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Credit card rewards come in many forms, and they all exist to provide incentives to use credit rather than cash or a debit card. Here you'll find a selection of the very best reward cards that offer points for purchases, followed by a variety of other cards that serve helpful purposes along with their rewards.
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The information related to Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, American Express® Business Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Discover it® Miles, Citi Prestige® Card, Capital One Spark Miles for Business, Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card have been collected by Credit Card Insider and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of these products.
Our Selection Criteria
In the market for a new rewards credit card? Consider these card features and your spending habits before you apply.
Good opportunities for use: Make sure that you’ll be using the card enough to justify having it. Take your spending habits into consideration — how often will you make purchases eligible for rewards?
Rewards that fit your lifestyle: Normal, everyday spenders can probably get a lot out of simple cash back cards. But if you’re looking to travel, a travel rewards card that allows point transfers to various airlines or hotels could be perfect for you. And if you have a favorite airline or hotel, check out the available co-branded cards.
High rewards compared to other cards: Not all reward cards are created equal. Don’t just look for the right card for you: Look for the best card for your situation, with the highest potential reward value compared to other options.
A strong signup bonus: It’s not the most important feature, but getting $100–$1,000 just for buying things you were already going to buy is icing on the cake. Most intro offers require you to spend at least several hundred dollars in a few months, which can be easy if you use the card fairly frequently, or you can explore alternative spending options.
Other perks and benefits: There’s more to credit cards than just rewards. Look for cards with valuable extra benefits you can make use of, like travel credits, airport lounge access, and free credit scores.
A 0% introductory APR: Having a year or so to make interest-free purchases can be very helpful if you’re looking to finance some expensive items, giving you time to pay them back without accruing finance charges.
A reasonable annual fee: Some rewards cards have annual fees, while others don’t. There’s no reason to avoid a card just because it has an annual fee; in fact, many of the better rewards cards, especially the travel credit cards, have fees. Just make sure that you’ll be getting a positive expected value every year.
A commitment to responsible credit use: Having a rewards credit card won’t do you much good if you’re swamped with credit card debt and paying interest. Commit to paying off your full statement balance on time each month to avoid interest charges (unless you have a card with a 0% rate).
Is a Rewards Card Right for You?
It’s our opinion that using credit cards is typically more profitable than using cash or debit cards (as long as you use your credit cards responsibly).
A rewards credit card will provide cash back, points, or miles for every purchase you make. This is effectively like getting a small discount on everything you buy, and over time those rewards can really add up.
When it comes to finding a rewards card that suits your lifestyle, the first thing you should do is analyze your spending habits.
Where do you shop the most? Do you buy gas and groceries every month? Do you shop at a wide variety of retailers, or do you tend to stick with major sites like Amazon? Do you have a very high level of spending per month, or are you more frugal?
Travelers have a very wide selection of cards to choose from. They include general-use travel cards, which are good for different kinds of travel spending, and co-branded cards which are made to be used with specific airlines and hotels.
Most people will benefit from using a combination of at least two rewards cards: One or more for common, repeating purchases, like gas, groceries, or travel; and another general-use card for less common purchases that don’t easily fall into categories.
There’s a great introductory bonus, and the points you earn can be transferred at a 1:1 rate to a variety of airlines and hotels, giving you the flexibility to redeem with your favorite travel brands.
Spending Rewards
5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar for:
Travel
Restaurants
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
The points you earn are typically worth 1 cent each, but you’ll get a 25% point bonus if you redeem for travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal. That would give you 1.25 cents per point.
But the more valuable way to use your points is to transfer them to a partner loyalty program, where they could be worth as much as 2 cents per point or more. That’d give you a cash back equivalent of 4% on travel and dining, and 2% for everything else.
25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Point transfer: Transfer points at a 1:1 rate to leading airline and hotel frequent travel programs, like Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus.
$60 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $60 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12
15,000-point referral bonus: Get 15,000 points for every friend you refer who applies for the card and is approved, up to 75,000 bonus points per year.
Luxury Hotel Collection: Book eligible rooms to get perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in or late check-out, and unique gifts.
Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase marketplace, and find discounts in Chase Offers.
Visa Signature Concierge: Call to speak with your Visa Signature Concierge, any time, day or night.
Premium Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Get primary coverage on eligible rental cars so you don’t have to pay for rental insurance and your premiums won’t go up after an accident.
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 15.99% - 22.99% Variable
Flat-rate cards offer the same spending reward for every purchase, and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (Review) offers a hefty welcome bonus to go along with a good deal on general spending.
Spending Rewards
5X miles per dollar with Uber Eats (through 1/31/21)
2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
60,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
If you’re getting 1 cent per point, you’d get a cash back equivalent of2% back on all spending. But if you get a good value by transferring your rewards, like 2 cents per point, you’d be earning the equivalent of4% cash back on all purchases.
Point transfer: Transfer points to a variety of airline partners at a rate of either 2:1.5 or 2:1, depending on the airline.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every four years.
Luxury Hotel Collection: Get perks for eligible hotel stays, including a $25 food and beverage credit, room upgrades when available, complimentary in-room WiFi, and more.
Visa Signature Concierge: Call any time for non-emergency assistance, like help making reservations or finding gifts.
Shopping and travel protections: Including Extended Warranties, Travel Accident Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waivers, Lost Luggage Reimbursement, and more
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 17.24% - 24.49% (Variable)
The information related to Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (Review) is the top no annual fee travel card because it offers a decent reward rate for every purchase you make, with the ability to transfer your miles to a variety of airline partners.
It can help you travel for free without putting an extra strain on your wallet, as long as you avoid interest and other fees.
Spending Rewards
5X miles per dollar with Uber Eats (through 1/31/21)
1.25X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
20,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening
The miles you earn with this card are typically worth 1 cent each, unless you transfer them to an airline partner where they could be worth more.
If you’re getting the standard 1 cent per point, you’ll be earning a cash back equivalent of 1.25%, which is kind of mediocre.
If you get a good point transfer deal, and get 2 cents per point for example, you’d be getting a cash back equivalent of2.5% everywhere you spend. That’s a much better deal, of course, so aim for high-value point redemptions through transfers.
Point transfer: Transfer points to a variety of airline partners at a rate of either 2:1.5 or 2:1, depending on the airline.
Luxury Hotel Collection: Get perks for eligible hotel stays, including a $25 food and beverage credit, room upgrades when available, complimentary in-room WiFi, and more.
Visa Signature Concierge: Call any time for non-emergency assistance, like help making reservations or finding gifts.
Shopping and travel protections: Such as Purchase Security, Roadside Dispatch, Lost Luggage Reimbursement, and more
Purchase APR: 0% for for 12 months, then 15.49% - 25.49% (Variable)
The information related to Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Frequent travelers can get a lot out of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review). Cardholders enjoy an excellent rewards rate on travel and dining, valuable travel benefits that are easy to take advantage of, and diverse travel partners for point transfers.
Spending Rewards
10X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
Travel (after the full travel credit is used)
Dining
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
Take note that you’ll only begin earning points on travel after you use up the entire $300 travel credit.
Ultimate Rewards points are typically worth 1 cent each, but the Reserve provides a 50% point bonus if you redeem for travel expenses. That makes it easy to get a good value for Chase points, with a cash back equivalent of 4.5% for travel and dining and 1.5% everywhere else.
But the best point values will come from point transfers to partner airlines and hotels. These could yield 2 cents per point or more, depending on the deal you choose, which would give you a cash back equivalent of at least 6% on travel and dining and 2% everywhere else.
Point transfer: Transfer your points at a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, like United, JetBlue, and Marriott.
$300 annual travel credit: A $300 travel credit every year that will be automatically applied toward a broad range of travel-related expenses charged to the card.
$120 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $120 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership: Provides access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide plus a selection of restaurants. The cardholder and two guests can enter for free; additional guests cost $27 each.
Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Provides complimentary services and benefits at participating hotels and resorts, including room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, and special gifts.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Get a statement credit to offset the cost of applying for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every four years.
Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress towards Club 5C member status with Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel and resort properties.
Visa Infinite Concierge: Call for non-emergency help of all kinds, like making dinner reservations or finding good tickets to a show.
Lyft Pink membership: One free year of Lyft Pink, which includes 15% off rides, relaxed cancellations, surprise offers, and priority airport pickup.
DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12.
$60 annual DoorDash credit: Get $60 in DoorDash credits in 2020, and $60 in credits in 2021.
Special Car Rental Privileges: Rental upgrades, discounts, and promotional offers at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental.
The Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) is the king of travel perks. Not only will its rewards program earn you a high rate for eligible travel expenses, you’ll also get the best airport lounge access available on a credit card, and a variety of credits that can potentially offset the high annual fee completely.
Spending Rewards
5X Membership Rewards points per dollar (starting 1/1/21, on up to $500,000 spent per calendar year) on:
Prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express Travel
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
75,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10X points on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, in the first 6 months
You’ll want to save up your points until you can get a good point transfer deal, because otherwise your points are only worth a maximum of 1 cent each (and that’s just for eligible flight redemptions). Statement credits will only provide 0.6 cents per point, so definitely avoid using that redemption option.
Point transfers could provide 2 cents per point or quite a bit more. At those rates you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 10% or more in the 5X spending categories, which is quite a deal. You’ll also get a 4% cash back equivalent on other eligible purchases from Amex Travel, and 2% for everything else.
Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Priority Pass, Centurion, American Express International, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Airspace, Lufthansa, and Plaza Premium Lounges.
$200 annual airline fee credit: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food (not flight tickets) at your selected airline (through 2021).
One-year Eats Pass: Enroll to get a complimentary Uber Eats membership for one year, which provides free delivery and 5% off restaurant orders over $15, and free delivery on grocery orders over $30 (through 2021).
$200 annual Uber credits: $15 in statement credits for Uber rides each month, except for December which gets $35.
$100 annual Saks credit: Up to $100 in statement credits each year for Saks Fifth Avenue: $50 from January through June, and $50 from July through December.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four and a half years).
The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay.
Fine Hotels & Resorts: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties.
Complimentary elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $550
Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership. That’s an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases.
Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.
Enjoy complimentary access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world.
Receive complimentary benefits through American Express Travel with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts® program at over 1,100 properties . Learn More.
Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$550 annual fee.
Terms Apply.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
There aren’t many general-use point cards without annual fees, but the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card (Review) is our pick for number one.
Not only will you get a point bonus for using the card more, you’ll also enjoy a long promotional APR period for purchases.
Spending Rewards
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar at:
U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 spent annually)
American Express Travel
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar for all other purchases
20% point bonus: For making 20 or more purchases per month
Introductory Bonus Offer
10,000 Membership Rewards points for spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months
This card offers a way to get Amex Membership Rewards points without paying an annual fee. It has a rare feature that rewards you more for spending more often: Make 20 or more purchases in a billing period to get a 20% bonus on the eligible points you earned.
That would give you a total of 2.4X points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, and 1.2X points everywhere else.
Normal redemptions will get you a maximum of 1 cent per point, but you can do better with point transfers. If you get 2 cents per point through a transfer, for example, you’ll be earning a cash back equivalent of 4.8% at U.S. supermarkets when earning at the 2.4X rate, and 2.4% cash back on all other purchases at the 1.2X rate.
Amex Offers: Discounts or extra points at specific retailers, like (at the time of publication) Shutterfly.com, Harry’s Razors, Contacts Direct, and many more.
Complimentary ShopRunner membership: Register with ShopRunner for free two-day shipping and returns at select online retailers.
Entertainment Access: Exclusive discounts to events, concerts, sporting events, and shows.
Shopping and travel protections: Like Extended Warranties, Return Protection, Global Assist Hotline, and others.
Purchase APR: 0% for 15 months, then 12.99%–23.99% Variable
Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
Low intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases, then a variable rate, currently 12.99%–23.99% Variable.
2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x); 1x points on other purchases.
Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Over 1.5 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express® Cards in 2017.
No annual fee.
Terms Apply.
The information related to Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
You can’t beat The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) when it comes to business rewards cards. Amex raised the annual fee recently, but you’ll still have all the same benefits, plus two more that could be very useful for some businesses.
Spending Rewards
5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on:
Flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel
Prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through Amex Travel
1.5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on purchases over $5,000, up to 1 million additional points per year (then 1X)
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
85,000 bonus points for spending $15,000, plus 5X points in select categories up to 80,000 points per category, all in the first 3 months
Amex Membership Rewards points are best used for point transfers to partner airlines and hotels, where the value you get will depend on how you redeem them.
If you get 2 cents per point, a pretty good rate, you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 10% in the 5X categories, which is quite good. And you’d be earning a 3% cash back equivalent on purchases of $5,000 or more, but you may want to use a different card that earns more rewards for those purchases.
Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Priority Pass, Centurion, American Express International, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Airspace, Lufthansa, and Plaza Premium Lounges.
Up to $200 annually in airline fee statement credits: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food, not tickets, at your selected airline.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four and a half years).
Complimentary elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
$200 Dell statement credit: Enroll to get an annual $200 statement credit for U.S. purchases with Dell: $100 from January through June, and $100 from July through December (COVID-19 update: Now get $200 in additional credits; $100 from 5/1/20–6/30/20, and $100 from 7/1/20–12/31/20).
The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay.
Fine Hotels & Resorts: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties.
Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners.
3X SkyMiles per eligible dollar spent for purchases made directly with Delta Air Lines
1.5X SkyMiles per eligible dollar spent on all purchases for the rest of the year after spending $150,000 in a calendar year
1X SkyMile per eligible dollar spent on all other purchases
45,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Perks: Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge access; Anniversary Companion Certificate; Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding; First checked bag free; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
6X Marriott Bonvoy Bonus points per dollar for eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Marriott Bonvoy Portfolio
4X Marriott Bonvoy Bonus points per dollar spent on:
U.S. restaurants
U.S. gas stations
Wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. providers
U.S. purchases of shipping
2X Marriott Bonvoy Bonus points per dollar spent on all other purchases
75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Perks: Silver Elite hotel status; Free Night Award after your anniversary
Choose Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
Perks: Thousands of dollars in statement credits, plus discounts and more, for services like Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Google Ads, SendGrid, and Twilio (explained here)
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
Choose Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
Perks: Thousands of dollars in credits and discounts, like $5,000 in AWS credits, $150 in Google Ads credits, 50% discount on Dropbox plans, and a 20% Zoom subscription discount
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
Annual fee: $0
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
$50,000 minimum bank account balance required for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
The information related to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
If you expect your business expenses to change from month to month or you’re never quite sure what they’ll be, the American Express® Business Gold Card (Review) could be the perfect card for you.
It provides 4X points in the two categories (out of six) your business spends the most in each month, letting you earn points at a high rate even with unpredictable spending patterns.
Spending Rewards
4X Membership Rewards points per dollar in the two categories you spend the most in each month, up to $150,000 per year (then 1X):
Airfare purchased directly from airlines
U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers
U.S. purchases for shipping
U.S. purchases at gas stations
U.S. purchases at restaurants
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on eligible purchases from Amex Travel
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
35,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
The value of your Amex Membership Rewards points will depend on how you redeem them. Point transfers can provide the highest rate per point, but you’ll typically need to do a bit of searching to find good deals.
You may get 2 cents per point or more through transfers; at that rate you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of at least 8% in the 4X categories, and 4% in the 2X categories. That’s a solid return on your purchases, and the fact that this card adjusts for your spending as it changes makes it all the better.
