8 most underrated credit cards to consider

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

There are good reasons why cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and American Express® Gold Card rank among the best credit cards. However, there are niche scenarios where you may get more value from a lesser-known credit card with rare features like unique rewards categories, hard-to-find benefits or easy-to-earn welcome bonuses.

CNBC Select evaluated the rewards, benefits and fees of lesser-known, underrated cards so you can determine if they’re right for you. (See our methodology for more information on how we made this list.)

Who’s this for? The Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card is ideal if you want extra peace of mind when shopping for an item that may not be refundable. Better yet, the card is open to people with fair or average credit (scores 580+).

Standout benefits: This card offers return protection, so if you try to return an eligible item within 90 days of the purchase date and are rejected by a merchant’s return policy, you can get a refund of the full purchase price, up to $300 per item, up to $1,000 annually. This is a rare perk typically only available with certain premium credit cards.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who’s this for? The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is worth considering if you want to build credit and earn rewards along the way.

Standout benefits: Unlike many secured credit cards, this card allows you to earn cash back, offers a generous welcome bonus and has a clear path to upgrading to an unsecured card. It has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and a low minimum deposit.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who’s this card for? The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is hard to beat if you need extra time to pay off large purchases or want to consolidate existing debt.

Intro APR offer: The Wells Fargo Reflect Card offers one of the longest introductory 0% APR periods for purchases and balance transfers. With this card, you’ll get a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (17.74%, 24.24%, or 29.49% variable APR afterward). Balance transfers made within 120 days from account opening qualify for the intro rate, the balance transfer fee is 5% with a $5 minimum.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who’s this for? The Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card has an excellent cash-back rate if your willing to jump through a few hoops to meet the qualifications.

Standout benefits: If you qualify for Alliant’s Tier One rewards, you’ll earn 2.5% cash back on your first $10,000 in purchases each billing cycle, then 1.5% cash back. To qualify, you’ll need an Alliant High-Rate Checking account and opt-in to electronic statements, have at least one electronic deposit each calendar month and maintain an average daily balance of $1,000+. As a new cardholder, you’ll receive Tier One rewards for the first 100 days.

[ Jump to more details ]

The Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card is a generous no-annual-fee travel rewards card available to people with fair or average credit.

Rewards

• 10X points on eligible hotels and rental cars you book through the Credit One Bank travel partner site
• 5X points on eligible travel
• 5X points on dining
• 5X points on gas purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

Eligible purchases are covered by various built-in travel and shopping protections, including travel accident insurance, return protection, extended warranty, retail protection and more. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees when using this card abroad.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is a well-rounded secured card that offers many benefits typically only available with unsecured cards.

Rewards

• 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Many secured cards don’t typically offer rewards or a welcome bonus. However, for new card members in the first year only, Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. So, if you earn $50 cash back at the end of the first year, Discover will give you an additional $50.

The card requires a minimum $200 refundable security deposit, which is fairly standard for secured credit cards. It stands out from the crowd because it gives users a clear path to upgrading to an unsecured card (and getting their deposit back).

There are no foreign transaction fees, so you won’t be charged for using the card abroad.

[ Return to card summary ]

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has unique benefits that make it a great standalone card for the occasional traveler and a solid compliment to a premium credit card for the serious jet-setter.

Rewards

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center
• 4X points on travel
• 4X at gas stations and EV charging stations on your first $1,000 each quarter (excluding wholesale clubs, discount stores and supercenters)
• 2X points on dining
• 2X points on streaming services
• 2X points at grocery stores (excluding discount stores, supercenters and wholesale clubs)
• 1X points on all other eligible purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

This card’s four free visits to Priority Pass airport lounges every year are more useful than what they seem on the surface because of how you can use them. You can use these visits at restaurants and non-lounge experiences that Priority Pass partners with, which is a benefit that many of the top airport lounge access cards have axed. Plus, getting an up to $100 credit toward Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® once every four years is extremely rare for a no annual fee card.

When traveling, you also have access to two other uncommon benefits: international mobile data and SmartDelay. You can access a complimentary 5GB 15-day GigSky global mobile data plan on compatible devices (must redeem by Nov. 11, 2025). When you register a flight for the SmartDelay benefit, you and up to three companions can receive complimentary lounge access when your flight is delayed by two hours or more.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is a no annual fee card that stands out for having one of the longest intro-APR offers for purchases and balance transfers.

Rewards

None

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

This card can help you pay less interest and pay down credit card debt faster. For the first 21 months from account opening, you’ll get 0% APR on purchases qualifying balance transfers. Once the intro APR expires, a variable 17.74%, 24.24%, or 29.49% variable APR applies. For a balance transfer to qualify for the intro APR, it must be made within 120 days from account opening, and a balance transfer fee of 5% of the amount transferred applies ($5 minimum).

