NerdWallet Announces 2025 Best-of Awards Winners: Recognizing Top Financial Products and Services
NerdWallet, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRDS), a leading personal finance platform, unveiled the winners of its highly anticipated 2025 Best-of Awards, which honor the top financial products available to consumers and small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). The awards serve as a definitive guide to the best offerings across multiple categories, including credit cards, personal loans, banking services, investments, mortgages, insurance, and travel rewards. By providing a comprehensive analysis of the financial products market, NerdWallet aims to simplify the decision-making process for consumers, helping them find the products that best align with their needs and financial goals.
What Are the NerdWallet Best-of Awards?
The NerdWallet Best-of Awards are an annual initiative that recognizes the top financial products based on rigorous research and expert evaluation. The winners are selected by NerdWallet’s team of seasoned journalists and financial experts, collectively known as “the Nerds.” This group of professionals thoroughly researched over 1,000 financial products, narrowing them down to one standout option per category. The goal is to highlight the most valuable products and services, making it easier for consumers to make informed financial decisions without spending hours on research.
For the 2025 awards, the team evaluated an extensive range of financial products, including credit cards, personal loans, bank accounts, mortgages, insurance policies, and more. Their objective was to identify the products that offered the most benefits, such as competitive rates, low fees, strong customer support, and innovative features. Each product was scrutinized using a comprehensive scoring formula that took into account various factors like product terms, fees, rewards, and customer satisfaction.
A Commitment to Consumer Trust and Value
Alison McCoy, Vice President of Brand Marketing at NerdWallet, explained the importance of the Best-of Awards in helping consumers navigate the complex world of financial products. “We know that consumers don’t always want to research dozens of financial products to find the best one,” McCoy said. “That’s why we created the Best-of Awards list – our Nerds do all of the work, so you don’t have to. When you see a Best-Of Awards badge on a product, you know it’s a mark of excellence our Nerds stand behind.”
This year’s awards highlight a diverse range of financial products that cater to different financial needs and goals, from everyday spending to long-term investments. The awards provide consumers with clear recommendations, ensuring they can trust the choices presented to them.
The Research and Evaluation Process
Behind every Best-of Award is a team of 44 experienced journalists and subject-matter experts who dedicate hundreds of hours to evaluating financial products. These experts use an objective, data-driven approach to assess each product, considering all aspects that contribute to its value for consumers. The team combs through the fine print, rates, fees, and rewards structures to identify the products that offer the most value.
Hanah Cho, Vice President of Content at NerdWallet, emphasized the effort put into the research process: “Our team dedicates hundreds of hours to researching and assessing financial products every year to make objective, data-based recommendations. These efforts culminate in the Best-of Awards, reflecting NerdWallet’s commitment to providing consumers with trustworthy guidance so they can make financial decisions with confidence.”
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Credit Cards Winners
NerdWallet’s list of the best credit cards for 2025 includes options for a wide variety of spending needs, from cashback rewards to travel perks. Here are the standout winners:
- Best Credit Card for Simple Cash Back: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
- Best Credit Card for Bonus Cash Back: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best All-Purpose Travel Rewards Credit Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best Premium Travel Credit Card: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Best Travel Credit Card With No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
- Best Airline Credit Card: United℠ Explorer Card
- Best Hotel Credit Card: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Best Credit Card for College Students: Discover it® Student Chrome
- Best Credit Card for Building Credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card
- Best Small-Business Credit Card: Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Best Credit Card for Dining: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best Credit Card for Groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best Credit Card for Entertainment: Wells Fargo Attune
- Best Credit Card for Gas: Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Best Balance Transfer Credit Card: Citi Simplicity® Card
- Best 0% APR Credit Card for Purchases: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Best Credit Card for Streaming: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best Credit Card for Online Shopping: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
These winners are carefully selected to meet a wide range of consumer preferences, whether you are looking for a simple cashback solution, an all-purpose travel card, or a credit card with no annual fee.
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Personal Loans Winners
For those in need of personal loans, NerdWallet’s top picks for 2025 provide a variety of options tailored to borrowers with different credit profiles:
- Best Personal Loan Overall: Discover
- 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: Upgrade
- Best Personal Loan for Home Improvement: LightStream
- Best Personal Loan for Debt Consolidation Overall: LendingClub
These personal loans cover various needs, from debt consolidation to home improvement, ensuring borrowers can find a solution that works for them.
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Banking Winners
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Banking Awards recognize top institutions and account offerings in the banking space, helping consumers choose the best services for their needs:
- Best Bank: Ally Bank
- Best Credit Union: Alliant Credit Union
- Best Checking Account Overall: Discover® Cashback Debit
- Best Savings Account: UFB Portfolio Savings
- Best Money Market Account: Vio Bank Cornerstone Money Market Savings Account
- Best Bank or Credit Union for CDs: Ally Bank
- Best Bank or Credit Union for Branch Access: Chase
- Best Online Banking Experience: Discover Bank
These banking winners reflect a commitment to excellent customer service, competitive interest rates, and reliable online banking experiences.
