Best Rewards Credit Cards

Why We Like It: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening, plus $250 to use on Capital One Travel in the first year (limited-time offer). That is equal to $1,000 in travel. You can also save hundreds of dollars with the card’s ongoing rewards. It gives you 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per $1 spent on Capital One Entertainment purchases, and 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases.

What We Don’t Like: This card charges a $95 annual fee.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Capital One Venture if you have good credit or better, you like to travel, and you can make the most of the card’s rewards.

Why We Like It: With the American Express Platinum Card® you may be eligible to earn as high as 175,000 points for spending $12,000 on eligible 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 $12,000 in 6 months, and receive the points). Cardholders also earn 1 - 5 points per $1 spent on purchases.

In addition, this card gives you a variety of annual statement credits as well as many luxury perks, including access to Amex’s Global Lounge Collection®.

What We Don’t Like: The Platinum Card® charges a $895 annual fee.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Platinum Card® if you have good credit or better and you can enjoy the perks on a regular basis.

Why We Like It: The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 3% cash back on other entertainment expenses, along with additional bonus cash back categories. There’s also $200 for spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. The card also offers an introductory APR of 0% for 12 months on purchases.

What We Don’t Like: The card has a high regular APR of 18.49% - 28.49% (V).

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card if you have good credit or better and your top expenses include entertainment, groceries and dining out.

Why We Like It: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is the best cash rewards credit card because it gives 2% cash rewards on purchases, along with an initial bonus of $200 cash rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. Wells Fargo Active Cash also offers introductory APRs of 0% for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. It has a $0 annual fee, too.

What We Don’t Like: The regular APR definitely isn’t low, so you don’t want to carry a balance from month to month after the introductory promotion ends. There’s also a balance transfer fee.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Wells Fargo Active Cash if you want to have one great all-around credit card to use for everything and you’d prefer to earn cash rewards.

Why We Like It: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the best rewards credit card for bonus cash back at U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets. It gives 1 - 6% cash back on purchases, with U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 spent each year), select U.S. streaming services, eligible U.S. gas stations, and transit expenses earning bonus rewards. Note that cash back is received in the form of reward dollars and can be redeemed as a statement credit and at checkout on Amazon.com.

Plus, Blue Cash Preferred starts new cardholders off with a nice initial bonus offer: 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). There’s also a $0 intro annual fee the first year. 

What We Don’t Like: The Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card’s annual fee is $95 from the second year on.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Blue Cash Preferred Card if you have good credit or better, spend enough to qualify for the initial bonus, and regularly make purchases from U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, U.S. streaming services and transit services.

Why We Like It: Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers 5% cash back on travel through Chase Travel, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases. New cardholders also get an initial bonus of $250 for spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months (limited-time offer), plus an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers.           

What We Don’t Like: The card has a high regular APR and a balance transfer fee.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Chase Freedom Unlimited if you have good credit or better and the bonus rewards categories complement your spending habits.

Why We Like It: The Wells Fargo Attune® Card offers attractive reward rates in a unique blend of spending categories, designed to promote self-care and care for the planet. Cardholders earn 4% cash rewards on self-care, select sports, recreation & entertainment and planet friendly purchases (including EV charging stations, public transportation, and purchasing select second hand and vintage), as well as 1% cash rewards on other purchases.

The Wells Fargo Attune® Card also offers an initial bonus of $100 cash rewards after spending $500 in the first 3 months.

What We Don’t Like: This card has a high APR, and there’s no guarantee your spending habits will line up with its unique bonus rewards categories. You might end up earning 1% on a lot of purchases.

Who Should Get It: Apply for the Wells Fargo Attune® Card if you have good credit and you spend a lot in the 4% categories.

Why We Like It: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best credit cards for a big initial bonus right now because it offers 75,000 points for spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Those bonus points are worth $750 when redeemed for cash, gift cards, and travel. And when it comes to ongoing rewards, you will earn 1 - 5 points per $1 spent.

What We Don’t Like: Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee. It has a high APR, too, but you can avoid that by paying your bill in full every month.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for Chase Sapphire Preferred if you have above-average credit and you can take full advantage of all the bonus rewards.

Why We Like It: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the best credit card for a cash back bonus offer, offering 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). Cardholders earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 spent per year), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% back on other eligible purchases, received as rewards dollars (which can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout). The card also comes with a low introductory APR.

What We Don’t Like: Blue Cash Preferred has a high regular APR.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Blue Cash Preferred if you want to earn bonus cash back on purchases.

Why We Like It: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is the best rewards credit card with no annual fee because it gives 2% cash rewards on purchases, along with an initial bonus of $200 cash rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. It even offers introductory APRs of 0% for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers to go along with its great rewards and lack of an annual fee.

What We Don’t Like: The regular APR is pretty high, so you don’t want to carry a balance from month to month after the introductory promotion ends. There’s also a balance transfer fee.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Wells Fargo Active Cash if you want to have one great all-around credit card and you don’t want to pay an annual fee.

Why We Like It: The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of the best rewards credit cards with no annual fee because it gives 1.5 - 5% cash back on purchases an initial bonus of $250 for spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months (limited-time offer). Plus, Chase Freedom Unlimited offers an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers.           

What We Don’t Like: Carrying a balance from month to month when the regular APR is in effect will get expensive fast. Also, if you’re transferring a balance, make sure to account for the transfer fee.

Who Should Get It: Apply for Chase Freedom Unlimited if you want to earn bonus cash rewards on purchases without paying an annual fee.

Why We Like It: The First Federal Community Bank Zero+ Card is the best 0% APR credit card right now, and it also offers 4% cash back on prepaid travel booked directly in the Rewards Center. Cards with long 0% promotions typically don’t provide any rewards, but this is an outlier. Cardholders get an introductory APR of 0% for 24 months on purchases and balance transfers.

What We Don’t Like: The First Federal Community Bank Zero+ Card has a regular APR of 17.24% - 28.24% (V) and a transfer fee of 5% (min $5).

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the First Federal Community Bank Zero+ Card if you have good credit or better, you need two years of interest-free purchases, and you want to earn rewards on prepaid travel purchases.

Why We Like It: The Petal 2 Visa Card is one of the best rewards credit cards for people with limited or fair credit due to its low fixed costs and generous rewards rates. For starters, the Petal 2 Card has a $0 annual fee. In addition, the card gives 1% - 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases, depending on cardholders’ payment history.

What We Don’t Like: It takes a while to get the top rewards rate. New cardholders earn 1% back until they’ve paid six straight monthly bills on time, at which point they start to earn 1.25% back on all purchases. Then, after 12 consecutive on-time payments, the earning rate jumps to 1.5% back.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card if you have limited or no credit history, are not enrolled in school, and want to save money with rewards as you build credit. College students might be able to get better terms.

Why We Like It: The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is the most rewarding credit card available to students with limited credit history, and it also has a $0 annual fee.

Spending at least $100 in the first 3 months after opening an account triggers an initial bonus of $50. Cardholders also earn 1 - 8% cash back on purchases.

What We Don’t Like: This card has a fairly high regular interest rate, so avoid carrying balance from month to month.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for this card if you’re a student with limited credit who wants to earn cash rewards.

Why We Like It: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is the best rewards credit card for people with bad credit because it has a $0 annual fee and rewards cardholders with 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases. Discover will also match the rewards new cardmembers earn the first year, as an anniversary bonus.

What We Don’t Like: You have to place a security deposit of at least $200. Then, your spending limit equals the amount of your deposit.

Who Should Get It: Consider applying for Discover it® Secured Credit Card if you want to earn a lot of rewards while you fix your credit.