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As the world's second-largest credit card payments network, Mastercard has over 3.1 billion cards in circulation around the globe and processed over $8 trillion of transactions in 2022. The Mastercard logo appears on a wide spectrum of card products from a diverse set of card issuers, ranging from basic debit cards to the best credit cards with luxury benefits.
Read on to see how all these benefits come together in our selections for the top Mastercards you can get to suit a variety of needs.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Best Mastercard Credit Cards
The Best Mastercard Credit Card of May 2023
Chase Freedom Flex℠ - Product Name Only : Best for overall valueCiti Premier® Card - Product Name Only : Best for travel rewardsBilt Mastercard® - Product Name Only : Best for rentersCapital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card - Product Name Only : Best for bad or no creditCiti® Double Cash Card - Product Name Only : Best for simple cash-back rewardsIHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card - Product Name Only : Best for hotel stays
Methodology: How we chose the best Mastercard credit cards
Insider's experts evaluated dozens of popular Mastercard credit cards, including rewards credit cards, cash-back credit cards, and credit cards for bad credit. We considered a number of factors, including:
- Ease of use — Is the card's rewards structure easy to understand? Are there any earning or redeeming hoops to jump through, like blackout dates or a requirement to have an existing bank relationship?
- Rewards earning potential — Does the card offer a generous welcome bonus and have broadly useful bonus categories? Are there spending caps that limit your earning potential?
- Annual fee — If the card charges an annual fee, is it reasonable, and do the card's rewards and perks make it worthwhile?
- Options for different types of consumers — The Mastercards we chose are appealing to all kinds of people, from travel aficionados to renters to folks just starting out with credit.
Here's a breakdown of how we rate credit cards at Insider for a closer look at our methodology.
Mastercard Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Mastercard credit card?
There's no single best Mastercard credit card — the right one for you depends on what you want to get out of the card, your credit score, rewards preferences, and other factors. That said, our top pick, the
Which credit card is best, Visa or Mastercard?
Visa and Mastercard are the two largest credit card payment networks in the world, so you shouldn't have a problem having either type of card accepted at most merchants. Both offer similar types of cards and benefits; for most folks, these cards are about equal. Read our guide to the best Visa credit cards for comparison.
What is the highest level of Mastercard?
There are three product tiers within Mastercard. The highest, World Elite Mastercard, offers the most benefits, including premium travel perks and discounts. The next, World Mastercard, comes with fewer bells and whistles but still offers many of the same perks. And the most basic, standard Mastercards still come with a handful of benefits including zero liability protection, global emergency assistance, and identity theft protection.
Is it hard to get a Mastercard?
Mastercards are issued by just about every major bank and come in all types, ranging from bare-bones secured credit cards for building credit from scratch, to premium credit cards packed with luxury travel benefits that require an excellent credit score. Regardless of your financial history and credit score, there's a Mastercard card for you.
Best for Overall Value
The
The card comes with an introductory offer of
Beyond the rewards, the card offers benefits like purchase protection and extended warranty, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, cell phone protection, and more. While the 5% bonus categories have to be activated manually and the card imposes a 3% foreign transaction fee, the
Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card Review
Best for Travel Rewards
The
The card comes with a welcome bonus offer of
It offers well-rounded bonus categories, earning 3 points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and on air travel and hotel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. As for benefits, you'll get an annual $100 discount off hotel stays of $500 or more booked through Citi, purchase protection against damage or theft up to 90 days and $10,000 per incident (maximum $50,000 per year), and extended warranty protection that adds 24 months on manufacturer warranties of five years or less.
You'll also get World Elite Mastercard benefits and pay no foreign transaction fees. However, the
Best for Renters
The Bilt Rewards program gives renters a unique opportunity to earn points for rental payments. With the
Apart from rental payments, you'll earn 3 points per dollar on dining (including delivery services), 2 points per dollar on travel purchases booked directly with airlines, hotels, car rentals, or cruise lines, and 1 point on most other purchases. Bilt doubles those rates (up to 10,000 bonus points) during its Rent Day promotion on the first of every month, and offers interactive challenges that award bonus points for solving puzzles and playing games.
The card doesn't offer a welcome bonus, though you can earn referral bonuses of 2,500 points for each approved card applicant you refer, plus an extra 10,000 points for every fifth successful referral. Finally, you can earn 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides after linking your Bilt and Lyft accounts.
Bilt has assembled an impressive group of airline and hotel transfer partners, earning Bilt points an average redemption value of 1.65 cents in our most recent valuations. You can also book travel directly through the Bilt Rewards travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point, which creates a stable floor of redemption value.
The
Best Mastercard for Bad or No Credit
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
Secured credit cards can help you establish a credit history or rebuild your credit, but they customarily offer little else in return. The
You'll earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal, plus 1.5% cash back on other purchases. You can redeem rewards for statement credits to your card account or cash back by check, as well as for gift cards and travel. You can set up automatic redemptions for a certain threshold or date, but rewards don't expire as long as your account is open and in good standing, so there's no pressure to redeem until you're ready.
Your initial credit line is equal to your security deposit with a minimum of $200. The deposit is refundable, and with on-time payments, your account will be considered for credit line increases and a transition to the unsecured version of the card. The card has no annual fee, doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, and allows free authorized users. On the downside, there's no welcome bonus and it has a high APR relative to unsecured cards.
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Card Review
Best for Simple Cash Back Rewards
If you want to earn consistent rewards with no annual fee and without having to keep track of bonus categories, the
You can redeem points for 1 cent apiece as statement credits to your card account or a direct deposit to a linked bank account, with no minimum redemption amount in either case. You can also opt for a check when you redeem $5 or more, or you can redeem instead for gift cards or travel through the ThankYou Rewards portal.
Alternately, you can transfer points to JetBlue and Wyndham Rewards at a transfer ratio of 5:4, or to Choice Privileges at a transfer ratio of 2:3. You can also increase the potential value of your rewards by pairing the
The
Best for Hotel Stays
Ranked among the best hotel credit cards, the
With the card, you'll earn 10 points per dollar at IHG properties — that's in addition to what you earn from IHG directly, which is boosted by 60% thanks to the automatic Platinum Elite status granted to cardholders. You'll also earn 5 points per dollar on travel, dining, and gas purchases, and 3 points per dollar on all other purchases. Our valuations peg IHG Rewards points value at 0.65 cents on average, so those rates represent a fair return on spending.
The card currently offers a welcome bonus of
The
IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card Review