Why is your credit score important?

Your credit score indicates your creditworthiness and can determine your risk level as a borrower. Lenders want to know if you'll pay your bills on time with credit cards. Having good to excellent credit usually leads to better terms and shows you are less of a lending risk.

How long does it take to build excellent credit?

If you're starting from scratch, be patient. Experian estimates that it takes three to six months just to develop a credit score. It can then take several years of good credit habits to build an excellent score.

How many credit cards can I have and still maintain excellent credit?

There is no perfect number of credit cards you should have to maintain excellent credit. However, the more available credit you have, the easier it is to maintain low credit utilization. Keep in mind that applying for too many credit cards in a short period could temporarily lower your score. Only carry as many cards as you can manage responsibly.

Best Credit Cards for Excellent Credit in December 2025

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Compare Bankrate's top cards for excellent credit

	Best for		Rewards highlights		Learn more
American Express Platinum Card® Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	Travel perks	$895	5X Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	4.8 Hover to learn more Best for travel perks	Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
American Express® Gold Card Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	Dining	$325	1X - 4X Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	4.9 Hover to learn more Best for dining	Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees	Rewards value	$795	1x - 8x Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	4.8 Hover to learn more Best rewards value	Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees	Starter travel card	$95	1x - 5x Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	4.9 Hover to learn more Best starter travel card	Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees
Discover it® Cash Back Apply now on Discover's secure site See Rates & Fees	Rotating bonus categories	$0	1% - 5% Hover to learn more	4.1 Hover to learn more Best for rotating bonus categories	Apply now on Discover's secure site See Rates & Fees
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	Groceries and gas	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.	1% - 6% Hover to learn more	4.4 Hover to learn more Best for groceries and gas	Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	Everyday purchases	$0	1% - 3% Hover to learn more	4.6 Hover to learn more Best for everyday purchases	Apply with confidence Hover to learn more Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Limited time offer More information about this limited time offer Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees	Affordable luxury travel	$395	2 Miles - 10 Miles Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 1.7 cents per mile *Hover to learn more	5.0 Hover to learn more Best for affordable luxury travel	Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees
The Gemini Credit Card® Apply now on Gemini's secure site See Rates & Fees	Crypto rewards	$0	1% - 4% Hover to learn more	4.1 Hover to learn more Best for crypto rewards	Apply now on Gemini's secure site See Rates & Fees

Benefits of having excellent credit (800-850)

With an excellent credit score (800 to 850 FICO Score), you'll have access to some of the most valuable and rewarding credit cards on the market. But the benefits aren’t limited to credit cards — a trustworthy credit background can give you an advantage when you apply for housing, jobs, insurance, personal loans and more.

Here are some of the ways achieving excellent credit can benefit your financial journey:

Earn more rewards and perks

Most credit cards requiring an excellent credit score offer better rewards rates, broader spending categories and more appealing travel perks and protections than cards available with lower credit requirements.

Higher credit limits

If you demonstrate you’re responsible with credit, issuers may feel comfortable offering you higher credit limits, which increases your spending power and helps improve your credit utilization ratio.

Qualify for better loans and lower APRs

You have a better chance of getting the lowest APR available and lenders may be more willing to offer you more funding and better repayment terms to cover large expenses like car loans and mortgages.

What’s my credit score?

Score Category	Credit Range*
Poor	300-579
Fair	580-669
Good	670-739
Very Good	740-799
Excellent	800-850

*Based on FICO Score model

Dig deeper: The 800 credit score: What it means, why it helps and how to get one

How to choose the best card for excellent credit

Since excellent credit gives you access to most credit cards on the market, choosing the best cards for you typically involves looking for specific rewards rates and perks that will benefit you the most. You just need to know what you want and what you can afford. Here is some of my expert advice on things to look for when choosing a card for excellent credit:

Although most cards for excellent credit typically have high annual fees, they’re usually worth it when the premium perks and elevated rewards offset the card’s cost. Cards with the highest costs could also provide the greatest return of value. Don’t be intimidated by a card without looking into what it offers in return. I have multiple cards with high annual fees which I reevaluate on a regular basis to make sure they continue to provide enough value to justify staying in my portfolio.

My recommendation: the American Express Platinum Card®, which provides a laundry list of perks that can easily offset its high annual fee.

Cards for excellent credit typically include the highest rewards rates you can find in any category. While flat-rate cards are simpler to manage, you potentially have access to cards with the best benefits and rewards that you can maximize if you have excellent credit. Don’t be afraid to use different credit cards to take advantage of the best rewards rates available to you and choose cards that reward you favorably for your most common purchases. I regularly use cards from different issuers to get the highest possible return on every dollar I spend in every category.

My recommendation: The American Express® Gold Card is my top choice for all food-related purchases with some of the best rates available. You can get a return of around 8 percent or higher with the right redemption, according to Bankrate’s latest valuations.

