You may be keeping tabs on those rewards and annual fees, but have you considered the impact your borrowing habits are having on the world? While credit cards may provide you with “green,” green or rather ethical credit cards are still somewhat rare.
A new report reveals that since the 2016 Paris Agreement, the world’s top 65 banks have provided approximately US $7.9 trillion in financing to fossil fuel companies. Additionally, fossil fuel financing surged to $869 billion in 2024 alone, marking a $162 billion increase from 2023.
Beyond the environmental cost, many major credit card companies have been involved in unethical practices like predatory lending, deceptive fees, intentionally complex financial jargon, and abusive targeting of low-income individuals.
Fortunately, socially responsible credit cards have far more perks (for far more people) than a low interest rate and killer air miles program. And that’s exactly what we’ve curated here, banks and financial institutions who offer an ethical alternative to conventional credit offerings.
Before we dive into our list of cards that will be a credit to your sustainable wallet, our completely non-expert ‘financial advice’ is this: only apply for a credit card if you can afford the repayments. Also, Sustainable Jungle is not a financial advisor. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be taken as professional financial advice. Always do your own research and, if needed, consult with a licensed financial advisor before making credit or lending decisions.
Disclaimer done; let’s talk about how each swipe can work for good.
To make it easier to find the right option for you, we’ve split this guide into two parts:
- The best ethical credit cards in the USA & Canada
- The best ethical credit cards in the UK
We independently research all featured brands, and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. We explain this further in our Terms of Use.
Green Credit Cards For Conscious Credit
The Climate Card from Beneficial State Bank is an annual fee-free credit card that helps fight climate change by supporting environmental nonprofits.
Sunrise Banks offers some of the best cashback credit cards. They’re committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and donate 2% of their net income to community organizations.
B Corp and Climate Neutral Certified, GreenFi helps you plant trees with every purchase through its Plant Your Change program and offers up to 6% cashback on sustainable brands.
Monzo, a UK-based ethical credit card provider, puts customers first with transparent fees and an accessible app to help you stay on top of your borrowing. They don’t invest in the fossil fuel industry and aim to become net zero by 2030.
Index: Socially Responsible Credit Cards
- GreenFi Jump to section
- Green America Jump to section
- Beneficial State Bank Jump to section
- OneUnited Jump to section
- Sunrise Banks Jump to section
- Amalgamated Bank Jump to section
- Kindred Credit Union Jump to section
- The Co-operative Bank Jump to section
- Monzo Jump to section
Ethical Credit Cards in the USA & Canada
GreenFi
Refer to Greenfi’s Legal Disclosures, Terms and Policies as well as their FAQs for disclosures.
GreenFi doesn’t offer their own credit card, per se. Their Plant Your Change program is even more unique. Simply turn on the feature for your GreenFi debit card or connect your existing credit card and round up each purchase to the nearest dollar to fund tree plantings with every swipe, earning cash rewards with different tree planting milestones. Set monthly caps and pause this function whenever you like.
Trees are planted through their verified partner Veritree and you can track the company’s impact you’re helping contribute to via their Impact Hub.
You’ll earn extra if purchasing from approved sustainably-minded brands (including some of our favorites like Thrive Market and Allbirds) in their Green Marketplace. This is their effort to reward you for climate friendly shopping and help offset some of the costs usually associated with shopping more sustainably.
Alternatively, if you open an GreenFi Plus account, you’ll also be given one of their debit cards made of upcycled ocean-bound plastic.
Interest: No interest since GreenFi functions via your own connected credit card or offers a Spend and Save account, with a debit Card with 1-3% APY.
Annual Fees: Standard (Pay-What-Is-Fair) accounts have no mandatory fees—you choose what to pay, even $0. GreenFi Plus costs $7.99/month or $5.99/month if billed annually.
Rewards/Extras: 3% cashback on Green Marketplace purchases for regular accounts and 6% cash back on Green Marketplace purchases for GreenFi Plus accounts, in addition to complimentary carbon offsets purchased by GreenFi for gas purchased using the card via their Planet Protection program. Both options provide coverage for items that are damaged or stolen within 90 days and $600 of cell phone insurance if their Debit card is used to pay your phone bill. Cash rewards for every milestone of trees funded.
Credentials: 1% for the Planet member, Climate Neutral Certified, Certified B Corp
Green America
Green America partners with TCM Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America, to offer a socially responsible credit card. For every purchase you make with the Green America Rewards Platinum Visa® credit card, a portion of the proceeds goes toward Green America’s work to champion fair labor, green businesses, clean energy, and justice for all.