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Investing Winners
NerdWallet’s Best Investing Awards highlight top platforms for investors, from seasoned traders to beginners:
- Best Online Broker for Advanced Traders: Interactive Brokers
- Best Online Broker for Beginning Investors: Fidelity
- Best Online Broker for IRA Investors: Fidelity
- Best Robo-Advisor for IRA Investors: Fidelity Go
- Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing: Fidelity Go
- Best Robo-Advisor for Portfolio Options: Wealthfront
- Best App for Investing: Fidelity
These platforms offer tools for all levels of investors, from robust features for advanced traders to user-friendly interfaces for beginners.
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NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Mortgages Winners
For those seeking home loans, NerdWallet’s mortgage winners offer the best options for various types of homebuyers and refinancing needs:
- Best Mortgage Lender Overall: U.S. Bank
- Best Mortgage Lender for First-Time Home Buyers: Rocket Mortgage
- Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing: Wells Fargo
- Best Mortgage Lender for Cash-out Refinancing: Rocket Mortgage
- Best Mortgage Lender for FHA Loans: Pennymac
- Best Mortgage Lender for VA Loans: Navy Federal Credit Union
- Best Mortgage Lender for Jumbo Loans: PNC Bank
- Best Mortgage Lender for Home Equity Lines of Credit: PNC Bank
- Best Mortgage Lender for Home Equity Loans: Discover Home Loans
- Best Mortgage Lender for Low Credit Scores: Rate
These lenders offer competitive rates and tailored products, whether you’re buying a home for the first time or refinancing an existing mortgage.
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Insurance Winners
NerdWallet’s Insurance Awards recognize the top insurance products available, from auto and life insurance to pet and homeowners coverage:
- Best Budget-Friendly Auto Insurance: Geico
- Best Same-Day Term Life Insurance: Lemonade
- Best Pet Insurance for Comprehensive Coverage: ASPCA
- Best Budget-Friendly Homeowners Insurance: Travelers
These insurance winners were selected based on their value, coverage options, and affordability
NerdWallet, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRDS), a leading personal finance platform and app, has unveiled the winners of its 2025 Best-of Awards, which aim to recognize the top financial products available in the market today. These prestigious awards celebrate the best in categories such as credit cards, personal loans, banking services, mortgages, insurance, investing platforms, and travel rewards. Through these awards, NerdWallet offers a comprehensive, user-friendly guide for consumers who want to make informed decisions about their financial products, simplifying the often overwhelming process of choosing the right options for their needs.
Understanding the NerdWallet Best-of Awards
NerdWallet’s Best-of Awards is an annual event that honors the most outstanding financial products across a wide range of categories. These awards serve as an essential resource for consumers, providing expert guidance on the best options available in the market. The winners are selected after thorough research by NerdWallet’s team of seasoned financial journalists and subject-matter experts, who evaluate thousands of products based on several factors such as value, customer satisfaction, and benefits.
In 2025, the Nerds—NerdWallet’s team of expert analysts—researched over 1,000 financial products, carefully assessing their terms, fees, rates, rewards, and customer experiences to select the products that best serve consumers’ needs. Each category winner represents the top choice in that area, ensuring that consumers can trust the selections to offer the most value, whether they are looking for a credit card, loan, mortgage, or insurance policy.
The Research Process: A Rigorous and Comprehensive Approach
The Best-of Awards process involves a meticulous evaluation of financial products. NerdWallet’s team of 44 journalists and financial experts use a comprehensive scoring formula to assess each product’s strengths and weaknesses. This involves hundreds of hours of research, digging deep into the fine print of product terms, fees, and reward structures. The goal is to ensure that each winner represents the best of the best in its category, providing consumers with the greatest benefit possible.
Hanah Cho, Vice President of Content at NerdWallet, explained the thoroughness of this process: “Our team dedicates hundreds of hours to researching and assessing financial products every year to make objective, data-based recommendations. These efforts culminate in the Best-of Awards, reflecting NerdWallet’s commitment to providing consumers with trustworthy guidance so they can make financial decisions with confidence.”
NerdWallet’s research considers key factors such as interest rates, annual fees, reward structures, and customer service. This ensures that each product chosen is well-suited to meet the needs of different consumer segments, from those with excellent credit to those just starting to build their credit history.
Why NerdWallet’s Best-of Awards Matter to Consumers
Choosing the right financial products can be a daunting task for consumers, with countless options available across different categories. The 2025 Best-of Awards simplify this process by narrowing down the choices to the top options in each category. For consumers who may not have the time or expertise to evaluate hundreds of products, the awards provide an invaluable shortcut, highlighting products that deliver the most value based on a detailed, unbiased analysis.
