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- Best Visa Credit Cards
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Visa credit cards are widely accepted, making them a smart choice if you want to be able to use your card with as many merchants as possible. There are also many different Visa cards available, which gives you plenty of options but also makes it harder to choose one. Our list of the best Visa credit cards will help.
Great for: Travel sign-up bonus
Bottom Line
With a leading sign-up bonus, the sky’s the limit for this top-rated travel rewards card. Plus, the premium points program for travel and dining make it a no brainer for travel enthusiasts everywhere. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
2x points on travel and dining, 1x points on all other purchases. 25% more points for travel booked through Chase's portal.
Annual Fee
$95
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A, N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A, N/A
Ongoing APR
15.99% - 22.99% Variable
Welcome Bonus
60,000 points after spending $4,000 within 3 months
Highlights
Great for: Long 0% intro APR offer
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
Bottom Line
With a 20 billing cycle intro APR offer for both balance transfers and purchases, this is one of the best low interest credit cards on the market. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
N/A
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 20 billing cycles
Balance Transfers: 0%, 20 billing cycles
Ongoing APR
13.99% - 23.99%, variable
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Highlights
Great for: Gas and grocery rewards
Bottom Line
Includes a market-leading bonus in the no-annual fee category and a flexible cash rewards program that enables you to earn premium cash back in a category of your choice. Plus, the long intro APR offer makes this card a standout among its peers. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
3% cash back in your choice category, 2% at grocery stores & wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases), 1% on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 12 billing cycles
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 12 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days
Ongoing APR
13.99% - 23.99% Variable
Welcome Bonus
$200 after making at least $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of account opening
Highlights
Great for: Bonus rewards on everyday spending
Bottom Line
This card includes a lineup of features that makes it a great option for one-card-wallet simplicity. The unlimited cash back makes it easy to earn rewards. The sign-up bonus and long 0% intro APR offer are the cherries on top. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
Unlimited 1.5% cash back, 5% cash back on travel through Chase
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 15 months
Balance Transfers: N/A, N/A
Ongoing APR
14.99% - 23.74% Variable
Welcome Bonus
$200 after spending $500 within 3 months
Highlights
Great for: Dining
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
Bottom Line
A rare, great pick that offers lucrative rewards (up to 4x points), a big bonus, and a competitive 0% intro APR offer, all somehow with no annual fee. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
4 points per $1 on dining, 2 points per $1 on groceries, gas, and streaming services, 1 point per $1 on all else.
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 12 billing cycles
Balance Transfers: 0%, 12 billing cycles for transfers made within 60 days
Ongoing APR
14.99% - 23.99%, variable
Welcome Bonus
25,000 points after spending $1,000 within 90 days
Highlights
Great for: Premium travel rewards
Bottom Line
The sign-up bonus, premium rewards for travel & dining, and wide array of valuable travel credits make this a compelling offer that will offset the cost of the annual fee for many. The array of limited time offers make it even more compelling. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
$550
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Ongoing APR
16.99%-23.99% Variable
Welcome Bonus
50,000 points after spending $4,000 within 3 months
Highlights
Great for: Limited or no credit history
Bottom Line
People with no or limited credit histories will be hard pressed to beat it. The rewards program and lack of fees are clear standouts in the category. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
1.5% cash back after making 12 on-time monthly payments. 1% cash back on purchases right away
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Ongoing APR
12.99% - 26.99%, variable
Welcome Bonus
N/A
Highlights
Great for: Flat-rate travel rewards
Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
What We Like About The Card
Unlimited 2X miles, TSA Pre✓® credits, and a big, limited time sign-up bonus make this credit card one of the best travel companions on the market. Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
Unlimited 2x miles on all purchases
Annual Fee
$95, annually
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Ongoing APR
17.24% - 24.49%, variable
Welcome Bonus
60,000 miles after spending $3,000 within 3 months
Highlights
Visa is a payment network. It partners with banks to issue debit and credit cards, and it partners with merchants who want to accept those cards. Merchants pay processing fees every time they accept payments from Visa credit cards. Visa manages the transaction, ensuring the cardholder's account is charged and the merchant receives the money electronically.
To give an example of how this all works, Visa partners with Chase for several credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If you are a cardholder, you can use that card with any merchants that have partnered with Visa.
When you make a purchase, you're charged the full amount. Visa and Chase divide the processing fee. The merchant receives the amount you paid, minus that fee.
The main benefits of Visa credit cards are widespread acceptance and their complimentary consumer protections.
