Editors’ Tips††: The best credit cards can help you earn rewards, build credit or manage debt. When you’re shopping for a card, consider the goals you’re trying to reach, along with your spending habits and preferences. Are you willing to pay an annual fee? Do you spend a lot in a particular category, like groceries? Do you want a card that comes with specific perks? Once you know what you’re looking for, you can focus on cards with features that fit your needs.

Our editors’ picks for the top credit cards address a range of goals and financial situations:

• Best no annual fee credit cards: Chase Freedom Flex®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Citi Double Cash® Card
• Best cash back credit cards: Chase Freedom Flex®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Citi Double Cash® Card
• Best credit cards for building credit: Capital One Platinum Credit Card, Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Editors’ Tips††: If you can afford to make the security deposit, secured cards can help you build credit and work your way up to cards with more features. Try to focus on options with a minimum security deposit you can afford. We also recommend you look for cards that offer benefits for on-time payments, like the opportunity to raise your credit limit or to graduate to an unsecured card. The key is to turn your security deposit into an opportunity, not just a requirement for access to credit.

Our editors’ picks for the top secured credit cards offer either a low minimum deposit to make it easier to open the card, or a high maximum deposit to help you build credit faster. They also selected cards that feature some sort of bonus in addition to access to credit:

• Best for a low deposit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
• Best for high potential credit limit: BankAmericard® Secured credit card
• Best for no credit check: Opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card

Editors’ Tips††: No annual fee credit cards offer valuable features and rewards without an upfront cost or yearly charge. When looking for a credit card, it can be tough to determine whether paying an annual fee makes sense. Cash back cards can offer higher rewards rates when you pay an annual fee, and the best travel cards almost always charge one. Take stock of your spending habits and consider if you’ll be able to offset an annual fee with rewards.

Our editors’ picks for the top no annual fee cards include several types of cards, such as low-interest cards, credit-building cards and rewards cards, to meet a range of needs:

• Best for maximizing cash back: Chase Freedom Flex®
• Best for everyday cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for simple cash back: Citi Double Cash® Card

Editors’ Tips††: Business credit cards offer a range of benefits for different types of businesses, from sole proprietorships to those with dozens of employees. These cards can offer valuable rewards or ways to finance a business, but all business cards don’t fit all businesses. For instance, a business travel credit card probably won’t help you much if you don’t travel for business, and free employee cards probably won’t help if you’re a freelancer. It’s also worth noting that a business card typically requires a personal guarantee, so you could personally be on the hook for paying your bill if your business runs out of funds.

Our editors’ picks for the top business cards reflect a range of business needs:

• Best for business trips: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Best for offsetting business expenses: Capital One Spark Cash Select
• Best for staying on budget: Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Editors’ Tips††: Cash back cards offer rewards on your purchases, either at a flat rate on everything or with elevated rates in certain bonus categories. Cash back credit cards don’t always offer the best rewards value, but they do tend to be more straightforward and easier to manage than travel rewards credit cards. When shopping for cash back cards, focusing on your spending habits can help you decide if it makes sense to pay an annual fee, whether you want a flat rate on all purchases or bonus categories, and if rotating categories or consistent bonus rewards are best for you.

Our editors’ picks for the top cash back cards offer bonus categories and/or flat-rate rewards:

• Best for everyday spending: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for rotating bonus rewards: Chase Freedom Flex®
• Best for simple cash back: Citi Double Cash® Card

Editors’ Tips††: A low-interest card, such as one with an introductory 0% APR offer for purchases or balance transfers, can help you pay off high-interest debt or avoid paying a lot in interest when making a big purchase. Be sure to read the full terms and conditions of your card offer — you might lose your 0% introductory rate if you make a late payment. Also, consider your credit before applying — most 0% intro APR cards require good to excellent credit for approval.

