6 Best Credit Cards For 18-Year-Olds 2026
It also offers card benefits, including no foreign transaction fees1 and up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year when using the Card to pay for a CLEAR®+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal). Using the Amex Gold to earn more points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets will work out better for most people than earning more on travel purchases with the Amex Green. The Amex Green Card, with a $150 annual fee1, packs dining and travel perks for food lovers and adventurous travelers alik
You may start building credit at 18 and sometimes even earlier, but maintaining good credit takes years of responsible financial management. If you’re trying to build your credit, it’s a good idea to keep your credit card balance low or pay it off entirely each month. On-time payments signal to creditors that you’re responsible with credit and might be able to handle more. As an authorized user, you typically receive a credit card with your name on it and access to the credit limit. You may charge up to your credit limit and make payments toward your account balance. The credit bureau records your financial activity, including payments and balances, and creates a credit repor
Lenders use your credit score to predict whether you’re likely to manage your debt responsibly and pay it back. You may typically begin applying for credit in your own name at age 18, so it’s helpful to learn the best ways to build excellent credit early. You are responsible for deciding what financial products and providers are best for your needs. It’s hard to say what percentage of 18-year-olds have a credit card, since the information collected by different sources focuses on groups belonging to an age range, rather than groups of a specific age. Most credit card companies accept 18-year-olds to apply for one of their cards. The best type of credit card for 18-year-olds is one with a low annual fee, preferably $0, that accepts applicants with limited or no credit history....
Managing your credit ca
The Amex Gold does come with valuable credits for Dunkin, Uber, Resy, and select dining partners but you have to put in a little work to maximize these benefits. American Express offers several categories of credit cards, each with unique card variations to suit any Card Member from the everyday shopper to the luxury traveler. TPG credit cards writer Chris Nelson frequently transfers Membership Rewards points to SkyMiles whenever Delta runs award flash sales. It earns more points on dining and groceries, although the Green is better for travel. However, the Amex Gold offers much more value to cardmembers in the form of up to $424 in statement credits every year.
The Platinum Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers those who have credit a generous rewards program, plus a high level of customer service with additional perks and privileges. The travel rewards on this card don’t expire and are good on any airline with no seat restrictions or blackout dates. Depending on card usage, you could rack up hundreds of dollars worth of VIP perks, credits, and discounts at select hotels, airlines, and other merchants. Your credit has to be excellent-good and there is an annual fee of $95. There's no cap on how many miles you can earn, and you can redeem them for all sorts of travel products and services such as EIN business funding options flights, hotels, and car rentals.
Choose your best travel credit card
For premium travel rewards, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is our top pick. It can be useful to travel with more than one credit card on different card networks (these include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover). All of the cards on the list above waive foreign transaction fees, so you won’t have to worry about extra charges when you use them to travel internationally. However, a travel card may still be worth it if you’re not a very frequent traveler. They might not be worth it if you don’t travel enough to take advantage of perks like travel credits, lounge access, or upgrades. Unlike some other rewards cards, like cash-back credit cards, travel cards are more likely to carry annual fees in exchange for their high rewards rates and annual benefit
Besides the enormous annual fee and 35% interest, they don't credit you for payments that clear your account for seven days. Most credit cards do not charge monthly fees. Furthermore, several credit cards for people with bad credit have no annual fee. The Destiny Mastercard® can help people with bad credit improve their credit score and borrow modest amounts, but other cards can do the same thing at a lower cos
Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. After you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardLinks to product page
Empty checkboxCompareCompare the United Club(SM) Cardbutton disabledCompareCompare the United Club(SM) CardOpens compare popup dialog Empty checkboxCompareCompare the United GatewaySM Cardbutton disabledCompareCompare the United GatewaySM CardOpens compare popup dialog 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases.† After the intro period, a variable APR of 19.74%–28.24%,† see pricing and terms for more details.† Earn 2 checked bags each year, receive 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases, and earn unlimited miles with no annual fee.�
