Best credit cards for young adults & first timers 2023

“What are the best credit cards for young adults?” is one of the most often-asked questions I get. That, or:

• I’m a recent college graduate. What’s the best starter credit card for me?
• What’s the best first credit card to get?
• I’m a young professional with some credit history. I need a credit card for business travel—what should I get?

I’m happy to dive into those questions, but I also want to explain why I recommend the cards I do.

How I came up with the list of the top 10 credit cards for young adults

I’ve been covering credit and credit cards for over 10 years. When choosing the best credit cards for young adults, I look for cards that:

1. Offer better-than-average approval odds for consumers with shorter credit histories. (This is based upon issuer-provided guidelines and Money Under 30 data from readers who click from our Website to apply for a credit card.)
2. Reward spending in categories most popular with our readers such as dining, travel or Amazon purchases
3. Do not charge excessive fees

Where appropriate, I selected rewards cards with programs that reward any spending level—not just someone who can charge thousands a month to their card. I also tried to stick to cards with no annual fees, although there are two exceptions.

Overview: Best credit cards for young adults

In the event you don’t have much of a credit history yet, shopping for cards can be frustrating. You find a great credit card, only to be declined. If the most rewarding credit cards are still out of reach, there are still very good credit cards designed for consumers with average or limited credit.

Details: Best credit cards for young adults—good-excellent credit

The very best credit card offers look to attract new creditworthy customers with promotions like cash sign-up bonuses, 0% intro APRs and generous rewards programs.

These cards require good or excellent credit, which means you will need to:

1. Have had open loan and credit card accounts for five years or more
2. Have had no late payments in the last two years
3. Have not applied for credit more than twice in the last year

If you’re a young professional with established credit, here are some of our recommended credit cards:

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is definitely one of our favorite travel rewards cards, but don’t apply unless you’re a big spender (and a big traveler).

First the good. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per $1 spent on everything else.

On top of that, you can get a whopping 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Here’s the kicker. There’s a $95 annual fee. You really need to be a big spender to make this card worth your while. If you want to avoid the annual fee, we recommend looking at the alternative cards here. But if you’re living large, this is the perfect card for you.

Learn more: See card details/apply or read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.

If you are just starting to build credit with responsible use, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards credit card provides a good chance of approval, with no annual fee and a generous 1.5% cash back.

With the Capital One QuickSilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no rotating categories or hoops to jump through.

Plus, it comes with a limited time sign-up bonus: earn $50 when you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

Learn more: See card details/where to apply or read our full review.

Offering enhanced cash back in certain categories, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards credit card will appeal to those who want to make the most of their spending.

With the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn a basic 1% cash back on all purchases, with the exception of a few spending categories that boost your earn potential substantially. The card offers:

• 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, and at grocery stores.
• 3% cash back on popular streaming services.
• 8% cash back on all qualifying Capital One Entertainment purchases.

Like the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card, it also comes with a limited time sign-up bonus of $50 bonus when you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

Learn more: See card details/where to apply or read our full review.

The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is a great basic credit card with no annual fee for applicants with average or limited credit.

If you have a little bit of credit history (or a fair one that you want to improve), the Capital One Platinum Credit Card is an ideal starter credit card. You won’t earn rewards with this card, but there’s no annual fee to worry about, either.

One of the great things about Capital One is that they offer cards like this and great prime rewards cards. So, if you start with a Platinum card and use it responsibly for a while, you may be able to upgrade your account.

Learn more: See card details/apply or read our Capital One Platinum Credit Card review

If you’re still building your credit history and want to earn rewards to get the purchasing power you need, the Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card is a great cash back card with no fees. 

You won’t pay an annual fee, and even international transactions are fee-free. For someone just starting out, every dollar saved is a dollar earned.

And while you’re building your credits, why not also be able to earn rewards! You can earn cash back between 2%-10% back on spending at specific merchants. All you have to do is check the app to find offers near you and your cash back will then be issued as a statement credit or can be sent to you via check or ACH if over $20.

The Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card has an APR of 24.49% - 33.99% Variable, and you’ll be issued a credit limit between $500 and $5,000. This is not negotiable, but once you’ve built your credit score, you can parlay it into a higher limit with another card.

Learn more: See card details/apply.

One of my top cash back credit card picks for young adults is the Chase Freedom® Student Credit Card. It is a great card to boost your credit score while enjoying some cash back benefits at the same time. You’ll get 1% cash back on every dollar you spend, along with bonuses and occasional promotional offers that will earn you even more.

With the Chase Freedom® Student Credit Card, you’ll enjoy an interest rate of 19.49% Variable. This interest rate doesn’t expire after an introductory period, so you’ll continue to get the relatively low APR for the life of the card.