Choose Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
Perks: Thousands of dollars in statement credits, plus discounts and more, for services like Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Google Ads, SendGrid, and Twilio (explained here)
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
Choose Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
Perks: Thousands of dollars in credits and discounts, like $5,000 in AWS credits, $150 in Google Ads credits, 50% discount on Dropbox plans, and a 20% Zoom subscription discount
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
Annual fee: $0
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
$50,000 minimum bank account balance required for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
The information related to American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
You’ll earn points at a high rate at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets, which is rare to see on a credit card (you usually only see one of these categories at a time, or one is significantly better than the other). And there are also some cost-saving benefits you can use each year to help offset the annual fee.
Spending Rewards
4X Membership Rewards points per dollar at:
Restaurants
U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X)
3X Membership Rewards points per dollar on:
Flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 6 months
This might not seem like a travel card from the spending rewards, but it has a few benefits that make it suited for that purpose. In particular, the best way to redeem your Amex Membership Rewards points is through point transfers to partner airlines and hotels.
Depending on how you redeem, you can get upwards of 2 cents per point. That would give you a cash back equivalent of 8% at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. restaurants, which is probably the best you’ll currently find on any credit card.
$100 annual airline fee credit: Use this to pay for incidental airline fees, like baggage and in-flight food and drinks. Does not apply to flight tickets (through 2021).
$120 annual dining credit: Earn up to $10 in statement credits per month for purchases at eligible restaurants and food delivery services.
One-year Eats Pass: Enroll to get a complimentary Uber Eats membership for one year, which provides free delivery and 5% off restaurant orders over $15, and free delivery on grocery orders over $30 (through 2021).
Point transfer: To airline and hotel loyalty programs, like JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Marriott, and Hyatt
The Hotel Collection: Provides up to $100 in credits for every eligible hotel stay of two nights or more
Amex Offers: Find significant discounts at a changing selection of merchants and websites, like (at the time of publication) TurboTax, SamsClub.com, Etsy, and many more.
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points on Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
$120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $250.
Terms Apply.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
In addition to gas stations you’ll also get a few other useful bonus categories — including streaming services, which is rare — a nice welcome bonus, and a pretty long introductory APR.
Spending Rewards
3X points per dollar on:
Dining
Gas
Travel
Streaming services
1X point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
20,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Every point is worth 1 cent when redeemed, so you’ll be earning a 3% cash back equivalent when spending in the 3X categories.
Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then 17.24%–25.24% Variable
Balance Transfer APR: 17.24%–25.24% Variable
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don’t expire
25,000 online bonus points if you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days – that can be a $250 statement credit towards travel purchases
Use your card to book your trip how and where you want – no blackout dates and restrictions
Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, or baggage fees
Now with chip technology for enhanced security and protection at chip-enabled terminals
0% Introductory APR for 12 billing cycles for purchases, then 17.24%–25.24% Variable APR
Get an additional 10% customer points bonus on every purchase when you have an active Bank of America® checking or savings account
Access your FICO® Score, updated monthly, for free from TransUnion
If you’re a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase that bonus to 25%-75%. Click “Apply Now” to learn more about Preferred Rewards
Getting a lot of points fast can be exciting. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review) can give you a wealth of Ultimate Rewards points in your first few months, enough for a trip or two (or even three) depending on how you use them.
Spending Rewards
5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
Travel
Dining
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Redemptions for travel expenses through Ultimate Rewards will give you 1.25 cents per point. But to get the most of your bonus, transfer your points to a partner airline or hotel you plan to book.
That could give you 2 cents per point or more, leading to a much bigger bang for your buck.
25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Point transfer: Transfer points at a 1:1 rate to leading airline and hotel frequent travel programs, like Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus.
$60 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $60 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12
15,000-point referral bonus: Get 15,000 points for every friend you refer who applies for the card and is approved, up to 75,000 bonus points per year.
Luxury Hotel Collection: Book eligible rooms to get perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in or late check-out, and unique gifts.
Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase marketplace, and find discounts in Chase Offers.
Visa Signature Concierge: Call to speak with your Visa Signature Concierge, any time, day or night.
Premium Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Get primary coverage on eligible rental cars so you don’t have to pay for rental insurance and your premiums won’t go up after an accident.
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 15.99% - 22.99% Variable
5X Membership Rewards points (starting 1/1/21, on up to $500,000 spent per calendar year) on:
Flights booked directly through airlines or through American Express Travel
Prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
2X Membership Rewards points on other eligible travel expenses booked through Amex Travel
1X Membership Rewards point on all other purchases
75,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10X points on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, in the first 6 months
Perks: Global Lounge Collection; $200 airline fee credit; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit; $200 Uber credit; $100 Saks credit; Hilton Honors Gold status; Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
Airline credit cards typically offer the same kinds of perks: free checked bags, priority boarding, in-flight discounts, and maybe even lounge access.
You’ll get all that with the United Club℠ Infinite Card (Review), plus more. You’ll get quite a few more miles than United flyers who aren’t cardholders, and enjoy access to perks that typically take a lot of flights or spending to earn.
Spending Rewards
9X United miles per dollar on tickets purchased from United
4X miles per dollar from the United Club Card
5X miles or more per dollar for being a basic MileagePlus member
3X SkyMiles per eligible dollar spent for purchases made directly with Delta Air Lines
1X SkyMile per eligible dollar spent on all other purchases
40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Perks: Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge membership; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit; Annual companion certificate; First checked bag free; Main Cabin Priority 1 boarding
Looking for a way to upgrade your next trip? A hotel credit card can do just that, by bumping up your member status and providing free nights, among other perks.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card (Review) is one of the best, featuring a big boost to the points you’ll earn for every stay, a free night every year after your cardmember anniversary, and solid airport lounge access.
Spending Rewards
18.5X points per dollar at Marriott Bonvoy properties
6X Bonus points per dollar from the card
12.5X Base points per dollar for Marriott Gold Elite status
3X Bonus points for:
Flights booked directly from airlines
U.S. restaurants
2X Bonus points for all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
$300 annual Marriott Bonvoy hotel credit: Up to $300 in statement credits for eligible purchases
Free Night Award: Every year after your account anniversary you’ll get a Free Night Award, good for redemption values of 50,000 points or less.
Priority Pass Select membership: Free access to Priority Pass airport lounges for you and up to two guests (excludes non-lounge experiences)
Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every five years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 every four-and-a-half years)
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite hotel status: Includes perks like a 25% bonus on base points, 2 p.m. late checkout, and more
15 Elite Night Credits: Each year you’ll get 15 Elite Night Credits towards a higher member status.
$100 property credit: Earn up to $100 in property credits when booking at least two nights direct with a special rate code at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis.
Bonus points for airline transfers: Get 15,000 bonus points for every 60,000 points transferred to airline programs.
Earn 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
Enjoy up to $300 in statement credits each year of Card Membership for eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy Hotels. 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2 points on all other eligible purchases.
Receive 1 free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points) at a participating hotel. Certain hotels have resort fees.
Enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass™ Select membership.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
$450 annual fee.
Terms Apply.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
2% cash back for every purchase you make (must pay at least the minimum due on time):
1% back when you make a purchase
1% back when you pay for that purchase
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer (Review) is your best cash back option if you want a card for all-around, general spending. The rewards are the main attraction, but you’ll also get a nice introductory APR for balance transfers before its variable APR kicks in.
The Double Cash is a fairly simple card, but a strong offer nevertheless. A general-use, flat-rate cash back card like this can be paired with a different rewards card that has bonus categories, like the others on this page. You can use that other card whenever you spend in the bonus categories, and pay with the Double Cash for all other purchases.
The rewards you earn here can be converted to ThankYou points, rather than redeemed as typical cash back. ThankYou points can be converted to airline miles for a better value, though your transfer partners will be limited to JetBlue unless you also have the Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Premier® Card.
