- Our picks
- How we picked the best credit cards with no annual fee
- How to find the best no annual fee card for your needs
- Who should get a credit card with no annual fee?
- Sources
- About the author
- User questions & answers
- Expert opinions
Our Picks for Best Credit Cards with No Annual Fee in 2024
WalletHub’s editors compared more than 1,500 credit cards, including more than 900 cards with no annual fees, to identify the top options in the most popular categories. For your convenience, we’ll recap our picks for the best free credit cards that you can apply for right now.
Best Credit Cards with No Annual Fee Comparison
Credit Card | Best For | Editor's Rating | Rewards Rate |
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | Best Overall | 5/5 | 2% Cash Rewards |
Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Bonus Cash Rewards | 5/5 | 1.5 - 5% Cash Back |
Discover it® Miles | Travel | 4.5/5 | 1.5 miles / $1 |
Fifth Third 1% Cash/Back Card | 0% Purchases | N/A | 1% Cash Back |
Citi Simplicity® Card | Balance Transfers | 3.7/5 | N/A |
Citi Double Cash® Card | Fair Credit | 5/5 | 2% Cash Back |
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card (see Rates & Fees) | College Students | 4.7/5 | 1 - 8% Cash Back |
Chase Freedom Rise℠ | No Credit | 5/5 | 1.5% Cash Back |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card | Bad Credit | 5/5 | 1 - 2% Cash Back |
How We Picked the Best Credit Cards with No Annual Fee
To identify the market’s best credit cards with no annual fee, WalletHub’s editors regularly compare more than 1,500 credit card offers based on key WalletHub Rating components. In addition to annual fees, we consider cards’ rewards, interest rates, approval requirements, and secondary benefits in order to pick the best no annual fee credit cards in the most popular usage categories. Selections range from the best rewards credit cards with no annual fee to the best credit cards with no annual fee for building credit.
WalletHub’s editors update their selections for the best credit cards with no annual fees when warranted, based on changes to existing offers, new offers being introduced, and cards being discontinued.
How to Find the Best No Annual Fee Card for Your Needs
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Check your credit score.
You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub. Knowing what your credit score is will tell you which cards are realistic to consider. It will also help point you in the right direction fee-wise.
The lower your credit score is, the more important it is for you to get a no annual fee credit card. After all, low-cost credit improvement should be your top priority. And a no annual fee credit card can be completely free to use, as long as you pay any balance owed by the due date every month and avoid actions that will trigger any one-off fees that your card may charge.
Things aren’t so clear cut for people with good or excellent credit. Many of the best rewards credit cards charge annual fees, at least beginning the second year your account is open, but their generous benefits can more than make up for the cost if you use your card regularly.
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Choose between good rewards and low rates.
You should choose between good rewards and low rates because you’re unlikely to find both in one package. Focus on rewards if you plan to pay the monthly bills in full and low rates if you’ll need to carry a balance from month to month.
If the best rewards card for your needs also happens to have a 0% introductory APR offer, or your favorite low-interest card has decent rewards, all the better. But you shouldn’t sacrifice in the area most important to you just to get a card with both.
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Decide what other account terms to prioritize.
There’s a lot of variety among credit cards with no annual fee, so you need to figure out which features are most important to you. For example, if you want an initial bonus, one of the best no annual fee credit cards is the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card (see Rates & Fees).
Similarly, Capital One VentureOne (see Rates & Fees) is among the best credit cards with no annual fee and travel rewards.
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Check your WalletHub account.
WalletHub members get personalized credit card recommendations based on their credit history and profile information. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up for free.
Who Should Get a Credit Card with No Annual Fee?
You should consider a credit card with no annual fee if you are a light spender, you already have several credit cards, or you don’t plan to use the card regularly. Ultimately, the decision comes down to how much you can expect to save.
If you take a card’s annual fee into account and discover that you’ll still be able to save more compared to the best no annual fee option, it might be worth paying the fee in that situation. The best approach is to compare lots of options and let the potential savings guide you.
Sources
WalletHub actively maintains a database of 1,500+ credit card offers, from which we select the best options for different applicants as well as derive market-wide takeaways and trends. The underlying data is compiled from credit card company websites or provided directly by the credit card issuers. We also leverage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to develop cardholder profiles, used to estimate cards’ potential savings.