You’re into experiences like concerts, dining out, travel, and shopping, but you also handle basic needs like groceries, gas, utilities, and rent.
That’s okay! It’s a healthy balance of spending on things you need and things you want. The only problem? It’s going to cost you more money.
No worries, having the right credit card can help you save a lot of money in the long run.
In this article, we’ve listed the top credit cards for young adults, and many are easy to get approved for, helping you build your credit over time
Best for Rent: Bilt Mastercard® (review)
Best for Dining & Entertainment: Capital One SavorOne Rewards Card
Best Beginner Travel Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review)
1. Bilt Mastercard®
Best for Paying Rent
- 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 Cash Rewards Credit Card
Best for Dining & Entertainment
- Earn bonus_miles_full
- 8% Cash Back at Capital One Entertainment
- 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.
Plus, cardholders earn 10% cash back on purchases with Uber and Uber Eats and complimentary Uber One membership statement credits every month through November 14, 2024.
3. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Best for Everyday Spending
- bonus_miles_full
- 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, a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR.
- No Annual Fee (rates & 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
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Best for Beginner Travelers
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 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 (review) 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 when activated by December 31, 2024, 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 Unlimited®
Best for Dining & Drugstore Purchases
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) is a good no-annual fee credit card option that offers 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back at restaurants, takeout, eligible delivery services, and on drugstore purchases. Plus it offers 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
The card also offers nice benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and secondary rental car insurance.
6. Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Best for Flexibility
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- 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, reg_apr,reg_apr_type.
- No Annual Fee
The Citi Custom Cash is a no-annual-fee card that earns 5% cash back in your top spending category each billing cycle.
Eligible 5% cash back categories, among several others, include:
- Restaurants.
- Gas stations.
- Grocery stores.
- Select travel.
- Home improvement stores.
- Drug stores.
- Fitness clubs.
This allows you to turn the Custom Cash into your 5% cash back card for your favorite category.
7. Chase Freedom Flex℠
Best for Rotating Categories and Dining
- Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases 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℠ (review) 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.
8. Prime Visa
Best for Amazon Purchases
- Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly loaded into your Amazon Account upon approval of your Application.
- 5% Cash Back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods
- 2% Cash Back at Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Transit
- 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.
9. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for Lounge Access & Travel Benefits
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- 5x Miles on Hotels and Rental Cars via Capital One Travel
- 2x Miles Everywhere Else
- 2 Free Visits to Capital One Lounges Each Year
- Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Credit
- Hertz 5-Star Elite Status
- Rental Car Insurance and Extended Warranty
- $95 Annual Fee
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a travel rewards credit card that earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all purchases and 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The card also comes with a range of travel benefits, including secondary rental car, no foreign transaction fees, and extended warranty coverage.
Plus, you also get two complimentary passes to visit Capital One lounges each year and an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to a $100 credit every four years).
10. Citi® Double Cash Card
Best for Simplicity
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.
