NerdWallet Announces 2021 Best-Of Awards Winners

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NerdWallet, the personal finance website and app for all of life's financial decisions, announced the winners of its 2021 Best-Of Awards. This year's Best-Of Awards recognize the best personal finance products in Auto Insurance, Banking, Credit Cards, Investing, Mortgages, Personal Loans, Student Loans, Taxes and Travel Rewards.

"Now more than ever, consumers need a resource to help them navigate today's challenging economic environment, and the annual Best-Of Awards are designed to highlight our partners that are helping consumers achieve their individual money goals," says Tim Chen, CEO and co-founder of NerdWallet. "We're excited to congratulate this year's Best-Of winners that continue to develop innovative financial solutions to set consumers up for success this coming year."

Award winners are chosen through a rigorous evaluation process involving a team of NerdWallet industry experts, composed of writers and editors with years of experience reviewing and writing about personal finance products. NerdWallet's experts use comprehensive scoring methodologies that assess each financial product's key features, weighting them according to their importance to consumers.

Below is a list of select winners from NerdWallet's 2021 Best-Of Awards. A complete list of winners can be found here.

NerdWallet's Best Credit Cards Winners for 2021:

• Best Flat-Rate Cash-Back Credit Card: Citi^® Double Cash Card
• Best Bonus Rewards Cash-Back Credit Card: Chase Freedom Flex?
• Best Flat-Rate Travel Credit Card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Best Bonus Rewards Travel Credit Card: American Express^® Gold Card
• Best No-Annual-Fee Travel Credit Card: Wells Fargo Propel American Express^® Card
• Best 0% Intro APR and Balance Transfer Credit Card: U.S. Bank Visa^® Platinum Card
• Best Credit Card for Building Credit: Discover it^® Secured
• Best Small-Business Cash-Back Credit Card: Capital One^® Spark^® Cash for Business
• Best Credit Card for College Students: Discover it^® Student chrome
• Best Airline Credit Card: Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card
• Best Hotel Credit Card: The World of Hyatt Credit Card
• Best Credit Card for Groceries: Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express
• Best Credit Card for Dining Out or Ordering In: U.S. Bank Altitude^® Go Visa Signature^® Card
• Best Credit Card for Staying at Home: Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

NerdWallet's Best Banking Winners for 2021:

• Best Checking Account Overall: Discover Bank Cashback Debit
• Best Free Business Checking Account: BBVA Business Connect Checking
• Best Checking Account for High Interest: Axos Banktm Rewards Checking
• Best Checking Account With No Monthly Fees: Discover Bank Cashback Debit
• Best Checking Account for Overdraft Fee Avoidance: One Finance
• Best Bank or Credit Union for Sign-Up Bonuses: Chase Bank
• Best Savings Account: Chime
• Best Money Market Account: Ally Bank Money Market Account
• Best Bank for CDs: Ally Bank
• Best Credit Union for CDs: Connexus Credit Union
• Best Bank or Credit Union for Online Experience: Radius Bank
• Best Bank or Credit Union for ATM Access: Charles Schwab Bank
• Best Bank or Credit Union for Branch Access: Wells Fargo

NerdWallet's Best Investing Winners for 2021:

• Best Online Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research: TD Ameritrade
• Best Online Broker for Beginning Investors: Fidelity Investments
• Best Online Broker for IRA Investing: Charles Schwab
• Best Robo-Advisor for IRA Investing: Ellevest
• Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing: Vanguard Digital Advisor
• Best Robo-Advisor for Portfolio Options: Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
• Best Robo-Advisor for Cash Management: Axos Invest
• Best Online Financial Advisor: Betterment Premium
• Best App for Investing: Fidelity Investments
• Best Real Estate Crowdfunding Investment Platform: Fundrise

NerdWallet's Best Mortgage Lenders Winners for 2021:

• Best Mortgage Lender Overall: North American Savings Bank (NASB)
• Best Mortgage Lender for First-Time Home Buyers (tie): Chase and North American Savings Bank (NASB)
• Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing (tie): Better.com and Guaranteed Rate
• Best Mortgage Lender for Home Equity Lines of Credit: Connexus Credit Union
• Best Mortgage Lender for FHA Loans (tie): Alterra Home Loans and PrimeLending
• Best Mortgage Lender for VA Loans (tie): Navy Federal Credit Union and North American Savings Bank (NASB)
• Best Mortgage Lender for Jumbo Loans (tie): Chase and Flagstar Bank
• Best Mortgage Lender for Online Loans (tie): Guaranteed Rate and Wells Fargo

NerdWallet's Best Personal Loans Winners for 2021:

• Best Personal Loan for Excellent Credit: SoFi
• Best Personal Loan for Good Credit: LightStream
• Best Personal Loan for Fair Credit: Upgrade
• Best Personal Loan for Bad Credit: Upstart
• Best Personal Loan From a Bank: Marcus by Goldman Sachs
• Best Personal Loan for Home Improvement: LightStream
• Best Personal Loan for Debt Consolidation: Discover

NerdWallet's Best Student Loan Winners for 2021:

• Best Private Student Loan: Ascent
• Best Student Loan for Parents: College Ave
• Best Student Loan Refinancing Overall (tie): Earnest and PenFed Powered By Purefy
• Best Student Loan Refinancing for Fast Payoff: PenFed powered by Purefy
• Best Student Loan for Independent Students: Ascent
• Best Student Loan Refinancing for Parents: CommonBond
• Best Student Loan Refinancing for Doctors: SoFi

NerdWallet's Best Travel Rewards Winners for 2021:

• Best Hotel Rewards Program: IHG Rewards Club
• Best Hotel Rewards Program for Families: IHG Rewards Club
• Best Hotel Rewards Program for Frequent Travelers: World of Hyatt
• Best Airline Rewards Program: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• Best Airline Rewards Program for Families: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• Best Airline Rewards Program for Frequent Flyers: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• Best Travel Insurance: World Nomads Explorer Plan

NerdWallet's Best Auto Insurance Winner for 2021:

• Best Budget Pick Auto Insurance: Geico

Finances can be complicated and overwhelming, but the Nerds are committed to helping consumers make financial decisions with confidence. For even more personalized recommendations, consumers can use NerdWallet's online tools and logged-in experience on desktop and on mobile (in the iOS and Google Play stores) to find the products that best suit their financial needs.

About NerdWallet
NerdWallet is on a mission to provide clarity for all of life's financial decisions. As a personal finance website and app, NerdWallet provides consumers with personalized, unbiased and actionable insights so they can make smart money moves. From finding the best credit card to buying a house to investing their next dollar, NerdWallet is there to help consumers make financial decisions with confidence. Consumers have free access to our expert content and comparison shopping marketplaces, plus a data-driven membership experience, which helps them stay on top of their finances and save time and money, giving them the freedom to do more. For more information, visit NerdWallet.com.

Media Contact:
Brittany Benson
415-716-3833
[email protected]

SOURCE NerdWallet