VISA Rewards Credit Cards

More than 75 Visa credit cards have the word “Platinum” in their name, as of Feb. 2019. But not all of them have rewards, and even fewer are elite, luxurious offers worthy of that label. Still, there are several top-notch Visa Platinum credit cards with plenty of worthwhile perks.

Here are the best Visa Platinum Rewards cards:

• UMB Simply Rewards Visa Platinum Credit Card
• USAA® Rate Advantage Visa Platinum® Card
• PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card
• Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card

The best Visa Platinum rewards cards may also come with supplemental benefits such as rental car insurance, extended warranties and travel accident insurance. But so too do many Mastercard rewards cards, and you don’t want to miss out on a great deal by eliminating from consideration cards from one major network without a good reason.

The best Visa rewards card depends on how you plan to use the card and redeem your rewards. People who travel a lot will want different cards than people who mainly charge gas and groceries, for example. Similarly, students will want cards that cater to their specific needs, as will business owners. Your choice of cards is limited by your creditworthiness, too. Luckily, there are options for everyone.

Popular Visa Rewards Cards:

• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Chase Freedom Unlimited®

• Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students

• Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business

The best Visa rewards cards provide the most value if you pay your monthly bill in full. If you carry a balance from month to month, interest charges could negate, if not wipe out completely, any rewards earned.

Credit cards change networks from time to time, but all of the above cards are Visas as of the date of posting.

I got approved for the Amazon Prime Visa Signature card a couple of days ago with a 626 Experian score. I have a 2% utilization and a $35 balance on my file when approved. I think what helped was that I don't have any debt obligations like a mortgage or rent. (19-year-old college student living with parents) 5 inquiries on my credit report counting the Chase inquiry for the card. If you’re in a similar situation it might be worth applying for. Still could be a longshot. Also, $30k annual income currently.

The best Capital One Visa rewards card is the Capital One Venture Rewards card because it offers a sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles, worth $500 in travel. To get the bonus, spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Venture cardholders also earn 10 miles per $1 spent at hotels.com/venture and 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases. You can redeem for any travel expense, too, with no restrictions. The annual fee is $95.  All these factors make Venture not just a good Visa rewards card but also one of the best travel rewards cards in general.

For travel rewards without the annual fee, the VentureOne Rewards card has a 20,000 miles initial bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. However, you only get 1.25 miles per $1 on all purchases (with the exception of 10 per $1 at hotels.com/venture).

Both Venture and VentureOne, like all Capital One credit cards, do not charge foreign transaction fees.

The best Visa Select rewards credit card is the BBVA Compass Select Visa card. It offers a 50,000 points bonus for spending $2,000 in the first 90 days, along with 3 points per $1 spent in a category of your choice and 2 points per $1 in two other categories of your choice. All other purchases earn 1 point per $1. In addition, the card offers a $100 statement credit for spending $20,000 in the first year of the account. And it gives 1,000 bonus points in any month that you spend $5,000 or more. There is a $125 annual fee. But it’s waived for the first year.

The “Select” in “Visa Select” doesn’t really mean anything special. Various issuers add that word to their card name to make the card sound more attractive. Each card has different terms and rewards set by the issuer. But some cards, like the BBVA card, really are worthy of the “Select” title.

The best Chase rewards Visa card is Chase Sapphire Preferred because it offers a sign up bonus of 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first three months. That’s a $750 value when you redeem for travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Also, there’s 2 points per $1 spent on travel and dining purchases. All other purchases earn 1 point per $1 spent. And you can transfer points to over a dozen hotel and airline loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio. Sapphire Preferred comes with a $95 annual fee.

If you prefer straight cash back rewards and don’t want to pay an annual fee, you should consider Chase Freedom Unlimited. You’ll earn 3% cash back on all purchases up to $20,000 in your first year. After that, all purchases net 1.5% cash back.

As rewards cards on the Visa network, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Freedom Unlimited enjoy wide global acceptance. Visa cards can be used in more than 200 countries and territories, at almost all merchants where credit cards are accepted. Sapphire Preferred is better for international purchases, because it has a $0 foreign transaction fee. Freedom Unlimited charges a 3% fee on all international purchases.