Alison McCoy, Vice President of Brand Marketing at NerdWallet, emphasized the importance of this convenience: “We know that consumers don’t always want to research dozens of financial products to find the best one. That’s why we created the Best-of Awards list – our Nerds do all of the work, so you don’t have to. When you see a Best-Of Awards badge on a product, you know it’s a mark of excellence our Nerds stand behind.”
The Best-of Awards give consumers confidence that they are choosing high-quality products that meet their financial needs. The thorough research process ensures that the winners are based on data and analysis, not personal opinions or promotional claims. With NerdWallet’s stamp of approval, consumers can rest assured that the products they choose are among the best in the market.
The 2025 Best-of Awards: Categories and Winners
NerdWallet’s Best-of Awards for 2025 cover a broad range of financial products, from credit cards to insurance plans. Each category winner has been selected based on its ability to provide consumers with significant value and benefits. Below is a closer look at the top winners in each category.
Best Credit Cards Winners for 2025
Credit cards are among the most widely used financial products, and NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Credit Cards list highlights a range of options to suit various spending preferences:
- Best Credit Card for Simple Cash Back: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
This card is perfect for individuals who want a straightforward cash-back solution, offering unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases without complex categories to track. - Best Credit Card for Bonus Cash Back: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Ideal for foodies and entertainment lovers, this card offers generous cash-back rewards in popular spending categories like dining, entertainment, and streaming. - Best All-Purpose Travel Rewards Credit Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
This card offers versatile travel rewards, including 2x points on travel and dining, and a sign-up bonus that can be redeemed for travel bookings through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. - Best Premium Travel Credit Card: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
For those who travel frequently, this premium travel card offers 2x miles on all purchases and a slew of travel-related perks like airport lounge access and travel credits. - Best Travel Credit Card With No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
This travel card offers impressive rewards with no annual fee, making it an excellent choice for consumers who want to earn travel rewards without extra costs. - Best Airline Credit Card: United℠ Explorer Card
Offering perks like free checked bags and priority boarding, this card is perfect for frequent United Airlines travelers. - Best Hotel Credit Card: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Ideal for hotel enthusiasts, this card offers significant rewards on Marriott stays and includes benefits like automatic elite status. - Best Credit Card for College Students: Discover it® Student Chrome
A great option for college students, this card offers cash-back rewards on dining and gas purchases, plus the opportunity to earn a match of all the cash back earned in the first year. - Best Credit Card for Building Credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Designed for individuals looking to build or rebuild credit, this secured card offers cash-back rewards and the potential to transition to an unsecured card. - Best Small-Business Credit Card: Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
A great option for small business owners, offering unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee.
Best Personal Loans Winners for 2025
NerdWallet also recognizes the best personal loans, which can help individuals consolidate debt, make home improvements, or finance other big expenses:
- Best Personal Loan Overall: Discover
Known for competitive rates and flexible terms, Discover offers personal loans that are ideal for a wide range of uses. - Best Personal Loan for Excellent Credit: SoFi
SoFi stands out for borrowers with excellent credit, offering low rates and no fees, along with unique benefits like career coaching. - Best Personal Loan for Good Credit: LightStream
LightStream offers low rates and flexible repayment terms, making it a top choice for individuals with good credit. - Best Personal Loan for Fair Credit: Upgrade
Upgrade provides personal loans for those with fair credit, offering competitive rates and the option to choose monthly payments based on your budget. - Best Personal Loan for Debt Consolidation Overall: LendingClub
With competitive rates and terms, LendingClub’s personal loans are ideal for consolidating high-interest debt into a single, more manageable payment.
Best Banking Winners for 2025
NerdWallet’s 2025 Best Banking Awards include top picks for checking accounts, savings accounts, and other banking services:
- Best Bank: Ally Bank
Ally Bank is known for its outstanding online banking experience and competitive rates on savings and CDs. - Best Credit Union: Alliant Credit Union
Alliant Credit Union offers high-interest savings accounts and exceptional customer service, making it a top pick for credit union members. - Best Checking Account Overall: Discover® Cashback Debit
This checking account offers 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month with no monthly fees. - Best Savings Account: UFB Portfolio Savings
UFB Portfolio Savings offers competitive interest rates with no monthly maintenance fees, ideal for those looking to grow their savings. - Best Money Market Account: Vio Bank Cornerstone Money Market Savings Account
This account offers high-interest rates and easy access to your funds, making it a great option for savers.
Best Investing Winners for 2025
For those looking to grow their wealth through investments, NerdWallet’s Best Investing Awards recognize top platforms:
- Best Online Broker for Advanced Traders: Interactive Brokers
This broker offers sophisticated trading tools and access to global markets, making it ideal for experienced traders. - Best Online Broker for Beginning Investors: Fidelity
Fidelity offers an intuitive platform for beginners, with a range of investment options and educational resources. - Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing: Fidelity Go
Offering a hands-off investment approach with low fees, Fidelity Go is perfect
