If you're trying to get your first credit card, you may encounter a common paradox: Qualifying for a credit card typically requires good credit history.
Fortunately, the best credit cards for beginners acknowledge this issue and offer different ways to enter the world of credit without prior experience.
Business Insider's personal finance team reviewed dozens of options to compile this list of the best first credit cards to get in 2025. We reviewed earning rates for rewards, additional benefits such as purchase protection, and potential drawbacks such as annual fees.
Some of our picks are issued by Discover, which is well-known for being friendly to students and others who are building credit for the first time. Other recommendations in this guide come from Chase and Capital One. Both companies offer many other credit products, such as bank accounts, loans, and mortgages, that can further enhance your financial life down the road.
Best First Credit Cards of April 2025
| What It's For | Card | Annual Fee |
| Best for travelers | Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card | $0 |
| Best for students | Discover it® Student Cash Back | $0 |
| Best for cash back | Chase Freedom Rise℠ | $0 |
| Best if you have bad credit | Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | $39 |
| Best secured option | Discover it® Secured Credit Card | $0 |
Best First Credit Card for Travelers
$0
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (intro fee of 3% for the first 15 months, then 4% of the amount of each balance transfer at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time)
19.24% - 29.24% Variable
Earn 20,000 miles
Good to Excellent
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Versatile rewards
- Earn 1.25 miles per dollar on all purchases with no bonus categories to track
- Lower earning rate than some other no-annual-fee rewards cards
- Limited benefits
The VentureOne Rewards Card is a slimmed-down version of the popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. It's one of the few no-annual-fee cards on the market that gives you the option to redeem miles for cash back or transfer them to travel partners.
VentureOne Rewards Card- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
- Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.24% - 29.24% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is ideal for first-time cardholders who want a starter travel credit card with strong protections and benefits. The card has $0 annual fee and doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.
Cardholders earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and unlimited 1.25 miles on every purchase, plus 5 miles per dollar on entertainment booked through Capital One Entertainment.
Capital One miles are easy to redeem for any type of travel, at a straightforward rate of 1 cent per mile. You can also transfer rewards to Capital One transfer partners for airfare and hotel stays.
Capital One offers a credit card preapproval tool that allows you to input some basic personal information to see if you have a good chance of qualifying for this card. This way, you can avoid dinging your credit for a card application that won't be approved.
New cardholders can also earn 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within three months from account opening. They also get 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (intro fee of 3% for the first 15 months, then 4% of the amount of each balance transfer at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time), then 19.24% - 29.24% Variable APR.
Best First Credit Card for Students
$0
0% intro APR for six months on purchases
17.24% - 26.24% Variable APR
Earn Unlimited Cashback Match®
Fair/New to Credit
- From April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, earn 5% cash back at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%
- Discover matches your cash back after the first year
- Not the most rewarding cash-back card for non-bonus purchases
The Discover it® Student Cash Back is a great choice if you're a student with limited credit history and want to earn a strong rate of cash back on your everyday spending without paying an annual fee.
Discover it® Student Cash Back- Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200.
- Earn 5% Cashback Bonus® at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs, April 1 through June 30, 2025, on up to $1,500 in purchases, when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
- No credit score required to apply.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. Activate by mobile app for free.
- No annual fee and build your credit with responsible use.
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 17.24% - 26.24% applies.
- Terms and conditions apply.
The Discover it® Student Cash Back is ideal for students and other young adults who have minimal credit history.
Cardholders can earn 5% cash back on purchases from rotating categories each quarter up to $1,500 when you activate and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. You can use our Discover cash back calendar to help you track each quarter's bonus categories (from April 1 to June 30, 2025, earn 5% cash back at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%).
This $0-annual-fee credit card comes with a 0% intro APR for six months on purchases (then 17.24% - 26.24% Variable APR) for new cardholders, which can help you pay down school expenses over time without incurring interest. New cardholders can also have rewards earned in Year 1 matched through the Discover Cashback Match program.
This card also lets you see your credit score for free each month, and you'll get Social Security number monitoring, zero fraud liability, and no late fee on your first late payment (then up to $41). Consider applying if you want to earn rewards and build credit at the same time without an annual fee.
Discover credit cards are very friendly toward credit newbies overall, with preapproval tools available to help you determine whether you're likely to be approved for a new card.
Pro tip: The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is another great starter credit card for students with no annual fee. It earns 8% cash back on entertainment purchased through the Capital One Entertainment portal, 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, plus 1% on all other purchases.
Best First Credit Card for Cash Back
The Chase Freedom Rise℠ is designed for people completely new to credit cards who want to earn cash back.
