Best credit cards for good credit of July 2022

Compare Bankrate’s top credit cards for good credit

A closer look at the top credit cards for good credit

Discover it Cash Back: Best for first year rewards

• What we love about the Discover it Cash Back: Its Cashback Match™ program, in which Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
• Who this card is good for: Strategic spenders who cast a wide net of purchases and who won’t mind tracking and enrolling in quarterly spend categories.
• Alternatives: Rotating categories and spending caps could become tiresome, so an option that offers flat rewards like the Upgrade Visa® Card with Cash Rewards can take out some of the guesswork.

Read our full Discover it Cash Back review.
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Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express: Best for gas and groceries

• What we love about the Blue Cash Everyday: The generous cash back rates and high spending cap for U.S. supermarket purchases—all for no annual fee.
• Who this card is good for: Frugal family shoppers who may not want to pay an annual fee to get good reward rates on supermarket purchases and gas, but still want to reap the rewards for spending in those categories.
• Alternatives: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the Blue Cash Everyday’s sister card with some key differences—it doubles your rewards rate (6 percent cash back) on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1 percent), but the tradeoff is a $95 annual fee.

Read our full Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express review.
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Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment

• What we love about the Capital One SavorOne: The stellar rewards rate you get for booking entertainment through Capital One Entertainment plus the lucrative and unlimited rewards you earn on dining, streaming and grocery store purchases. Its lack of a spending cap makes your earning potential significant.
• Who this card is good for: Foodies and social butterflies alike who will revel in the rewards on key purchases like entertainment and dining.
• Alternatives: The dining and entertainment rates are hard to beat on this card, but there’s something to be desired in terms of travel rewards. If you’re after low-cost travel benefits, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® has no annual fee and richly rewards travel while keeping up with some dining perks, too.

Read our full Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for travel redemptions

• What we love about the Capital One Venture Rewards: The unlimited base rewards rate is generous and makes it very easy to rake in miles for travel with everyday purchases.
• Who this card is good for: Infrequent travelers who want to stock up on miles for trips but do most of their spending on everyday purchases.
• Alternatives: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is the no-annual-fee sister card to the Capital One Venture Rewards. The VentureOne is the lower cost alternative, but the base rewards also take a value deduction in exchange for dropping the annual fee.

Read our full Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.
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Discover it chrome: Best for gas stations and restaurants

• What we love about the Discover it chrome: Discover’s lucrative cash back match program and the generous rewards on gas and restaurant purchases.
• Who this card is good for: Roadtrippers and people who love a good restaurant meal, since these spending categories are rewarded the highest.
• Alternatives: For even more bang for your buck, especially in dining, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of the best options on the market.

Read our full Discover it chrome review.
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Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®: Best for low interest and low cost

• What we love about the Upgrade Visa: The unlimited base rewards rate on all purchases every time you make a payment is plenty of incentive to stay on top of your credit card bill.
• Who this card is good for: Cardholders looking for that extra nudge needed as a reminder to pay their bill. You won’t receive your rewards earnings until you pay, so if you miss payments regularly, this card provides a reasonable incentive.
• Alternatives: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is one of the top flat-rate cash rewards cards available, offering unlimited 2 percent cash rewards on purchases.

Read our full Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® review.
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Credit One Bank Platinum X5 Visa: Best for rewards on internet, TV and cellphone service

• What we love about the Credit One Bank X5 Visa: The unique cash back earning categories.
• Who this card is good for: Homemakers who want to reap the rewards of paying their internet, cell phone, cable, gas and grocery bills with their credit card.
• Alternatives: Though the reward categories on this card are interesting, the ways you earn and redeem can get a bit complicated and there’s spending caps. The Capital One Venture Rewards card could cover all your tech purchases under the unlimited 2X miles reward tier, and those rewards go straight towards booking your next trip.

Read our full Credit One Bank Platinum X5 Visa review.
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My GM Rewards Card: Best for car enthusiasts

• What we love about the My GM Rewards Card: Its dedicated value around GM products and the lack of an annual fee for such lucrative rates.
• Who this card is good for: GM consumers who want the most bang for their buck on GM-related purchases.
• Alternatives: This card is highly specialized and geared directly toward GM consumers. If you want a card that casts a wider net on rewards categories and redemption options, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers generous rewards on a wider range of everyday spending categories (including gas) along with no annual fee.

Read our full My GM Rewards Card review.
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What does good credit mean?

A FICO Score between 670 and 739 generally qualifies as a “good” score. The “good” credit range for VantageScore is 661 to 780.

Lenders use credit scores and other financial information to determine what interest rates you qualify for. If your financial history shows that you consistently pay your bills in full and on time, you’re considered a low-risk debtor.

To everyday consumers and cardholders these numbers may seem vague and that they vary randomly from one to another. However, it’s important to know where you stand in the eyes of lenders and creditors. If you aren’t sure where that is, then your first step is to check your credit score.