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Balance Transfer Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 13.99% – 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
Balance Transfers do not earn cash back.
If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 13.99% – 23.99% based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi’s discretion.
$100 cash back for spending $1,000 in the first 6 months; 20% back on Amazon purchases, up to $200, in the first 6 months
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (Review) is one of your best options for cash back on gas, with a solid rate for no annual fee. If you’re willing to pay an annual fee or don’t mind rotating bonus categories, you’ll find some interesting options in the runners up.
The Blue Cash Everyday is a rewarding card for everyday purchases, and if you need a handy card for gas this is a real contender.
American Express offers a host of other features along with the gas category, including Amex Offers, where you can earn extra cash back at all sorts of retailers.
$250 statement credit for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Groceries and gas are common expenses for many people, and it’s convenient to have one card you can use for both. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Review) is an excellent choice to fill that need, with the best cash back rate for U.S. supermarkets you’ll find.
The 6% back you can earn at U.S. supermarkets with this card is the best base rate we’ve seen for that category. You can get better than that (10%) with the Discover it® Cash Back, but only for a few months during the first year with the card.
You’ll be limited to $6,000 in spending per year at that 6% rate, but that’s still $360 in cash back, which is not bad at all. To hit that limit in a year you’d need to spend about $115 on groceries per week.
Purchases at U.S. gas stations will get 3% cash back, with no limit. That’s competitive with most other rewards cards, which don’t usually offer any more than that at gas stations.
$300 cash bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Going out to eat is a bit more fun when you can hand over a shiny metal credit card. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card (Review) can fit that bill and offers an excellent cash back rate at restaurants, along with some useful bonus categories that complement the foodie aura this card exudes.
If you’re always going out to eat or ordering in, how does saving 4% on all that spending sound? Just don’t fight over who gets to pay the bill.
The Savor’s categories cover dining, entertainment, and grocery shopping. That’s quite a nice variety to have on just one card — if dinner and a movie is your kind of thing, this card would fit quite well. And if you don’t have a better card for groceries, like one of the options above, the Savor will let you get a bit more than the standard 1%.
Capital One CreditWise: Check your VantageScore 3.0 credit score for free, based on your TransUnion credit report, and see information from that report.
World Elite Mastercard concierge: Call any time for non-emergency help with making reservations, finding hard-to-find gifts, and more.
World Elite Mastercard benefits: Including Price Protection, Extended Warranty, MasterRental Insurance, Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, and more
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 15.99% - 24.99% Variable
The information related to Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
5% cash back in categories that rotate every three months (see calendar on next tab), up to $1,500 spent per quarter (then 1%; activation required)
1% cash back on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
Cashback Match: Get double cash back for the first year, provided at the end of the first year
Your 5% cash back rotating reward categories will switch every three months. They often include popular expenses like gas, groceries, rideshares like Uber and Lyft, and Amazon.com.
The information related to Discover it® Cash Back has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
5% cash back in your choice of two categories, up to $2,000 spent per quarter
2% cash back in your choice of one everyday category
1% cash back on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
$150 cash bonus for spending $500 in the first 90 days after account opening
So you’ll get two 5% categories and one 2% category, and you can pick each one. You’ll need to sign up for the categories each quarter before you’ll start earning cash back at the 5% or 2% rates.
A fairly unique entry in the U.S. Bank family of credit cards, the U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card is one of very few cards that let you choose your own bonus cash back categories. It’s a good deal too, offering quite a bit of cash back and a wide variety of categories to choose from (some of which are rarely seen on credit cards).
A lot of people are spending a lot of money at Amazon, and the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card (Review) gives you a way to save on every purchase you make from the online superstore.
Frequent Amazon shoppers can use this 5% cash back rate to save a tidy sum. A study from Consumer Intelligence Resource Partners reported that the average Prime member is spending $1,400 per year at Amazon in 2018. If you spent that much you’d get $70 in cash back, enough for a nice gift. The gift card offer is a nice bonus too, and you won’t even need to meet a spending threshold to earn it.
To be eligible for this card you’ll need to have an Amazon Prime membership. If you’re not a Prime member you can apply for the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, which is less rewarding (3% back at Amazon) but there’s no fee involved (learn more about Amazon’s other credit cards).
If you don’t think you need Prime, you could always start with the regular Amazon Rewards card. Then, if you ever decide to get a Prime membership, you’ll automatically be upgraded to the Amazon Prime Rewards card. And likewise, if you ever cancel your Prime membership, you’ll be downgraded to the regular Amazon Rewards card.
Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection: Perks at eligible hotels, including complimentary WiFi, room upgrades when available, a $25 food and beverage credit, and more
Visa Signature Concierge: Call any time for non-emergency assistance.
Shopping and travel protections: Including Purchase Protection, Extended Warranties, Baggage Delay Insurance, and more
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 14.24% to 22.24% Variable
The information related to Discover it® Student Cash Back has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
3% and 2% rewards only up to $2,500 spent per quarter, then 1% cash back
So not only can you earn cash back, you’ll actually get to choose your own 3% category. That makes the Bank of America® Cash Rewards Secured Card stand out among secured cards, providing cardholders with a way to build credit and earn rewards at the same time.
If you have bad credit (a FICO score of 579 or less) you’ll have trouble qualifying for most credit cards, especially those with rewards programs. You will have some options, however.
Secured credit cards are designed for people with poor or limited credit. They require a refundable security deposit when you apply for them, which will fund the credit limit.
You can use a secured card to improve your credit, building up a history of positive activity and on-time payments. When your credit is good enough you can close the card, get your deposit back, and apply for a better unsecured card.
The Bank of America Cash Rewards Secured is one of the best secured cards available, in our estimation. Secured cards usually have no rewards and few benefits, and sometimes come with high fees. But not only does this card have generally favorable terms, it also comes with a solid cash back program — the kind you might expect to find on an unsecured rewards card.
Bank of America will also review your card account and overall credit every now and then. If you’ve been a responsible credit user, always making on-time payments, they may consider returning your security deposit and allowing you to continue using the card. BofA will be checking your overall credit with the credit bureaus, including how you use other credit cards, not just your usage of this card.
This is a great feature to have, and you won’t find it on every secured card. As long as you continue using it responsibly and maintain good credit habits in general, you can expect to probably get your deposit back eventually and later on work your way up to an unsecured rewards card.
It’s pretty simple, but not bad for a flat-rate card — especially one made for fair or average credit. You’ll get the same amount of cash back wherever you shop, with no limit, and with no worrying about bonus categories.
If you don’t have good credit, you may not be approved for some of the cards on this page. But the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card (Review) is one of the few rewards credit cards that are designed specifically for fair or average credit (a FICO credit score of around 580–669).
Use this card responsibly, always paying your credit card bills on time. We recommend paying your entire statement balance each billing period, to help your credit utilization. It will also help you stave off credit card debt because you won’t accrue interest charges on purchases with this strategy.
The information related to Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The Petal® 2 Cash Back, No Fees Visa® Card is one of very few cards designed for limited credit that also provides some cash back. And it’s not just 1%, either; you can earn up to 1.5% simply by paying on time.
Spending Rewards
1% cash back on purchases initially
1.25% cash back on purchases after 6 on-time payments
1.5% cash back on purchases after 12 on-time payments
With limited or no credit it can be hard to get approved for that first credit card, but Petal gives you a way in. Petal will look at your “full financial picture” to determine your creditworthiness, which includes connecting to your bank account to check your transaction activity. If you do have some credit established, Petal will check it and may not need to connect to your bank account.
There’s no limit to the cash back you can earn, making this a good choice for businesses that spend a lot. Consider pairing this card with other business credit cards that do have bonus categories, and which typically come with spending limits; you can use those other cards when spending in their categories, and the Spark Cash for everything else.
