There are tons of excellent credit cards on the market today, offering lucrative signup bonuses, generous bonus categories, and sweet perks. But, many come with hefty annual fees. If you’re looking for the best no annual fee credit cards, this is the list for you!
The best credit cards without annual fees are cards you can keep forever, without worrying about forking over money for fees every year. They are also great choices for everyday spending, due to high earning rates on all purchases. If you’re not working on a minimum spending requirement, these are the cards you want in your wallet!
The Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards
1. Citi Double Cash
Earning rate: 2% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: None
Signup bonus: $100 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: None
The Citi Double Cash is issued by CitiBank and is perhaps the best no annual fee credit card on the market. It earns 1% cashback on all purchases, and an additional 1% cashback when you pay your bill. This is basically the same as a flat 2% on all purchases. There’s no introductory low APR, but other than that this is a fantastic card all-around with a simple yet generous earning rate.
2. Chase Freedom Unlimited
Earning rate: 1.5% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: None
Signup bonus: $150 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 15 months
The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is a one of the best credit cards with no annual fee. It offers 1.5% cashback on all purchases, which is actually 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent. These points can be used for cashback, gift cards, free travel and more – see some good uses for Chase Freedom points for some ideas. It also offers a $150 signup bonus, which is quite generous for a no annual fee card. This card is also a great credit card for balance transfers due to the 0% introductory rate.
3. Chase Freedom
Earning rate: 1% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: 5% back on a rotating category (changes every 3 months)
Signup bonus: $150 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 15 months
The Chase Freedom is another great zero annual fee credit card from Chase. It’s a unique product from the Freedom Unlimited, despite the similar name. The Freedom offers 1% cashback on all purchases, but the real value is in the rotating categories. Every quarter, a new category is announced in which Freedom cardholders will earn 5% cashback on up to $1,500 of spending. For example, the category could be gas stations, PayPal transactions, Amazon.com purchases, or grocery stores (which is the current bonus category).
4. Discover it
Earning rate: 1% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: 5% back on a rotating category (changes every 3 months)
Signup bonus: All cashback earned the first year is doubled at year-end
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 14 months
The Discover it is similar to the Chase Freedom in that it earns 1% on all spending, and 5% cashback on a rotating category. See the Cashback Calendar for the latest categories. The Discover it does not offer a cash signup bonus, although you can get a $50 bonus by using a referral link. In place of a signup bonus, Discover doubles ALL the cashback you earn in the first year! That means that for the first year, all purchases essentially earn 2% cashback, and bonus categories earn a whopping 10% cashback!
5. Capital One VentureOne
Earning rate: 1.25 miles per $1 spent (worth 1.25% back towards travel expenses)
Bonus categories: 10x miles at Hotels.com
Signup bonus: 20,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 12 months
The Capital One Venture One is one of the best travel rewards credit cards with no annual fee. It earns 1.25 miles per $1 spent, which is equivalent to 1.25% back on travel expenses. Miles can be redeemed as statement credits against almost any travel expense. For example, if you buy a plane ticket or hotel room on your VentureOne card, you can redeem miles to lower the charge, or completely erase it if you have enough miles! This card also comes with a 20,000 mile signup bonus, which is worth $200 towards travel – making this the best credit card with no annual fee in terms of its signup bonus.
So there you have it: The best no annual fee credit cards available today! There are certainly other great options, but in our opinion these are the cream of the crop. What’s your favorite daily use credit card?
