Best rewards credit cards

Banks are scrambling for your business and many are offering attractive rewards credit cards to get you on board, but not all rewards cards are treated equally.

Credit card issuers design rewards programs to appeal to different types of customers, with various spending habits. Some rewards programs cater to frequent travelers or fun-loving millennial’s, while others offer great rewards for suburban families. Chances are, one of these fantastic rewards cards is right for you.

Best rewards credit card for big families: American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Credit Card

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months.

Why it’s best

The benefits of the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card are a dream come true for families. While other cards reward you for going out and painting the town red, the Blue Cash Preferred Card rewards you for dining in and binge-watching your favorite TV series.

The Blue Cash Preferred Card also offers some great travel benefits and rewards you for everyday transportation expenses, whether you drive a car or take public transit. So, if you are a suburban family with several mouths to feed, this might be the card for you.

Bonus points

• Earn a $250 statement credit when you use the Blue Cash Preferred Card to make $1,000 during the first three months of membership.
• Earn 6% cash back on grocery purchases, up to $6,000 per year, and 6% cash back rewards on streaming services such as Netflix. The supermarket offer does not apply to purchases made at superstores such as Walmart.
• Earn 3% cash back on gasoline purchases and transportation expenses such as airline tickets, parking, taxis, tolls and train and bus tickets. The gasoline offer only applies to purchases made a gas stations and exclude fuel purchases made at warehouse stores or superstores.

Best rewards credit card for people pay using mobile payment apps: Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Credit Card

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card

Earn a $150 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in the first 3 months.

Why it’s best

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card features an outstanding introductory offer with a low threshold cash back bonus and no interest for over a year. Transfer your balance from a high-interest card and pay it off while earning Cash Wise rewards.

At the checkout stand, technophiles can use the Cash Wise card to tap and go with their favorite digital wallet, while earning extra points during the first year. And when they shop at Wells Fargo’s online Earn More Mall, they can always earn bonus points. The Earn More Mall features products from some of America’s top retailers, including Apple, Bed Bath & Beyond, eBay, Nike and Walmart.

Bonus points

• No annual fee and 0% interest for the first 15 months of membership.
• Earn a $150 cash reward bonus when you use the card to make $500 worth of purchases during the first three months of membership.
• Earn 20% more rewards points on purchases you make using a mobile wallet app during the first 12 months of membership. You can use your Cash Wise card with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Mobile payment apps enable you to make payments using your cellular phone, so you don’t need to carry your credit card.

Best rewards credit card for paying off high interest debt: Citi Simplicity® Credit Card

Citi Simplicity® Card

No Late Fees, No Penalty Rate, and No Annual Fee… Ever.

Why it’s best

Take advantage of interest-free purchases during your first year of membership with the Citi Simplicity Card. Lots of credit cards come with an interest-free introductory period, but the Simplicity card features a crazy long 21 month no-interest period that just applies to balances transferred from other credit cards. 

More and more credit card companies are jumping into the digital wallet arena and Citi is no exception. You can use your Simplicity card with the three top digital wallet apps, but Citi also gives you another option that makes online purchases much faster and easier. And, when it is time to pay your Simplicity bill, Citi gives you options that will not leave you short on cash.

Bonus points

• There’s 0% interest on purchases for the first 12 months of membership and 0% on balance transfers for the first 21 months. To qualify for the balance transfer offer, you must make the transfer during the first four months of membership and pay a $5 or 5% (whichever is higher) transfer fee.
• Use the Citi Simplicity card to shop with a digital wallet app, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Citi also gives cardholders the extra option of linking their Simplicity card to their PayPal accounts for faster checkout at millions of online stores. PayPal stores your billing and shipping information, so when you click the “Pay with PayPal” button at checkout, you do not have to waste time entering addresses. 
• Pay your credit card bill at a time that fits your payday schedule by choosing your payment due date.

Best rewards credit card for people who want maximum rewards for certain types of purchases: Chase Freedom® Credit Card

Chase Freedom®

Earn a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Why it’s best

The Chase Freedom Credit Card offers maximum rewards when you make purchases in certain bonus categories. The categories change throughout the year, making it easy to earn rewards on all types of goods and services. 

The Freedom card also has a fantastic introductory rate for purchases and balance transfers. And, if you refer friends and family to the Freedom program, Chase will reward you with cash bonuses. 

Bonus points

• No annual fee and 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months of membership. During the introductory period, you pay a 3% fee on balance transfers during the first 60 days of membership and a 5% transfer fee after that. 
• Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 worth of purchases per quarter when you use the Freedom card to buy goods and services in Chase’s bonus categories. Bonus categories include purchases made for commuting, entertainment, fitness memberships, groceries, internet service, travel and many more. Bonus categories change quarterly and you must activate the feature to receive the 5% rewards offer. For instance, one quarter may feature 5% cash rewards on gasoline purchases and streaming services at participating merchants. Once you activate the bonuses, you can earn 5% cash rewards on combined purchases in all featured categories. Earn 1% cash rewards on all other purchases.

Best rewards credit card for online shoppers: Capital One Quicksilver® Rewards Credit Card

Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card

One-time $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

Why it’s best

With Capital One’s Quicksilver card, you earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. New members also enjoy a cash back bonus and a generous no-interest period. Quicksilver also comes with a host of travel benefits such as travel assistance services and travel accident insurance.

But what makes Quicksilver stand out most is its fantastic online shopping benefits. Capital One’s shopping tools help you find the lowest prices and reward you with a partial refund when you pay too much for an item. If you shop online for just about everything, Quicksilver might be the card for you. With Capital One’s Quicksilver card, you earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. New members also enjoy a cash back bonus and a generous no-interest period. Quicksilver also comes with a host of travel benefits such as travel assistance services and travel accident insurance.

