The 5 BEST Credit Cards For Beginners In 2024

What's up, Graham? It's Guys here. So here's the deal: over the last 10 years, I have spent hundreds of hours researching how to maximize the value of every dollar that I spend to the point where now I could travel pretty much anywhere I want to in the world for free. I get cash back on almost anything that you can imagine, and in some cases, I'll get paid just to make an account. But what most people don't know is that these rewards and perks are available to practically anybody, as long as you know what to look out for and how to utilize them effectively.

So today, I thought it would be helpful to go over my five best credit cards for beginners in 2023, if they could quickly get you started on your journey to achieving a perfect credit score, earning sign-up bonuses, and getting complimentary first-class travel anywhere in the world, all for zero dollars out of pocket.

So let's talk about the best credit card options available on the market, which rewards are worth taking advantage of, and how you would be able to get started immediately, even if you have no prior credit history whatsoever. All I ask in return is if you find this video helpful, just give the video a like and subscribe if you haven't done that already. It helps with the channel tremendously and is a thank you for doing that. Here's a picture of Eternal, so thank you guys so much, and now let's begin to the ultimate credit card rewards tier.

You're first gonna need a good credit score, and one of the best ways to do that if you're brand new is with what's called the Discover It secured card. This allows beginners or people with limited to no credit history to put down a refundable security deposit, and in exchange for doing that, you'll get back a credit line equal to that amount. This allows you to effectively build your credit score without first needing a credit score in order to get approved.

Just think of it kind of like this: with the secured credit card, you'd be able to put down a 300 deposit, and in exchange for doing that, you'll get back a 300 credit line. However, what makes Discover so much different from all of the other secured credit cards out there is that most of the other cards are awful, but Discover is surprisingly really good. That's because most secured credit cards are aimed at people who have no idea what they're doing, or they have no other option to turn to, so they nickel and dime you with high-interest penalties and annual fees just because they can.

Although Discover takes an entirely different approach and allows you to get a secured credit card for free, they also give you what almost every other secured credit card does not, and that would be rewards. You'll be able to earn two percent cash back on gas stations and restaurants, up to a thousand dollars in combined purchases each quarter, plus a limited one percent cash back on everything else. Not to mention they'll also match all of your rewards in the first year. That means if you spend an average of a thousand dollars a month, you'll get at minimum two hundred and forty dollars back for the cost of nothing.

In addition to that, they'll also help you keep track of your progress through free FICO monitoring tools in their platform. That way, you'll get monthly updates to eventually work your way up to some of the other options that I'm about to mention. And really, from there, all you have to do is pay off your balance in full at the end of every single month. That way, you're not going to have to pay any amount in interest, you'll be getting cash back, and you'll be able to build your credit score to get free stuff—all for the cost of nothing.

Although keep in mind this is only the very beginning, and once you begin working your way up, you'll be able to get a few of these other options as well, like number two: the Pedal Visa card. See, the thing is, as you're building up your credit score, you're generally rewarded for having multiple lines of credit. That's because each time you pay off a card, it's counted as a positive trade line in your report, and the more positive trade lines you have, the higher your score is going to be. That's why somebody with a wallet stuffed full of fully paid-off credit cards is probably going to have a higher credit score than the other person who only has one.

So if you're going to go this route, the Pedal Visa card could help you do exactly that, also for free. They do this by offering you two options: the first is the Pedal One card, which allows their customers to earn up to two to ten percent back on select merchants; or the Pedal Two card, which gives you one percent cash back on eligible transactions, which then gets bumped up to one and a half percent after you make 12 on-time payments.

But what makes this one so unique is that, unlike Discover, which bases your limit on the security deposit, Pedal also utilizes your banking information to analyze whether or not your spending and savings behavior is enough to give you a line of credit. The way I see it is that this is massively helpful for anybody who has always paid their bills on time but now has never gotten around to getting a credit card. And if this is you, you may as well use it to your advantage.