Visa and Mastercard are tied as the most widely accepted payment networks, both in the United States and worldwide. You can use each type of card in over 200 countries. But if you're choosing between Visa or Mastercard based on this factor, Visa holds a slight edge. It's the only payment network accepted at Costco.
Visa credit cards come with several complimentary consumer protections. These protections depend on the brand of Visa card you have. These are the three brands, from the most basic to the most feature-packed: Visa Traditional, Visa Signature®, and Visa Infinite®. The table below highlights many of the protections offered by each Visa card brand.
Protection | Visa Traditional | Visa Signature® | Visa Infinite® |
---|---|---|---|
Auto rental collision damage waiver | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Zero liability for fraud | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Extended warranty coverage | ✓ | ✓ | |
Return protection | ✓ | ||
Purchase security | ✓ | ||
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance | ✓ | ||
Trip delay reimbursement | ✓ | ||
Lost luggage reimbursement | ✓ |
In addition, Visa credit cards offer various other perks, such as rewards, sign-up bonuses, and zero-interest offers. These features are provided by the bank that partners with Visa to issue the card. That means the bank is also in control of which benefits the card offers.
Visa could improve by adding more complimentary benefits and protections to its cards, especially its Visa Signature® and Visa Infinite® cards. Compared to two of its competitors, Mastercard and American Express, Visa falls short in this department.
Mastercard's World Mastercard® and World Elite Mastercard® have several valuable extras that Visa doesn't. Both get you complimentary cell phone insurance and a free ShopRunner membership. The World Elite Mastercard® also has benefits with Lyft, Fandango, and Boxed.
The same is true when you look at Visa vs. American Express, which is known for having topnotch extras. American Express also offers a free ShopRunner membership. In addition, most American Express cards offer purchase protection and many offer return protection. Visa, on the other hand, only offers those protections with Visa Infinite® cards.
There are quite a few different types of Visa credit cards. A card's features determine which type of card it is. Keep in mind that a Visa card can belong to multiple types. For example, if a Visa card earns cash back and has a 0% intro APR, then it would be both a cash back Visa card and a 0% APR Visa card.
It's much easier to choose a credit card when you know which type you want. Here are all the types of Visa credit cards and how they work.
With a rewards card, you earn rewards any time you make a purchase. The type of rewards you'll earn depends on the card. The most common are cash back, travel rewards you can use for travel purchases, and store rewards you can use for gift cards at the store that issued the card.
These Visa cards earn cash back, so they're considered both rewards cards and cash back cards. You can typically redeem your cash rewards for a statement credit on your credit card bill, a deposit to a bank account, or a check in the mail. Cash back Visa cards are easy to use, making them a great choice for beginners and anyone who wants uncomplicated credit card rewards.
Travel Visa cards earn rewards you can redeem for travel purchases. Depending on the travel credit card, rewards are usually referred to as either points or miles. Although there can be more of a learning curve with these Visa cards, they can help you save lots of money on expensive travel bookings. A good travel rewards credit card won't charge a foreign transaction fee.
This type of Visa card has a 0% intro APR that applies to purchases you make. The card issuer won't charge you any interest on your purchases during the intro period. You could save money financing expensive purchases with a 0% APR Visa card. Because the APR goes up when the zero-interest offer ends, it's recommended you pay off your balance before that happens.
These Visa cards also have a 0% intro APR, with the difference being that it applies to balance transfers. That means you can move over balances from other credit cards. In some cases, you can also transfer other types of debt. The advantage of a balance transfer Visa card is that it helps you save money on interest while paying down debt. Be aware that you'll likely have to pay a balance transfer fee.
These cards are aimed at college students who are building credit for the first time. They usually don't have as many features as the top credit cards. However, they may have perks designed with students in mind, such as bonus money for good grades.
These Visa cards are for consumers who have bad credit or don't have much of a credit history yet. Since they're primarily for increasing your credit score, they're typically light on other benefits. Many credit cards for bad credit require a security deposit upfront, but cardholders can often get their deposit back after making enough on-time payments.
Here's how to decide which Visa card is right for you:
Card | Rating | Great For |
---|---|---|
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Travel sign-up bonus |
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Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Long 0% intro APR offer |
|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Gas and grocery rewards |
|
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Bonus rewards on everyday spending |
|
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Dining |
|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Premium travel rewards |
|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Limited or no credit history |
|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Great For: Flat-rate travel rewards |
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The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Visa.
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