Bonus points

• No annual fee and 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months of membership. Balance transfers incur a 3% fee during the introductory period.
• Earn a $150 cash back bonus when the card is used to make $500 in purchases during the first three months of membership.
• Quicksilver members can receive partial refunds on merchandise with Capital One’s Paribus service. Paribus keeps track of your online purchases and monitors merchants for price reductions. If the price of the item you purchased drops, Paribus automatically files a refund request with the merchant. Participating merchants include popular retailers such as Amazon, Gap, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Target and Walmart.

Best rewards credit card for people who want flexible rewards: Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card

No annual fee.

Why it’s best

The Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card features a liberal no-interest introductory period that applies to purchases and balance transfers, plus a cash back bonus to get you started.

But this cash rewards card pulls ahead of the pack by offering you the ability to decide on which types of purchases you want to apply top rewards. In your everyday life, you might want to receive the highest rewards for purchases such as transportation costs or dining out. But you can switch your rewards structure to receive the highest rewards on online shopping during the holiday season or travel expenses during vacation.
The Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card features a liberal no-interest introductory period that applies to purchases and balance transfers, plus a cash back bonus to get you started.

Bonus points

• No annual fee and 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles. Balance transfers incur a 3% fee and you must make a transfer within the first 60 days of membership to enjoy the no-interest benefit.
• Earn a $200 cash bonus when you use the card for $1,000 in purchases during the first 90 days of membership.
• Earn 3% cash back rewards in a category of your choice such as dining, home improvement or travel. Enjoy 2% cash back when you shop at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. The 3% and 2% cash rewards benefit apply to a combined total of the first $2,500 spent in a quarter. Using Bank of America’s mobile app, you can change your preferred 3% reward category.

Best rewards credit card for people who want to design their own rewards:  U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Credit Card

U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card

Earn up to $550 cash back in the first year.

Why it’s best

The U.S. Bank Cash Visa gives you maximum cash back flexibility by allowing you to choose three categories to receive the highest rewards. If your highest expenses are groceries and utility bills, you can assign the highest rewards to those categories. And if gasoline is your third highest expense, you can allocate another rewards benefit to cover fill-ups. With the ability to change categories, the Cash+ card gives you the freedom to design your own rewards program based on your spending needs.

The Cash+ card also features a low $20 minimum rewards redemption threshold and allows you to receive cash back in the form of a checking account deposit, gift card or statement credit.

Bonus points

• No annual fee.
• Earn 5% cash back rewards on purchases in two categories of your choice and 2% cash back on purchases in one everyday category of your choice. Plus, earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. To earn the 5% cash reward, you must make a combined total of at least $2,000 in a quarter. You can change your 5% and 2% categories each quarter to suit your spending needs.

Best rewards credit card for Bank of America and Merrill Lynch account holders: Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card

Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card

Receive 50,000 bonus points – a $500 value – after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Why it’s best

The Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card features an introductory offer that will flood your account with rewards points within the first few months of membership. You earn points on every purchase but rack up the rewards when you use the card for travel and dining purchases.

The Premium Rewards card has loads of perks that help pay for incidental travel costs and airport security application fees, along with automobile protections, concierge services, purchase protections and travel insurance. Plus, when you use the card overseas, you’ll pay no foreign transaction fees.
The Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card features an introductory offer that will flood your account with rewards points within the first few months of membership. You earn points on every purchase but rack up the rewards when you use the card for travel and dining purchases.

Bonus points

• Earn 50,000 rewards points when you use the card to make $3,000 in purchases during the first 90 days of membership.
• Earn two rewards points for every dollar you spend on dining and travel expenses and 1.5 points on all other purchases. Preferred Rewards customers who have a Bank of America checking or savings account, or a Merrill investment account, can earn up to 3.5 points on dining and travel purchases and up to 2.62 points on other purchases.
• Earn up to a $100 statement credit when you use the Premium Rewards card to pay for incidental travel costs like airline lounge fees, baggage fees, inflight-services and seat upgrades. And you can receive up to a $100 statement credit if you use the card to pay Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ fees.

Best rewards credit card for people who spend big on dining out and entertainment: Capital One SavorOne℠ Card

Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Earn a one-time $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Why it’s best

The Capital One SavorOne credit card offers big rewards for folks who like to have fun. The card offers its highest rewards for dining and entertainment purchases, making it a perfect card for millennials. Use the SavorOne card when you travel and enjoy no foreign transaction fees, travel accident insurance and concierge services. 

New members can enjoy an extended no-interest period and earn a cash back bonus with a low threshold. SavorOne members also enjoy Capital One’s shopping tools, which help them save money and receive refunds on qualified purchases. 
The Capital One SavorOne credit card offers big rewards for folks who like to have fun. The card offers its highest rewards for dining and entertainment purchases, making it a perfect card for millennials. Use the SavorOne card when you travel and enjoy no foreign transaction fees, travel accident insurance and concierge services. 

Bonus points

• No annual fee and 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months of membership. Balance transfers incur a 3% fee. 
• Earn a $150 cash bonus when you use the card to make at least $500 worth of purchases in the first three months of membership.
• Earn 3% cash back rewards when you use the card for dining and entertainment purchases. Qualified entertainment purchases include admission to aquariums, bowling alleys, dance halls, tourist attractions and zoos, but does not include collegiate sporting events and golf course greens fees. Earn 2% cash rewards for grocery store purchases and 1% on all other purchases. The grocery rewards benefit does not apply to purchases made at superstores such as Target and Walmart.