10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors

Most credit cards aren’t designed specifically for seniors; however, as a senior citizen, you may be interested in a credit card with no annual fee and a low APR — especially if you’re on a fixed income. Depending on your spending habits, you may also be looking for certain rewards or perks. If you already have one or more credit cards with high balances or you need to make a large purchase, it may be in your best interest to find a credit card that allows you to transfer your balance or make large purchases without accruing interest for a time.

Below, we compare and rank the best credit cards for seniors. Our previous research also features low-income credit cards and credit cards that don’t check credit.

Table of Contents

What We Recommend

Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5% cash back on groceries and a $200 bonus once you spend $500. This is our top recommendation for having the greatest bonuses and benefits with the fewest spending requirements. The AARP Credit Card from Chase also offers decent dining and gas cash back (3%), as well as a $100 bonus after spending only $500. Neither of these cards carries an annual fee or has strict credit requirements.

The American Express Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred cards also have good cash-back perks. You only need to spend $1,000 for the $150 Blue Cash Everyday bonus versus spending $3,000 for a $300 bonus with the Blue Cash Preferred Card.

Ultimately, the card that is best for you will depend on your individual finances and spending ability. There are also a few other cards that are best for specific purposes:

Best for large purchases: U.S. Bank Visa Platinum
Best for Amazon/Whole Foods shoppers: Amazon Rewards Visa Card
Best for frequent travelers: Capital One Venture or Capital One VentureOne

Comparison Table

See the table for a quick comparison of the best credit cards for seniors, then click any card name or scroll to the list below for more details. Note that you can sort the table using the arrows at the top of each column.

Card Name	Rewards	Annual Fee	APR
Chase Freedom Unlimited	Cash back on purchases and a $200 bonus when you spend $500	None	0% for 15 months; up to 24% thereafter
AARP Credit Card from Chase	Cash back on purchases and a $100 bonus when you spend $500	None	Up to 23%
American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card	Cash back on purchases and a $150 bonus for spending $1,000	None	0% for 15 months; up to 24% thereafter
American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card	Cash back on purchases and a $300 bonus when you spend $3,000	$95 after the first year	0% for one year; up to 24 months thereafter
U.S. Bank Visa Platinum	Promotional APR	None	0% for 20 months; up to 24% thereafter
Amazon Rewards Visa Card	5% cash back at Whole Foods and Amazon.com	None, but must have Amazon Prime	Up to 23%
Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi	Cash back on purchases	None, but Costco membership required	Up to 16%
Citi Double Cash Card	Cash back on purchases and promotional APR	None	0% for 18 months; up to 24% thereafter
Capital One VentureOne Rewards	Unlimited 1.25x miles and 20,000 bonus miles	None	0% for one year; up to 26% thereafter
Capital One Venture Rewards	Unlimited 2x miles and 100,000 bonus miles	None	Up to 25%

The List

Whether it is bad, fair, or excellent, your credit score will provide an indication of which card or cards you may want to apply for. Keep in mind that the APR you’re assigned will be based on your creditworthiness — a higher credit score will help you get an APR lower than the maximum listed.

1. Chase Freedom Unlimited

Rewards: 5% cash back on groceries within your first year (maximum $12,000), 3% cash back on dining and drug store purchases, 1.5% on all other purchases, and a $200 bonus for spending $500 within the first three months^[1]
Annual fee: None^[1]
APR: 0% for 15 months, then up to 24%^[1]
Credit requirements: Good (about 670)^[2]
Apply

2. AARP Credit Card from Chase

Rewards: 3% cash back on dining and gas; 1% all other purchases (spend $500 within the first three months and receive $100 cash back)^[3]
Annual fee: None^[3]
APR: Up to 23%^[3]
Credit requirement: At least 650^[4]
Apply

3. American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card

Rewards: 3% cash back at supermarkets up to $6,000 (1% thereafter) and 2% cash back on gas; $150 cash-back bonus if you spend $1,000 in six months; various signup promotions^[5]
Annual fee: None^[5]
APR: 15 months at 0%, then up to 24%^[5]
Credit requirements: Good (about 690)^[6]
Apply

4. American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card

Rewards: 6% cash back at supermarkets up to $6,000 per year (1% thereafter), 3% cash back on gas and transit, and 1% cash back on all other purchases (after you spend $3,000 within six months, you’ll receive a $300 statement credit); various signup bonuses^[7]
Annual fee: No fee for the first year, then $95 per year^[7]
APR: 0% APR for one year, then up to 24%^[7]
Credit requirements: Good (about 690)^[6]
Apply

5. U.S. Bank Visa Platinum

Rewards: Make a large purchase or transfer balances at 0% APR for 20 months^[8]
Annual fee: None^[8]
APR: 20 months at 0%, then up to about 24%^[8]
Credit requirements: Very good (about 750)^[9]
Apply

6. Amazon Rewards Visa Card

Rewards: 5% cash back at Whole Foods and Amazon.com^[10]
Annual fee: None; must have an Amazon Prime account^[10]
APR: Up to 23%^[10]
Credit requirements: Good (about 700)^[11]
Apply

7. Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi

Rewards: 4% cash back on gas (up to $7,000, then 1%), 3% cash back on dining and travel, 2% cash back on Costco groceries, and 1% on groceries elsewhere and all other purchases^[12]
Annual fee: No annual fee; Costco membership required(about $60 per year for one person)^[12]
APR: Up to 16%^[12]
Credit requirements: Very good (about 720)^[13]
Apply

8. Citi Double Cash Card

Rewards: 2% cash back on all purchases — 1% when you buy the items and another 1% when you pay (no maximum); you can also transfer a balance at 0% APR for 18 months^[14]
Annual fee: None^[14]
APR: 18 months at 0%, then up to 24%^[14]
Credit requirements: Very good (at least 720)^[15]
Apply