To come up with a list of the best credit cards for 2013, we used DailyMarkets.com’s smart Best Credit Cards Wizard which sifts through hundreds of credit cards in the US with the latest updated offers directly from banks. We tell you which are the best credit cards in different categories: Rewards, 0% balance transfer, cashback, hotel & airline, business, student. We will also recommend the best credit cards for bad or no credit. When you click Apply Now, we send you off to the card issuer’s official online application.
The following are 2013’s best credit card offers as ranked by the DailyMarkets.com staff:
Best Cash Back Credit Cards
Cash
back credit cards give you back a certain percentage of what you spend
in the form of cash rebates which is cold, hard cash. It is like getting
a discount every time you spend on your card. All the cash back cards
below have no annual fee.
Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express (NYSE:AXP)
is the best cash back credit card to get if you have very good to
excellent credit. You get 3% cash back on purchases in U.S. stand-alone
supermarkets, up to $6,000 spent, 1% thereafter, 2% cash back on gas
purchases in U.S. stand-alone gas stations and select major department
store purchases, and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases. The
cash back you earn is in the form of statement credit, which you can
redeem your Reward Dollars for. There’s no rotating categories, no
minimum spend and no enrollment required. American Express Blue Cash
Everyday® Card also gives you a 0% intro APR on purchases for up to 12
months. Bonus: receive $100 cash back when you spend $1,000 within the
first 3 months.
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Chase Freedom Visa – $100 Bonus Cash Back is one of the top cash
back credit cards in the US, and it is issued by JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM).
You get 5% cash back on quarterly rotating categories (gas, groceries,
department stores, travel, home improvement, restaurants, movies etc),
which can save you quite a bit of money if you plan your spending in
advance, and 1% on everything else. Promotion for new sign-ups to Chase
Freedom Visa – $100 Bonus Cash Back: Get a $100 check after spending
just $500 within the first 3 months of account opening. There is nothing
we don’t like about this card at all!
This $100 cash back bonus is, in fact, one of the largest in the market right now. Click on this link to apply for Chase Freedom $100 Bonus Cash Back.
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*Limited Time Offer* Citi Dividend Platinum Select – $100 Cash Back is also one of the best cash
back cards in the US. It is offering a
$100 bonus to readers of DailyMarkets.com (offer not advertised on main
Citi website) if you spend $500 within 3 months of signing up. This Citi
card gives you 5% cash back from Citi on quarterly rotating
categories (gas, groceries, department stores, travel, home
improvement, restaurants, movies etc), just like the Chase Freedom card.
The Citi Dividend Platinum Select gives you 1% cash back on all other
purchases, and up to 5% cash back when you shop with Citi’s (NYSE:C)
partner merchants. You also get 0% intro APR on purchases and balance
transfers during the first 12 months. After that, the APR will be
12.99%-22.99%.
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Discover it Card is also one of the best cash back credit cards. This Discover (NYSE:DFS)
card gives you 5% cash back on quarterly rotating categories (gas,
department stores, travel, home improvement, restaurants, movies etc).
You get unlimited 1% cash back on everything else. Discover Card offers
a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 14
months. What we absolutely like about their cash rebates is that you can
double the value of your rebates by redeeming them for certain gift
cards (over 100 partner stores). To give you some examples, a $40 rebate
can be redeemed for a $80 Carnival Cruise; a $40 rebate can be redeemed
for a $100 certificate from Hyatt Hotels & Resorts; a $20 rebate
can be exchanged for a $40 Samsonite gift card!
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BankAmericard Cash Rewards™ Credit Card
is a cash rewards credit card with no annual fee for those of you who
like to earn cash rewards when you make purchases. With this card, you
will get a $100 cash back bonus after you make a qualifying purchase(s).
