment required.)
Plus, a $180 annual credit for Home Chef purchases in the form of a monthly $15 statement credit
8. Citi® Double Cash Card
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer boasts a strong 2% rewards rate on purchases, where you get 1% back when you buy and 1% when you pay.
This zero-annual-fee card offers a solid earning potential as long as you pay your balance on time, and it provides a simple way to rack up points with no bonus categories to track.
You can also boost your rewards by also holding the Citi Premier® Card (review), which allows you to transfer points to airline and hotel programs. This combination effectively allows you to earn 2 airline miles per dollar on all spending with the Citi Double Cash.
