Best Credit Cards of September 2026
We've reviewed hundreds of credit cards to find the best overall options — from flat-rate cash back to premium travel rewards. Updated monthly.
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Best for: Simple flat-rate cash back
1
4.9Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
2%
Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
Intro offer
$100
Credit needed
670–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Regular APR
18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable
Why we picked it
- Flat 2% cash rewards on every purchase with no category tracking — still the cleanest 2% card available, and NerdWallet's Best-Of Award winner for simple cash back every year from 2022 through 2026
- No annual fee keeps your rewards truly free, and rewards don't expire while the account stays open
- The welcome bonus is now $100 after $500 in spend, down from $200 — at 2% back, ordinary spending replaces that lost $100 in about $5,000 of purchases, so the ongoing rate matters far more than the bonus here
- 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (transfers must post within 120 days of account opening, at an intro fee of 3%, then up to 5%, min. $5) — that window was cut from 15 months, so debt-payoff shoppers should compare against the 21-month cards below
- Cell phone protection up to $600 per claim when you pay your monthly bill with the card; 3% foreign transaction fee makes it a poor choice abroad
Best for: Rotating bonus categories
2
4.8Chase Freedom Flex®
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1% – 5%
5% on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1
Intro offer
$200
Credit needed
670–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
18.24% – 27.74% Variable
Why we picked it
- Up to 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories each quarter you activate, on the first $1,500 in combined purchases — worth $75 per quarter, or 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points, if maxed out
- Q4 2026 categories, announced by Chase on September 15, 2026: grocery stores (Walmart and Target excluded), dining, and donations to the American Red Cross, running Oct 1 – Dec 31. You have until December 14, 2026 to activate, and activation applies retroactively to qualifying purchases made earlier in the quarter — but miss the deadline and the whole quarter reverts to 1%
- This is the rare quarter where a category stacks with a permanent one: dining earns the 4% quarterly bonus on top of the card's 2% dining bonus and 1% base rate, for 7% total on restaurant spending through year end. Groceries plus dining is also an unusually easy pair to max out during holiday hosting season, so treat the $1,500 cap as reachable rather than theoretical
- 3% on dining (including takeout & delivery) and drugstores year-round, plus 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then 18.24% – 27.74% variable
- Cash back is really Ultimate Rewards points — pool them with a Chase Sapphire card to unlock 1:1 transfers to airline and hotel partners, where TPG's September 2026 valuation of 2.05¢ per point far exceeds the 1¢ you get cashing out
Best for: Long 0% intro APR & debt payoff
3
4.6Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
None
No rewards program — this card is built to save you interest
Intro offer
None
Credit needed
670–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (transfers must be made within 120 days)
Regular APR
17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable
Why we picked it
- 0% intro APR for 21 months on both purchases and qualifying balance transfers — 21 months is the ceiling anywhere on the market right now, and Reflect is one of the few cards applying it to purchases and transfers alike
- It no longer stands alone, though: U.S. Bank Shield Visa, the reintroduced Chase Slate, and BankAmericard all now match 21 months, and Citi Diamond Preferred matches on transfers. Compare the back-end APR, not just the headline number — Chase Slate lands at 18.24% – 28.24% variable afterward
- $0 annual fee, so the entire 21-month runway costs nothing to hold — the real expense is the 5% balance transfer fee (min. $5), which runs $250 on a $5,000 transfer. Citi Simplicity charges 3% for the first four months if the fee is your deciding factor
- Cell phone protection up to $600 per claim (two claims per 12-month period, $25 deductible) when you pay your monthly cell bill with the card
- Earns no rewards — the play is to pair it with a flat-rate cash-back card for new spending and use the Reflect purely to clear existing balances before the 17.49%–28.24% variable APR takes over
Best for: Travel rewards