To sweeten the deal, Chase is offering a $50 bonus after first purchase made within the first 3 months from account opening. That means you’ll get 5,000 points that you can redeem as cash back, just for spending any amount!

Although the APR is a little higher than some others, the rewards are well worth it, especially if you make regular purchases. Best of all, you’ll be building credit while you earn cash back.

Learn more: See card details/apply or read our complete review of Chase Freedom® Student credit card.

Details: Best first credit cards—no security deposit

If you’ve never had a credit card or loan before, a secured credit card offers your best chance of approval.

If you have no credit or very limited credit, you’ll need to read up on building credit for the first time. In some cases you’ll need to get a special type of product called a secured credit card that works like a debit card (with money you deposit in a bank account) but helps you build credit.

The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card has no annual fee and immediately allows you to begin building credit with responsible use.

A secured credit card works like a prepaid debit card — you must first make a deposit. Unlike a prepaid card, however, a secured credit card can help build credit when used responsibly because is will be reported to the three major credit bureaus.

With the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, you will get an initial $200 credit line after making a security deposit of $49, $99, or $200. Then get access to a higher credit line in as little as six months after credit line review.

Learn more: See card details/apply or read our Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card review.

Summary of the best credit cards for young adults

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a credit card if I’m under 21?

Good question. In 2009, the U.S. CARD Act created new laws designed to prevent some abusive practices in the credit card industry. Among these is a law that regulates companies issuing credit cards to minors. Today, you must be at least 18 years old to get a credit card.

Applicants under 21 need to prove their financial independence via either income or assets—in other words, your ability to repay the debt. In many cases, even a small part-time job may be enough to qualify you for a credit card with a modest credit limit.

If you’re under 21 and do not have enough independent income, you’ll need a cosigner to apply for a credit card.

In either case, remember that you will have the financial responsibility to pay your credit card every month. If you can’t afford it, don’t apply!

How do I get a credit card if I have no credit history?

Regardless of your age or student status, if you don’t have any credit history yet (for example, you’ve never had a student loan, car loan, or credit card), you may have a hard time getting approved for any traditional credit card.

Secured credit cards are an exception to this rule, and they’re the best way to build credit for the very first time.

At first, a secured card works more like a debit card; you deposit money into a bank account before you can use the card.

The difference, however, is that the secured credit card will report your responsible use of the card to credit bureaus and help you build credit in a way that debit and prepaid cards do not.

Learn more about ways to build credit for the first time or check your credit report to see if you’ve begun building credit yet.

Do you have any tips for using a credit card for the first time?

Credit cards can offer a ton of unique benefits, including fancy rewards, travel benefits, cash back, and more. But don’t forget, the main reason to start using credit cards is to build your credit score.

Applying for a credit card (and being approved for it) is just the start of the process. Now you have to use that credit card responsibly, which means:

• Use the card – Your credit score will tick up as you borrow money from the issuer (using your credit card) and then pay them back. If you don’t use the card, that can’t happen.
• Pay off your balance in full – Many of the credit cards on this list have a high APR, especially available for people with poor credit. That means that if you don’t pay off your balance in full, you’ll be stuck with high-interest payments on the remainder of your balance. Don’t get sucked in with the allure of minimum payments. Pay in full each month.
• Pay off your balance on time – You might think it’s not a big deal to be late with a payment by a day or two. But it is a big deal. If you use this credit card and don’t pay your balance on time, your credit score will fall.

Remember, credit cards can be a source of tremendous value – if you use them correctly.

Summary

If you’re under 35, the best credit card for you is the card you can get approved for that offers benefits that will save you—not cost you—money.

If you don’t feel like playing with spreadsheets for hours to determine the best personal rewards rate you can find, just pick a rewards credit card that sounds good to you and be done with it. Do not, however, blindly choose a rewards card only to carry a balance every now and then! If you want a credit card with which to pay off purchases over time, focus on the card’s APR, not the rewards.

Finding a credit card for which you will be approved will be more difficult if you have limited or damaged credit, but there are options. If you don’t get approved the first time, wait six months, focus on paying all of your bills on time, and try again.

Want to improve your chances of getting approved for a credit card? Finding the right credit card for you is much simpler if you know your credit score, and can narrow your search to only the cards you know you’ll get approved for. We’ve made it easy for you. If you don’t already know your score, use our quick and free Credit Score Estimator tool – then find the perfect card for you!

• Best credit cards for a credit score over 750
• Best credit cards for a credit score between 700 – 749
• Best credit cards for a credit score between 650 – 699
• Best credit cards for a credit score between 600 – 649
• Best credit cards for a credit score under 599