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Preferred Cash Rewards Credit Card
A solid rewards card for active duty military members.
There’s no reason to feel intimidated by a credit card. As long as you pay off your purchases every month, there’s little risk and tons of upside.
— Claire Dickey
Claire Dickey is a credit cards editor at Bankrate, focusing on news, product guides and educational content. Her areas of expertise include rewards and travel credit cards, building credit and credit card news. Always on the lookout for the latest credit cards and card perks, as well as cards-related legislation and regulations, Claire is passionate about demystifying personal finance topics. Her goal is to help readers save money, earn rewards and protect their credit scores.
When she’s not strategizing about how to maximize rewards on her next trip, Claire is an avid runner and day hiker.
If you’re trying to build credit, my best advice is to keep things simple. A credit card is a great way to show your creditworthiness, but picking one can be overwhelming since there are so many options out there and so many features to consider. Stick to the basics: Look for a card with low fees and the option to put down a large deposit and get a matching credit limit. If you pay on time and only charge small purchases to the card, your score can grow surprisingly quickly.
There’s no reason to feel intimidated by a credit card. As long as you pay off your purchases every month, there’s little risk and tons of upside.
— Claire Dickey
A solid rewards card for active duty military members.
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® helps frequent travelers and loyalists to the Virgin Atlantic airline earn miles on travel and all other purchases.
The Citi Rewards+ Student Card is a no annual fee rewards option for young adults looking to build credit and earn points for everyday purchases.
A bad credit score doesn’t mean you’re exiled from earning rewards—you’ll earn a flat 1 percent cash back on eligible purchases.
The Platinum Select World Elite card offers an ample sign-up bonus, no annual fee for the first 12 months ($99 thereafter) and great yearly bonuses that add to your mileage pool.
For the devoted American Airlines flier, the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® is worth considering — especially since you can test drive it for a year without paying the $99 annual fee.
For a $450 annual fee, American Airlines loyalists can fly in style with perks like Admirals Club membership, priority boarding on flights, credit for TSA Pre✓® or Global Entry and more.
Earn credit card rewards on spending you’re already doing.
There are alternative ways to build credit, like becoming an authorized user, opening a store card or reporting your utility payments each month.
The JetBlue Card is a good choice for the JetBlue traveler who typically takes a trip or two each year.
This credit card is one of three secured cards offered by First Progress issued by Synovus Bank, and all of them can help you rebuild your credit.
The Control Prepaid Mastercard offers a high APY with the attached savings account, but it comes with fewer cash-back options than other prepaid cards.
In terms of hotel credit cards, Marriott co-branded credit cards can be a great choice.
Bank of America pledges to make a donation to breast cancer research when you get the Susan G. Komen Credit card.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another small business card that lets you customize your rewards like the SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card from American Express.
When you break down the benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s $95 annual fee is a steal.