As for cash rewards, you will receive 2% cash back on groceries and 3%
cash back on gas on the first $1,500 you spend in combined grocery and
gas purchases each quarter. For all other purchases, you will earn 1%
cash back. Unlike many other credit cards, you don’t have to enroll in
any rewards program to receive your cash back. Your cash back doesn’t
expire, and you can choose to redeem it in the form of a statement
credit, check, deposit into any checking or savings account or to apply
to a mortgage. You’ll enjoy 0% into APR on purchases and qualifying
balance transfers for 12 billing cycles. Note that balance transfers
must be made within the first 60 days of account opening. Balance
transfer fees equal 3% of each transaction (minimum $10). See Terms and
Conditions for Balance Transfer Fee and for fees that apply to other
transaction types. After the first 12 billing cycles, the variable APR
for purchases and balance transfers is 12.99 – 22.99%Best Hotel & Airline Credit Cards For Frequent Travelers
Hotel
and airline credit cards not only let you earn points when you stay at a
particular brand of hotel or fly on a particular airline, they also
give you points on your everyday spending, which you can later use to
redeem for air tickets or hotel stays.
Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card
from American Express gives you 30,000 bonus miles, after spending $500
in the first 3 months, that can be used to pay for your air ticket in
full or partially. You will earn 2 miles per dollar spent on any Delta
purchase, which means that your mileage will increase twice as fast!
On all other purchases, you earn 1 mile per dollar. Your miles never,
ever expire even if you don’t have any mileage activity. First checked
bag is free for cardholder and up to 9 people in the same reservation.
$0 annual fee the first year, a savings of $95!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. With this card you will earn 10,000 miles when spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months as well as 2 miles per dollar spent on any purchase, which means that your mileage will increase twice as fast! There is an annual fee of $59 which is waived for the first year!
Blue Sky Card from American Express
doesn’t have any annual fee, and lets you earn 1 point per dollar spent
on any purchase. Points earned on this card are worth 33% more than
that of other rewards credit cards as you can redeem just 7,500 points
for a $100 statement credit towards a travel purchase, instead of 10,000
points required by other cards. You can buy your travel from anywhere
and then use your statement credit to pay for some or all of the cost.
Points don’t expire and there’s no cap on how many points you can earn.
Blue Sky from American Express also gives you savings with its Blue
Savings Program, with which you can get exclusive discounts on certain
hotels like JW Marriott, car rentals with Hertz, cruise bookings,
dining, and others. Promotion for new sign-ups to Blue Sky from American
Express: After spending $1,000 within the first 3 months you will
receive 7,500 points.
United MileagePlus Explorer is
one of the best airline credit cards in the US. It is a great credit
card for those who fly frequently or like flying with United Airlines.
You get 2 miles for every $1 you spend purchasing tickets directly from
United, and 1 mile for every $1 you spend on all other purchases made
with your card. You can redeem your miles for free flights (on all 28
member airlines of the Star Alliance network), hotel stays and car
rentals. You can earn unlimited miles and your miles never expire. First
checked bag is free for cardmember and companions if tickets are paid
with this card. So if you are traveling with your family, you could save
up to $200 per round trip for four persons. Receive two free day passes
to the United Air Line’s Red Carpet Club lounge every year, so you can
relax in style before boarding your flight. Promotion for new sign-ups
to United MileagePlus Explorer: After you spend $1,000 in the first 3
months, you will get 30,000 bonus miles! The annual fee of $95 is waived
for the first year, so giving you a savings of $95.Best 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards
Got
an existing credit card or store card debt? Consolidate all your
high-interest debt by moving it to another card that offers 0% interest
on balance transfers for a specific period of time so that you can pay
off your existing debt interest-free during that period. All the 0%
balance transfer cards below don’t have any annual fee.
Citi Simplicity MasterCard is
one of the top 0% balance transfer cards as it offers one of the
longest duration of 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months.
After this introductory period your APR will be 12.99%-21.99%. For each
balance transfer, you pay just 3% of the amount you transfer as fees,
or $5 minimum. Some credit cards charge up to 5% balance transfer fee.
The Citi Simplicity MasterCard also has a 0% intro APR on purchases for
18 months. This card doesn’t have any rewards program.
Citi Diamond Preferred Card also
offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, with a
11.99%-21.99% APR thereafter. Like the Citi Simplicity Card, you pay
just 3% of the amount you transfer as fees, or $5 minimum, and it also
has a 0% intro APR on purchases for 18 months. This Diamond card gives
you exclusive perks such as Private Pass, retail purchase protection,
price protection and extended warranty on certain items you purchase.