You’ll find the highest welcome offers on cards with excellent credit. Taking advantage of a card’s welcome bonus is one of the best ways to generate outstanding initial value and quickly boost your balance. I often look into opening a new card when I have significant upcoming expenses as a way of putting value back into my pocket. Just make sure you’re able to meet the minimum spending requirements in the specified time frame, because you generally only get one chance to earn a welcome bonus on a new card.

My recommendation: No matter what card you’re interested in, wait for an elevated limited-time offer before applying. We keep track of when cards previously offered higher bonuses, which can help you plan ahead for an even bigger return and not miss out on getting the most out of your new card.

Ask Bankrate: How did you build excellent credit?

Our experts have taken different approaches to building excellent credit. Any advice we recommend on this page is something we’ve used ourselves on our credit journey.

Bankrate staff insights

"I built my excellent credit score through hard work and dedication. I’ve opened a massive portfolio of cards over the years and never missed a payment or spent more than I could afford to pay back. While I take a short-term credit score hit when I open a card, it’s not as bad as you might think. After a few billing cycles of responsible use, my score is even higher than it was before I applied."

Ryan Flanigan, CCC, Writer, Credit cards

"I built my excellent credit by setting automatic payments on my cards for the full statement balance each month and treating every purchase as though I were paying in cash. I didn’t push hard on rewards or open new accounts until I was far more confident in my ability to handle a card. It’s a slow and steady process, and you shouldn’t rush it."

Steve Dashiell, Editor, Credit cards

"I built my credit to excellent by accident. I focused on paying the bill on time and not letting my balance get too high. Years later, I have excellent credit and I maintain it by keeping both those habits and making sure I don’t apply for anything big back-to-back, like a car loan or another credit card."

India Davis, Editor, Credit Cards

Maintaining your excellent credit score

There are two main models for measuring credit scores — VantageScore and FICO. Both use data from credit bureaus but calculate scores differently. An excellent FICO score ranges from 800 to 850, while VantageScore’s excellent tier falls between 781 and 850.

Earning an excellent credit score is an outstanding achievement that you should be proud of. However, it’s not enough to just achieve an excellent score — you need to maintain it. Your credit score can drop off quickly if you’re not careful. If you’ve climbed to the top of the credit score mountain, here are some tips on what to do to keep your credit pristine.

Treat your credit card like a debit card. Spend what you can afford to pay back every month and keep your credit utilization ratio at a manageable level. My goal is to never pay a cent of credit card interest in my life.
Manage debt responsibly. If you need to carry a balance or finance a larger expense, use your excellent credit score to seek out the lowest possible APR or a zero-interest card to better manage your debt. For example, I recently took advantage of a zero-interest card to finance tuition costs.
Don’t miss payments. My goal is to pay every bill on time, every time. Missing or late payments can quickly tank your credit score.
Maintain a lengthy credit history. Keep the average age of your credit cards in mind, especially as you open new cards with your excellent credit score. Even if you no longer use older no-annual-fee credit cards, make an occasional purchase to keep them active and bolster your overall credit account age. I keep older cards in a drawer with reminders to use them to prevent them from being closed due to inactivity.
Monitor your credit. Fraudsters can strike at any time and ruin years of hard work. Many cards for excellent credit offer credit monitoring services, like FICO score access, which you can use to keep tabs on your credit report and make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. I check my scores at least once a month and always get a free credit report each year.

Does excellent credit guarantee card approval?

Having excellent credit doesn't guarantee approval, but it certainly helps. Even though credit card and other financial product application denials increased in 2024, 55 percent of people with excellent credit who applied for cards on our site in the past 6 months were approved, according to our proprietary data. Overall, they were about 80 percent more likely to get approved than applicants with scores in lower tiers.

If you’re able to manage your cards responsibly, you should feel confident in your ability to qualify for the best cards. However, even if you have an excellent credit score, you’ll still need to consider the application limits and restrictions of each credit card issuer when planning your portfolio.

Bankrate Insight

Bankrate's CardMatch™ tool can help you assess your preapproval odds, which can help you apply for your next card with more confidence.

Frequently asked questions about credit cards for excellent credit scores

Your credit score indicates your creditworthiness and can determine your risk level as a borrower. Lenders want to know if you'll pay your bills on time with credit cards. Having good to excellent credit usually leads to better terms and shows you are less of a lending risk.
If you're starting from scratch, be patient. Experian estimates that it takes three to six months just to develop a credit score. It can then take several years of good credit habits to build an excellent score.

Learn more: How long does it take to increase your credit score?
There is no perfect number of credit cards you should have to maintain excellent credit. However, the more available credit you have, the easier it is to maintain low credit utilization. Keep in mind that applying for too many credit cards in a short period could temporarily lower your score. Only carry as many cards as you can manage responsibly.