Interest: 0% introductory APR for 12 months on balance transfers and purchases followed by 15.24% – 25.24% variable APR (based on creditworthiness). The APR for cash advances is 27.24%.
Annual Fees: None.
Rewards/Extras: Unlimited rewards—1 point for every dollar spent. Cell phone protection and $150,000 Travel Accident Insurance.
Credentials: Green America is the nonprofit organization behind Green America Certified businesses.
Beneficial State Bank
If you live in California, Oregon, or Washington State, Beneficial State Bank offers three credit cards. The Climate Card is their green Visa credit card. Use it to earn rewards for everyday purchases that include support for climate-related nonprofits. The Beneficial Builder card is a good choice if you’re building, repairing, or new to credit, and the Beneficial Resilience card is their middle-of-the-line credit card.
Beneficial State Bank is a B Corp bank committed to reaching under-served people. Their lending supports environmental, affordable housing, and social justice projects—no private prisons, fossil fuels, or payday lenders.
Interest: No interest rate details are provided on the bank’s public website; potential customers would need to review the Cardholder Agreement for rate information. This agreement is available from their customer service team (888-326-22-65).
Annual Fees: No annual fees for the Climate Card, Beneficial Resilience Card, or the Beneficial Builder card.
Rewards/Extras: 1 point for every dollar spent (Climate Card only), redeemable via ScoreCard Rewards for merchandise, airline tickets, cash back, or charitable donations to nonprofits.
Credentials: Certified B Corp, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Fossil-Free Certified by Bank.Green, and Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) member.
OneUnited
The OneUnited secured credit card aims to help people take control of and understand their finances. With the UNITY Visa Secured Card, reporting goes to three major credit bureaus to help you build or rebuild your credit with detailed advice from the How to Rebuild Credit Program. OneUnited’s Financial Education Center also offers courses on understanding credit cards, credit scores, and reporting.
As the largest Black-owned bank and certified CDFI, OneUnited’s credit cards with low interest rates supports #BlackMoneyMatters. They exist to improve financial literacy and, in turn, help to close the racial wealth gap through workshops and events in urban communities.
Interest: Fixed rate APR of 17.99%
Annual Fees: $39
Credentials: CFDI
Sunrise Banks
Sunrise Banks may have the most flexibility with multiple personal and business credit cards. You can choose between credit cards better suited for rewards, cashback on selected categories, or improving a credit score. Some cards come with an introductory 0% APR over a set number of billing cycles, while others are designed to support college students in building a strong financial future. Ultimately, you can pick the pricing and programs that work best for you.
To help create a more ethical financial industry, Sunrise Banks provides finance for distressed communities, provides employee volunteer time, and donates 2% of its net income through sponsorships and donations. Read their latest impact report where they provide specific details.
Interest: Introductory offers and APR rates vary depending on card type. Visa Signature® Everyday Rewards+ Card: 0% APR for the first six billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, followed by a variable APR (currently 18.49% to 28.74% at the time of writing). See other individual cards for details.
Annual Fees: No annual fee for the Visa Signature® Everyday Rewards+ Card. Annual fees for the other cards range from $0 to $390.
Rewards/Extras: Earn between 1 and 4 points on purchases with the Rewards+ cards. Bonus rewards between $150 (15,000 points) and $500 (50,000 points) are available on some cards when minimum expenditure amounts are met within a specified number of days after account opening. (See individual cards for details.)
Credentials: Certified B Corp, Community Development Financial Institution (CFDI) member, and Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) member.
Amalgamated Bank
Amalgamated Bank partners with First National Bank of Omaha to offer customers three credit cards, including the Maximum Rewards® World Mastercard®, one of the best cashback credit cards. They also offer the Secured Mastercard, designed for establishing or improving your credit score, and the Platinum Edition® Mastercard®.
Amalgamated Bank operates on 100% renewable energy and employs a diverse team of ~58% women and ~63% of employees identifying as Black or African American, Asian, Hispanic, or other underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (per their 2023 CSR report linked below). For almost a century, they’ve supported movements like affordable housing, equal access to banking, LBGTQI rights, workers’ rights, criminal justice, reproductive rights, and gun safety.
See their latest Corporate Social Responsibility report (2023) and their Climate Impact Report (June 2025)
Interest: The Maximum Rewards® World Mastercard® and Platinum Edition® Mastercard® offer 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first six billing cycles, followed by a variable APR based on the Prime Rate – 23.99% to 28.99% for the Maximum Rewards® World Mastercard® and 18.99% to 28.99% for the Platinum Edition® Mastercard®. The Secured Mastercard® has a variable 28.99% APR. All quoted rates are accurate at the time of writing.
Annual Fees: No annual fees.
