Learn all about the Best Credit Cards For Young Professionals To Earn Points, Cash & Miles
As a young professional, it is important to be equipped with a credit card that suites your lifestyle. There are a lot of rewards credit cards on the market that are best suited for certain bonus categories, with plenty offering more than double points on the things you tend to spend the most money on such as travel, dining, supermarkets, gas stations and more.
Best Credit Cards For Young Professionals
There a few factors to take into account when selecting the best credit cards for young professionals:
- Annual fee
- Sign-up bonus
- Rewards rate
- Travel benefits
- Transfer partners
- Other benefits
Considering the factors mentioned above, here are a few of our favorite cards:
CREDIT CARD | BONUS CATEGORIES | ANNUAL FEE |
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Travel Dining |
$95 |
Chase Sapphire Reserve | Travel Dining |
$550 |
American Express Gold | Dining Supermarkets Airfare |
$250 |
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Vivid Seats Dining Entertainment Grocery stores |
$95, $0 1st year |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | None | $95, $0 1st year |
Citi Double Cash Card | None | $0 |
Closer Look at Each Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a very fan favorite rewards card. It has an incredibly generous sign-up bonus and earns double points for travel and dining. In addition, travel and dining are both broadly defined to include a wide variety of purchases.
![]() The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll earn: • 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards • 3X points on dining • 3X points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases • 2X points on all other travel purchases • 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases Enjoy new benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit and when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! This card carries a $95 annual fee. |
The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve is $550 a year, which is a lot for a credit card. However, if you take full advantage of all that this card has to offer, then you’ll be getting much more than your money’s worth. Features include a big sign-up bonus, triple points on travel and dining, $300 in travel credits every year, lounge access via Priority Pass Select and more.
![]() The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll earn • 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. • 5X total points on flights • 3X points on other travel and dining • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases When redeeming your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 50% more value. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. |
If you spend most of your money on food, then the American Express Gold Card could be a good fit with 4x American Express Membership Rewards® points on dining worldwide and U.S. supermarkets*, as well as $120 in dining credits every year. The card also offers triple points on flights**, $100 in airline fee credits per year and a big sign-up bonus.
![]() The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., • 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). • 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
If you spend a lot in the dining and entertainment categories, then consider the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. With just $95 in annual fees (waived your first year), you’ll get 8% cash back at Vivid Seats*, 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, and 2% back at grocery stores.
For those looking for a low-cost option with simple rewards, you won’t find much better than the Citi Double Cash Card. It doesn’t come with any bells or whistles – notably, no sign-up bonus – but it does offer a generous, flat-rate on all your purchases: 2% cash back (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay). In fact, it’s one of the cards we recommend for your everyday spending.
![]() With the Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer: Earn cash back twice. Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.99% - 28.99%, based on your creditworthiness. This card comes with no annual fee. |
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is now turning heads, thanks to the recent addition of airline transfer partners. And if you’re into simple travel rewards, the Venture card has your name on it with a flat earning rate of double miles on all your purchases.
You’ll also enjoy a statement credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, which is a rare feature for a mid-tier card.
![]() The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. You're able to earn: • 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. • 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel This card does come with a $95 annual fee. Enjoy no foreign transaction fees and receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. |
Additional Guide
Bottom Line
Be sure to learn all about the perks and fees when choosing which credit card to open. Making an educated decision could help you maximize your spendings and get great rewards.
We included all of our favorite cards that offer good perks and bonuses, with no annual fee. For more credit cards, see our latest list of the best credit card bonuses!