The Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards for Everyday Spend

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!

And if you’re just someone who likes to keep things simple, choosing a single no fee credit card for your daily spending is the way to go. Of course, you don’t want just any card – keep reading for our list of best credit cards with no annual fee.

 

The Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards

1. Citi Double Cash

Earning rate: 2% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: None
Signup bonus: None
Introductory APR: 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 18 months

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 a 18-month, 0% APR promo offer available on balance transfers, but not on new purchases on the card. There is no sign up bonus currently, 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: $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 15 months, on purchases and balance transfers

The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is 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 $200 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. This card offers a simple, flat-rate rewards structure – if you’re someone who wants to maximize rewards, the normal Chase Freedom (see below) might be a better option.

 

3. Chase Freedom

Earning rate: 1% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: 5% back on a rotating category (changes every 3 months)
Signup bonus: $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 15 months, on purchases and balance transfers

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 (you can check the current bonus category and see what’s coming up on Chase’s site). This category rotates every 3 months. If you were to max out spending in the category each quarter, you could earn an extra $300 in cash back each year!

 

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 on balance transfers

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. 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! If you earn $150 in cashback rewards in the first year of membership, Discover will double it to $300!

 

5. Capital One VentureOne

Earning rate: 1.25 miles per $1 spent (worth 1.25% back towards travel expenses)
Bonus categories: None
Signup bonus: 20,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months (worth $200)
Introductory APR: 0% intro APR for first 12 months, on purchases and balance transfers

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.

 

6. Blue Cash Everyday

 

Earning rate: 1% cashback on all purchases
Bonus categories: 2% cashback on gas & department stores; 3% cashback at U.S. supermarkets
Signup bonus: $200 cash bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Introductory APR: 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months

The Blue Cash Everyday from American Express is another excellent no-fee credit card for most people. It offers a tiered reward structure, earning 3% on supermarkets, 2% on gas and department stores, and 1% everywhere else. Keep in mind that the bonus categories are capped at $6,000 in purchases per year. The card has no annual fee, and comes with a $200 signup bonus after you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. Rewards can be redeemed as statement credits. There is also a generous 0% APR promo offer on balance transfers and new purchases, for the first 15 months of card membership.

 

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?

Austin Meadows

Austin is a travel and finance writer who is mildly obsessed with credit card rewards. When he's not blogging about the latest travel hacking techniques, you can find him running, traveling, snowboarding or cooking.

Recent Posts

www.uchooserewards.com – Login, Guide, Phone Number, and Review

Chase cardholders can choose their rewards online... The uChoose Rewards program is a valuable points-earning benefit…

5 days ago

Jetbluemastercard.com/Activate – Barclaycardus Activate Online Services

Jet Blue Mastercard Activate a Jet Blue Mastercard online in a snap Visit jetbluemastercard.com/activate and…

1 week ago

SendMeTheCard.com: Chase Credit Card Offer Review & Guide

Simply head on over to www.sendmethecard.com to apply for the Chase credit card offered received…

1 week ago

Best Credit Cards for Travel Junkies (2020)

There’s no denying that flights are cheap at the moment, so it’s the perfect time…

1 week ago