This $0-annual-fee card is specifically designed for cardholders with no credit history at all. Cardholders earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases, which is a great rate of return for an entry-level card. And you'll automatically be considered for an upgrade to a better credit card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, after one year if you meet some simple requirements. This is valuable because Chase is one of the best credit card issuers around, and your Chase Freedom Rise℠ can offer a way into the issuer ecosystem
Chase credit cards are incredibly powerful because they earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®, some of the most highly valued points you can earn in the credit card rewards ecosystem. Business Insider values Ultimate Rewards at 1.8 cents apiece on average — and you can get far higher value through airlines and hotel brands that are Chase transfer partners.
Chase Freedom Rise℠ cardholders can only redeem rewards for cash back, statement credits, and gift cards. But if you open one of several best Chase cards after boosting your credit score, you can combine your points and use Ultimate Rewards to book business- and first-class flights worth thousands of dollars for as little as $5.60 in cash per flight.
To improve your chances of approval for the Chase Freedom Rise℠, you should have or open a Chase checking account with a balance of at least $250 within two days of applying for the card.
Best First Credit Card if You Have Bad Credit
$39
N/A
29.74% variable
N/A
Average, Fair and Limited
- Earn 5% back on Capital One Travel hotel and car rental bookings and 1.5% on everything else
- You're eligible to apply with limited or average credit
- You'll automatically be considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months
- No welcome bonus
- Annual fee
- High APR for purchases and balance transfers
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card could be the right choice for you if you're building your credit history. You could be able to qualify for the card even if you don't have an excellent credit score, and you'll earn at least 1.5% cash back on your purchases.
QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- No rotating categories or limits to how much you can earn, and cash back doesn't expire for the life of the account. It's that simple
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is designed for consumers with "fair" credit, which makes it more attainable for first-time applicants with limited credit or anyone who has made credit mistakes in the past.
Cardholders earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and unlimited 1.5% cash back on other purchases. That's not a bad rate for a rewards credit card, and it's especially strong for a card available to consumers with fair credit.
Capital One also promises to reconsider your credit limit and potentially boost it after you've made six on-time payments on your credit card. This card also comes with no foreign transaction fees and several benefits, which is a lot more than what you'll find from many credit cards for fair credit.
The card has an annual fee of $39, which is a relatively low price to pay for a financial tool that can help you rebuild your credit while earning rewards. You can recoup this investment after spending $780 in hotels or rental cars through Capital One at the 5% cash-back rate, or $2,600 across non-bonus expenses at the 1.5% rate of cash back.
Pro tip: The Chase Freedom Rise℠ is a better choice if you can get the card, since it doesn't charge an annual fee. But if your credit isn't strong enough to qualify for the Chase option, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card still offers strong benefits and earns generous flat-rate cash back.
Best First Secured Credit Card
$0
N/A
27.24% Variable APR
Earn Unlimited Cashback Match®
New/Rebuilding
- Offers cash-back rewards, which isn't a given for secured credit cards
- Discover matches cash back after your first account year
- Other secured cards let you start with lower minimum security deposits
- You must fund the security deposit from a bank account
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is worth considering if you're new to credit or are working on rebuilding your score, since it's unlikely you'll be approved for any of the best credit cards on the market. It's unique because it earns strong rewards when most other secured credit cards do not.
Discover it® Secured Credit Card- No credit score required to apply. No Annual Fee.
- Your secured credit card requires a refundable security deposit, and your credit line will equal your deposit amount, starting at $200. Bank information must be provided when submitting your deposit.
- 30 points or more—that’s how much you could increase your FICO Credit Score on average after just six months of responsible use.
- Automatic reviews starting at 7 months to see if we can transition you to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit.
- Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Plus earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. Activate by mobile app for free.
- Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites. Activate for free.
- Terms and conditions apply.
If you have poor credit or no credit history at all, you may need to start with a secured credit card. Unlike unsecured credit cards that extend a line of credit without collateral, secured cards require a small cash deposit upfront in order to secure an equally small line of credit. This deposit will be refunded to you once your credit is strong enough to allow you to upgrade to an unsecured credit card.
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is one of the best secured credit cards available because it doesn't charge an annual fee or any hidden fees, unlike other cards in this niche.
Cardholders earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%) and 1% cash back on all other purchases. This is a generous rate of return for a secured credit card.
As with the Discover it® Student Cash Back, first-year cardholders can get their rewards matched through Discover's first-year Cardback Match program.
Other top benefits of the Discover it® Secured Credit Card include a free look at your FICO score each month, zero liability for fraudulent purchases, and your first credit card late fee waived (after which you'll pay up to $41 per infraction).
