Best Credit Cards For Excellent Credit Score 2024

If you use it right, Capital One’s top-tier travel card will earn you premium rewards for an entry-level price. Easily cover your annual fee with the annual $300 bonus and 10,000 extra miles, as long as you use Capital One Travel to book your hotels, flights or rental cars.

Pros

• Low annual fee for a premium rewards card
• Huge annual bonuses
• 2X miles base rewards on all purchases outside bonus categories

Cons

• Capital One Travel and lounge networks have some limitations
• No hotel status perks
• Must work to earn some benefits and outweigh the annual fee

• 75,000 bonus miles ($750 in travel) when you spend $4,000 in the first three months, plus 10,000 miles annually at your account anniversary
• Earn $300 in statement credits each year for booking through Capital One Travel
• 10X miles on hotels and rent cars, plus 5X on flights, booked through Capital One Travel
• 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited access to over 1,300 lounges around the world
• Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry

Chase’s top-tier travel card offers some of the best rewards for borrowers with excellent credit, and it’s easy to offset the high annual fee if you book your travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You’ll earn $300 in statement credits back every year for spending on travel, and you can max out your point value by redeeming points for travel expenses through Chase.

Pros

• Flexible $300 annual travel credit
• Boost your point value by 50% when redeeming for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Transfer points to quality airline and hotel partners

Cons

• High annual fee
• High purchase APR
• Must use Chase Ultimate Rewards to book travel for the highest value

• 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months
• $300 statement credit automatically happens on your anniversary if you’ve spent at least that much on travel
• 10X points on hotels and rental cars, plus 5X points on flights, booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards (when you book immediately after spending the first $300 on travel annually)
• 3X points on other travel and dining, 1X points on all other purchases
• Transfer points to hotel and airline partners at a one-to-one value
• Chase automatically includes Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Lost Luggage Insurance for travel purchases made with the card
• Access more than 1,3000 airport lounges around the world
• Up to $100 credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS application

American Express cards are known for their status — and the associated annual fees. But the Gold Card offers plenty of rewards to offset its modest fees, especially if you’re a frequent diner.

Pros

• High rewards for foodies and supermarket spenders
• Extra rewards for spending at vendors like Uber, The Cheesecake Factory, Grubhub and more
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• AmEx options for carrying a balance are limited
• High APR for Pay Over Time feature when you do carry a balance
• No lounge benefits

• In addition to 4X Membership Rewards points noted above, earn 3X points on flights you book with airlines or through amextravel.com and 1X points on all other purchases
• 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first six months
• $10 per month in Uber Cash when you add the Gold Card to your Uber account
• Up to $10 per month in statement credits for spending at The Cheesecake Factory, Grubhub, Wine.com, Milk Bar, Goldbelly, and select Shake Shack locations
• Earn up to $100 in Experience Credits when you book at least two nights of The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel
• Up to five authorized users with no additional fee

If you favor Wyndham properties, this card is a must. With the possibility to earn up to six free nights off the bat and ongoing 6X points for Wyndham stays, you can rack up points for travel spending quickly.

Pros

• Earn big rewards at Wyndham properties
• Easy to earn the sign-up bonus
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Less value outside of spending and redeeming points at Wyndham properties
• High potential APR
• Grocery bonus excludes Target and Walmart purchases

• Wyndham Platinum membership includes early check-in and rental car upgrades
• 45,000 bonus points (up to six free nights) when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days
• Aside from 6X points noted above, earn 4X points at restaurants and grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart) and 1X points on all other purchases
• 7,500 bonus points every year on your account anniversary

Chase Freedom Flex℠ may be a dark horse contender for the highest reward-earning potential. If you play the quarterly categories right and book travel through Chase, you’ll rack up points quickly — with no annual fee to drag you down.

Pros

• High reward potential on travel and bonus categories
• No annual fee
• Easy to earn sign-up bonus

Cons

• Bonus rewards take some work — you must sign up and track spending each quarter
• 5% cash back for travel only available through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Low rewards rate on general, everyday spending

• $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months
• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating categories each quarter
• 5% cash back on travel bookings made through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3% cash back on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases
• 0% APR for first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (transfer fee applies)

Bank of America’s flexible everyday card is in close competition with the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and may even have the edge for some spenders. It’s already a great option with its 18-month 0% intro APR and the freedom to choose your bonus category, but its 25% to 75% cash-back boost really puts it over the edge for Bank of America Preferred Rewards members.

Pros

• Tough to beat extra 25%–75% for Bank of America Preferred Rewards
• Freedom to change your 3% bonus category each month
• No annual fee

Cons

• Must track bonus rewards category spending
• High fees for balance transfers and foreign transactions
• Caps on bonus rewards

• $200 online cash rewards when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days
• 3% cash back in category of your choice, plus 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (on up to $2,500 in spending combined for both categories)
• Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases

If you prefer to travel via British Airways, this rewards card from Chase is worth a look. You’ll earn 3X Avios (the British Airways Rewards currency) for every flight on British Airways or its partners, and there’s a big sign-up bonus waiting for you.

Pros

• Significant sign-up bonus
• Big bonus rewards on flights with British Airways partners
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Most rewards value is limited to select airlines
• Annual fee
• No checked baggage credits or lounge access

• 75,000 Avios when you spend $5,000 in the first three months
• 3X Avios on bookings through British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL
• 2X Avios for hotel bookings you make directly with any hotel
• 1X Avios on all other purchases
• 10% discount on British Airways flights starting in the U.S. (must use website provided in your welcome materials)
• Earn one companion travel ticket for every year that you spend $30,000 in purchases on your card

This card is meant for travelers who want to make the most of its luxury hotel and lounge access perks, along with high reward potential for booking through American Express. If you pay attention to the many bonus categories, you’ll quickly out-earn the annual fee.

Pros

• Big travel benefits when you use American Express Travel
• Comprehensive airport lounge access around the globe
• Luxury benefits and elite status available with Hilton and Marriott

Cons

• Extremely high annual fee
• Complicated rewards structure
• Poor rewards rate outside of travel spending

• 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend $6,000 in the first six months
• 5X points on flights you book with the airlines or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per year)
• 5X points on prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel
• $200 statement credit for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection booked through American Express Travel
• Substantial credits of $200 or more for using your card for hotels, streaming services, Walmart membership, Uber rides, Sax Fifth Avenue, and more
• Statement credits for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or CLEAR® Plus
• $300 credit when you purchase a SoulCycle bike and subscribe to Equinox+