Many of the best credit cards run on the Mastercard payment network. This includes cash-back cards, travel cards and cards available with lower credit scores.
If you're in the market for a new credit card, take a look at our picks for the best Mastercard credit cards.
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Best Mastercard credit cards
- Best cash-back Mastercard: Citi Double Cash® Card
- Best travel Mastercard: Citi Strata Premier® Card
- Best Mastercard for no annual fee: Citi Strata℠ Card
- Best Mastercard for bad credit: Platinum Secured Mastercard® from First Tech Federal Credit Union
- Best balance transfer Mastercard: Citi Simplicity® Card
- Best luxury Mastercard: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
Best cash-back Mastercard
Who's this for? The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best cash-back credit cards because of its generous flat-rate return.
Standout benefits: You'll earn 2% cash back on every purchase: an unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% when you pay. Your cash back is earned as Citi ThankYou® Points, which you can transfer to Citi's travel partners.
What makes the Citi Double Cash® Card special is that it sits near the top of its class in several categories. It is an excellent option if you want flat-rate rewards, a balance transfer intro-APR or no annual fee.
- Balance transfers get a long intro APR
- Generous flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- Earns transferable rewards
- No annual fee
- It has a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR only applies to balance transfer
- Points transfer ratios are reduced compared to premium cards
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.49% - 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
Best travel Mastercard
Who's this for? The Citi Strata Premier® Card provides a generous return on travel purchases and elevated transfer ratios to all of Citi's travel partners.
Standout benefits: Once per calendar year, you can receive $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booking through CitiTravel.com. It also has no foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation/interruption protection, trip delay protection, lost or damaged luggage coverage and car rental insurance.
The Citi Strata Premier® Card has competitive rewards rates and unlocks access to all of the Citi ThankYou® transfer partners, which boosts the value of your points.
- Unlocks point transfers to all of the Citi ThankYou® partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges, Flying Blue and more
- Generous bonus spending categories include dining, supermarkets, hotels and flights
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Has an annual fee
- Car rental coverage is secondary, not primary
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Best Mastercard for no annual fee
Who's this for? The Citi Strata℠ Card is an especially rewarding no-annual-fee credit card that earns 3X points in a slew of useful categories.
Standout benefits: You'll earn 3X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, on select transit purchases and on a category of your choice of the following: Fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons or pet supply stores.
The Citi Strata℠ Card is a solid rewards credit card that earns in several everyday spending categories, with no annual fee.
- No annual fee
- Customizable earnings category
- Earns transferable rewards
- Has foreign transaction fees
- Fewer built-in benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff
- Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months; after that, the variable APR will be 18.74% - 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel® via cititravel.com; earn 3 ThankYou Points for each $1 spent at Supermarkets, on Select Transit purchases, and at Gas & EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 2 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent at Restaurants; earn 1 ThankYou® Point for each $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- No Annual Fee
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Best Mastercard for bad credit
Who's this for? The Platinum Secured Mastercard® from First Tech Federal Credit Union is ideal if you have no credit or weaker credit because it's a secured credit card. That means you'll need a refundable security deposit to open the account.
Standout benefits: On top of having no annual fee and a below-average APR, you can also earn rewards. You'll earn 1X points on all purchases. That may not seem like a lot, but few secured credit cards earn rewards.
Platinum Secured Mastercard®
Rewards
1 point per $1 spent on all purchases
Welcome bonus
None
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
12.5% to 18.00% variable
Balance transfer fee
None
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
N/A
Terms apply.
Pros
- No annual fee
- Low APR
- Available if you have poor or limited credit
Cons
- No rewards
- No welcome bonus
Best balance transfer Mastercard
Who's this for? The Citi Simplicity® Card offers one of the longest intro APR periods on balance transfers and has a lower intro balance transfer fee.
Standout benefits: With a new Citi Simplicity Card, you'll get a 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for the first 18 months from the date of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 17.74% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness). To qualify for the intro APR, balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening.
The intro balance transfer fee is 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) and applies to transfers you make in the first four months. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
The Citi Simplicity® Card has amazing intro-APR offers and is particularly valuable for balance transfers due to its lower introductory fee.
- Long intro APR offers for balance transfers
- Low intro-fee for balance transfers
- No annual fee
- No rewards
- No welcome bonus
Best luxury Mastercard
Who's this for? The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers the most value for frequent travelers and earns Citi ThankYou® Points, which can be transferred to a long list of travel programs.
Standout benefits: You can utilize over $700 in benefits every year for hotels, chauffeurs and more. You'll also get access to Priority PassTM airport lounges and American Airlines Admirals Club lounges (four Admirals Club passes per year).
The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers luxury travel benefits and heightened rewards on travel and restaurant purchases — while still earning 1.5X points on all other purchases.
- Exceptional rewards rate on travel booked through cititravel.com
- Earns flexible points that transfer to popular airline and hotel partners, like American Airlines
- Features roughly $1,500 in value through statement credits, airport lounge access and more
- High $595 annual fee
- $75 annual fee for each authorized user
- Limited rewards categories
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Pros and cons of Mastercards
- Mastercards are widely accepted around the world
- Most of the top Mastercards earn rewards and have welcome bonuses
- Fewer premium credit cards are Mastercards
- Mastercards are not accepted at U.S. Costco locations
FAQs
Is it hard to get a World Elite Mastercard?
World Elite Mastercards typically require a good credit score or higher, which is a FICO Score of 670+. So they are more difficult to get approved for than other types of cards, such as secured credit cards.
Which Mastercard is best?
The highest tier of Mastercard is World Legend. These Mastercards tend to offer the best perks, including airport lounge access and valuable travel benefits.
What are the Mastercard benefits?
The benefits you receive from your Mastercard vary depending on the card issuer and the type of Mastercard. Mastercard perks range from ID Theft Protection and Lyft credits to airport lounge access and travel insurance.
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Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card list is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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Our methodology
To determine the top Mastercards, CNBC Select analyzed credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions that are widely available in the U.S.
We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back).
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.
