So as a personal finance blogger who has a lot of personal experience with credit cards (both good and bad) I get these questions a lot:
- What are the best credit cards for young adults?
- What’s a good first credit card?
- And when should somebody get a first credit card anyway?
My take on the last question: DO NOT get a credit card until you have a full-time income. (If you think you need one for emergencies while you’re a student, ask a parent to make you an authorized user on their card. It’ll keep you out of trouble and start to build your credit.)
As for what card to get, it all depends whether you have already established credit or not. For example, have you already had a credit card, or do you have student loans? If you’re still unsure, check your credit score to find out what kinds of credit cards you’ll qualify for.
THE BEST CREDIT CARDS FOR STARTING OUT
For applicants with established and good credit who want an all around card that will provide cash rewards, a 0% intro APR, no annual fee and a low regular APR, the Discover More Card is extremely well-rounded. Discover provides the best online account management and offers, in my opinion, the best mix of features of any major credit card. (Most cards that have great rewards have high APRs; most cards that have low APRs have few or no rewards—Discover offers both.)
If you have established credit history and want the best cash rewards in a universally-accepted Visa card, check out Chase Freedom, which offers unlimited 1% cash back and up to 5% in rotating categories. It’s a card I use, and I’ve been happy with it.
Finally, if you have no credit history or have fair credit, an Orchard Bank® Classic MasterCard® is a good bet. They have higher rates and fees than mainstream cards but are a far better way to get and build credit than many cards that are marketed to people with “poor credit”. Stick with this card for a year or two, use it responsibly, and you’ll have credit that will enable you to step up to an even better card.
Apply for These Cards Now
|
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Not decided yet? See even more recommended credit cards »
Disclaimer: One way I’m able to support my blogging while helping you is to link to products I like and earn a referral commission if you sign up. I only link to products I trust. That said, you should know that if you click the links to these cards and ultimately apply for and are approved for that card, I may be paid for that. If you choose to support Money Under 30 in that way, thanks!
###
I'm David Weliver. At 26, I had NO savings and NO financial plan. I was maxed out, stressed out, and fed up. Then, I changed. I repaid $80k of debt, tripled my income, and bought a home. I'll show you how to get similar results. 
I agree with your choice of the Discover More card. I’ve had one for about five years now and love it. The extra 5% cash-back bonus that changes every three to four months is a nice feature as well.
i want to build my credit im in the national guard and i only plan to use the card if i already have the money and for gas. so please help me becuase im trying to start a family and really you need to have credit to do that, thank you for listning.
Hi Brian, if you have a little credit history the Discover More card is a good first card even if you don’t use it often, sometimes it requires a bit more credit history to get approval though. You might check out Capital One’s site as they offer some cards for applicants with little/no credit history, although some have annual fees.
Another option is to check with USAA. They have cards with programs designed for the military, and their service is supposed to be excellent.
https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/banking_credit_cards_main
I’m going to be a freshman in college, in the fall and I’m hoping to get my first credit card to help pay for some of my expenses. My parents have excellent credit (not sure if that makes a difference), but I’m just not sure which card is the best option
Hey David– thoroughly enjoy your website– especially the credit card information. Thank you for your insight. I am a 27 yr old graduate student and I’m wanting to establish some credit. I have not had a major credit card yet, just a department store one (which I’ve always paid on time) and a 4 yr car loan. I was hoping this credit would give me enough to get a Chase Freedom Cash Back card, but I was turned down. My credit report did not reflect my car payments (I’m currently trying to get that corrected), but now I’m hoping to get any form of credit card started. My out-of-state graduate school is expensive (aka my loans are large), but I WILL pay the balance every month and at age 27, will not abuse it in any way. I’m just 15 months from a real job and hopefully a home someday, etc. Should I still go for a “student” credit card? A secured credit card? Cash back would be nice, but I would rather not get turned down again. Any help would be great…….keep up the good work!
Thanks!
ST, two things to consider: If you have a checking account with a smaller bank or credit union, pop into a branch and ask about their credit cards options. They may not come with rewards, but they may be able to approve you for a no-fee, unsecured card that’ll get you started. The other option is the Orchard Bank card shown on this page. They approve people with a wide variety of credit situations, and offer a secured card as a back-up resort. Depending on their assessment of your credit, their may be an annual fee, but after a year or two with this card you should be able to get approved for another one and cancel the fee-charging one. Good luck.
Hey,
I wanna thank you so much. Not only did your recommendations help me in finally figuring out my credit score but also helped me in getting all my student loans in order. I’m a newly graduated engineer and needed help finding and figuring out my credit and getting a credit card. You helped me understand all of what I needed to know to start working on my credit. I’ve recommended your website to all of my college buddies. Thank you again, I was so lost and you helped figure things out without trying to put me into more debit like what some banks and credit companies try to do.