The best PNC Visa rewards card is the PNC Points Visa Credit Card because it offers 4 points per $1 spent on all purchases. It also has a bonus of 50,000 points after spending just $750 in the first 3 billing cycles from account opening. Plus, there’s no annual fee, and you’ll get an introductory APR of 0% for 12 months.

PNC Points Visa cardholders can also get a 25%, 50% or 75% bonus on points earned in a billing cycle if they have a qualifying PNC virtual wallet/checking account. Just bear in mind that you’ll have to meet specific minimum balance and direct deposit requirements to be eligible.

If you want cash back, the PNC Cash Rewards Visa Card is another good option to consider. It has no annual fee and offers 4% cash back on gas, 3% on dining, and 2% at grocery stores for the first $8,000 in combined purchases each year. You’ll get 1% cash back on all other purchases. There’s also a $100 bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. You’ll need a minimum of $25 cash back before you can redeem for statement credits or direct deposits.

Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best Visa for bonus rewards. It has a huge signup bonus: 60,000 points once you spend $4,000 in the first three months. It also gives 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining, and 1 point per $1 spent all other purchases. There is a $95 annual fee, but it’s worth it if you get the initial bonus.

Best Visa Bonus Rewards Cards:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – signup bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months, redeemable for $750 in travel expenses or a $600 statement credit.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – signup bonus of 50,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months, redeemable for $500 in travel expenses.

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card – signup bonus of 50,000 points after spending $4,500 in the first three months, redeemable for $750 in travel expenses. Cardholders also get reimbursed up to $325 for travel purchases every year.

World of Hyatt Credit Card – signup bonus of 25,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months, plus 25,000 points after spending a total of $6,000 in the first six months. Those 50,000 points are redeemable for more than $1k in Hyatt reservations.

Credit cards with large signup bonuses are typically accompanied by high annual fees. The best Visa bonus rewards cards have annual fees ranging from $95 to $400, and they all require good-to-excellent credit to be approved.

Visa World Points were rewards from the Bank of America Visa Signature WorldPoints and BofA WorldPoints for Business Visa credit cards. However, those cards are no longer available. The only WorldPoints credit card available right now is the Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard from Bank of America. It offers 3 WorldPoints for every dollar spent on Norwegian Cruise Line purchases and 1 WorldPoint per dollar on all other purchases. Those WorldPoints are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for airfare, 1 cent each when redeemed for hotel or rental car reservations, and less when redeemed for cash. You can also redeem for Norwegian Cruise Line purchases and room upgrades.

Bank of America also has two other rewards programs: Cash Rewards and Travel Rewards. For example, the Bank of America Cash Rewards Card gives rewards equal to 1%-3% of what you spend, redeemable as a statement credit, direct deposit to a bank account, or gift cards. On the other hand, the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card earns unlimited 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases. BofA Travel Rewards points have the most value when redeemed for travel (1 cent each), and the least value when redeemed for cash back (0.6 cent each).

The best Visa Signature cash rewards card is Capital One Quicksilver. The Quicksilver Cash Rewards Visa Signature card offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases and has no annual fee or foreign transaction fees. It also comes with a signup bonus of $150 once you spend $500 in the first three months.

Just bear in mind that Quicksilver isn’t always a Visa Signature card. If you’re assigned a credit limit below $5,000, you’ll get the Visa Platinum version. Good thing there are plenty of other good offers to consider too. Visa Signature cash rewards cards have some of the best cash back deals on the market. They also come with excellent benefits like rental car insurance, return protection, and concierge services. But some offers do go above and beyond.

Best Visa Signature Cash Rewards Cards:

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards – 1.5% cash back on every purchase and a $150 signup bonus after spending $500 in the first three months.

U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature – earn 5% cash back on 2 categories (up to $2,000 spent) and 2% back on 1 category that you get to select each quarter. Cardholders also earn 1% cash back on all other purchases, and a signup bonus of $150 after spending $500 in the first 3 months.

Chase Freedom Unlimited – earn 3% cash back on all purchases your first year (up to $20,000 spent). After that, cardholders earn unlimited 1.5% cash back.

USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature – 1.5% cash back on every purchase.

The best Visa Signature cash rewards cards offer some of the highest cash back rates available. Many also have no annual fees or foreign transaction fees, and you can get hundreds of dollars in signup bonuses once you meet a minimum spend.