The information related to Capital One Spark Cash for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
$750 cash bonus for spending $7,500 in the first 3 months after account opening
A variety of useful business categories makes the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Review) handy for businesses with typical office and local travel expenses.
Business owners have a nice variety of credit cards to choose from, and some — like this one — can be quite valuable.
Your 5% and 2% cash back categories have some spending limits (except for Lyft), so this card might not be suitable for bigger companies. Or you could always pair the Ink Business Cash with other business cards (like the runners up, or flat-rate cards below) and split up your spending.
It’s made for relocating professionals who don’t yet have an established credit history in the U.S., giving you the leg up you need to start building credit (along with a handy payment option).
You can apply for this card up to 60 days before you arrive in the States, or check to see if you’re prequalified before then. You won’t need a credit history to be approved, and there’s no SSN needed to apply. But you will need to get an SSN and provide it to Jasper within 60 days of card activation.
If you’ve been living here for at least a year, you’ll need to undergo a credit check and provide an SSN when you apply.
This card is available to anyone, not just immigrants to the U.S., and it could be a good option for anyone just getting into the world of credit.
Spending Rewards
1% cash back on every eligible purchase (terms apply)
May be helpful for professionals who recently started a new job in the U.S., without a traditional credit history
No credit scores or SSN required to apply (SSN required within 60 days of card activation, or at time of application for those living in the U.S. for at least a year)
Mastercard Priceless Cities and Airport Concierge perks
Online travel booking service
Shopping and travel protections, including cell phone protection
It’s popular as an inexpensive and flexible way to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to a variety of travel loyalty programs. It has an excellent signup bonus which could be worth enough for a few trips, and it’s also known for being made out of metal.
Spending Rewards
5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
Travel
Dining
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
You can get a 25% point bonus by redeeming for travel expenses through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards portal, which would give you a value of 1.25 cents per point. At that rate you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 2.5% on travel purchases and dining.
But to really maximize your point value you’ll need to transfer them to a partner airline or hotel. That could give you upwards of 2 cents per point, which comes to a cash back equivalent of 4% on travel and dining.
With travel cards like these it generally pays to hold your points until you can redeem them at a good rate; otherwise you should just pay with your card as normal to earn more points.
Point transfer: Transfer points at a 1:1 rate to leading airline and hotel frequent travel programs, like Marriott Bonvoy or United MileagePlus.
15,000-point referral bonus: Get 15,000 points for every friend you refer who applies for the card and is approved, up to 75,000 bonus points per year.
$60 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $60 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12
Luxury Hotel Collection: Book eligible rooms to get perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and unique gifts.
Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers marketplaces.
Visa Signature Concierge: Call to speak with your Visa Signature Concierge, any time, day or night.
Premium Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Get primary coverage on eligible rental vehicles so your premiums won’t go up after an accident.
It earns points at higher multiples for dining and travel, has a better redemption bonus, and comes with a variety of perks and services that can help you save money and access interesting experiences.
Spending Rewards
10X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
Travel (after the full travel credit is used)
Dining
1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
You’ll get a 50% point bonus when redeeming for travel expenses through the Ultimate Rewards portal, which would make your points worth 1.5 cents each. That’d give you a cash back equivalent of 4.5% on travel and dining purchases, which isn’t too bad.
But the best way to use Ultimate Rewards points is to transfer them to a partner airline or hotel loyalty program. That could give you 2 cents per point or potentially quite a bit more, depending on how you use them.
At 2 cents per point you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 6% on travel and dining, which is pretty competitive with the best credit cards.
Point transfer: Transfer your points at a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, like United, JetBlue, and Marriott.
$300 annual travel credit: A $300 travel credit every year that will be automatically applied toward a broad range of travel-related expenses charged to the card
$120 Peloton credit: Enroll to get up to $120 back for an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership (through 2021). No fitness equipment is required.
Priority Pass Select membership: Provides access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide plus a selection of restaurants. The cardholder and two guests can enter for free; additional guests cost $32 each
Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Provides complimentary services and benefits at participating hotels and resorts, including room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, and special gifts
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Get a statement credit to offset the cost of applying for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every four years.
Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress toward Club 5C member status with Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel and resort properties
Visa Infinite Concierge: Call for non-emergency help of all kinds, like making dinner reservations or finding good tickets to a show.
Special car rental privileges: Rental upgrades, discounts, and promotional offers at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental
Lyft Pink membership: One free year of Lyft Pink, which includes 15% off rides, relaxed cancellations, surprise offers, and priority airport pickup
DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12
$60 annual DoorDash credit: Get $60 in DoorDash credits in 2020, and $60 in credits in 2021.
Prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
2X Membership Rewards points on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express Travel
1X Membership Rewards point on all other purchases
75,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10X points on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, in the first 6 months
Perks: Global Lounge Collection; $200 airline incidental fee credit through 2021; $200 in Uber credits; Elite hotel statuses; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
5X miles per dollar with Uber Eats (through 1/31/21)
1.25X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
20,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening
The Venture miles you earn with this card are typically worth 1 cent each, but Capital One recently introduced the ability to transfer your miles to a variety of airline partners.
Transfers could provide 2 cents per mile or more, which would give you a cash back equivalent of2.5% for everything you buy (other than Uber Eats, which would be 10%!).
Although this card’s base rewards are fairly small, it has valuable airline and hotel-related features that some travelers could find very useful.
Mile transfer: Transfer mile to a variety of airline partners at a rate of either 2:1.5 or 2:1, depending on the airline.
Luxury Hotel Collection: Get perks for eligible hotel stays, including a $25 food and beverage credit, room upgrades when available, complimentary in-room WiFi, and more.
Visa Signature Concierge: Call any time for non-emergency assistance, like help making reservations or finding gifts.
Shopping and travel protections: Purchase Security, Extended Warranty, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services, Travel Accident Insurance
Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then 15.49% - 25.49% (Variable)
The information related to Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
It’s worth noting that the Platinum card’s Priority Pass Select membership excludes non-lounge experiences, though they’re still offered through competing premium cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review).
Prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express Travel
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
75,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10X points on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, in the first 6 months
Normal redemptions for flights will yield 1 cent per point, which is a poor way to use your rewards. It would be better to save up for point transfers, which could provide upwards of 2 cents per point.
At 2 cents per point you’d earn a cash back equivalent of 10% in the 5X categories. But those bonus categories are a bit limited compared to what you’ll get from some other premium travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review) or Citi Prestige® Card (Review).
$200 annual airline fee credit: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food (not flight tickets) at your selected airline (through 2021).
$200 in annual Uber credits: $15 in statement credits for Uber rides each month, except for December which gets $35.
One-year Eats Pass: Enroll to get a complimentary Uber Eats membership for one year, which provides free delivery and 5% off restaurant orders over $15, and free delivery on grocery orders over $30 (through 2021).
$100 annual Saks credits: Up to $100 in statement credits each year for Saks Fifth Avenue: $50 from January through June, and $50 from July through December.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four and a half years).
The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay.
Fine Hotels & Resorts: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties.
Elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.
Authorized users of the Sapphire Reserve cost $75 each per year, and they get their own Priority Pass Select memberships.
Priority Pass Select membership: Provides access to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide plus a selection of restaurants; the cardholder and two guests can enter for free; additional guests cost $32 each
10X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides (through 3/31/22)
3X Ultimate Rewards points on:
Travel (after using the full $300 travel credit)
Dining
1X Ultimate Rewards point on all other purchases
50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
Authorized users of the Citi Prestige cost $75 each, and they get their own Priority Pass Select memberships.
Priority Pass Select membership: Access to over 1,200 Priority Pass airport lounges and restaurants around the world. Free access for you and two guests; additional guests cost $32 each.
