Best Single-Card Credit Card Comparison

[Updated 2024.11] Added two high-cash-back cards: US Bank Smartly at 4% and Robinhood Gold at 3%. Removed AMEX Gold—with so many credits to keep track of, it’s just too much hassle and doesn’t fit the idea of a one-card setup.

As the name suggests, a one-card setup means putting all your spending on a single card. It’s extremely convenient: you don’t have to waste brainpower remembering which card to use for which category, and you also don’t have to worry about your points becoming too fragmented.

No Annual Fee

US Bank Smartly

The biggest highlight of this card is that it already earns 2% cash back on all purchases. If you also have a US Bank deposit account (Saving, Checking, or Investment Account), you can get up to an additional 2% cash-back boost, for a total of 4%. The exact boost is based on your average monthly balance across those accounts. This really can be one of the best credit cards for a one-card setup.

If you want to apply, it may make sense to open a US Bank Checking account first, and you may also be able to pick up a sign-up bonus along the way.

• $5,000-$49,999: extra 0.5% cash back, for a total of 2.5% cash back.
• $50,000-$99,999: extra 1% cash back, for a total of 3% cash back.
• $100,000 and above: extra 2% cash back, for a total of 4% cash back.

Robinhood Gold

This card earns 3% cash back on all purchases, and 5% cash back on travel booked through the Robinhood Travel portal. However, to apply for this card, you need a Robinhood Gold subscription ($5 per month), and for now you can only join the waitlist and wait for an invitation.

Citi Double Cash

Citi Double Cash is a no-annual-fee credit card that offers unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases—simple and straightforward. Specifically, you earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase and another 1% cash back when you pay it off, for a total of 2%.

Nowadays, more and more cards offer over 2% back, but there still aren’t many from major banks with no annual fee, so this Citi card remains quite competitive. As a Mastercard, it’s also accepted more widely than AMEX and Discover, so you’re less likely to run into places—like restaurants in Chinatown—where the card isn’t accepted.

However, as a one-card credit card, its downside is that it has a Foreign Transaction Fee, meaning you’ll pay a fee when using it outside the US. For people who travel abroad often or frequently book hotels and flights outside the US, that can be a major drawback.

BofA Customized Cash Rewards

BofA Customized Cash Rewards is a no-annual-fee credit card that lets you choose one 3% cash-back category from gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings. It also earns 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. However, the combined spending cap for the 3% and 2% categories is $2,500 per quarter, after which you earn only 1% cash back.

The cash back can also be boosted based on your BofA relationship tier: balances over $20,000 get a 25% bonus, over $50,000 get a 50% bonus, and over $100,000 get a 75% bonus. See the card’s full review for details. You can choose the 3% category based on your own spending mix—for example, online shopping or dining—and switch it to travel in a quarter when you expect to vacation more.

That’s what makes this card appealing for a one-card setup: the bonus category is flexible and can be adjusted each quarter based on your needs, which is more adaptable than cards with fixed bonus categories. And if you keep substantial assets with BofA, you can get up to a 1.75x multiplier. That works out to 5.25% cash back in your chosen category, 3.5% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 1.75% cash back on all other purchases, which is very strong.

As a Visa, it’s also accepted more widely than AMEX and Discover, so you’re less likely to run into places—like restaurants in Chinatown—where the card isn’t accepted.

However, as a one-card credit card, its downside is that it has a foreign transaction fee, meaning you’ll pay a fee when using it outside the US. For people who travel abroad often or frequently book hotels and airfare outside the US, that can be a major drawback.

Wells Fargo Active Cash

Wells Fargo Active Cash is a relatively new credit card whose biggest feature is a flat 2% cash back on all purchases—about as straightforward as it gets. In addition, it includes up to $600 in cell phone protection. If you pay your cell phone bill with this card, repairs can be reimbursed if your phone is damaged. As a Visa, it also has broad acceptance.

However, as a one-card credit card, its downside is that it has a Foreign Transaction Fee, meaning you’ll pay a fee when using it outside the US. For people who travel abroad often or frequently book hotels and flights outside the US, that can be a major drawback.

Cards With Annual Fee

AMEX Everyday Preferred

AMEX Everyday Preferred has a $95 annual fee. After making 30 purchases in a month (for example, you can reload $0.5 to Amazon each time), it earns 4.5x points at supermarkets (up to $6,000), 3x on gas, and 1.5x on all other purchases.

Compared with Gold, the main difference is that the 4.5x supermarket earnings are capped. But if you can’t make good use of Gold’s airline and dining credits, then EDP is still the more recommended option. Also, beyond the bonus categories, this card can still earn up to 1.5x points on everyday spending, which is quite valuable for a points card since points can often be redeemed for better value. If this is the only card you carry, hitting 30 purchases a month should not be difficult.

The points earned on this card are Membership Rewards (MR). MR cannot be directly redeemed for cash, but you can use them through AMEX Travel to book flights or hotels at a value of 1:1. The best use of MR is generally transferring to airline miles for domestic US flights or international flights between China and the US, especially business class, where the value can be very high. We generally value MR at about 100 points = $1.6. That means 4.5x MR at supermarkets is roughly equivalent to 7.2% back, gas is about 4.8% back, and all other spending is about 2.4% back.

