Best Credit Cards for Online Shopping

Why We Like It: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers an initial bonus of $200 cash rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. That’s a significant bonus with a relatively low spending requirement. You also get 2% cash rewards when you shop, both online and in-store.

Since the card has a $0 annual fee, all of the rewards that you earn are pure profit, assuming you don’t carry a balance. In addition, if you need to pay off a big online purchase over time, you can take advantage of the card’s intro APR of 0% for 12 months from account opening.

What We Don’t Like: The card’s regular APR is 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable. It has a 3% foreign transaction fee, too.

Who Should Get It: The Wells Fargo Active Cash is best for people with at least good credit who want to earn cash rewards on purchases without paying an annual fee.

Why We Like It: Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers 1.5 - 5% cash back on purchases. More specifically, Chase Freedom Unlimited rewards cardholders with 1.5 - 5% cash back, with bonus rewards on travel booked through Chase Travel, plus drugstore and restaurant purchases.

The card comes with an initial bonus of $250 for spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months (limited-time offer), which is a 50% return on the spending requirement! You can save even more money by taking advantage of the card’s financing offers, too. It gives 0% for 15 months on purchases and 0% for 15 months on balance transfers.  

What We Don’t Like: The card’s foreign transaction fee is 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars, so it’s not good for purchases from merchants based abroad. In addition, after the intro period ends, the regular APR of 18.24% - 27.74% (V) applies. There’s also a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days (5%, min $5 after).

Who Should Get It: Consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited if you have at least good credit and you want to earn great rewards while also financing purchases without interest.

Why We Like It: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers as high as $300 cash back for spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months (welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer; apply and, if approved, find out your offer amount and accept the card with your offer, spend $3,000 in 6 months, and receive the cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout). That’s a bigger potential bonus offer than most cash back cards bring to the table these days.

Cardholders also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, along with 6% cash back on up to $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year, 3% back at eligible U.S. gas stations, and 3% back on transit. All other eligible purchases yield 1% cash back, which is received in the form of reward dollars and can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

Plus, the Blue Cash Preferred charges a $0 intro annual fee the first year. It also offers 0% for 12 months as an introductory APR for both purchases and balance transfers.

What We Don’t Like: The annual fee is $95 from the second year onward. That’s not overly expensive, but it’s still an extra cost to worry about. In addition, once the promotional financing period ends, the regular APR is 19.49% - 28.49% (V), which is very high.

The card also charges a balance transfer fee of 3% (min $5), and its foreign transaction fee is 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

Who Should Get It: Get the Blue Cash Preferred if you have at least good credit and you spend a lot on streaming, groceries, gas, and transit. You’ll need to earn enough rewards to offset the annual fee for the card to be worthwhile.

Why We Like It: The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express gives you 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, so it’s targeted toward people who do much of their shopping on the web. The card offers the same bonus rate on supermarket and gas purchases. Each bonus category has its own $6,000 yearly spending cap, after which any further purchases in those categories earn 1% back.

You can even use your cash back (which is received in the form of Reward Dollars) directly for more online shopping by redeeming them at checkout on Amazon.com, or you can simply get a statement credit.

On top of that, you can earn as high as $200 cash back for spending $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months (welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer; apply and, if approved, find out your offer amount and accept the card with your offer, spend $2,000 in 6 months, and receive the cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout). In addition, you can receive a $7 statement credit each month for a subscription purchase at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites (enrollment required). And even though the card gives so much value, it still has a $0 annual fee and offers promotional financing on purchases.

What We Don’t Like: Once the card’s promotional period ends, the regular APR is 19.49% - 28.49% (V), which is quite high. There’s also a balance transfer fee of 3% (min $5), and the foreign transaction fee is 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

Who Should Get It: Get the Amex Blue Cash Everyday if you have at least good credit and you want to maximize your rewards on online purchases as well as other everyday spending.

Why We Like It: The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card gives 6% cash back on up to $1,500 spent per quarter with two retailers that you select. For example, you can pick places that are great for online shopping, like Amazon and Target.

This card also comes with an initial bonus of $250 bonus after you spend $2,000 within 120 days, which is pretty competitive. Plus, it has a $0 intro annual fee the first year.

What We Don’t Like: After the first year, the annual fee jumps to $95. In addition, while this card has a bigger initial bonus than many other cash back cards, it also has a higher (though still attainable) spending requirement to earn it. In addition, the card’s APR can be pretty high, and it doesn’t offer any promotional APRs on purchases or balance transfers.

Who Should Get It: The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card may be a good fit for you if you have at least excellent credit and you want the freedom to pick your own top bonus categories. If you spend a lot of money at two specific stores, this card can be very lucrative.

Why We Like It: The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card gives you 6% cash back on purchases in a category of your choice for the first year, and online shopping is one of the options. That bonus rate gets halved from the second year onward, but that’s still a great return. The card gives good rewards on groceries and wholesale club purchases, too, along with 1% back on everything else.

In addition, your rewards get boosted by 25% to 75% if you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, depending on how much money you have in your bank account. You can earn an initial bonus of $200 for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days, too.

