Best Mastercard Credit Cards

Why We Like It: The best Mastercard credit card, both overall and for travel, is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card because its rewards can save you more than $2,000 over the first two years, according to our calculations. You can earn an initial bonus of 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, plus ongoing rewards of 2 - 5 miles per $1 spent on purchases. That includes bonus rewards on hotels, vacation rentals and rental car purchases made through the Capital One Travel portal.
 
What We Don’t Like: Capital One Venture has an annual fee of $95, and a high APR will apply to balances carried from month to month.
 
Who Should Get It: Consider applying for Capital One Venture if you have good credit or better and want to earn bonus rewards on travel.
 

Why We Like It: The Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® is the best Mastercard hotel credit card because its bonus points can quickly turn into reward nights. For starters, you can earn an initial bonus of 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, worth around $780 according to WalletHub’s calculations.

In addition, you will earn 10 points per $1 spent at Choice Hotels, 5 points per $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores and home improvement stores, 5 points per $1 spent on phone plan services, and 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

What We Don’t Like: The Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® has a $95 annual fee and it also has a high regular APR, so you should plan to pay your bill in full each month to avoid interest.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for this card if you have good credit or better, and you can easily stay at Choice properties when you travel. For more options, check out WalletHub’s complete list of the best hotel credit cards available right now.

Why We Like It: The Virgin Atlantic Credit Card is the best airline rewards Mastercard because it can help you save hundreds of dollars per year on flights. To kick things off, you can get 40,000 points for making $3,000 in purchases within 90 days of opening an account Those points are worth $892, according to WalletHub’s calculations.

The Virgin Atlantic Credit Card also gives you 3 points per $1 spent on Virgin Altantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages, 2 Points per $1 spent at grocery stores, on dining out, select streaming services and EV charging, as well as 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Other perks include 5,000 points after each account anniversary and 2,500 points for each additional cardholder you add (up to 10,000 points for authorized users).

What We Don’t Like: You have to pay an annual fee of $99, and you should commit to flying with Virgin Atlantic. You should also pay the bill in full monthly to prevent interest charges from eating into your savings from rewards.

Who Should Get It: Apply for this Mastercard if you have good credit or better, you fly frequently, and you will be able to fly with Virgin Atlantic moving forward. For more options, check out WalletHub’s complete list of the best airline credit cards available right now.

Why We Like It: The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best Mastercard credit card with no annual fee because it gives you great rewards and a low introductory interest rate. For starters, you can earn a $200 bonus in return for spending just $500 on purchases within 3 months of opening an account. Capital One Savor also gives you 1 - 8% cash back in ongoing rewards.

In addition to its rewards and low cost, Capital One Savor offers an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. That is months longer than average.

What We Don’t Like: Capital One Savor has a high APR, at 19.24% - 29.24% (V), and a balance transfer fee of 3% for the first 15 months, 4% at a promo APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time. These things aren’t dealbreakers, but you do need to manage them if you want to maximize the card’s value.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Capital One Savor if its bonus rewards mesh well with your spending habits and you don’t want to pay an annual fee.

Why We Like It: The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is the best Mastercard credit card for bonus points because it offers 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, worth $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. You’ll also earn ongoing rewards at a rate of 1 - 10 points per $1 spent on purchases. 

What We Don’t Like: The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card Card has an annual fee of $95, and a high APR will apply to balances carried from month to month. Neither negative attribute has to stop the card from being worthwhile, though.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for Citi Strata Premier℠ Card if you have good credit or better and you can comfortably afford to spend $4,000 in the first 3 months after opening an account.
 

Why We Like It: The BankAmericard® credit card is the best 0% APR Mastercard because it offers one of the longest interest-free periods on the market. You get intro APRs of 0% for 18 billing cycles on new purchases and balance transfers made in the first 60 days, and you don’t have to pay an annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: This card’s balance transfer fee is 3%, and its regular APR is 15.24% - 25.24% Variable. You should therefore plan to pay off your balance by the end of the introductory period, whether you finance big-ticket purchases or a transfer. Before transferring a balance, you should also confirm that a card with a lower transfer fee won’t save you more money.

Who Should Get It: Apply for the BankAmericard® credit card if you have excellent credit and you want to save on interest.

Why We Like It: The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is one of the best Mastercard balance transfer credit cards because it offers a very long 0% introductory APR period, giving you an intro APR of 0% for 21 months on balance transfers (along with an intro APR of 0% for 12 months on purchases). Citi Diamond Preferred also has a $0 annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: The regular APR, at 17.24% - 27.99% (V), and the balance transfer fee – 5% (min $5) – are both pretty high.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card if you have good credit and the card’s transfer terms will save you money.

Why We Like It: The Citi Simplicity® Card is the best balance transfer Mastercard, and the best credit card for balance transfers overall, because it offers a 0% introductory APR for 21 months along with a $0 annual fee and a relatively low transfer fee.

What We Don’t Like: The card has a transfer fee of 3% intro fee ($5 min) for each transfer in first 4 months, and 5% ($5 min) for each transfer after that, but that’s actually lower than what a lot of cards charge. Try to repay your balance before regular rates kick in, though. The Citi Simplicity® Card’s regular APR will cost you otherwise. 

Who Should Get It: Apply for the Citi Simplicity® Card if you have good credit and need to reduce the cost of existing debt. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub as well as calculate how much a balance transfer could save you.

Why We Like It: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best Mastercard for bad credit because it has a $0 annual fee and rewards cardholders with 1.5% cash back on all purchases. 

What We Don’t Like: This card requires a security deposit of at least $200. Fortunately, this deposit is fully refundable when you bring your balance to $0 and close your account.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for Capital One Quicksilver Secured if you have limited or bad credit and want to save money as you improve your credit standing.

Why We Like It: The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best Mastercard for people with no credit because it offers better-than-average rewards. You can earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases with this card while steadily building a good credit score.

What We Don’t Like: You have to pay a $39 annual fee, but the card is still worthwhile if you’re a moderate-to-heavy spender.

Who Should Get It: You should apply for Capital One QuicksilverOne if you plan to charge at least $2,600 per year and pay the full balance due each month. If you do that, this card will pay for itself with rewards, according to our calculations.

Why We Like It: The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best student Mastercard credit card because it accepts applicants with limited credit, does not charge an annual fee, and offers superb rewards. You can get an initial bonus of $50 for spending $100 in the first 3 months, plus 1 - 8% cash back on purchases.

Specifically, the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, along with 1% back on all other purchases (except for 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases). 

What We Don’t Like: Carrying a balance from month to month will get expensive fast due to the card’s high APR. Fortunately, you can pay the full amount due each month to avoid interest charges altogether.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for this Mastercard if you’re a student with limited credit who wants to earn cash back rewards on purchases.

Why We Like It: The Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash® Card is the best Mastercard for business owners because it offers $500 cash rewards after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus 2% cash rewards on purchases. The card also comes with a $0 annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: The Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash® Card has a high APR, and it does not allow balance transfers.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash if you have excellent credit personally and you want to earn great rewards.