On top of that, since they utilize your banking information, they also double as a personal finance app that can help you calculate your payments, interest if you don't pay off your balance in full, your monthly spending, and any other personal finance information to help save you money, like canceling unwanted subscriptions that you might have forgotten about. Holy fans, huh? The other benefit over the Discover It Card is that the Pedal Visa has no fees of any kind, including no foreign transaction fees, and on the Pedal Two Visa, no late fees, which, let's be honest, you shouldn't ever pay late anyway. But you know what? It's here.

It's also worth noting that they report your payment to all three credit bureaus, so every month you pay off your bill on time, you're adding another positive trade line to your report, and with patience, you'll slowly be able to use this to work your way up to getting free first-class plane tickets, which I'll discuss a little later. Because in addition to that, we also got this option, and that would be number three: the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card.

Now here's the thing: make no surprises. I hate Wells Fargo. They're one of the few banks that I personally cannot stand working with. Their customer service has been nothing but awful, and I've had a lot of bad experiences. But I also have to be fair because they do end up doing pretty well in two categories. The first would be that they have some of the lowest mortgage rates on the market. And the second, admittedly, they did a really good job on this credit card.

Now, this definitely is not a credit card that I would get if you have no credit history whatsoever, but assuming you have at least six to twelve months of on-time payments, then this starts to look like a pretty good option. On the most basic level, this card has absolutely no annual fee, zero percent interest for the first fifteen months, and the best part of all, unlimited two percent cash back on every purchase.

So why is this card so much better than the rest? Well, typically the cards that give you unlimited two percent cash back are no frills—like, that's pretty much just all they do. And don't get me wrong, the Citi Double Cash Card does a really good job at that, but Wells Fargo just gives you the crème de la crème of offers, and that would be a 200-dollar signup bonus when you spend a thousand dollars in the first three months.

Like I've been saying for years, the lack of a sign-up bonus has been one of the biggest deterrents against a lot of these two percent-back credit cards, but Wells Fargo listened and they did exactly that. Now, that doesn't mean you should go ahead and spend an extra thousand dollars buying Pokémon cards to get 200 back, but it does mean that if you were going to spend a thousand dollars anyway, you may as well use this card and get the money back.

In addition to that, they'll also give you up to six hundred dollars of cell phone protection against damage or theft when you pay your phone bill with the card, subject to a 25-dollar deductible; terms apply. That makes this card perfect for those just starting out who already have a little credit history, but who also want a sign-up bonus with a card that they don't have to worry about keeping track of rotating categories. But hey, if you or your fake accounts don't want anything to do with Wells Fargo, I totally understand. And that's why we have our fourth option: the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card. It's a long name.

Now here's the thing: usually when you think of American Express, you'd imagine the Gold or the Platinum Card, which is notorious for charging an extremely high annual fee or requiring a high income in order to get approved. But this American Express is a little bit different. To start, they'll charge you no annual fee, just like the last one. You'll also get zero percent interest for the first fifteen months on both purchases and balance transfers, and you can get three percent cash back on multiple categories from groceries, online retailers, and gas.

On top of that, you can also earn twenty percent back as a statement credit, up to a hundred and fifty dollars, when you make a checkout with PayPal in the first six months, and an extra hundred-dollar statement credit when you spend two thousand dollars in the same time frame, bringing the total bonus to 250+. Plus, in typical American Express fashion, they'll shower you with perks and features for those that know what to look out for. For example, you could get up to seven dollars a month off when you spend fourteen dollars on the Disney streaming bundle, 15 a month on a Home Chef cooking option—which I'll admit is probably just cheaper to buy something at Chipotle instead—and you'll get damage and theft protection when you rent a car and make a payment with the card.

You'll also be able to sign up with ShopRunner, which gives you complimentary two-day free shipping on a variety of online stores, which I'll admit I've got a lot of value from outside of Amazon. So from the way I see it, if you're just starting out and have barely any credit history, you're probably not going to get approved. But if you've been already slowly building up your credit score, then this is a fantastic option to get your foot in the door with one of the best credit card companies out there.