However, as a one-card credit card, its downside is that it has a foreign transaction fee, meaning you’ll pay a fee when using it outside the US. For people who travel abroad often or frequently book hotels and flights outside the US, that can be a major drawback.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee. It earns 3x on dining and travel and 1x on all other purchases, making it a good fit for people with heavy travel spending. Its effective annual fee is $250, since it offers up to $300 in travel credits each year, with a very broad definition of travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, car rentals, and more. It also comes with Priority Pass Select (PPS) lounge access.

If you want a premium card for a one-card setup, CSR is indeed a solid choice. Also, this card has no Foreign Transaction Fee, so you don’t have to worry when booking overseas hotels, flights, or making purchases abroad. Based on real-world testing, travel and dining purchases outside the US also earn 3x points, which is quite nice.

The points earned on this card are Ultimate Rewards (UR). If you hold this card, you can use UR through Chase Travel at a value of 1.5c/p to directly book flights, hotels, and activities. You can also transfer UR to United Airlines (UA), British Airways (BA), or Hyatt. Award flights and award hotel stays can sometimes be much cheaper than booking with cash.

Citi Premier

Citi Premier is a $95 annual fee credit card that earns 3x ThankYou Points (TYP) on supermarkets, restaurants, gas, airfare, and hotels, so it covers a wide range of everyday and travel spending. TYP can be transferred to programs such as Singapore Airlines and Avianca, which gives it some solid value for booking Star Alliance award tickets. On the benefits side, the card offers one $100 OFF hotel benefit each year, but the booking must be made through Citi Travel. If you can use that benefit, it effectively offsets the annual fee.

Capital One Venture X

Capital One Venture X is similar to Sapphire Reserve. Although it has a relatively high annual fee, it also comes with enough travel credits to offset that fee. The card earns 2x on all purchases, which makes it very easy to use. Its highlights are the many premium benefits it offers, such as airport lounge access and elite rental car status.

US Bank Altitude Reserve "Applications Paused"

"Note" This card is temporarily unavailable for new applications. If you already have another US Bank card, such as US Bank Altitude Go, you may be able to call and request a product change to this card.

US Bank Altitude Reserve is a credit card with a $400 annual fee that earns 3x points on travel purchases and mobile wallet payments. If you have a Samsung phone, Samsung Pay can often emulate a magnetic stripe transaction, so in practice this can make almost all in-person purchases earn 3x points. Apple Pay is not accepted as widely, but wherever it works, using this card will also earn 3x points.

US Bank points can be redeemed at a value of 1.5 cents each through US Bank Travel or via Real Time Rewards. On the travel credit side, the card offers $325 in annual reimbursement, and airfare or hotel purchases are automatically reimbursed back to the account, bringing the effective annual fee down to just $75. For lounge access, cardholders get four visits per year to Priority Pass partner lounges, which still provides fairly broad coverage. Each year you also receive 12 free Gogo Passes for in-flight internet access. The welcome bonus on this card is 50,000 points, estimated to be worth about $750, which is also quite decent.

The downside is that this card can be relatively difficult to get approved for. You generally need a certain level of income and an existing relationship with US Bank, such as another credit card or a checking account. Lounge access is also limited by the number of visits.

Other Cards

There are also some other cards that are not quite as well-rounded, but depending on your personal needs, they can still work as a one-card setup. They are especially suitable for people with higher spending.

• AMEX Blue Cash Preferred: $95 annual fee; 6% cash back at supermarkets (up to $6,000); 6% on streaming; 3% on parking, tolls, trains, and ridesharing; 1% on everything else; annual fee $95
• Citi Costco: no annual fee; 4% on gas, 3% on dining and travel, 2% at Costco and Costco.com, 1% on everything else; its bonus categories are fairly comprehensive.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: no annual fee; earns 1.5x UR on all purchases, but you need to also hold another annual-fee card such as Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve to redeem points at higher value.

Summary

Among no-annual-fee cash back cards, Citi Double Cash and Wells Fargo Active Cash are the simplest no-fuss options. You do not need to worry about categories, and since they are issued by major banks, they are among the most convenient one-card choices. If you have a decent amount in deposits and most of your spending is at supermarkets and online shopping (or dining), BofA Cash Rewards is also worth considering. You only need to manually choose the 3% category once per quarter, which is still very convenient. The newly launched US Bank Smartly requires a larger deposit balance, but if you meet the requirements, it is excellent. Robinhood is also pretty good if you use its investing platform, though its customer service is somewhat weaker.

Among cards with annual fees, I personally recommend Citi Premier because it has broad category coverage and the hotel discount can offset the annual fee. If you spend a lot on groceries and dining, AMEX Everyday Preferred offers strong returns at supermarkets and gas stations, though the annual fee is a bit higher. If you prefer the UR ecosystem, Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth considering. It works well for business travelers with significant travel spend who can also make use of CSR's other benefits, though its effective annual fee is on the higher side. If most of your in-person spending supports mobile wallet payments, US Bank Altitude Reserve can be an excellent choice.

Overall, compared with annual-fee cards, no-annual-fee cards are simpler, and in fact I would more strongly recommend several of the no-annual-fee options.