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Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards

Who doesn’t love a credit card with no annual fee? When it comes to award travel, you often get more value and better sign up bonuses out of travel reward credit cards that have an annual fee, however, there are some great no-annual-fee credit cards that you may find helpful to keep in your wallet! While these cards on their own do not let you transfer your points to hotels and airline partners, you can pair them with specific low annual fee cards to gain access to these perks which will make your credit card points worth so much more! 

Here are some of the best no-annual-fee credit cards that I recommend:

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

🚨 Elevated offer! Earn 90,000 points when you spend $6,000 in 3 months! This business card is a favorite for many people as it earns an unlimited 1.5x points on every purchase. This card does not count against your Chase 5/24 status. Click here to learn how to qualify for a business without just a small side hustle.

Learn How to Apply

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

This business card earns 5x points at office supply stores and 1x on all other spend. This card does not count against your Chase 5/24 status. Click here to learn how to qualify for a business without just a small side hustle.

Learn How to Apply

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

This personal card has the same earning potential as the Chase Ink Unlimited business card as it earns an unlimited 1.5x points on every purchase and 3x on dining.

Learn How to Apply

Chase Freedom Flex®

This personal card receives 3x on dining and 5x points up to $1,500 on rotating categories each quarter.  These categories vary from gas, groceries, live entertainment, Payal, Walmart and more.  

Learn How to Apply

*These cards are marketed as cash back credit cards but actually earn Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, a $750 cashback welcome offer actually earns 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards and 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase actually earns 1.5x points on every purchase.

Combining Points with a Transferable Card

While these Chase cards are great no-annual fee options that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, the true value of these points increase when you combine the points with a transferable card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. These three cards have annual fees as low as $95 per year and these fees are more than worth it to give you the ability to transfer your points to transfer partners, which often stretches the value of your points a lot further! These cards often have several great perks such as travel credits, trip insurance, no foreign transaction fees and even airport lounge access making the annual fee worth it!


Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

This card receives 1.25x miles/points on every $1 you spend. You can redeem the miles at a value of 1 cent per miles. I prefer the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card instead, however, if you are wanting a no annual fee card instead, this is what I would recommend

Learn How to Apply

Citi Double Cash® Card

This card receives 1x points on every purchase, plus an additional 1x points when you pay your bill, for a total of 2x points on everything. This card can be a great everyday spend card similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited. You can see the best value out of this card when you pair it with a card like the Citi Premier, which has a $95 annual fee but earns 3x on popular spending categories like gas, groceries, and restaurants. If you hold the Citi Premier® Card in your wallet, you unlock the ability to transfer your Citi ThankYou points to transfer partners like Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and Choice Hotels.



There are several no annual fee cards that can help you earn points! However, in order to get the most value out of your points, they are best paired with a card with an annual fee. If you need help determining which card would be best for you, check out my favorite card page!

When you apply for a credit card using my affiliate links I earn a commission. I always appreciate it when you support free content by using my affiliate links.


FREE Beginner’s Guide to Points and Miles

Want to travel for free?! ✈️ Grab a FREE Beginner's Guide to Points and Miles and learn how to redeem FREE TRAVEL this year! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.


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