American Express also has some of the best travel opportunities out there. For example, I was able to go and visit family in Canada for free by transferring the American Express Gold signup bonus to Aeroplan and then booking multiple tickets. I was also able to use my American Express Platinum Card for free lounge access, free food, and additional travel rewards. I'll mention more of this shortly, but all you need to know is that a lot of this free travel could start right here with a credit card that costs you absolutely nothing.

Although, like I mentioned earlier, we're not done yet, and if you want to begin working your way up, there are a few other options that you should absolutely consider. Alright, now coming in at number five is one of my personal favorite credit cards for beginners, and that would be the Chase Freedom Flex Card. In my opinion, this is one of the most versatile cards in the market because it just so happens to be good at everything.

Now, of course, full disclosure here, but you will need some credit history in order to be approved. So if you have absolutely nothing, I would just wait and come back to this one. But assuming you're eligible, this one has a lot of perks. For example, to start, you'll be able to get a 200-dollar signup bonus when you spend 500 in the first three months, similar to the other ones we mentioned. But you'll also be able to earn five percent cash back on grocery store purchases up to 600 a year, and you'll be able to earn five percent back on rotating categories like gas stations and select online merchants.

You can also get five percent back on travel purchases through their Chase Ultimate Rewards, three percent back on restaurants and eligible delivery services, three percent at drug stores, and one percent back on everything else, making this card a cash cow when used correctly—all for the price of no annual fee and zero percent interest in the first fifteen months. Plus, most people have no idea this also includes cell phone protection up to a thousand dollars.

So there's a lot of amazing benefits here that cost you nothing. In a way, this card is kind of like the Jack of all trades, and as you bolster up your credit history, this will help you with the final category, which is known as the Chase Trifecta. See, just like the Power Rangers could team up to create a group that's collectively more powerful than the sum of each, Chase created a series of three cards that could be utilized to increase the earnings of everything.

And when you want free travel, this is pretty much as good as it gets. To start, it all begins with the Chase Freedom Flex, which offers five percent cash back on revolving categories up to fifteen hundred dollars. These points all accumulate in the Chase Portal, from where you could eventually apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited. This is another completely free card that's almost identical to the Flex, except you'll be able to get five percent unlimited cash back through purchases made on the rewards portal and you'll get one and a half percent cash back on all of their purchases.

This gives you a higher redemption rate than just using the Flex card alone. And when you combine that with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, you'll be able to unlock the ultimate benefit of way more money back. Some people may want to swap one of the first two cards with the Chase Ink, and there's a bit of a debate about whether or not it's actually worth it to juggle three cards to maximize the rewards. But if you're committed to getting free stuff and you want to do it for as cheap as possible, this is one of the most effective ways out there.

For example, the Points Guy offers a fantastic resource that I'll link to down below in the description that shows you exactly how to maximize every single point, so I'll link to everything in the description if you want to learn more. So overall, if you want to get started on your journey towards maximizing your credit score, getting paid for what you would already spend anyway, and being able to travel anywhere in the world for free, it all starts at building up the foundation from which you'll eventually be able to get the top-tier cards.

Not to mention the basics of this are extremely simple: you never need to spend more money than you were going to spend anyway, and you always pay off your bill in full at the time it's due. And don't be dumb—that's it. Within a few years, you'll have a perfect credit score, get approved for any credit card you would want, and maximize your spending to levels you never thought were imaginable—all for the cost of subscribing if you haven't done that already.

So with that said, you guys, thank you so much for watching. As always, feel free to add me on Instagram, and while we're talking about free stuff, don't forget that you can get a free stock with their sponsor public.com down below in the description with the code Graham. That stock is going to be worth anywhere from three dollars up to a thousand dollars when you make a deposit. So enjoy! Let me know what stock you get. Thank you so much, and until next time.