Mastercard reward card is a fairly vague term, which can refer to two very different types of plastic. For starters, there are credit cards on the Mastercard network that reward you for each purchase. Mastercard gift cards are sometimes referred to as reward cards, too, especially when you get them by redeeming credit card rewards or through some sort of incentive program. A Mastercard debit card with rewards could also qualify, but debit card rewards are largely a thing of the past.
We don’t recommend using Mastercard (or Visa) gift cards because they charge fees that can eat away at your balance. Furthermore, some retailers’ gift cards are pretty much as good as cash – Amazon.com, for example.
Rewards Mastercard credit cards are another story, though. Some of the market’s best rewards credit cards are on the Mastercard network. So you could very well miss out on a great deal if you don’t at least consider them.
To help you find the right Mastercard rewards for your particular needs, WalletHub’s editors compared all of the qualifying offers in our database of 1,000+ cards. And we selected the top picks in the most popular categories.
Here are the best rewards Mastercard cards for 2018:
| Best Mastercard Rewards For… | Card Name | Annual Fee | Type of Rewards | Min. Credit Required | Editor’s Rating |
| No Annual Fee | Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer | $0* | Cash Back | Good | 5.0 / 5 |
| Students | Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card for College Students | $0* | Points | Good | 4.0 / 5 |
| Small Business | Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card | None | Cash Back | Excellent | N/A |
| Building Credit | Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card | $39 | Cash Back | Limited History | 4.7 / 5 |
| Rebuilding Credit | SunTrust Secured Credit Card | $32 | Cash Back | Bad | N/A |
Clearly, your credit card choice will depend on your credit standing. So make sure to check your latest credit score early in the process. You can also compare your favorite rewards Mastercard to the top Visa rewards cards to make sure you get the best terms.