Finally, the card can save you money on purchases and balance transfers made in the first 60 days with an introductory APR of 0% for 15 billing cycles, and it has a $0 annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: After the 0% intro APR period ends, the regular APR of 17.49% - 27.49% Variable kicks in. The card also has a balance transfer fee of 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 5%. It charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, too. Bonus rewards in the choice category, as well as at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, are also capped at $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter.

Who Should Get It: The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card is worth considering if you have built up excellent credit and you want more control over your bonus categories.

Why We Like It: The Prime Visa is the best credit card for purchases at Amazon, which is obviously one of the most popular places to shop online. It gives 1 - 5% cash rewards, has a $0 annual fee, and saves you money right away. New cardholders get a $150 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval. Very few credit cards give an initial bonus with no spending requirements like this one does.

What We Don’t Like: Your APR can end up being pretty expensive, so we don’t recommend carrying a balance. You’ll also need to be an Amazon Prime member to get this card.

Who Should Get It: The Prime Visa is great for Amazon Prime members with good credit or better.

Why We Like It: The OnePay Walmart Credit Card offers an initial bonus of 3,500 points after spending $75 or more within 30 days. While that’s not huge, the spending requirement is very low, so it’s easy to earn.

You will also earn 3 points per $1 spent at Walmart, online and in-store, as well as 1.5 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, there’s a $0 annual fee and a $0 foreign transaction fee.

What We Don’t Like: The card’s APR is very high, at 20.24% - 30.74% (V). You won’t get any promotional financing on purchases, and you’re not allowed to make balance transfers to the card.

Who Should Get It: Get the OnePay Walmart Credit Card if you shop frequently at Walmart and have good credit or better. If you don’t qualify for this card, you’ll be considered for a “OnePay Walmart Store Card,” which only works at Walmart.

Why We Like It: The Target Credit Card always rewards shoppers with a 5% discount at Target and Target.com, plus free shipping. Cardholders also get $50 off a future qualifying purchase over $50 in the first 60 days.

In other words, this card is a must-have for Target shoppers because it can save you a ton of money at the store. Plus, your Target purchases get 30 extra days for returns, and the annual fee is $0.

What We Don’t Like: The card’s APR is very high, at 28.20% (V). It doesn’t provide any promotional financing deals, either.

Who Should Get It: Get the Target Credit Card if you regularly shop at Target and have at least fair credit.

Why We Like It: The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of the best credit cards for students who like to shop online. For starters, it has a $0 annual fee and comes with an initial bonus of $50 for spending $100 in the first 3 months. While that bonus isn’t huge, it’s easy to earn, which is especially important given that students have limited income and may not be able to spend a lot.

Plus, cardholders can earn 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, along with 1% back on all other purchases (except for 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases). Those are fantastic rates in some of students’ biggest spending categories.

What We Don’t Like: The APR can be pretty high, and there’s no introductory 0% APR. Other than that, though, there’s not much to dislike.

Who Should Get It: Get the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card if you’re a student looking to build credit and earn rewards on your purchases, including those made online.

Why We Like It: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is the best option for people with bad credit because it has great rewards and a $0 annual fee. It gives 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases.

Discover also matches the rewards you earn during your first year as a new cardmember, which is a very uncommon but potentially very valuable introductory bonus. You don’t have to spend a certain amount to get the bonus, and there’s no cap on your potential earnings.

What We Don’t Like: Since the Discover it Secured Credit Card is a secured card, you’ll have to put down a security deposit of at least $200 to open the account. The amount of the deposit will become your credit limit. In addition, the card has a high APR, at 26.49% Variable.

Who Should Get It: Apply for the Discover it Secured Credit Card if you have bad credit and you’re looking for a good cash back card.

Why We Like It: The Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card is the best rewards card for people with limited credit because it gives 1% cash back on all eligible purchases, up to 1.25% back after 6 months of on-time payments, and 1.5% cash back after 12 consecutive months of paying on time. The card also has a $0 annual fee, allowing you to build credit cheaply.

There’s a 0% foreign transaction fee, too, so if you need to buy something from a foreign merchant online or while traveling, you won’t have to pay extra.

What We Don’t Like: The APR is very high, at 28.24% - 30.24% (V). In addition, the card does not allow balance transfers, and there aren’t any promotional APRs on purchases.

Who Should Get It: The Petal 2 Card is a good option for people with limited credit who want to minimize costs while still earning a solid amount of cash back.

Why We Like It: The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card is the best secured card with flexible rewards. It’s available to people with below average credit and has a $0 annual fee. It gives 1 - 6% cash back on purchases, and it allows you to pick your own top bonus category, with online shopping as one of the options.

In addition, you can get a security deposit of up to $5,000 by depositing an equivalent amount to the card. That’s one of the bigger maximum deposits on the market.

What We Don’t Like: You’ll need to put down a security deposit of at least $200 to open the account, which will tie up that cash until you close the card with a $0 balance or graduate to an unsecured card. The card’s APR is high, too, at 27.49% (V).

Who Should Get It: The Bank of America Custom Cash Secured Card is a good choice for people with bad credit who want more control over their rewards or a high credit limit.