5X ThankYou points for:
Air travel
Restaurants
3X ThankYou points for:
Hotels
Cruise lines
1X ThankYou point for every other purchase
50,000 ThankYou points for spending $4,000 within 3 months of account opening
Perks: Fourth night free for eligible hotel rooms; $250 travel credit; Priority Pass Select membership; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
Authorized users of this card do not get their own Priority Pass Select memberships.
Priority Pass Select membership: Complimentary airport lounge access for you and up to two guests (additional guests cost $32); excludes non-lounge experiences
14X Bonus points for eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
7X Bonus points for:
Flights booked on Amex Travel or directly with airlines
Car rentals from select companies
U.S. restaurants
3X Bonus points on all other purchases
150,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership. That’s an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases.
Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.
Enjoy complimentary access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world.
Receive complimentary benefits through American Express Travel with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts® program at over 1,100 properties . Learn More.
Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$550 annual fee.
Terms Apply.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
This card offer is unique for giving your fourth night free on hotel stays, a valuable perk that could help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year, if you stay at high-end properties.
The Prestige used to be a powerhouse because you could use that benefit as often as you wanted, but now it’s capped at two uses per year.
This new limitation is a bit of a downer, but most people hopefully won’t mind too much as Citi stated that the average cardholder didn’t use that perk more than twice per year anyway.
1X ThankYou pointper dollar for every other purchase
Introductory Bonus Offer
50,000 ThankYou points for spending $4,000 within 3 months of account opening
ThankYou points are only worth 1 cent each when redeeming for past travel expenses, and so, like with many travel cards, the best way to use your rewards is a point transfer.
Citi has a variety of airline travel partners, but unfortunately there are no hotel partners. You’ll find some popular and some less-popular airlines, and point values could reach 2 cents per point or higher.
Point transfer: To a variety of frequent flyer programs, including Etihad Guest, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Annual $250 travel credit: Good for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other travel expenses
Complimentary 4th Night Stay: Get your fourth night free when booking four nights in a row through ThankYou.com and paying with your card, ThankYou points, or a combination of both; capped at twice per year.
Priority Pass Select membership: Access to a vast array of Priority Pass airport lounges and restaurants around the world
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every five years
Citi Prestige Concierge: Call for non-emergency help any time you need it.
World Elite Car Rental Program: Elite memberships at Avis, Silvercar, and National
Prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
2X Membership Rewards points on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express Travel
1X Membership Rewards point on all other purchases
75,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10X points on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, in the first 6 months
Perks: Global Lounge Collection; $200 airline incidental fee credit (through 2021); $200 in Uber credits; Elite hotel statuses; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
Complimentary 4th night free on eligible hotel stays, capped at twice per year
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ Application Fee Credit
No foreign transaction fees
$495 annual fee
The information related to Citi Prestige® Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Some may find the rewards a bit wanting, but the travel perks can’t be beat. You’ll get the best airport lounge access possible on a credit card, elite status at Marriott and Hilton to up your hotel game, and all the valuable protections and services you’d expect with a premier business travel card.
Spending Rewards
5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on:
Flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel
Prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through Amex Travel
1.5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on purchases over $5,000, up to 1 million additional points per year (then 1X)
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
85,000 bonus points for spending $15,000, plus 5X points in select categories up to 80,000 points per category, all in the first 3 months
The annual fee may seem a bit high at first glance (Rates & Fees), but consider everything you’ll get from the benefits, plus any rewards you earn: With enough travel each year you should be able to justify this card without much problem.
Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Priority Pass, Centurion, American Express International, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Airspace, Lufthansa, and Plaza Premium Lounges.
Up to $200 in airline fee statement credits annually: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and in-flight food, not tickets, at your selected airline
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four and a half years)
Complimentary elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades (when available) for every eligible two-night stay
Fine Hotels & Resorts Program: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties
$200 Dell statement credit: Enroll to get an annual $200 statement credit for U.S. purchases with Dell: $100 from January through June, and $100 from July through December (COVID-19 update: Now get $200 in additional credits; $100 from 5/1/20–6/30/20, and $100 from 7/1/20–12/31/20).
35% airline bonus: Get 35% of your points back when booking eligible airfare through Amex Travel using Membership Rewards Pay with Points.
Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners
3X Ultimate Rewards points on up to $150,000 spent per year for:
Travel
Shipping purchases
Internet, cable, and phone services
Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
1X Ultimate Rewards point on all other purchases
100,000 bonus points for spending $15,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
Perks: 25% point bonus for travel redemptions via Ultimate Rewards; point transfer; shopping and travel protections; primary auto rental collision damage waiver
The information related to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
You can get a lot out of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card if you’ll stay at Hilton properties several times per year. You’ll earn lots of points, and there are a variety of hotel credits and perks to make your stays less expensive and more enjoyable.
Spending Rewards
14X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar for eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
7X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar at:
U.S. restaurants
Select car rentals
Flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com
3X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar for all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
150,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
As you can see, there’s no shortage of points with this card. But Hilton points aren’t usually valued as highly as points with other hotel reward programs.
At a value of 0.4–1 cent per point, you’ll be earning a cash back equivalent of 13.6%–34% at Hilton properties, and 2.8%–7% in the three 7X categories.
Hilton Honors Diamond status: With a 100% bonus on Base points, digital check-in, gym access, and more
$250 annual Hilton resort statement credit: Good for charges from Hilton resorts
$100 Hilton on-property credit: Good for incidental charges at participating Hilton properties, for every eligible stay of two-nights or more
$250 annual airline fee credit: Good for incidental airline fees, not ticket prices
Two annual Weekend Night Rewards: One free weekend night per year, and you can earn an additional night by spending $60,000 in a given year
Priority Pass Select membership: Complimentary airport lounge access for you and up to two guests. Additional guests cost $32 per person. Excludes non-lounge experiences.
Personal Concierge: Call for assistance with a variety of tasks, like making reservations at restaurants or for travel.
Shopping and travel protections: Baggage Delay Insurance, Trip Delay Insurance, Premium Roadside Assistance, Travel Accident Insurance, Purchase Protection, Return Protection, and more
Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card after you use your new Card to make $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, enjoy a free Weekend Night Reward within your first year and every year after renewal.
Earn 14X Hilton Bonus Points when you make eligible purchases on your Card at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton Portfolio.
Earn 7X Bonus Points for eligible purchases: on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies & at U.S. restaurants.
Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Enjoy up to $250 in Hilton Resort Credits on your Card each anniversary year, when you stay at participating resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
Enjoy complimentary Diamond status with your Hilton Honors Aspire Card.
$450 annual fee.
Terms Apply.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
The information related to Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The United Club℠ Infinite Card (Review) is the premier card for flying United, with perks like access to the United Club lounge, free first and second checked bags, and priority treatment at the airport.
Spending Rewards
9X United miles per dollar on tickets purchased from United
4X miles per dollar from the United Club Infinite Card
5X miles per dollar for being a MileagePlus member
3X SkyMiles for purchases made directly with Delta Air Lines
1X SkyMile on all other purchases
40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Perks: Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge access; annual companion certificate; first checked bag free; Main Cabin 1 priority boarding; complimentary upgrades; Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
If you’ll be traveling outside the U.S., you’ll probably want a credit card or two with chip-and-PIN capability.
Most cards in the U.S. are only chip-and-Signature, and, although many checkout terminals in foreign countries accept both signature and PIN cards, some terminals only accept PIN cards (like some automated kiosks in Europe and other regions). So if you’re looking for the best credit cards for international travel it’s useful to have some chip-and-PIN cards in the mix.
A few U.S. credit card issuers offer chip-and-PIN cards (see a full list here), and out of those options it’d be tough to beat the Citi Prestige® Card (Review). Although this premium credit card is known for its fourth night free perk on hotel stays, its PIN capability will come in handy while traveling abroad.
