Best Credit Cards of June 2024

We recommend the best cards below because these are the cards we would (and do!) recommend to our friends and family. Many are the credit cards we use ourselves -- as you'll see in our first-hand reviews below. And unlike other sites, we're not just putting cards we've been paid to put on our page.

Simplify picking one of the best credit cards

There are many card options listed below, so here are the standouts we want to highlight.

• Best cash back: Discover it® Cash Back (see rates and fees)
• Best credit card overall: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees)
• Best travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for rewards with 0% interest: Chase Freedom Flex®
• Best balance transfer card: Wells Fargo Reflect® Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for gas and grocery rewards: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (see
  rates and fees)

The Ascent's 2024 Credit Card Award winners

You may have noticed that many of the cards listed above have "2024 Award Winner" tags. Every year, we have awards for the best financial products, including the credit cards that stood out the most in specific categories. Here are the winners, and a little about each one, from top categories in The Ascent's 2024 Credit Card Awards:

• Best cash back credit card: The Discover it® Cash Back is our top pick, with an impressive cash back program and welcome offer.
• Best no annual fee credit card: The Chase Freedom Flex® has several bonus categories, a great sign-up bonus, and a 0% intro APR, and all without charging an annual fee.
• Best travel credit card: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers lots of value for frequent travelers and is easy to use, which is always a winning combination.
• Best 0% intro APR credit card: The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card has the longest 0% intro APR period we've found, so it was the clear choice here.
• Best credit card for groceries: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has the highest cash back rate we've found at U.S. supermarkets.

Want to know more about our best credit card picks? To save you some time, we've put together mini-reviews for a quick breakdown.

Best credit card overall: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Earn 2% cash rewards on your spending. No juggling cards, no figuring out rewards systems. Spend at the grocery store: 2%. At the vet: 2%. Paying for Netflix: 2%. It's really that easy. The perks on the card aren't as extensive, but hey, we like no annual fee.

Apply for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (on Wells Fargo's website)

Our team's first-hand experience:

Best credit card for cash back rewards: Discover it® Cash Back

Leading the pack for these cards is the Discover it® Cash Back. This card has a rotating bonus category, which means that it has a different category each quarter that earns a high 5% cash back rate on spending (up to $1,500 in purchases, and note that you have to activate the bonus category). These categories include grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations.

Apply for the Discover it® Cash Back (on Discover's website)

Our team's first-hand experience:

Best travel credit card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Card is our top pick and was the anchor card in my wallet for a long time. (See rates and fees.) It's simply a great card that allows you to earn a solid 2 miles per $1 spent across all of your spending, plus 5 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

I mentioned above that this used to be in my wallet. Why not anymore? It was a lifestyle change. We had kiddos enter the picture, which meant less travel, which meant less utility from the card. But this will be top of my list when that changes again, especially if it has a welcome bonus like the current one.

Apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (on Capital One's website)

Our team's first-hand experience:

Best credit card for balance transfers with a long 0% introductory offer: Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card also makes this list because of its matching 0% introductory offers for 21 months from account opening on balance transfers and purchases. This is another card with no annual fee, which is ideal when you're trying to pay down credit card debt or generally avoid interest.

Apply for the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card (on Wells Fargo's website)

Best credit card for gas and groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (see rates and fees) is hard to match for gas and grocery rewards. It earns 6% at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 each calendar year. It also earns 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, plus 3% at U.S. gas stations and on transit. Terms apply.

The 6% rate at supermarkets is the highest I've seen, and I've reviewed hundreds of cards. You stand an excellent chance of earning lots of cash back, which you can redeem as a statement credit.

Apply for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (on American Express' website)

Best credit card for bonus cash back: Citi Custom Cash® Card

Most gas and grocery cards have bonus categories that never change. With the Citi Custom Cash® Card (see rates and fees), bonus cash back is built around your spending. It earns 5% in your top eligible category every billing cycle, up to a $500 spending cap. Gas stations and grocery stores are two of the 10 eligible categories.

I've used this card, and I love how easy it is to earn bonus cash. Even if your spending habits change, you'll still be earning 5% back where you spend the most.

Apply for the Citi Custom Cash® Card (on Citi's website) (see rates and fees)

Choosing a credit card that fits your spending

Many credit cards have bonus categories where they earn additional rewards. Normally, these cards have a standard rate of 1% (or 1x points per $1). In bonus categories, they may earn 3%, 4%, 5%, or even as high as 10% back! You'll get more value if your card's bonus categories match your spending habits. Here are a few tips to help find the right card based on where you spend the most:

• Are food and gas some of your biggest monthly expenses? That's pretty common for U.S. households. If so, check out gas and grocery credit cards to earn more in those areas.
• Do you love to go on trips and explore the world? Travel credit cards could be your best bet. These cards often offer bonuses on travel-related spending, such as flights, hotels, and car rentals.
• Are you always going out for dinners or drinks? Look for dining and restaurant cards. You'll earn more at restaurants and bars, and some of these cards even earn more on entertainment spending, such as concerts and events.

If bonus categories are more complicated than you'd like, there's another option. Go with a flat-rate credit card that earns the same amount no matter where you use it. There are cash back cards and travel cards that earn an unlimited 2%. These are ideal if you want to keep it simple with your credit card.

How to compare credit cards

When you're trying to decide between credit cards, think about which card will have the most value for you. This often means which one will save you the most money. In some cases, this is easy. If you're comparing a couple of cash back cards, you may just need to do some quick math. Take your usual spending, calculate how much cash back you'd earn with each card, and you have your answer.

But it's not always so straightforward. If you're looking at travel cards, you might value other factors. For example, which card has the best airport lounge access, the most flexible travel points, or elite status with your favorite hotel chain? When I'm comparing credit cards, I start by figuring out which perks matter most to me, and then base my decision on which card is best for those features.

Evaluating card benefits to decide what matters

There are all kinds of benefits that credit cards can offer. Sign-up bonuses, introductory 0% APR offers, spending credits, and airport lounge access are just a few examples. Some people try to assign a value to all of these, but that's a lot of work to put in to choose a credit card.

Focus on the benefits that you're confident you'll be able to use. A spending credit that covers a streaming service you like could definitely save you some money. A spending credit at a store you never visit won't do you any good, as you'll need to go out of your way to use it. By figuring out which benefits you can use, you can get a more accurate idea of a card's potential value.

Though there are many different types of credit cards, they all fall into certain categories based on their features and rewards programs. Here are the main types of credit cards.

Compare the best credit cards

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

Our highest-rated credit cards have:

• A rewards rate above 2% (or 2x points or miles) with average spending, or competitive 0% intro APR balance transfer and purchase offers
• Attainable welcome bonuses that make up for any annual fees
• Low annual fees or a balance transfer fee of 3%
• Top perks such as purchase and travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, travel credits, and status upgrades

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.