Best Cool Credit Cards
Cool-looking cards let you flaunt your style each time you use them to pay for purchases. Selecting a credit card for its looks is not the most practical approach to choosing a card. However, if you find one that fits your lifestyle, spending habits, and aesthetic preferences, there is a sense of pride that comes with flashing a stylish credit card.
If looks are one of the things you are considering in a card, the list below has you covered. We've gone through our extensive database of options to find the best-looking credit cards. Because of how difficult they are to get, we've left out invitation-only credit cards, such as the titanium American Express Centurion card.
Check out the list of awesome credit cards below:
Short Review of Best Cool Credit Cards
| Name | Best for | Rewards Rate | APR | Apply |
|---|
Capital One Platinum Credit Card | Without SSN | This card doesn't offer cash back, miles or points. | 29.99% Variable | Learn more on our partner’s site |
| | 1% Cash Back on all purchases. | 35.99% * | Apply now On the Total Visa® Card secure website |
Merrick Bank Secured Credit Card | | This card doesn't offer cash back, miles or points. | 22.95% Variable | Apply now On Merrick Bank‘s site |
First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card | | 1% Cash Back on payments made to your First Progress Secured credit card account. | 18.49% Variable | Apply now On First Progress’s site |
| Travel, Restaurants, Daily use | 10x Points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually.10x Total points on Chase Dining purchases with Ultimate Rewards®.5x Total points on flights when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually.3x Points on other travel worldwide after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually.3x Points on other dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.1x Point per dollar spent on all other purchases. | 22.49% - 29.49% Variable | Learn more |
American Express® Gold Card | Cash Back | 4x Points on dining at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.4x Points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per year.3x Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.1x Points on other eligible purchases. | 20.74% - 28.74% Variable | Learn more |
American Express Blue Cash Preferred | Gas, Groceries, Streaming services, Daily use | 6% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).6% Cash Back on streaming (select U.S. streaming subscriptions).3% Cash Back on transit. Transit includes taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more.3% Cash Back at U.S. Gas Stations.1% Cash Back on other purchases. | 18.74% - 29.74% Variable | Learn more |
| Cash Back, 0 APR, No Annual Fee, Daily use | 5% Cash Back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards.3% Cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.3% Cash Back on drugstore purchases.1.5% Cash Back on all other purchases. | 20.49% - 29.24% Variable | Learn more |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® | Travel, Restaurants, Daily use | $50 Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.5x Points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Anniversary Hotel Credit.3x Points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.3x Points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).3x Points on select streaming services.2x Points on other travel purchases.1x Point per dollar spent on all other purchases. | 22.49% - 29.49% Variable | Learn more |
The Platinum Card® from American Express | Young couples | 5x Points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights (per calendar year).5x Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.1x Points on all other purchases. | 21.24% - 29.24% Variable | Learn more |
| Metal | 3% Cash Back at Apple.3% Apple Card gives you unlimited 3% Daily Cash Back on purchases you make at select merchants when you use Apple Card with Apple Pay.2% Cash Back on other Apple pay purchases.1% Cash Back on everything else. | 19.24% - 29.49% Variable | Learn more |
Who should apply
Capital One Platinum Credit Card
This card is best for people who want to build their credit score and don’t need any fancy rewards or benefits. If you have a fair credit score and are looking for a simple, no-nonsense card, the Capital One Platinum Mastercard is a great option.
Read more about Capital One Platinum Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Packed with travel-related perks and rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® best suits frequent travelers. Unless you can maximize your use of benefits such as travel credits, TSA Precheck credits, and airport lounge access, the $550 annual fee can make maintaining this card a hassle.
Read more about Chase Sapphire Reserve®
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is best for those who frequently spend money on dining and groceries. With a high rewards rate for these categories, plus a great intro bonus, this card can help you rack up rewards quickly. However, it may not be the best choice for those who travel internationally often, as it is only accepted at limited retailers outside of the U.S.
Read more about American Express® Gold Card
American Express Blue Cash Preferred
The Blue Cash Preferred® credit card from American Express® is a great option for those looking for a cash back credit card. With its introductory bonus and no annual fee in the first year, it's easy to see why this card is so popular. Plus, with cash back rates of up to 6%, there are plenty of rewards to be earned.