If these bonus categories and benefits aren’t very appealing, check out the runners up for some other PIN cards with different features, including some cards without annual fees.
1X ThankYou pointper dollar for every other purchase
Introductory Bonus Offer
50,000 ThankYou points for spending $4,000 within 3 months of account opening
Your ThankYou points will be worth from 1 cent to potentially over 2 cents each, depending on how you redeem them. Point transfers will be your best option.
At a rate of 1–2 cents per point, you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 5%–10% in the 5X categories, and 3%–6% in the 3X categories.
Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs, including Etihad Guest, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Annual $250 travel credit: Good for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other travel expenses
Complimentary 4th Night Stay: Get your fourth night free when booking four nights in a row through ThankYou.com and paying with your card, ThankYou points, or a combination of both; capped at twice per year.
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership: Access to a vast array of Priority Pass airport lounges and restaurants around the world
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every five years
Citi Prestige Concierge: Call for non-emergency help any time you need it.
World Elite Car Rental Program: Elite memberships at Avis, Silvercar, and National
Complimentary 4th night free on eligible hotel stays, capped at twice per year
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ Application Fee Credit
No foreign transaction fees
$495 annual fee
The information related to Citi Prestige® Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Student travelers actually have several good options here, of travel cards designed for people with limited credit histories.
The Bank of America Cash Rewards™ Credit Card for Students (Review) may be the best all-around student card for travel, but you’ll need to plan your travel spending a bit in advance to get the most out of it. That’s because this card allows you to choose your 3% bonus category each month, and you’ll need to set it to Travel for the appropriate time frame before making purchases.
Spending Rewards
3% cash back in one category of your choice:
Gas
Online shopping
Dining
Travel
Drugstores
Home improvement/furnishings stores
2% cash back at:
Grocery stores
Wholesale clubs
1% cash back on all other purchases
Spending limit: 3% and 2% rewards only up to $2,500 per quarter, then 1%
Introductory Bonus Offer
$200 cash rewards bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
With this flexible card you can adjust your bonus category each month to fit your expected spending. So if you’re going on a trip beginning at the end of a month, for example, you could use the Travel category to get 3% back on your airfare and hotels, and even a car rental. Then, when the new month begins, you can switch your category to Gas to help fuel your adventure.
Bank of America Preferred Rewards: Eligible bank account holders get a 25%–75% bonus on rewards earned, depending on how much money is held in BofA bank accounts.
Free credit score: Check your FICO Score 8 for free, based on your TransUnion credit report.
Visa Platinum or Signature benefits: Depending on creditworthiness
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 16.24%–26.24% Variable
Applicants of Deserve credit cards have a better chance of approval because Deserve checks factors like education and income potential, in addition to the typical credit scoring criteria.
1% cash back for all purchases
One year of Amazon Prime Student for spending $500 in the first 3 billing cycles
Limited one-year Priority Pass Select membership for spending $1,000 in 120 or 155 days; $27 fee per visit, per person (not all cardholders will receive this offer).
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Take note that Deserve will need to connect to your bank account to verify your balance. If you have privacy or security concerns this might worry you, but it seems logical because Deserve bases its decision on more than the typical credit approval criteria.
$200 cash rewards bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
New Offer: Maximize your cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement /furnishings
Now earn 3% cash back in your choice category and 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases), and unlimited 1% on all other purchases
You can update your choice category for future purchases once each calendar month using the Mobile banking app or Online banking, or do nothing and it stays the same.
No changing categories and no expiration on rewards
0% Introductory APR for 12 billing cycles for purchases and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, then, 16.24%–26.24% Variable APR. 3% fee (min $10) applies to balance transfers.
If you’re a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase that bonus to 25% – 75%. Click “Apply Now” to learn more about Preferred Rewards.
Now with chip technology for enhanced security and protection at chip-enabled terminals
Some people just want to earn cash back without bothering with bonus reward categories and complicated redemption options. If that sounds like you, you could do a lot worse than the Capital One Spark Cash for Business (Review).
Spending Rewards
2% cash back for all purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
$500 cash bonus for spending $4,500 in the first 3 months
Unlike other cards, which reward you more for certain types of purchases, the Spark Cash offers a flat rate for everything you buy. This can be good for businesses that spend a lot on a variety of purchases, rather than particular spending categories. And there’s no limit to the cash back you can earn, unlike many other rewards cards.
This means that it’s a great option to pair with other rewards cards that do have bonus categories, like any of the others on our list.
You can use that other card for its bonus categories, earning cash back or points at a high rate. Then use the Spark Cash for every other expense, where you would typically only earn 1% back (or 1X point per dollar).
The information related to Capital One Spark Cash for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express Travel
1.5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to 1 million extra points per calendar year
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
85,000 bonus points for spending $15,000, plus 5X points in select categories up to 80,000 points per category, all in the first 3 months
This card is a great way to earn Membership Rewards, and can provide a wealth of points through welcome bonuses.
You’ll have quite a few redemption options, including flights and gift cards. But the most rewarding method will be for point transfers, because you may find deals that provide 2 cents per point or more. That would give you a cash back equivalent of 10% when earning at the 5X rate, which isn’t bad at all.
These travel rewards are a bit limited compared to some other premium cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review). But if you can spend enough on eligible travel purchases and make good use of the benefits each year, you’ll probably get your money’s worth with this card.
Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Priority Pass, Centurion, American Express International, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Airspace, Lufthansa, and Plaza Premium Lounges
Up to $200 in airline fee statement credits annually: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food, not tickets, at your selected airline
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 once every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four-and-a-half years)
Complimentary elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
$320 wireless telephone & shipping credit: Get up to $320 in statement credits for wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. providers and U.S. purchases for shipping (up to $20 per month each, until 12/31/20).
$200 Dell statement credit: Enroll to get an annual $200 statement credit for U.S. purchases with Dell: $100 from January through June, and $100 from July through December (COVID-19 update: Now get $200 in additional credits; $100 from 5/1/20–6/30/20, and $100 from 7/1/20–12/31/20).
The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay
Fine Hotels & Resorts Program: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties
Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners
The information related to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Sometimes you may not know what your business expenses will be from month to month. If that’s your situation, you may like a card with many different bonus categories, or categories that are flexible in some way.
The American Express® Business Gold Card (Review) is a rewarding card with bonus categories that will match the two types of spending your business has the most of each month.
Spending Rewards
4X Membership Rewards points per dollar in the two categories you spend the most in each month (up to $150,000 per year, then 1X):
Airfare purchased directly from airlines
U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers
U.S. purchases for shipping
U.S. purchases at gas stations
U.S. purchases at restaurants
2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on eligible purchases from Amex Travel
1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
Introductory Bonus Offer
35,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
This flexibility is a handy feature because you don’t have to bother changing the categories manually each month, like with some cards, and you don’t need to try to predict your upcoming business spending. You’ll just automatically get 4X points in the two categories you spent the most in, without any extra effort on your part.
But of course, the bonus categories should fit your business spending. So if this card doesn’t work for you, check out the runners up and their different categories.
25% airline bonus: Get 25% of your points back when booking eligible airfare through American Express Travel using Membership Rewards Pay with Points.
The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay.
Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners.
Amex Offers: Access to discounts and extra points at a wide variety of merchants.
Tier One Program: Some businesses will be eligible for the Tier One Program from American Express. This comes with benefits that are “designed to streamline and enhance the business’s experience with American Express.”
The information related to American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The other Chase Ink Business cards have very good offers as well (they’re runners up below), but those offers get even better if you can move the points you earn to a different Chase card that allows point transfers. If you got a bonus of 50,000 UR points with one of those other Ink cards, it would normally only be worth $500 at most — 1 cent per point. But if you move those points to another Chase card that allows point transfers, you could then transfer the points to a partner program to get a better value — at 2 cents per point, that same bonus would be worth $1,000.
