Which is the best credit card for seniors?

The best credit card for seniors will be the card that has an annual fee that matches their preference, rewards their greater expenses, has redemption options that match their goals, and offers benefits they can use. The best card will differ for each individual, also depending on whether the person is a frequent traveler or prefers a card that simply earns cash-back on everyday expenses.

Is the AARP credit card worth it?

The AARP Essential Rewards card can be worth it for seniors who want a no-annual-fee card and spend a lot at drugstores, gas stations, and on medical expenses. An alternative card such as the Double Cash Card may accomplish similar earnings, however, as the card earns a total of 2% on every purchase, not just bonus categories, and also does not charge an annual fee.

Can senior citizens get credit cards?

Yes. Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, card issuers cannot discriminate based on age (and other specified criteria). Since income and credit history are considered in whether you will be approved, however, you might want to access a copy of your credit report prior to applying for a card. Card issuers will want sufficient income and credit activity that can be verified in order to approve you for a specific card.

Why should seniors get a credit card?

One reason to have a credit card is to earn valuable cash-back, points, or miles. Other reasons include keeping your credit history active and having an immediate source of temporary cash flow in case of emergency. Even if you don’t travel, earning rewards on expenses you’re making anyway can make good economic sense.

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The 10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees [2022]

Christine Krzyszton

- UPDATED: September 13, 2022

Credit Cards

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Whether you’re a senior whose priority is simply enjoying the good life you’ve earned or you’re reinventing yourself with a part-time career that focuses more on your passions than on earning potential, chances are your priorities have changed.

Perhaps your spending has shifted to everyday purchases, road trips, or even extended travel abroad, and a fresh look at your spending mix and your collection of rewards-earning cards is in order.

And, while no 2 seniors are alike, neither are rewards-earning credit cards. So today we’ve chosen to focus on a collection of popular cards that may appeal to a wide range of consumers, including seniors.

Join us now as we look at some of the best cards for earning rewards, each with special features that could spark your interest and provide value to you as a senior.

Table of contents

The 10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees — Summary
The 6 Best Everyday Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees
The 2 Best Travel Rewards Cards for Seniors & Retirees
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The 2 Best Premium Travel Rewards Cards for Seniors & Retirees
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

The 10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees — Summary
The 6 Best Everyday Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees
The 2 Best Travel Rewards Cards for Seniors & Retirees
- 1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- 2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The 2 Best Premium Travel Rewards Cards for Seniors & Retirees
- 1. The Platinum Card® from American Express
- 2. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Final Thoughts

The 10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees — Summary

Card	Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee	Benefits for Seniors & Retirees
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Earn a $350 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Annual fee of $95 (rates and fees)	6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year) and on select U.S. streaming services 3% cash-back on U.S. gas stations and transit
Chase Freedom Flex℠	Earn a $200 after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months. Annual fee of $0	5% cash-back on quarterly categories (up to $1,500 combined purchases) and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3% cash-back on dining and drugstore purchases
AARP® Essential Rewards Mastercard from Barclays®	Earn a $100 cash back bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $0	3% cash-back at drugstores and gas stations (excludes Target and Walmart) 2% cash-back on medical expenses
Citi® Double Cash Card	For a limited time, earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. Annual fee of $0	Uncapped 2% cash-back for every $1 spent (1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay) Flexible redemption options
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi	No welcome offer available. Annual fee of $0	4% cash-back at all gas and EV charging stations (up to $7,000 per year) 3% cash-back on travel, and at restaurants 2% cash-back on Costco purchases
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express	Earn a $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Annual fee of $0 (rates and fees)	3% cash-back earnings at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases each year) 3% cash-back on U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 in purchases each year) 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 in purchases each year)
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $95	5x points on all travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services 2x points on all other travel worldwide No foreign transaction fees Excellent travel and car rental insurance
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $95	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles $1 on all other purchases Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit No foreign transaction fees
The Platinum Card® from American Express	Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)	The best airport lounge access out of any card 5x points on flights purchased directly with the airline or with Amex Travel (up to $500,000 per year) 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel Annual and monthly statement credits Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	Earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $550	10x points on car rentals, hotels, and dining booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards 5x points on airfare booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3x points on all other travel and dining purchases $300 annual travel credit Priority Pass airport lounge access Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS credit $100,000 in emergency evacuation insurance No foreign transaction fees

The 6 Best Everyday Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees

Senior woman paying for groceries — It’s smart to earn rewards on daily purchases you’re already making. Image Credit: Seventyfour via Adobe Stock

1. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Top Pick)

Best For: Seniors who prefer cash-back, spend $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets each year, use U.S. streaming services, and spend a lot on transit and at U.S. gas stations.

