Many travel credit cards require applicants to have at least good credit — typically scores 670 and above. However, some credit cards are tailored to consumers rebuilding their credit scores.
These credit cards are easier to qualify for but often lack the benefits and rewards available with the best credit cards. That said, these cards help you rebuild or establish your credit and earn cash back, points or miles.
Below, CNBC Select rounds up the best travel credit cards for fair credit, including cards with generous rewards structures, welcome bonuses and intro APR offers. (See our methodology for information on how we chose the best fair credit travel credit cards).
Best travel credit cards for fair credit
- Best for everyday purchases: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for high rewards rates: Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card with Dining, Gas & Travel Rewards
- Best for upgrade potential: Chase Freedom Rise® (see rates and fees)
- Best for students: Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for no annual fee: Capital One Quicksilver Secured Credit Card
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Best for everyday purchases
Who's this for? The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is ideal if you have average or fair credit and want to earn flat-rate rewards on everyday purchases.
Standout benefits: The QuicksilverOne earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. While you won't earn additional cash back on bonus categories, 1.5% is a higher return on everyday spending compared to other cards. Plus, this card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is available to those with limited-to-fair credit, which makes it surprising that it features an elevated 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
- Available for those with limited to fair credit
- Simple 1.5% cash back rewards structure with no caps or categories to track
- Get automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months
- Charges a high variable APR if you carry a balance from month to month
- Comes with a $39 annual fee
- No welcome bonus offer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- No rotating categories or limits to how much you can earn, and cash back doesn't expire for the life of the account. It's that simple
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Best for high rewards rates
Who's this for? The Credit One Bank Wander Card is worth considering if you have average credit and want to earn the most rewards for your travel spending.
Standout benefits: Eligible travel, including flights, dining and gas purchases, earn a generous 5% cash back rewards, and you can earn a whopping 10% back on eligible hotels and rental cars you book through the Credit One Bank travel partner site.
Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card with Dining, Gas & Travel Rewards
Rewards
10% cash back rewards on eligible hotel and car rentals booked using the Credit One Bank travel partner, 5% cash back rewards on eligible dining, gas, & travel purchases. 1% cash back rewards on all other purchases, terms apply
Welcome bonus
No current offer
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
29.74%* Variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Fair to Good credit
See rates and fees. Terms apply.
Pros
- Great return on travel purchases
- Available to those with average credit
Cons
- High APR
- No welcome bonus
Best for upgrade potential
Who's this for? The Chase Freedom Rise® is a great option for establishing credit and a relationship with Chase, which issues many top travel credit cards.
Standout benefits: The Chase Freedom Rise earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, which is a high rate of return for a starter credit card. Plus, Chase will automatically consider you for an upgrade to the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) after 12 months of responsible card use.
The Chase Freedom Rise® is one of the most rewarding cards that's available if you're new to credit.
- No credit history required
- Above average flat-rate rewards
- No annual fee
- Small welcome offer
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Limited Time Offer - Earn 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeouts and eligible delivery services, on up to $6,000 spent in the first 6 months from account opening.
- Increase your approval chances - Having a Chase checking or savings account with a balance of at least $250 will increase your chances of getting approved for Chase Freedom Rise®
- Earn Cash Back - With Chase Freedom Rise®, you can establish credit while earning 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back.
- Earn a $25 statement credit after signing up for automatic payments within the first three months of opening your account. With automatic payments, just pick a date and dollar amount to make sure your Credit Card gets paid on time.
- Credit Limit Increase - As a Freedom Rise® cardmember, you'll be evaluated for a credit line increase in as soon as 6 months. Your credit line is the maximum amount of money you can spend on your Freedom Rise® Card
- Free Credit Score - Track your credit score and learn how to build it with Chase Credit Journey.
- No Annual Fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Rise® Card.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
5% or $5 of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
Best for students
Who's this for? If you want to build credit while in school and earn cash back, the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of the best student credit cards available.
Standout benefits: The Savor Student earns an unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus a generous 3% back at grocery stores and on dining, popular streaming services and entertainment.
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card features rewards rates that match many of the top cash-back credit cards.
- High cash-back rates for common student expenses, such as groceries, dining and entertainment
- Elevated cash-back rates on Capital One Entertainment and Capital One Travel purchases
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- High variable APR
- No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Enjoy no annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or hidden fees
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
- Build your credit with responsible card use
- Whether you're at a 4-year university, community college or other higher education institution, this card might be an option for you
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Best for no annual fee
Who's this for? The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Credit Card is a great low-cost option for anyone working to rebuild or establish their credit. Plus, it earns a solid flat-rate return on every purchase.
Standout benefits: With this card, you'll earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase, with no limit to how much cash back you can earn. The card charges no foreign transaction fees, which is useful when traveling overseas.
The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Credit Card is an unusually rewarding card because you earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase.
- Simple rewards structure with no caps or categories to track
- Available if you have fair credit
- High APR
- Has an annual fee
Rewards
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
Balance transfer fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
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FAQs
What does your credit score need to be to get a travel credit card?
The best travel credit cards generally require a good to excellent credit score, which is 670 or higher.
What's the best way to improve my credit score?
Your credit score is based on numerous factors, but the most important things to pay attention to are your debt and payment history. So the best way to increase your credit score is to consistently pay your bills on time and to focus on paying down your debt.
Will Amex approve a 600 credit score?
Most American Express credit cards require a good to excellent credit score, or a FICO Score of at least 670. However, the Credit One Bank Wander Amex we mention above is available to those with fair credit.
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 article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. 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. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best travel credit cards for fair credit.
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Our methodology
To determine which travel cards are the best value for anyone with fair credit, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions available to those with no credit or who are rebuilding their credit.
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).
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