Best Balance Transfer credit cards

This card is for people who want maximum cash back with zero maintenance. Every purchase earns 1% up front and another 1% as you pay, with no caps or categories. There is no annual fee, and balance transfers get 0% for 18 months. The caveat: a 3% foreign transaction fee makes it a poor travel companion abroad.

Discover it Cash Back is for people who will activate a quarterly category and want an outsized first year. You earn 5% in rotating categories on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter when you activate, and 1% on everything else. At the end of your first year, Discover matches every dollar of cash back you earned. There is no annual fee. The caveat: the 5% requires activation each quarter and stops at the cap.

This card is for people who want one number: 2% back on everything, forever, with no annual fee. The $100 bonus requires only $500 in purchases in three months, one of the lowest hurdles among major cards. It also carries a 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. The caveat is the 3% foreign transaction fee: leave it home when traveling abroad.

The Blue Cash Preferred holds the highest grocery rate among major cards: 6% at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year, plus 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions and 3% on transit and U.S. gas. The annual fee is $0 intro for the first year, then $95, and a family spending $6,000 at supermarkets earns $360 at the 6% rate alone. A 0% intro APR for 12 months covers purchases and balance transfers. Light grocery spenders should take the fee-free Blue Cash Everyday instead.

This card is for people who want one no-fee card that earns on everything. Every purchase pays at least 1.5%, dining and drugstores pay 3%, and Chase Travel bookings pay 5%. New cardmembers get a $200 bonus after $500 in spend and 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. The 3% foreign transaction fee makes it a poor card to take abroad.

This card rewards people who will activate and chase quarterly categories. Up to $1,500 in combined purchases earns 5% each quarter you activate, with 3% on dining and drugstores year round. New cardmembers get a $200 bonus after $500 in spend and 15 months of 0% intro APR on purchases and transfers. Category caps mean the ceiling on 5% earnings is $75 per quarter.

This card is for paying down a balance, not for earning. Transfers made within 4 months of opening get 0% for 21 months; purchases get 0% for 12 months. There is no annual fee. The caveat: no rewards program, so once the balance hits zero this becomes a backup card.

The Blue Cash Everyday covers the three places most households actually spend: groceries, gas and online shopping, each at 3% on up to $6,000 per category per year. There is no annual fee, and a 0% intro APR for 15 months applies to purchases and balance transfers alike. Monthly Disney streaming and Home Chef credits add quiet value. Bigger grocery budgets outgrow the caps and belong on the Blue Cash Preferred.

Altitude Go is for people whose biggest everyday category is food. You earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery on your first $2,000 each quarter, and 2X at grocery stores, gas and EV charging stations, and on streaming. There is no annual fee. The caveat: the 4X rate is now capped each quarter, then dining earns 1X.

The Cash+ card is for people who want high cash back and will manage category choices each quarter. You earn 5% on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases in two categories you choose, 2% on one everyday category, and 1% on everything else. There is no annual fee. The caveat: the 5% rate stops at the quarterly cap, and you must select categories each quarter.

Altitude Connect is for travelers who want real travel perks without an annual fee. You earn 5X on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked in the U.S. Bank Travel Center, 4X on travel, 4X at gas and EV charging stations on your first $1,000 each quarter, and 2X on dining, streaming and groceries. There are no foreign transaction fees. The caveat: the gas rate caps each quarter, and lounge access is limited to a small number of visits.

This card is for people who want travel miles without paying an annual fee. Every purchase earns 1.25X miles, and Capital One Travel hotel and car bookings earn 5X. A 0% intro APR covers purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. The caveat: the earning rate trails the Venture's 2X, so heavy spenders leave value on the table.