Best Starter Rewards Cards
Ready to graduate from a secured card? Here are the top no-annual-fee rewards cards for first-time rewards cardholders.
Feature
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Discover it Cash Back
Capital One SavorOne
Annual fee
$0
$0
$0
Base cash back
1.5% on everything
1% on everything
1.5% on everything
Bonus cash back
3% on dining/drugstores
5% on rotating quarterly categories
3% on dining/entertainment/streaming
Sign-up bonus
$200 after $500 spend in 3 months
Cashback Match first year
$200 after $500 spend in 3 months
Pre-qualification
No
Yes
Yes
Recommended score
670+
640+
640+
Foreign transaction fee
None
None
None
Best for
Flat-rate simplicity
Maximizing rotating categories
Dining and entertainment
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Best if you want simple flat-rate cash back on everything
- 1.5% on all purchases, no categories to track
- $200 sign-up bonus
Discover it Cash Back
Best if you're willing to track rotating categories for maximum cash back
- 5% on rotating quarterly categories
- Cashback Match doubles rewards year 1
Capital One SavorOne
Best if you spend heavily on dining, entertainment, or streaming
- 3% on dining, entertainment, streaming
- $200 sign-up bonus
Our picks
The specific products we'd point a friend to. We link directly to each provider's own site and don't earn a commission from these links.
Capital One Platinum Mastercard
The unsecured Platinum is aimed at applicants with fair credit who want to avoid a deposit, and Capital One reviews the account for a credit-line increase after about six months of on-time payments.
- No annual fee
- No security deposit required
- Credit-line review after ~6 months
Petal 1 Visa
Petal 1 has no annual fee and can consider applicants with limited credit history using banking and cash-flow data, which can help thin-file applicants who do not yet qualify for a traditional card.
- No annual fee
- Can use banking history in the decision
- Cash back at select merchants
Chime Credit Builder Visa
Chime's Credit Builder is a secured card with no annual fee and no interest, funded from money you move into the account, so spending is capped by what you set aside rather than by a separate deposit.
- No annual fee and no interest
- No minimum security deposit
- Requires a Chime Checking account
Mission Lane Visa
Mission Lane is aimed at applicants rebuilding credit, offers a pre-qualification check that does not affect your score, and reports to all three bureaus.
- Pre-qualify with no impact to your credit score
- Unsecured — no deposit
- Reports to all three bureaus
What members say
“I started with no credit and a secured card. Twelve months of on-time payments later, I crossed 700.”
— Maria, CA
“Paying my balances below 10% moved my score faster than I expected, and the monthly plan kept me on track.”
— James, TX