How to build a good credit score

If you have fair credit or poor credit, it may be easier to improve your credit score than you think. Responsible spending is a great way to increase your credit score quickly, but if you want to get and keep good credit you need to pick up some soft skills as you use your credit card and pay each balance. Here are some best practices to follow when building credit that you should practice throughout your financial journey whether you have fair or excellent standing:

1. Check your credit report. Check your credit report at least once a year. Note that your credit report reflects your full credit history, as opposed to the moment-in-time snapshot provided by your credit score. So when you check your report, look for errors and inaccuracies that could be holding you back.
2. Correct any errors on your credit report. Some credit report errors can be as simple as a misspelled name or incorrect address, while others may involve outdated information and fraudulent accounts. Removing errors on your credit report is an essential step on your way to good credit.
3. Pay on time across the board. Pay all your bills on time and in full, if at all possible. In addition to your credit card, your financial behavior with any other loan also plays a part in building credit. If you miss a mortgage or car payment, you’ll damage your credit score.
4. Watch your credit utilization. Your credit utilization—how much of your available credit you’re using—is one of the key components in determining your credit score. Using more than 30 percent of your available credit could drive your score down.
5. Let an older card age gracefully. If you have an old credit card, think about keeping it instead of closing it. An account held for a long period of time lengthens your credit history and shows you’re an experienced credit user.

Generally, consumers with good credit have a lengthy credit history, consistent payment history and a low credit utilization ratio.

How to maintain a good credit score

Once you reach the good credit score range, it’s time to maintain it or work toward an excellent credit score. If you’ve gotten here then you may already have a decent credit strategy, but it’s important you keep up those credit best practices if you want to graduate into the excellent credit range. Here are a few tips to follow when it comes to maintaining your good credit score:

• Take advantage of self-reporting tools. UltraFICO and Experian Boost let users report different activities like paying your monthly utilities as positive payment history that can be factored into your credit score. Leverage these tools as a way to maintain your credit in addition to your established good credit habits.
• Write a good faith letter. Past mistakes on your credit report can drag your score down. A good way to maintain your good credit score is to write goodwill or good faith letters directly to creditors detailing your acknowledgement of past mistakes, providing examples of current good habits and noting plans to continue these habits.
• Pay balances in full. While paying your credit card bill on time is key to building good credit, maintaining a good credit score comes with spending small amounts and always paying your bill in full each month to avoid carrying balances or gathering interest charges. The more often your card stays paid off, the better.

How to choose the best credit card for good credit

Choosing a credit card for good credit will depend on your financial needs. Here are some questions to consider when shopping for a credit card for good credit.

Is your good credit score on the cusp?

Note whether your credit score is a few points shy from either the excellent or fair credit range. If your score is only a few points away from excellent, you might include some cards from the excellent credit category in your search. If you are barely into the good credit range, it’s best to focus squarely on cards in the good credit category to avoid any denials. Either way, be responsible and only apply to cards you can feasibly be approved for, as too many card applications and denials in a short time frame will have a negative impact on your credit score.

Do you want rewards or credit-building consistency?

Having good credit will qualify you for cards with fairly good rewards rates. Knowing which spending categories matter the most to you and whether or not you want to start strategizing to maximize reward earnings can go a long way. You may also decide it’s best to keep a low-maintenance card with a modest base rewards rate on all purchases while you continue your journey to earning an excellent credit score. Whatever route you choose, keep up the positive credit practices that got you a good credit score in the first place.

What benefits do you need?

Different cards will offer different sets of perks and benefits outside of base rewards rates and you’ll want to evaluate each card to see which set of benefits best suits your needs. Examples of these benefits include travel insurance coverage, roadside assistance or even purchase protection. It can be tricky to decide what you’ll need for future transactions, but a good practice is to keep track of your expenses and needs for a couple months prior to deciding. Credit cards are best used on consistent, predictable purchases rather than impulsive ones. Maintaining awareness of where your money is going as well as how a card can compliment your transactions can make deciding what benefits are best for you a breeze.

Is the annual fee worth it?

There are plenty of credit cards for good credit that do not charge annual fees, but there are a few that do. Cards with annual fees often have perks and benefits that could help offset the added charge, but sometimes these benefits might come in the form of niche rewards for purchases you would never otherwise make. Know your budget, assess your needs and decide for yourself if an annual fee is worth it.

Still unsure if a credit card for good credit is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool where you can get personalized credit card recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.

Financial freedom with good credit

Having good credit opens up avenues to financial flexibility beyond options for your next credit card and card responsibility is not the only way to build credit. You can use loans and rent payments to improve your score and climb the credit ladder, landing you better rates on financial products and services.

• Are you currently renting? You can report rent payments to the credit bureaus to boost your score even more.
• Find out when credit card companies report to the credit bureaus to time your credit card payments effectively.
• Learn what it means to have an 800 credit score and the perks that come with it.

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