Rewards/Extras: The Maximum Rewards® World Mastercard® offers unlimited 1.5% cashback on every purchase.
Credentials: Certified B Corp and Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) member.
Kindred Credit Union
Ontario-based Kindred Credit Union offers several personal and business Mastercards issued by Collabria. The ethical Canadian credit cards for personal use include the no-fee Cash Back Mastercard®, the Classic Mastercard®, which has a fixed 13.99% interest rate for purchases, and the Centra Gold Mastercard®, a reward card with a fixed low interest rate. They also offer a few additional premium ethical credit cards like the World Mastercard®, Cash Back World Elite® Mastercard, and the Travel Rewards Gold Mastercard®
Your credit card purchases support the Kindred Charitable Fund, which funds various projects, including community food security and affordable housing. To date, it has supported 202 charities with a total of CAD 1.62 million since its founding in 1999. Kindred Credit Union is a financial cooperative, so everyone who banks with them receives a share of the profits and has a say in how it is run.
Interest: Fixed interest rate for purchases ranges from 12.99% to 20.99%, depending on the card.
Annual Fees: Fees range from $0 to $120 for their World Mastercard® and Cash Back World Elite® Mastercard.
Rewards/Extras: Several of the sustainable credit cards offer cashback on purchases. See individual cards for details.
Credentials: Certified B Corp, Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) member
Ethical Credit Cards in the UK
The Co-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank is a values-based UK bank that donates to thousands of organizations and is beyond carbon neutral. They have three card options, including the Co-operative Members credit card (exclusively for Co-operative Members), which gives cashback for purchases at co-op food stores and more.
Note that the Co-operative Bank is not a co-operative. It is now owned by private equity, including hedge funds, and its ethics are safeguarded by the Customer Union for Ethical Banking.
Interest: The Co-operative Members credit card has a variable APR of 18.2%. The 3-year fixed rate credit card offers 8.9% annual interest for purchases and balance transfers for the first three years, followed by 18.2% variable APR. The Balance transfer credit card offers 0% interest on balance transfers for the first 24 months and a 20.6% variable APR. (Variable APR rates are based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 and a specified purchase rate. See individual card options for details).
Annual Fees: No annual fees.
Rewards/Extras: The Co-operative Members credit card offers 0.5% cashback at Co-op food stores and 0.3% elsewhere.
Credentials: Sustainalytics has rated it the UK’s best Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) high street bank.
Monzo
Monzo offers one of the best ethical credit cards for UK customers looking for an easy way to manage their finances.
With the Monzo Flex, you get all the usual benefits of the Monzo app (including real-time balance updates and instant notifications), and bills are broken down by purchases so you can see exactly where you are in terms of payments. There are no fees for purchases made abroad. Note that you need a (free) current account with Monzo to be eligible for their credit card.
Monzo is on a mission “to make money work for everyone.” They’ve designed their app to be as accessible as possible, have no hidden fees, are committed to financial inclusion, and offer specialist support for those who need it. They do not invest in fossil fuels, arms, or tobacco and have a modern slavery and human trafficking statement. They measure and report on their carbon footprint, aim to reach net zero by 2030. They outline their progress on climate action here.
Interest: The Flex Purchase offer allows you to pay off purchases over three months at 0% interest. Otherwise, it’s 29% variable APR for up to 24 monthly payments.
Annual Fees: None.
Credentials: Best British Bank 2025; member of the TechZero climate action group.
Why Choose Socially Responsible Credit Cards?
Your credit card looks like a simple piece of plastic, but in reality it’s much more than that. Oftentimes the negative implications of unethical credit card practices fly under the radar.
There’s no shortage of reasons why you should put some serious thought into your credit card choice.
The problem with traditional credit cards
To a large extent, the financial returns from mega-bank credit cards (think Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America) end up supporting fossil fuel companies.
But they’re not just bad for the environment.
Many have been associated with predatory lending; aggressive sales tactics and abusive terms financially harm those who are already disenfranchised. Between that and hidden charges and fees, each swipe digs that hole a little deeper.
As for credit card success stories—people who get free trips or groceries because they’ve gamed the credit cards reward system—they’re often just a pie in the sky.
Credit card rewards and cashback have to come from somewhere. In most cases, it’s vulnerable folks (like those without the income or credit history) who are taken advantage of by the same financial institutions.
Essentially, retailers raise prices to offset the interchange fees they have to pay on credit card purchases. Those who pay with cash or a debit card end up paying a premium. Which effectively pays the credit card fee so that eligible premium credit card holders can get their sweet rewards.
