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When the Credit CARD Act of 2009 was being debated, many predicted that this law would force card issuers to impose annual fees on all of their cards. While there are still many no-annual-fee credit cards, many of the top rewards credit cards have an annual fee.
But if you don’t have much of a need for the high-end rewards and benefits offered by these cards, or you simply refuse on principle to pay a fee to use a credit card, you still have some excellent rewards cards to choose from.
Here are four of the best rewards cards that don’t require an annual fee.
Instead of offering award flights or free hotel nights, this card features exclusive rewards from the National Football League. Cardholders earn double points for NFL and team purchases including tickets and merchandise, and one point per dollar spent elsewhere. You can also receive 20% off of purchases from NFLShop.com, and points can be redeemed for exclusive NFL rewards and team experiences that vary by team. These rewards can include game-day tickets, pre-game passes to the sidelines and admission to the post-game press conference. New cardholders also receive a 10,000-point sign-up bonus after making $500 in purchases within 90 days of account opening, as well as six months of 0% APR financing on eligible ticket purchases, and 15 months for balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening, with a 3% balance transfer fee.
This card (compared to the annual-fee version here) offers 1.25 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, and each mile is worth a penny as statement credits towards travel rewards, with no limits. New cardholders receive 20,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on new purchases within three months of account opening. In addition, new account holders receive 0% APR promotional financing on new purchases until October 2016. Other benefits include extended warranty coverage and shopping discounts.
This card (reviewed here) offers a total of 2% cash back rewards on all purchases, with 1% cash back at the time of purchase, and another 1% cash back upon payment, with no limits or category restrictions. In addition, it also offers 18 months of 0% APR introductory financing on both new purchases and balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee. Other benefits include extended warranty coverage, damage and theft purchase protection, and Citi’s price protection program called Price Rewind, which automatically refunds the difference in price to cardholders when a lower price is found for eligible purchases.
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Chase’s Freedom (reviewed here) is a popular rewards card that offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending each quarter at featured merchants or categories of merchants, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2015 (October through December), the featured merchants are Amazon.com, Zappos.com and Diapers.com. In addition, new cardholders earn a $100 bonus after making $500 in purchases within three months of account opening, and another $25 bonus when adding an authorized user who makes a charge within the same three-month period. This card also offers 15 months of 0% APR introductory financing on both new purchases and balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee. Finally, cardholders have access to Chase’s Blueprint program, which allows them to avoid interest charges by paying for some purchases in full, while carrying a balance on others.
Before you apply for any credit card, it’s important to compare credit cards that you’re likely to qualify for based on your credit score to make sure you don’t apply for cards that you’re unlikely to get. You can check your credit scores for free on Credit.com to see where you stand.
At publishing time, the NFL Extra Points from Barclaycard, CapitalOne VentureOne Rewards, Citi Double Cash, AmEx Everyday Credit Card From American Express and Chase Freedom cards are offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com will be compensated if our users apply for and ultimately sign up for any of these cards. However, this relationship does not result in any preferential editorial treatment.
Note: It’s important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.
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