This card also offers roadside dispatch and cell phone protection when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with this card.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Wells Fargo Attune℠ World Elite Mastercard® is an amazing cash-back card because of its generous unlimited 4% cash-back categories.

Rewards

• 4% cash rewards on fitness and wellness
• 4% cash rewards on select sports, recreation, and entertainment (including live shows and sporting events)
• 4% cash rewards on gardening and floral stores, as well as pet supplies, boarding and grooming
• 4% cash rewards on public transit, EV charging stations
• 4% cash rewards at select thrift stores.
• 1% cash rewards on other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $100 in cash rewards when you spend $500 in qualifying purchases in the first three months.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

In addition to its generous cash-back rates and intro-APR offer, this card has several features that can increase your peace of mind. Eligible purchases qualify for cell phone protection and rental car collision coverage. You’re also protected by Mastercard ID Theft Protection.

[ Return to card summary ]

The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is one of several American Airlines credit cards and can provide great savings if you fly with the airline regularly.

Rewards

• 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases
• 1X miles on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 miles after making your first purchase within the first 90 days and paying the annual fee in full.

Annual fee

$99

Notable perks

An intro 0% APR offer isn’t something you’d normally see attached to an airline credit card, but this card has a great offer. You’ll get an intro 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months you complete within 45 days of account opening. After that, a variable 20.74% to 29.99% APR applies. The balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount of each transfer ($5 minimum).

Other benefits include 25% back on eligible inflight purchases, preferred boarding and the first checked bag for free for you and up to four travel companions (on the same reservation). Every card anniversary year, you can receive $25 back for inflight Wi-Fi purchases. You can also receive a companion certificate after spending $20,000 or more on the card in an account anniversary year (and the account stays open for 45 days after your anniversary date). The companion certificate is valid on domestic economy flights and costs $99 plus taxes and fees.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card outperforms many of the best credit cards that earn 2% cash back, but there are a few hoops to jump through to maximize its return.

Rewards

• 2.5% cash back on the first $10,000 in purchases each billing cycle (if you qualify for Tier One rewards), then 1.5% cash back
• 1.5% cash back for all other purchases.

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

You can take advantage of all sorts of travel and purchase protections when you use your Alliant Cashback Visa. These perks include ID theft protection, purchase security, extended warranty protection, travel accident insurance, rental car collision coverage and roadside dispatch.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Affinity FCU Cash Rewards Visa has a long list of 2% cash-back categories to complement its generous return on Amazon purchases.

Rewards

• 5% cash back at Amazon on up to $1,000 in purchases per month
• 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations
• 2% cash back at U.S. grocery stores and supermarkets
• 2% cash back on streaming services
• 2% cash back on taxi and limousine services (including Uber and Lyft)
• 2% cash back at restaurants
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $150 cash back when you spend $3,000 within the first 90 days of opening an account.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

This card features no foreign transaction fees. You can also earn a 10,000-point bonus (worth $100) if you spend $25,000 on the card in the first 12 months from the date you open the account.

To qualify for this card, you’ll need to join Affinity Federal Credit Union which you can easily do with a $5 donation to the Affinity Foundation and a $5 minimum balance in a qualifying account.

[ Return to card summary ]

Depending on where you shop or what you need in a credit card, looking into a card with hyper-specific benefits can make sense. These options may not be your go-to card for everything, but they have clear value in niche scenarios.

• Wholesale club credit cards: Lots of cards are great for grocery shopping, but many of them exclude purchases you make a superstores or wholesale clubs. If you’re a wholesale club member and want to earn bonus rewards, you may need to open a store card such as the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (see rates and fees), Sam’s Club® Mastercard® or BJ’s One+™ Mastercard®.
• TSC^® Visa^® Card: This card earns 3% veterinary bills (groceries and gas as well), which is one of the best rates for your pet’s medical bills. You’ll also earn 5% in rewards at Tractor Supply, including pet supplies and you receive up to two free trailer rentals per quarter (where available). Plus, Tractor Supply has over 2,200 locations in 49 states, so there’s a good chance you have a store nearby.
• State Farm^® Premier Cash Rewards Visa Signature^® Card: This card can help you save on your insurance premiums with 3% cash back on up to $4,000 in insurance premium payments annually. You’ll also earn 2% cash back at gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations, drugstores, grocery stores and dining.

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 review 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 underrated cards.

To determine which underrated cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed over 250 major 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.  

For the cards that offered a rewards program, we considered consumer spending data forecasts from location intelligence firm Esri to determine where U.S. consumers are spending the most money, like on dining and travel. We used this to help determine what bonus categories are most useful for consumers. Since the value of a point or mile varies based on what they can be redeemed for, we also considered things like transferability and the ability to redeem for cash-back. 

When choosing the best lesser-known credit cards, we paid special attention to cards from smaller issuers and credit unions. We also gave increased priority to niche features that can be valuable but may have more hoops to jump through.

Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Secured Credit Card, click here.