Read more about American Express Blue Cash Preferred
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® credit card is a great option for anyone looking for a solid cash back rewards program without having to worry about annual fees. Additionally, if you're planning on making a large purchase or transferring a balance, the card's 0% introductory APR for 15 months can be a valuable perk (20.49% - 29.24% variable APR thereafter).
Read more about Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card is a great choice for anyone who wants a premium rewards card with excellent benefits. The sign-up bonus is generous, and the ongoing rewards are impressive. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees, making it a good option for travel. Keep in mind that there is an annual fee, so make sure you'll be able to use the card's benefits enough to offset it.
Read more about Chase Sapphire Preferred®
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The The Platinum Card® from American Express® is designed for high-earning luxury travelers. If you frequently find yourself jetting off to faraway destinations and spending big bucks on flights and hotels, then this card could be a great way to earn some serious rewards. Just be prepared to pay the high annual fee.
Read more about The Platinum Card® from American Express
Goldman Sachs Apple
The Apple Card is best suited for those who already use Apple Pay and want a minimalist titanium credit card. Its low rewards rate and lack of bonus cash back offers make it less than ideal for most people but it could be a good choice for diehard Apple fans.
Read more about Goldman Sachs Apple
How to choose the coolest credit card
Every person has their own opinion on what looks attractive and what doesn't. Because of this, choosing the prettiest credit card is a personal decision. Some things you may want to consider when comparing different credit card designs include:
- Whether the card is made of metal. A metal design can make the card feel heavier and look more valuable.
- Whether the card is vertical or horizontal. Many credit card issuers are experimenting with new designs that make checkout easier. One such approach involves printing credit card designs in portrait orientation instead of landscape. This vertical design makes chip cards and tap-to-pay features more intuitive to use.
- What colors and patterns are used on the card. Most credit cards use similar colors, but one thing that is typically unique to each card is the shapes or images used on it.
While it's nice to have a credit card that you enjoy looking at and showing off, it shouldn't be the main factor in determining which credit card to apply for. Instead, compare each card’s rewards system, annual fee, and welcome offer to find a credit card that rewards you every time you use it. You may find that the card that best fits your spending habits also happens to have a pretty cool design.
Why is it important to have a cool-looking credit card?
It isn’t very important to have a cool-looking credit card. Your first consideration should always be the benefit you can get from it.
However, there are many reasons why it can be advantageous to have a cool-looking credit card in your wallet. First and foremost, it gets you noticed. When you flash a sleek and stylish card, you're sure to receive better service from wait staff, store clerks, and others. It can also be an excellent conversation starter that can help you make a few new friends and expand your network of valuable connections.
A good-looking card also helps personalize your wallet and shows off your discerning sense of style. Having a unique credit card makes you feel confident and proud — after all, not everyone can say they own something special and hard to come by.
So if you're looking for an edge in life, get a cool-looking credit card — it just might be the boost you need.
How can you customize credit cards
There are many different ways to personalize your credit card. Some credit card issuers, such as Wells Fargo, allow you to upload your photos and design ideas for some cards. Discover, on the other hand, lets you choose your card design from several colorful pre-set options.
If your card issuer doesn't offer any design choices for your credit card, consider making your credit card “skin” through an outside service. Tenstickers and CUCU are two services that let you browse lots of pre-made designs or customize your own. These card skins come in two flavors: removable and permanent.
Finally, you can also opt to have a company remake your credit card in the material of your choice. You can, for example, use a company such as Lion Credit Card to convert your plastic card to 24-karat gold, stainless steel, carbon fiber, or any other material you might prefer. Note, however, that doing so will require you to send your credit card to them, which can expose you to the risk of fraud.
How do I get a custom metal credit card
Credit card companies sometimes issue custom metal credit cards to their most valuable customers. Because this level of service is outside the reach of most consumers, several companies have sprung up to fill the demand for custom metal credit cards.
To provide you with a custom metal credit card, a company like Lion Credit Card or Card Ego transplants the functional parts of your credit card into a card made from the material of your choice. For an added cost, these companies can also personalize the cards they convert with cool credit card backgrounds of the customer’s choice.