Our editors’ picks for the top low-interest credit cards offer relatively long 0% introductory APR offers on purchases and balance transfers:

• Best for balance transfers: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
• Best for bonus categories: Chase Freedom Flex®
• Best for a long intro period: Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

Editors’ Tips††: If you have good credit, you might be able to qualify for cards that offer valuable rewards and perks. It can be difficult to identify a card for good credit because most issuers don’t specify the exact scores you need to qualify. Consider using tools that identify cards you may be approved for, like Credit Karma’s Approval Odds or a prequalification form on an issuer’s website.

Our editors’ picks for the top cards for good credit are among those advertised for good credit or those that have been selected for people with good credit on Credit Karma’s marketplace. These cards also meet different needs, from various types of cash back to travel rewards:

• Best for cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for simple cash back: Citi Double Cash® Card
• Best for rotating cash back categories: Discover it® Cash Back

Editors’ Tips††: When you have excellent credit, you can likely qualify for a range of terrific credit cards with eye-catching rewards and perks. But it’s important to remember that the best card for you isn’t always the one that offers the most features. If you don’t typically spend a lot in certain bonus categories or won’t use some credits and perks, you might end up paying more for questionable value.

Our editors’ picks for the top cards for excellent credit feature different rewards opportunities, from simple cash back with no annual fee to high-value travel:

• Best for premium rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Best for a high cash back rewards rate: Citi Double Cash® Card
• Best for straightforward travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Editors’ Tips††: If you have fair or average credit, you may have the chance to continue building your credit while also benefitting from rewards and other useful card features. While you likely won’t yet qualify for the most lucrative rewards cards on the market, there are options out there. It can be difficult to find a card when you have fair credit because not all issuers advertise what kind of credit you need to qualify. Keep an eye out for any cards that note fair or average credit as a standard for approval.

Our editors’ picks for the best cards for fair or average credit scores are among cards that specifically advertise they are targeted at people with fair credit or that allow themselves to be displayed as an option for people with fair credit on Credit Karma’s marketplace:

• Best for cash back: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best for credit line increases: Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit
• Best for students: Discover it® Student Cash Back

Editors’ Tips††: The right rewards credit card can help you get cash back on purchases, book a trip and gain valuable perks. When shopping for a rewards card, keep in mind that cards may promise plenty of points on purchases or high estimated values for their perks, but you’re only going to benefit from them if they match up with your habits and needs. Think about where you spend your money, how much effort you want to put into maximizing a rewards program, and whether you prefer a cash back or travel rewards card.

Our editors’ picks for the top rewards cards offer the chance to earn a lot of rewards for spending in specific categories or in straightforward ways, with cards that offer the same rewards rate on all purchases:

• Best cash back credit card: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best travel rewards credit card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Best for rotating categories: Chase Freedom Flex®

Editors’ Tips††: A card with a 0% intro APR offer can be a great way to pay off debt and avoid immediate interest charges on new purchases. The most important feature to consider is the length of the intro APR period — it’s likely to determine if you’re able to pay off your balances without seeing interest charges. It’s also important to check the fine print because 0% intro APR offers can come with complicated rules. For instance, paying late may cause you to lose your 0% intro APR offer.

Our editors’ picks for the top 0% intro APR offer cards offer relatively long intro periods for purchases, balance transfers or both:

• Best for ongoing cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for paying off debt: Citi Simplicity® Card
• Best for a long intro period: Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

Editors’ Tips††: Balance transfer credit cards allow you to move your existing credit card debt to a new card, where you can pay it off with a lower interest rate. If you develop a plan for repayment without adding to your card balance, these cards can be a great way to manage debt.

Try to look at options with long 0% intro APR periods that will give you the best chance to pay off your full balance — and make sure to take a close look at the terms and conditions of your offer before applying.

Our editors’ picks for the top balance transfer cards address a range of needs:

• Best for long 0% intro APR: Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
• Best for people who might forget to pay back in time: Citi Simplicity® Card
• Best for time to transfer your balances: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card