Capital One Platinum

The Capital One Platinum is a credit building card and little else: no annual fee, no rewards program, and no intro APR offer. What it does provide is access, a no cost way into a major issuer, and because holding it never costs anything you can leave it open afterward to age your credit file. The tradeoff is a flat 28.99% APR with no promotional window, so any balance you carry is expensive from the first statement. There are no foreign transaction fees, which is unusual at this tier and worth knowing if you travel. Treat it as a stepping stone, pay it in full, and expect to keep it as a backup rather than a main card.