The Citi Diamond Preferred Card doesn’t have any rewards program.
Discover it Card – 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer is
a time-limited card offer. For new sign-ups who apply, you get 0%
introductory APR on balance transfers for 18 months. That means you can
have up to one and a half years to pay off your existing card debts at
ZERO interest with this Discover it Card – 18 Month Promotional Balance
Transfer! You still have to pay a balance transfer fee of 3% even though
you pay zero interest. This card also offers a 0% intro APR on
purchases for the first 6 months of card membership. As it is also a
rewards card, it gives you cash back whenever you make purchases, giving
you more savings on your spending.
Discover Card is
another great 0% balance transfer credit card as it offers a 0% intro
APR on balance transfers and purchases for 14 months. For each balance
transfer, you pay 3% of the amount you transfer as fees. Like the
Discover card above, it gives you 5% cash back on quarterly rotating
categories (gas, department stores, travel, home improvement,
restaurants, movies etc). You get unlimited 1% cash back on everything
else. You can double the value of your rebates when redeeming your
rebates for gift certificates from certain retail partners.Click here to read our detailed Discover Card review.
Best Rewards Credit Cards With No Annual Fee (including Travel)
Rewards
credit cards let you earn points on your spending so that you can later
redeem all those points for rewards ranging from free air tickets,
hotel stays to merchandise, gift cards or even cash.
Citi ThankYou Preferred Rewards Card
is a great no-fee rewards card that not only rewards you on your
spending, but also rewards you with an annual bonus and when enrolling
in Account Online and when signing up for Paperless Statements. It gives
you 1 point1 for every $1 you spend on all your purchases. You can
redeem your points for cash, gift cards, flights, hotels, merchandise,
or even towards your student loans or mortgage. You will receive an
annual bonus of 1% of the ThankYou points you earn the first year, 2%
the second year and 3% the thereafter. Promotion for new sign-ups:
Receive 15,000 bonus points when spending $1,000 within the first 3
months.
Chase Sapphire Credit Card
is another great rewards credit cards with no annual fee. Whether you
are someone who travels frequently or likes to earn points throughout
the year to later redeem a large reward such as a free flight, hotel
stay or other rewards, this is an excellent choice of card. It gives you
2 points for every dollar you spend on dining as well as on booking
air tickets and hotel stays through Ultimate Rewards, their online
travel booking site. For everything else, it gives you 1 point for each
dollar of purchase. You can redeem your points for cash, airline
tickets, hotel, car rental, cruise certificates, merchandise or gift
cards. There’s no limit to the number of points you can earn and points
never expire. Promotion for new sign-ups to Chase Sapphire Credit Card:
After spending $500 within the first 3 months, you will receive 10,000
points, or $100 in rewards.Best Business Credit Cards With No Annual Fee
Are
you an entrepreneur or a small business owner? Business credit cards
are useful as they not only give you a line of credit for your business
expenses, they also reward you when you spend on your card.
Ink Cash Business – $200 Bonus Cash Back
credit card from Chase is hands-down the best cash back business credit
card, with the largest cash back bonus ever to boot. You get 5% cash
back when you purchase office supplies, cable services, and telecom
services, up to a maximum of $25,000 a year (1% thereafter), and 2% cash
back on dining and gas purchases, for the first $25,000 spent annually.
You get unlimited 1% cash back on all other business purchases. And if
you shop online at their online mall, you can get up to 10% cash back.
There is no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn. Promotion for
new sign-ups: You get 20,000 bonus points (which can be redeemed for
$200 cash back) when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. It offers a
0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 6
months. It has many protection benefits such as purchase protection,
extended warranty and many more. There is no annual fee for you or any
additional cards you might want to get for your employees. Ink Cash
Business – $200 Bonus Cash Back is the card to get if you want maximum
cash rebates in return for your business spending, without paying any
annual fee.