4
4.9Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x – 5x
5x on all Chase Travel purchases (flights
Intro offer
75,000 points
Credit needed
690–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
19.24% – 27.49% Variable
Why we picked it
- 75,000 point welcome bonus after $5,000 spend in 3 months — worth roughly $1,538 at TPG's September 2026 valuation of 2.05¢ per point, versus $750 if you cash out at the base 1¢ rate. NerdWallet has named it the best all-purpose travel card every year from 2023 through 2026
- The June 15, 2026 refresh added 3x on gas and EV charging and 3x on vacation homes booked directly with Airbnb, Vrbo and four other platforms, with no increase to the $95 annual fee — an unusually rare direction for a card refresh in 2026, when most issuers raised fees
- $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit (doubled from $50 in the refresh) more than covers the $95 fee on its own, plus up to $120 in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS credits every four years, a complimentary one-year Apple TV subscription worth about $156 if you activate by Dec 31, 2026, and DashPass ($120/yr value) with up to $10 off monthly on groceries and daily essentials. New for 2026: Emergency Evacuation and Transportation coverage up to $100,000. Note that applicants on or after June 15, 2026 no longer receive the 10% anniversary points bonus
- Redemptions run through Chase's Points Boost system — rotating promotional rates on thousands of top-booked hotels and select flights, against a 1¢ base rate on everything else in Chase Travel. Transferring to airline partners still beats the portal in almost every case
- Transfer points 1:1 to leading airline and hotel partners including United MileagePlus, Southwest, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, and Air France/KLM Flying Blue. One exception: effective June 15, 2026 for new applicants and Oct 1, 2026 for existing cardholders, the World of Hyatt ratio drops to 4:3 (1,000 points → 750 Hyatt). Every other partner stays 1:1
- You can hold both Preferred and Reserve and earn a welcome bonus on each. The Reserve's public offer was last verified at 100,000 points after $6,000 in the first 3 months on September 9, 2026 against a $795 annual fee — we could not independently re-confirm it this cycle, so check chase.com before acting. Separately, Chase marked the Reserve's 10th anniversary on September 16, 2026 with up to $1,050 in limited-time activation-required travel credits for existing cardholders, and its monthly DoorDash restaurant credit rises from $5 to $15 on Oct 1, 2026, running through Dec 31, 2029
Best for: Mid-tier travel miles
5
4.8Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
2x – 5x
5x miles on hotels
Intro offer
75,000 miles + $300 credit
Credit needed
690–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
19.49% – 28.49% Variable
Why we picked it
- The strongest mid-tier travel offer on the market right now: 75,000 miles after $4,000 in 3 months plus a $300 Capital One Travel stays credit, against a $95 annual fee — TPG puts the package at $1,688, and the credit alone returns more than three years of fees in year one
- Read the $300 credit carefully before you count it: it covers hotels and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel only, not flights, and it expires one year after account opening. If you don't have a portal-bookable hotel stay planned, value the offer at the 75,000 miles alone (about $1,388)
- Flat 2x miles on every purchase with no categories to track — a higher floor than the Sapphire Preferred's 1x base rate, and the reason this card works as a genuine one-card setup rather than half of a pairing
- Transfer miles 1:1 to 15+ airline and hotel partners including Air Canada Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France/KLM Flying Blue — the same transfer table as the $395 Venture X, which is what separates this from an ordinary 2% cash-back card; miles cash out at 1¢ but routinely fetch more through partners
- Bankrate names it the best card on the market for its sign-up bonus as of September 2026 — a ranking driven almost entirely by the limited-time $300 credit, which is precisely the part of the offer most likely to disappear first
Best for: Premium travel perks
6
4.7Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee
$395
Rewards rate
2x – 10x
10x on hotels & rental cars via Capital One Travel
Intro offer
75,000 miles
Credit needed
740–850 (Excellent)
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
19.49% – 28.49% Variable
Why we picked it