The welcome bonus offers good value the first year you have the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

Since the card does have an ongoing annual fee, cardholders will want to have spending levels that will earn enough rewards to offset that fee. If U.S. supermarket spending alone is maximized at $6,000 each year, however, you would earn $360, which would more than accomplish this.

2. Chase Freedom Flex℠

Best For: Seniors who want to earn rewards on everyday purchases such as at drugstores, dining, and purchases via the Chase travel portal. Cardholders will also enjoy added bonus spending categories each quarter that provide added 5% cash-back earnings on up to $1,500 in purchases.

Cash-back earned from the Freedom Flex card can be transferred to a premium Chase card, thus turning your cash-back into Ultimate Rewards for the ability to redeem for travel for up to 50% more in value or transferred to airline and hotel partners for even greater potential value.

The card also offers valuable benefits such as cell phone protection — incredible for a no-annual-fee card.

Hot Tip: To maximize your money spent on flights, hotels, cruises, travel insurance, and more, check out our guide to travel and discounts for seniors.

3. AARP® Essential Rewards Mastercard® from Barclays

Best For: Seniors who are AARP members who prefer a no-annual-fee card and spend a lot at drugstores, gas stations, and on medical expenses.

AARP membership is a natural draw for seniors with its educational offerings, discounts, and retirement resources. This AARP-branded card pairs nicely with your membership.

Cardholders can expect to earn cash-back on the following purchases.

3% cash-back at drugstores and gas stations (excludes Target and Walmart)
2% cash-back on medical expenses
1% cash-back on all other purchases

Rewards can be redeemed for cash-back, to pay your AARP membership, gift cards, and more.

4. Citi® Double Cash Card (2% Cash-Back on All Purchases)

Best For: Seniors who want to earn on every purchase they make, don’t want a complicated earning structure, prefer cash-back, and don’t want to pay an annual fee. Seniors who have high-interest credit card debt could also find value in the card’s 18-month 0% APR period for balance transfers (regular APR, as indicated in the table above, applies after the introductory period).

If your spending is not focused on any 1 category and you want a no-annual-fee card with simplicity, the Double Cash card should be on your consideration list. You’ll earn 1% cash-back when you spend, plus 1% cash-back when you pay your bill (earned as ThankYou Points).

Bottom Line: Selecting a card that earns rewards on purchases you’re making on a daily basis helps build your rewards balance quickly. To maximize earnings, determine which are the largest purchases you make on a regular basis and select a card that matches that specific spending mix.

5. Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

Best For: Seniors who shop at Costco, prefer cash-back, and spend a lot at gas stations, restaurants, and on travel.

You’ll need to be a Costco member to be a cardholder, but the Costco Anywhere card doesn’t charge an annual fee, so long as you have a Costco membership. We like that the card has elevated rewards of 4% cash-back at all gas stations and EV charging purchases, not just Costco stations, and also rewards 3% cash-back on travel and dining, and 2% on Costco purchases.

Earnings at gas stations are limited to $7,000 in purchases each year, but there is no limit on dining, travel, and Costco purchase earnings.

Card earnings are accumulated and are distributed annually.

6. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (Best No-Annual-Fee Card)

Best For: Seniors who prefer cash-back, yet still want bonus earnings at U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets. Seniors who have a large purchase or purchases coming up could also save on interest charges with the 0% APR period (rates and fees).

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card doesn’t charge an annual fee but still offers plenty of earning opportunities with 3% cash-back earnings at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases each year), 3% cash-back on U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 in purchases each year), and 3% earnings at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 in purchases each year).

In addition, the card comes with an introductory 0% APR period on purchases for up to 15 months after card approval. During this period, you can pay back your purchases and not incur any interest charges. Normal variable rates, as shown above, apply after that time period.

Bottom Line: Cash-back cards work well for those who prefer simplicity at redemption time. Cash rewards can even be accumulated to help cover the cost of an annual vacation.