Discover will automatically begin reviewing your account at the seven-month mark to consider you for an upgrade to an unsecured credit card, which allows you to reclaim your security deposit.
What You Should Know About Beginner Credit Cards
Credit cards for beginners are designed to be the easiest credit cards to get. Issuers want to incentivize you to use the line of credit you've been extended, using this opportunity to learn how you handle and repay money.
Responsibly using a credit card is one of the most effective ways of quickly improving your credit. You can learn more about how to build credit with a credit card, but choosing the right beginner credit card for you is the first step.
First Credit Card Features to Prioritize
When choosing a first credit card, it's important to consider features such as low or 0% intro APR, low or no annual fees, rewards programs, and credit-building tools.
These features can help you effectively manage your credit effectively and take advantage of benefits such as purchase protection, travel insurance, and extended warranty.
Credit Cards for College Students
Students, young adults, and beginners who are un- or underemployed face unique challenges when applying for credit cards because they have less income than many issuers want to see when offering credit.
If you're a college student, be sure to read our guide to the best student credit cards to learn more. You may also benefit from learning how to boost your credit score by having a parent or guardian add you as an authorized user on their credit card.
Cardholder Reviews of the Best First Credit Cards
Our team of experts scoured online forums such as Reddit, Facebook, and FlyerTalk to see what everyday cardholders are saying about their favorite starter credit cards for newbies.
Focus on Cards Within Your Reach
One online commenter rightly said, "The best first credit card is the one you can actually get." Applying for a credit card and getting rejected won't hurt your finances, but it's easiest to focus on attainable products, then upgrade or add to your wallet as you build credit.
Discover is known to be especially friendly to first-time credit card applicants, which is why we've included the Discover it® Student Cash Back, and the Discover it® Secured Credit Card in this guide.
And if you get the Chase Freedom Rise℠ and open a Chase bank account to build your relationship with this major issuer, it will be easier to be approved for popular cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® down the road.
Since the Chase Freedom Rise℠ automatically upgrades to the Chase Freedom Unlimited® after one year, you'll be able to transfer rewards you earned from your Rise/Unlimited card to the Sapphire card, then use those rewards toward a variety of travel opportunities at a fraction of the cash value.
Prioritize Grocery Rewards
Many cardholders agree that everyone can benefit from bonus rewards on supermarkets and grocery stores.
Some recommend the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which earns 6% back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets and streaming subscriptions as well as 3% back on gas and transit costs (1% on everything else). However, Amex cards can be harder to acquire for first-time applicants, since American Express often has stringent requirements for credit approval.
Instead, beginners can consider the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 3% back on restaurants, groceries, streaming services, and entertainment purchases (1% on everything else). Most students, young adults, and individuals new to credit can easily maximize these spending categories, and responsible usage on this card will build good credit over time that will help toward qualifying for premium cards from Amex.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Credit Cards for Beginners
Business Insider chose the best starter credit cards by first considering credit cards that don't require an excellent credit score to be approved.
From there, we focused on cards that appeal to those just starting out with credit, including credit cards for students with no credit and secured credit options.
We then narrowed down the list by evaluating the card's features, including rewards earning, annual and other fees, simplicity, and benefits.
Here's our methodology for how we rate credit cards.
FAQs
How do I choose the best first credit card?
You should choose the right beginner credit card for you by prioritizing your spending habits and understanding your credit score so you know which cards you qualify for. If you've never had a credit card before, you may need to start with a secured credit card that requires a cash deposit to shore up a small line of credit.
What is the best first credit card for young adults?
The best first credit card for young adults is the Chase Freedom Rise℠ or the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card. Both cards earn generous returns on bonus categories, flat-rate cash back on other purchases, and don't charge annual fees.
What is the best first time credit card with no credit history?
The Chase Freedom Rise℠ is one of the best first credit cards for someone with no credit history. This card is specifically designed for people with no prior credit and offers an easy path to better credit cards through responsible financial activity.
Can I get my first credit card with no security deposit?
Yes, many people who are new to credit cards can get their first credit card with no security deposit. Before you apply, look up credit cards that offer pre-approval to help you estimate your chances of qualifying without hurting your credit.
What kind of credit card is best for beginners?
The best starter credit cards for beginners typically earn cash back on all purchases, offer credit-building tools such as free credit score reports and fraud protection, and automatically upgrade you to better credit cards after several months of responsible use. We recommend the Chase Freedom Rise℠ if you have no prior experience with credit, the Discover it® Student Cash Back if you are in school, and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card if you like to travel.
***Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details. Travel Accident Insurance is not guaranteed, it depends on the level of benefits you get at application.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