$750 cash bonus for spending $7,500 in the first 3 months after account opening
If your company spends a lot on office supplies and the other services listed, you’ll have few other options if you want to earn 5% cash back on them. That’s a pretty good deal but it’s limited to the first $25,000 you spend, and so is the 2% rate. So if you’ll spend much more than that every year you may want to consider getting multiple versions of this card, or adding in other cards to the mix.
Combining the Ink Business Cash with other cards wouldn’t be an overly-expensive strategy because it has no annual fee, so any rewards you earn are all profit as long as you don’t incur interest or fees. And you can avoid interest on purchases by simply paying your statement balance in full each month.
If your credit is in the fair or average range, which is a FICO score of about 580–669, you may have a hard time being approved for the more rewarding business cards out there. But your credit isn’t bad enough to warrant a secured business card either, so you need a middle option.
It’s not a very strong rewards program, but this is the trade-off for not having credit in the “good” range. You can actually get a slightly better cash back rate than that on some secured cards. But you won’t need to pay a security deposit to fund the credit limit of the Spark Classic, and you’ll need to do that with secured cards.
Although you could get a better rate by going for a secured card you wouldn’t earn much more than 1% cash back, and you may need to pay an annual fee, so it might not be worth it.
Shopping and travel protections: Purchase Security, Extended Warranty, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services, and more
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
The information related to Capital One Spark Classic for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Secured cards are designed for people with poor credit (a FICO score below 579) or no credit, providing a way to build a positive credit history. They require a refundable security deposit when you’re approved, which will be used to fund the credit limit.
1,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in a monthly billing period
It’s not very rewarding, but this is typical for secured cards. Many don’t offer any rewards at all, so this is actually pretty good considering the competition, and the ability to choose the program that’s best for you is an interesting feature.
Use your expected business spending to figure out how much reward value you’d earn with each program, using a value of 1 cent per point. The answer will depend on how much you’ll spend, and your ability to redeem online (which should be easy to do).
Take note that this rewards program is the current offer from Wells Fargo, and it’s subject to change.
If approved for this card, you’ll need to deposit $500 to $25,000 to fund the credit line. Your credit limit will be equal to the amount you deposit.
After spending some time improving your credit, you’ll able to qualify for cards with better terms and rewards programs. Wells Fargo will periodically review your card account and your recent credit history, and, if you’ve been improving, you may be offered an upgrade to an unsecured card.
Earn More Mall: Earn extra points and find discounts at select merchants (point rewards only)
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Up to 10 cards for you & employees
Your choice of a cash back rewards program or a point rewards program
More Bonus Points: When you shop online or in person at the Earn More Mall.
The Brex Daily card must be paired with a Brex Cash money management account. Each day, your card balance will be paid in full from the funds in your Brex Cash account.
Brex charge cards are designed for companies big and small, especially tech-forward corporations and other non-personal liability companies. They’re not available to sole proprietors.
You can choose a reward program that best fits your business:
Tech Rewards
Life Sciences Rewards
Remote Workforce Rewards
8X points per dollar on:
Rideshares
Taxis
5X points per dollar on:
Flights booked through Brex Travel
Hotels booked through Brex Travel
4X points per dollar on Dining
3X points per dollar on:
Recurring Software purchases
Eligible Apple products via the Brex portal
1X point per dollar on every other purchase
8X points per dollar on Conference tickets
5X points per dollar on:
Flights booked through Brex Travel
Hotels booked through Brex Travel
3X points per dollar on eligible Apple products via the Brex portal
2X points per dollar on Lab supplies
1X point per dollar on every other purchase
8X points per dollar on Collaboration tools
4X points per dollar on Food delivery services
3X points per dollar on Recurring Software purchases
Perks: Thousands of dollars in statement credits, plus discounts and more, for services like Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Google Ads, SendGrid, and Twilio (explained here)
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
Employee card fee: None
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
Choose Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
Perks: Thousands of dollars in credits and discounts, like $5,000 in AWS credits, $150 in Google Ads credits, 50% discount on Dropbox plans, and a 20% Zoom subscription discount
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
Annual fee: $0
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
$50,000 minimum bank account balance required for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
Available to venture-backed companies (not sole proprietors) with at least $50,000 in the bank, the Brex 30 Card is designed for big spenders. If you’re not venture-backed, the requirement is $100,000.
But the perks are pretty big, too. You’ll get to choose one of three valuable rewards programs, and there’s a giant list of credits and discounts to take advantage of. They include $5,000 in AWS credits, 40% off your first year of QuickBooks, a 5% rebate on Microsoft ad purchases, 25% off eligible Slack plans, and many more.
Tech Rewards
Life Sciences Rewards
Remote Workforce Rewards
7X points per dollar on:
Rideshares
Taxis
4X points per dollar on:
Flights booked through Brex Travel
Hotels booked through Brex Travel
3X points per dollar on:
Dining
Eligible Apple products via the Brex portal
2X points per dollar on Recurring Software purchases
1X point per dollar on every other purchase
7X points per dollar on Conference tickets
4X points per dollar on:
Flights booked through Brex Travel
Hotels booked through Brex Travel
3X points per dollar on eligible Apple products via the Brex portal
2X points per dollar on Lab supplies
1X point per dollar on every other purchase
7X points per dollar on Collaboration tools
3X points per dollar on Food delivery services
2X points per dollar on Recurring Software purchases
1X point per dollar on every other purchase
This is a charge card, meaning you must pay the full statement balance by the due date.
Perks: Thousands of dollars in statement credits, plus discounts and more, for services like Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Google Ads, SendGrid, and Twilio (explained here)
Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
No foreign transaction fee
Annual fee: $0
Employee card fee: None
Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
$50,000 minimum bank account balance required for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
Choose either Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
$5,000 in Amazon Web Services credit over a year
$150 in Google Ads credit
5% rebate on Microsoft ad products
50% discount on all Dropbox Standard, Business, and Advanced plans
20% discount on annual Zoom subscription
No foreign transaction fee
No annual fee
Minimum of $50,000 required in bank account for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
Not available to consumers, sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
What’s the Best Rewards Credit Card?
Reward credit cards come in a few different types, so there’s more than one “best” reward card. Some of our favorites are:
You make purchases and earn rewards, usually in the form of points or cash back
You redeem those rewards, usually for statement credits, travel expenses, or gift cards
This effectively gives you a small discount on pretty much everything you buy with a credit card. You can typically log in to your account online to check your rewards balance; in some cases you can see it on your credit card statement too.
Some travel rewards cards also let you transfer your points to airline and hotel loyalty programs. This can be a great way to get even more out of your credit card, because you can shop around for the most cost-effective travel bookings (in terms of point value).
Insider tip
Looking for simple ways to enhance your credit card rewards strategy? Try a cash back app, like Dosh. It lets you earn cash back at certain retailers, even if your card wouldn’t normally earn rewards.
What Types of Reward Credit Cards Are There?
Reward credit cards provide their spending rewards in several different ways:
Points that can be redeemed for statement credits, merchandise, gift cards, etc., or transferred to partner loyalty programs.
Cash back, which is a certain percentage of each purchase.
Store-specific points that can only be redeemed with the retailer that provides the card.
Airline miles that can be redeemed for free flights and discounts.
Hotel-specific points that can be redeemed for free stays at hotels and other discounts.
There are reward cards for a variety of purposes, too: Some for everyday spending, some for general travel, some for specific airlines or hotels, some for business owners, and many more.
Chances are, there’s a rewards card out there with your name on it (or at least it’s ready to get your name printed on it).
Looking for other types of credit cards you didn’t see here? Take a look at our full selection of Best Credit Card Picks in a variety of categories.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, please click here.
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