- $300 annual travel credit (via Capital One Travel) + 10,000 anniversary bonus miles ($100 value) — offsets most of the $395 annual fee, bringing the effective cost to roughly $0 if you use both. NerdWallet has named it the best premium travel card in both its 2025 and 2026 Best-Of Awards, beating pricier competitors
- Know how the $300 credit works: since 2025 it applies as a discount at checkout inside the Capital One Travel portal, not as a statement credit. You earn no miles on the discounted portion, and canceling a booking restores the credit — so it only pays off if you actually book travel through Capital One
- Primary cardholder lounge access is unchanged — 1,300+ lounges via Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings, and Priority Pass, with no fees or spending requirement. But effective Feb 1, 2026, guests cost $45/adult ($25 ages 17 and under, free under 2) and authorized users cost $125 each (up to four), waived only if you spend $75,000+ on the card in a calendar year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $120 every 4 years)
- Transfer miles 1:1 to 18+ airline partners (including Air Canada Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic, Air France/KLM Flying Blue) and 4 hotel partners — the transfer table, not the portal, is where the miles earn their keep
Best for: Groceries & streaming
7
4.7Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Annual fee
$0 intro first year, then $95
Rewards rate
1% – 6%
6% at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6
Intro offer
Up to $300
Credit needed
670–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers (balance transfers must be requested within 60 days of account opening)
Regular APR
19.49% – 28.49% Variable
Why we picked it
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000/year, then 1%) — up to $360 back annually, which alone covers the $95 fee nearly four times over for a household spending $500 a month on groceries
- 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions with no cap, plus a Disney Streaming Credit now worth up to $120/yr ($10 monthly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or Stream.ESPN.com, including bundle subscriptions) — Amex raised this from $84 in 2026, and enrollment is required
- 3% at U.S. gas stations and 3% on transit — rideshare, parking, tolls, trains and buses — which is unusually broad for a card marketed on groceries
- $0 intro annual fee the first year, then $95, so the first 12 months are effectively a free trial; note the 2.7% foreign transaction fee makes it a domestic-only card
Best for: Dining & travel transfer partners
8
4.8American Express® Gold Card
Annual fee
$325
Rewards rate
1x – 5x
4x at restaurants worldwide (up to $50
Intro offer
Up to 100,000 points
Credit needed
690–850 (Good – Excellent)
Intro APR
N/A (charge card with Pay Over Time option)
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR (Amex publishes no fixed range)
Why we picked it
- Welcome offer as high as 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in the first 6 months (~$1,334/month) — worth up to $2,000 at TPG's September 2026 valuation of 2¢ per Membership Rewards point; the spend threshold rose 33% from $6,000 to $8,000 in 2026, and offers are personalized, so you may not be eligible for the top tier
- 4x points at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000/yr, then 1x), plus a refreshed 5x on prepaid hotels via AmexTravel.com
- $424 in recurring annual statement credits against the $325 fee: $120 Dining Credit ($10/mo at Grubhub/Seamless, Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder), $120 Uber Cash ($10/mo), $100 Resy Credit ($50 semi-annually at 10,000+ U.S. Resy restaurants), and $84 Dunkin' Credit ($7/mo) — the dining, Resy, and Dunkin' credits require enrollment before spending counts; Uber Cash activates automatically once the card is added in the Uber app
- Complimentary Hertz Five Star status, plus a limited-time statement credit up to $96 on an Uber One annual membership — this one expires Oct 30, 2026, roughly six weeks out, so enroll now if you want it
- Transfer 1:1 to 20+ Membership Rewards partners including Delta SkyMiles, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Hilton Honors — at 2¢ per point, transfers are worth roughly double what the same points fetch as statement credits
Our Methodology
We evaluate credit cards based on rewards value, fees, APR, sign-up bonuses, and consumer protections. Our data is researched monthly using publicly available issuer information and cross-referenced with trusted financial sources including Bankrate, NerdWallet, and The Points Guy. Ratings reflect our editorial assessment and are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Data last verified: September 16, 2026