How we choose the best cards for excellent credit

We select cards for “Best” credit cards pages based primarily on how cards score in our proprietary card rating system, our editors’ subjective assessment of card quality, card approval odds and credit requirements and unique card features.

Cards typically must score a minimum of 3.0 stars to be included on a “Best” list. However, we may include cards with scores below 3.0 if they have low credit requirements or unique features — despite their scores, these cards may still be among the “best” in certain categories. Card ratings are not influenced by advertisers or issuer relationships in any way.

Card selection and ordering may vary based on business considerations, including Bankrate visitor interest, site interactions and card application volume. Affiliate commissions (see how we make money), limited-time offers and a card’s general popularity in the product landscape may also influence which cards we feature on our pages and the order in which they appear. Bankrate’s editorial and business teams also strive to feature a variety of card types from various issuers.

Here’s a quick look at how our rating methodology breaks down for cards for excellent credit:

How we rate rewards cards

One of the key perks of having an excellent credit score is being able to qualify for the most lucrative rewards credit cards. As such, our rating methodology focuses heavily on rewards value — what kind of return we’d expect based on the average person’s spending and a card’s added bonuses and annual fee.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key factors in our scoring methodology for rewards cards — the category most relevant to cardholders with excellent credit.

Value 65.00%
Flexibility 15.00%
Perks 15.00%
Customer experience 5.00%

Since many cardholders with excellent credit are eager to earn rewards, a key criteria for a card’s inclusion in our list is whether it offers impressive rewards value. This includes a card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories, as well as how closely those categories match the average person’s spending habits. In other words: Does the card earn rewards at a high rate in the most popular spending categories?

We use consumer spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to get a reliable third-party measure of people’s spending habits. The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2023 was $77,280 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $22,500.

Some of the major spending categories that contribute towards the annual spend include:
- Groceries: $6,000
- Dining out: $3,900
- Entertainment: $2,500
- Gas: $2,400
- Apparel and services: $2,000
Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 26 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases — as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value.

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other cards in its primary category.

The better these values, the higher its score will be, making it more worthy of inclusion in our list and increasing its potential ranking.
5
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Overall Score
- Ongoing rewards value 30%
- Sign-up bonus value 25%
- Annual fee & average APR 20%
- Rewards rate 15%
- Annual bonus value 10%
We also rate all cards based on how their ongoing average APR compares to the average APR you’ll find other cards in their primary category. However, the impact of an especially high or low APR on a card’s overall score depends on its primary category.

For rewards-earning cards, this factor has only a minor influence on the card’s score and whether the card is included in our list, since rewards card users generally try to avoid carrying a balance. That said, rewards-earning cards may get a solid boost in score and be more worthy of inclusion in our list if they also offer an intro APR on balance transfers or new purchases, since such offers aren’t always present on these cards.

More important to these cards’ scores and their inclusion in our list is how their annual fees influence their overall value. We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value.

Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value. However, if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score and a spot in our list even if it carries a high annual fee. After all, the highest rewards rates and most valuable perks are often found on cards with annual fees.

Interest rates and intro APR offers play a much larger role in a card’s score and whether it’s included in our list when the card is designed specifically for users looking to save on interest charges, such as dedicated balance transfer or low-interest cards.

Other fees considered include cash advance and late payment fees, along with penalty APRs.
Along with rewards value and cost, we consider other factors that could give cards great long-term value, like flexible rewards redemption and especially unique and valuable perks.

We rate rewards-earning cards based on the restrictions they impose on earning and redeeming rewards and consider this when deciding on a card’s inclusion in our list.

These restrictions could include only allowing users to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requiring users to meet a certain earning threshold before they can redeem rewards. We also examine whether points are worth less when you opt for some redemption options over others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners.

We also evaluate each card’s perks based on their value, usefulness and uniqueness. Cards that offer top-tier benefits like airport lounge access or travel credits are likely to stand out, but we also aim to highlight cards that offer valuable under-the-radar perks, like cellphone protection or one-off credits for everyday expenses like dining and streaming services.

Have more questions for our credit cards editors? Feel free to send us an email, find us on Facebook, or Tweet us @Bankrate.

We use primary sources to support our work. Bankrate’s authors, reporters and editors are subject-matter experts who thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate, timely and relevant.
1. “Consumer Expenditures 2023.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed on Aug. 18, 2025.
2. “How long does it take to get a credit score?” Experian. Accessed on Aug. 18, 2025.

Best credit cards for excellent credit in December 2025

+ Show Summary

American Express Platinum Card®

American Express® Gold Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Discover it® Cash Back

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Gemini Credit Card®