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
is also another good business credit card as it gives you 1 mile for
every dollar you spend on all your purchases and 50% more miles every
year, and offers a 0% intro APR on purchases till August 2013. There’s
no limit to the amount of miles you can earn, and your rebates don’t
expire. You can get your miles whenever you want. Like Ink Cash and
SimplyCash, you can get additional credit cards for your employees for
free and set spending limits on them so that you can keep tabs on your
employees. You also get $0 fraud liability protection if your card is
lost or stolen, and free itemized year-end summary. This Capital One
Spark Miles Select for Business card is ideal for new business owners.
SimplyCash Business Card from American Express OPEN
is one of the best business credit cards that gives you cash back on
your spending. You get 5% cash back on services from U.S. wireless
telephone service providers and also 5% cash back on office supplies
from U.S. office supply stores, 3% cash back on gasoline at U.S.
stand-alone gas stations, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.
Here’s the fine print: If you spend more than $12,000 in each category
per reward year, you will receive only 1% cash back. To save you hassle,
your cash rebates are automatically credited to your statement every
month. There is no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn. Cash
back is earned only on eligible purchases. Every calendar year, you will
receive a $100 statement credit if you spend more than $3,000 on a
cruise or vacation package purchased through American Express Travel
Services. It offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 6, 9, or 12 months.
SimplyCash Business Card from American Express OPEN is a credit card,
so you can choose to carry a balance and pay interest. To be approved,
your business must have excellent credit.Best Student Credit Cards
Unlike
debit cards, student credit cards can help you establish a credit
history, and if you make purchases with it and pay your bills on time,
you would build a good credit score over time, which is important when
you find employment in the future or apply for loans. All the student
cards below have no annual fee.
Citi Forward Card For College Students is
one of the best student credit cards as it has a very generous rewards
system through the ThankYou network. It gives you up to 5 points for $1
you spend at restaurants, movie theaters, book stores, and video rental
shops, and 1 point for every $1 spent on other purchases. You can
redeem your points for merchandise, travel, gift certificates, movie
tickets or cash. It offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 7
months, and a 13.99%-23.99% APR thereafter. If you are a responsible
card user, your interest rate can shrink up to 2% over 2 years.
Promotion for new sign-ups to Citi Forward Card For College Students:
When signing up for paperless statements, you will earn 1,000 bonus
points.Discover it Student Card is
an excellent choice of card for students as it gives you 5% cash back
in quarterly rotating categories such as movies, restaurants, gas
stations, department store, etc. which rotate and change quarterly. You
will get 1% cash back for every purchase you make. When you shop online
at ShopDiscover (over 100 retailers such as Dell, Best Buy, etc), you
can get 5% to 20% cash back bonus. Like the regular Discover it Card,
you can double the value of your rebates when redeeming your rebates for
gift certificates from certain retail partners. Enjoy 6 months of 0%
introductory APR on purchases. There is no limit to the amount of
rebates you can earn with the Discover Student Card, and rebates don’t
expire.
Citi Dividend Visa Card for College Students is
another good choice of student card as it gives you 5% cash back from
Citi at Zappos.com, drugstores and fitness clubs from January 1, 2013
through March 31, 2013. You get 1% cash back for everything else. You’ll
also get 2% cash back when you spend on rotating categories, such as
restaurants, hotels, apparel, etc, which rotate every few months. You
will get your cash rebates as “Dividend Dollars”, which can be redeemed
for $50 checks upon your request. The Citi Dividend Visa Card for
College Students also offers a 0% introductory rate on purchases for 7
months, and a 13.99%-23.99% APR thereafter.Best Credit Cards For Bad Or No Credit
If you have a bad credit score
or don’t have any credit history, you can rebuild or establish your
credit with secured credit cards, which are actual credit cards, not
prepaid debit cards (debit cards do not help build credit). Below we
list the best secured credit cards you can apply for even with bad or no
credit.
Capital One Secured MasterCard
is the best credit card to get if you want to rebuild or build your
credit. The minimum refundable security deposit is $49, $99 or $200
depending on your credit score, credit limits from $200 up to $3,000 are
available. As an actual credit card, your payment information is
reported to the 3 major credit bureaus in the US, so if you pay on time
each month, your credit score should improve. New sign-ups to the
Capital One Secured MasterCard get free enrollment in CreditInform which
helps you monitor and understand your credit.
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