As you can imagine, this is a delicate process that carries an inherent risk of permanently damaging your card. The difficulty of the process means that even basic designs can cost hundreds of dollars.
What's the best eco-friendly green credit card
Several issuers have released “green” credit cards to cash into the trend toward eco-friendly products. Which of these card types you think of as best will depend on your interpretation of eco-friendly and your values as they relate to the natural world around us:
- Nonprofit-supporting cards: These cards support the eco-friendly movement by donating a portion of every purchase to green organizations. Examples of these cards include the Green America Rewards, World Wildlife Fund and Clean Water Action credit cards.
- Recycled material cards: These cards take advantage of recycled materials to reduce their impact on the environment. Some of these cards, like the Second Wave from CPI Card Group, use plastics that would have otherwise polluted oceans.
- Closed-loop recycling cards: Some banks and credit card issuers have announced or launched credit card recycling services. These services take your expired cards and recycle them to make new cards, thereby creating a loop that limits the amount of plastic that escapes into the environment.
- Big-picture cards: These are cards issued by financial institutions that have committed themselves to protect the environment. The concept is that by supporting companies that are green and sustainable, we vote with our wallets and reward the most proactive issuers with our business.
Green credit cards can help you make your spending more environmentally friendly, but only to a certain extent. Being mindful of your purchases or making your own donation to an organization of your choice is likely a better way to reduce your environmental impact.
What is a Bluetooth credit card
A Bluetooth credit card is a type of «smart» card that allows you to make payments by loading information from your phone using Bluetooth wireless technology.
Some good examples of Bluetooth cards are Fuze and Stratos. Their main selling point is that you can load lots of different cards onto your account, making it easier to carry around fewer plastic cards. However, one big drawback of these credit cards is the cost. For example, obtaining a Fuze card can set you back $180.
Some people may also use the term Bluetooth credit card to refer to cards such as the Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card. These cards contain a chip that allows you to make contactless payments at equipped terminals using RFID, which is a completely different technology.
What are the best custom credit card designs
There is no objective way to determine what the best custom credit card designs are because individuals have vastly different aesthetic preferences. The qualities you value the most ultimately determine what you see as the best.
For example, you might prefer fun credit cards that use bold and vibrant abstract artwork to stand out, whereas someone else might say that a cute credit card decorated with adorable characters is the best.
What credit cards do millionaires use
Super-rich individuals often use credit cards that are largely unavailable to the general populace. They gain access to these cards through private invitations.
Some of the most exclusive credit cards in the world include:
- The American Express Centurion Card (known as the Amex Black card)
- The JP Morgan Chase Reserve Card
- The Dubai First Royale MasterCard
- The Stratus Rewards Visa Card
- And the Coutts World Silk Card
Aside from being notoriously difficult to obtain, cards such as these are also often wrapped in an air of mystery. Their issuers rarely, if ever, publish the criteria they use to determine who gets an invitation, and the benefits these cards bestow on their bearers aren’t openly talked about (in part because these benefits are sometimes personalized to the unique lifestyle of the cardholder).
FAQ
What are other credit cards to consider?
Depending on your credit score, personal wealth, location, and preferred style, there are a lot of other cool-looking credit cards to choose from.
For example, consider The Mastercard® Gold Card™. Crafted from 24-karat gold, this card puts looks above everything else. Issued only to wealthy Mastercard clients, this credit card offers a reduced set of rewards focused primarily on luxury living.
Is there any benefit to owning a metal card instead of a plastic one?
If we take away the fact that metal credit cards are typically issued as premium products, there is no significant benefit to owning a metal card over a plastic one. They may be more durable, but they are also heavier and can be damaging to your wallet due to their rigidity. And when they do bend, they may not spring back into shape the way plastic cards do.
Can I update the design of my current card?
Yes. Many banks will give you the option to update your current card. There is one caveat, though: They will probably only do this for a fee.
Additionally, your bank may not offer very many design options, if it can offer them at all. For example, your current card may not be available in any other design. In cases such as these, your issuer may suggest going with another product, which may not include all of the benefits your current card grants you.