The 2 Best Travel Rewards Cards for Seniors & Retirees

Guys walking on beach — Travel rewards cards earn flexible points that can offer greater value at redemption time. Image Credit: Kindel Media via Pexels

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Best For: Seniors who travel, want to earn rewards that have flexible redemption options, and want to receive travel insurance benefits.

Earning the generous welcome bonus by meeting minimum spending requirements in the first 3 months after card approval delivers a nice bank of Ultimate Rewards points to fund your next travel adventure.

We like that the card allows rewards redemptions via the Chase travel portal with 25% more value and the ability to transfer points to travel partners for even greater potential value.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also has one of the best collections of travel insurance benefits, including primary car rental insurance, trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, baggage insurance, and travel accident insurance.

2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Best For: Busy seniors who don’t want to be bothered with complicated earning structures yet want options to use their rewards for travel.

The CapOne Venture card earns a straightforward 2x miles on every purchase so there are no categories nor rotating bonuses to remember. Plus, you can use your miles on flights, hotels, and more since you can transfer your miles to nearly 20 travel loyalty programs.

Seniors could also consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, a no-annual-fee card with the same simple rewards-earning structure and the option to redeem rewards for travel.

If you’d like to compare the CapOne Venture card and the CapOne VentureOne card, we’ve gathered all the details in our card comparison article.

Bottom Line: Travel rewards cards that earn flexible points can offer tremendous value at redemption time. Having the option to redeem points for statement credits, to purchase travel, or to transfer points to travel partners helps ensure you’ll receive the best possible value for your rewards.

The 2 Best Premium Travel Rewards Cards for Seniors & Retirees

Senior man at airport lounge — If airport lounge access is a priority, you’ll enjoy the perks of premium travel rewards cards. Image Credit: Executive Lounges by Swissport

Premium credit cards come with lots of benefits that can save you money and make your travel more comfortable. Premium cards also come with higher annual fees, so it’s important to review the list of benefits and determine the value you’ll receive with each card.

We frequently get asked if the benefits that come with these premium cards have an age limit for coverage, and we eagerly respond that indeed they do not.

Here are 2 of the most popular premium travel rewards cards that can offer value to traveling seniors:

1. The Platinum Card® from American Express

Best For: Seniors who value luxury travel benefits such as worldwide lounge access (including prestigious Centurion Lounges), hotel elite status, and car rental perks will find value in having the card. Seniors can also save hundreds of dollars with statement credits for specific purchases.

We like that Membership Rewards points earned on the Amex Platinum card can have great value at redemption time when transferring points to airline and hotel partners. Points can also be redeemed via Amex Travel.

The card also offers a nice package of travel insurance benefits, including emergency evacuation insurance (no stated limit on coverage), trip interruption/cancellation insurance, and secondary car rental insurance with an option to purchase Premium Protection for 1 low fee that covers the entire rental period.

2. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Best For: Traveling seniors who want to earn well on travel and dining purchases and who value a long list of travel-related benefits.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a $300 annual travel statement credit that is easy to use and elevated earnings on travel and dining purchases.

The card comes with $100,000 in emergency evacuation insurance, a limited emergency medical and dental benefit, roadside assistance services up to $50 per service call, primary car rental insurance, trip interruption, cancellation, and delay insurance, and more.

While the travel benefits that come on either of these premium travel rewards cards are not meant to replace a comprehensive travel insurance policy, you will find benefits you can use.

To learn more about how the Amex Platinum card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card compare side by side, we’ve done the homework for you in this informative article.

Bottom Line: We like that both of these premium travel rewards cards have elevated travel benefits for cardholders of all ages that can make travel more comfortable, save money, and provide assistance if something goes wrong. We also like that both cards earn flexible points that can be transferred to airline and hotel partners for potentially greater value.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to rewards-earning credit cards, one size certainly does not fit all! To find the best credit card for your situation, regardless of whether you’re a student, a business owner, a frequent traveler, or a senior, your spending mix and redemption priorities always play a key role.

You’ll also want to find a card with an annual fee you’re comfortable paying and one that comes with benefits you can actually use and from which you can gain value.

Additionally, 1 card may not meet all of your needs, so a combination of cards might be worth consideration.

The information regarding the AARP® Essential Rewards Mastercard® from Barclays®, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefits of the Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

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The 10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees [2022]

The 10 Best Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees — Summary

The 6 Best Everyday Credit Cards for Seniors & Retirees