While ethical credit cards obviously don’t—and can’t—solve for all the ethical implications of credit cards, they do take steps to boost one’s credit card conscience in other ways.
How To Find The Best Ethical Credit Cards
Ethical credit card companies separate themselves from the conventional ones through fair and transparent terms and conditions.
They help you build credit responsibly—and learn about why it’s important in the first place.
To find the most ethical credit cards, keep your eye out for the following:
Certifications:
When shopping for the best socially responsible credit cards, how do you know ethical credit cards are in fact ethical?
This is where certifications come in. Those most relevant in particular for North America:
- B Corp Banks who are certified by B Corp must ensure rigorous social and environmental criteria are met.
- Community Development Financial Institutio Certified: A designation used for organizations that provide financial services to economically distressed communities and those who lack access to financing.
- Global Alliance for Banking on Values Membership: A network of independent banks working to use finance to support sustainable economic, social, and environmental development.
Customizations:
There is no one-size-fits-all credit card. Some may have the best no fee socially responsible credit cards while others might offer the best cash back ethical credit cards.
Being realistic with your money and opting for credit cards that can help you grow economically is critical to your financial health.
For this reason, many of these socially responsible credit card companies offer credit cards specifically designed for those building, rebuilding, or improving their credit.
Transparency:
Banking and credit card jargon can be technical and difficult to understand. Breaking down the language barrier is a major step in the right direction.
The more a financial organization is able to share about credit card details, accountability, responsibility, and ethical contributions (tree planting, carbon offsets, community donations, etc.), the better.
Fees should be fair and interest rates should be clearly stated.
Inclusivity and Accessibility:
There are people that have been left out of the world of credit, and on the other end of the spectrum, there are people who have been taken advantage of.
Financial institutions that do their part to ensure their credit card services are accessible to all are as important as those that protect customers by promoting responsible credit streams.
In this case, ethical credit card companies don’t target vulnerable customers or those with poor credit histories. They may also entail security deposits, lower credit lines, and flexible repayment options.
Affinity Cards:
Another alternative for those looking for the best eco friendly credit cards can be found in affinity cards.
These support nonprofits through credit card purchases (much like the Green America credit card). In most cases, about half a penny is donated for every dollar spent.
However, many affinity cards are connected with a Big Bank and may have higher APR fees, so it’s good to do your research before applying.
Company Values:
A more sustainable credit card isn’t just about fair terms—it’s also about the values of the bank or provider behind it. The most responsible financial institutions actively support climate action, which often means setting net zero targets, measuring and reporting their emissions, and funding projects that benefit people and the planet.
Just as importantly, they avoid harmful investments, steering clear of fossil fuels, private prisons, weapons, and other industries that cause social or environmental harm. A credit card backed by a provider with strong values ensures that your money isn’t quietly propping up the very problems you want to avoid.
Final Thoughts On Ethical Credit Cards
Your credit card choice has an unseen impact on the world.
If you’re thinking of applying for one, consider a sustainable credit card. They offer many of the same incentives as conventional credit cards, but without all the drawbacks.
Ethical credit cards (much like using ethical investing apps or choosing a socially responsible investment firm) aren’t a cure-all for controversial practices in the financial industry, but they are a step in the right direction.
Using your hard-earned dollars to vote for the kind of world you want to live in is one of the most powerful tools of change. And one we can all cast mindfully.
Editor’s Note (September 2025):
This article was first published in July 2022 and republished with major updates in June 2024. In September 2025, we refreshed images and fact-checked details, making only minor tweaks to ensure accuracy.
Jenny is a UK-based sustainability writer and tea-drinker extraordinaire who has a Masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Her travels have taken her to organic permaculture farms in the UK and Nepal but you’ll mostly find her working on the veg patch with a garden fork in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Jenny writes for ethical brands and purpose-powered publications on a broad range of sustainable living and conscious consumerism topics. She is passionate about organic and regenerative farming, nature reconnection, and the small things we can do each day to better care for our planet.
Does amalgamated or stock market holdings have shares in gun manufacturering companies? Does socially responsible equate with shunning support for the gun industry? Bob Talkington
Thank you for your response
Hi Bob, Great question. As far as I can tell Amalgamated Bank does not invest in or provide financing to the gun industry (here’s an article about their policies on Gun Saftey). They were actually one of the first U.S. banks to formally restrict business ties with firearms manufacturers and distributors that sell military-style weapons to civilians.
In terms of whether socially responsible equates to avoiding the gun industry—yes, for most values-based banks and funds, that’s a key part of it. Responsible investing generally means directing money toward positive social and environmental outcomes and away from industries linked to significant harm, which often includes weapons, fossil fuels, tobacco, and similar sectors.