Rewards Credit Cards

There are several $500 credit card bonus offers available right now. For example, Capital One Venture offers 50,000 bonus miles, worth $500 in travel. Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve each offer 50,000 points, worth much more than $500 when used toward travel. And Capital One Spark Cash for Business has a rare $500 cash bonus.

All of the $500 credit card bonus offers require you to spend at least $3,000 in the first few months to qualify for bonus earnings. And all of the cards require good or excellent credit to get in the first place. As you can see, you’re also far more likely to get $500 worth of miles or points than cash. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best offers.

Here’s are some options for a $500 credit card bonus:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred. 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. That’s $500 toward most rewards or a whopping $625 toward travel. You’ll need excellent credit and have to pay a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Those points are worth $500 toward most rewards or $750 in travel. The card requires excellent credit and charges a $450 annual fee.
• Capital One Venture: 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. That’s worth $500 in travel. You need good credit and the annual fee is $95, waived the first year.
• Capital One Spark Cash for Business: $500 cash bonus for spending $4,500 in the first 3 months. This card requires good credit and has an annual fee of $95, which is waived the first year.
• British Airways Credit Card: 50,000 bonus Avios miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. 25,000 bonus Avios miles for spending $10,000 in the first year. That’s a $750+ value. You only need good credit for this card, and there’s a $95 annual fee.
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier: 40,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. Since Rapid Rewards points are worth around 1.5 cents each, that’s a $600 value. This card requires excellent credit and has a $99 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture are the best of these cards in terms of overall benefits. But it’s good to shop around and find the card that best fits your needs.

Two of the best double miles credit cards are the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard and the Capital One Venture Card. Both cards offer double miles on all purchases, and each waives its annual fee the first year. Arrival Plus charges $89 starting the second year, and Venture charges $95. But Venture offers a bigger initial bonus: 50,000 miles for spending $3,000 in three months vs Arrival’s 40,000 miles for spending $3,000 in 90 days. Venture also gives you 10x miles at hotels.com.

Of course, the best double miles card for you is a highly personal decision. Depending on how much you travel and which airline your normally use, another card could be your best bet.

Here are the best double miles credit cards:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Card: Double miles on all purchases. $95 annual fee, waived for your first year. 50,000 miles for spending $3,000 in your first three months. 10 miles per $1 at hotels.com. You need good credit to get this card.

• Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard: Double miles on all purchases. $89 annual fee, waived for the first year. 40,000 miles for spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 90 days. 5% rebate whenever you redeem your miles. You need excellent credit to get this card.

• Lufthansa Mastercard: Double miles on tickets purchased directly from Lufthansa and partner airlines. $89 annual fee. 20,000 bonus miles for making your first purchase and 30,000 more for spending $5,000 in the first 90 days. 1 mile per $1 on non-airline purchases. You need good credit to get this card.
• Asiana Credit Card: Double miles on all purchases. $99 annual fee. 30,000 miles for spending $3,000 in your first 90 days. 3 miles per $1 for Asiana tickets, 1 for everything else. 10,000 bonus miles, a $100 credit for an Asiana ticket and 2 Asiana Airlines lounge vouchers every year when you renew your card. This card requires good credit.

• JetBlue Plus Card: Double miles on restaurants and groceries. $99 annual fee. 40,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in your first 90 days. 6 points per $1 on JetBlue purchases, 1 everywhere else. 10% of your points back when you redeem them for JetBlue flights. This card requires good credit.

• Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express: Double miles on Delta purchases. $95 annual fee, waived the first year. Until 4/11/18, earn 50,000 miles for spending $2,000 in your first three months, along with a $50 statement credit for making a Delta purchase. If you spend another $1,000 in purchases in your first 6 months, you’ll get an extra 10,000 points. 1 mile per $1 on all non-Delta purchases. This card requires good credit.

• Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard: Double miles on American Airlines purchases. $95 annual fee, waived for the first year. 50,000 miles for spending $2,500 in your first two months. 1 mile per $1 on all American Airlines purchases. This card requires good credit.

Keep in mind that the best double miles credit cards tend to require good or excellent credit. But if your credit isn’t quite at that level yet, you can still get double miles. The AeroMexico Secured Visa offers 2 miles per $1 on gas and groceries (1 mile per $1 everywhere else). And the annual fee is only $25.

A Visa rewards card is any credit card on the Visa network that offers cash back, miles, points for each purchase that you make. Visa rewards credit cards are issued by many different credit card companies, as card networks such as Visa and MasterCard simply dictate where a card can be used and what secondary perks (e.g. rental car insurance) it may offer. You can compare the best Visa rewards cards at: https://wallethub.com/credit-cards/rewards-visa/

There are several secured credit cards with rewards. They include the Discover it Secured Card, the AeroMexico Secured Visa and the Best Western Secured Mastercard. But there’s only one secured credit card with rewards and no annual fee: Discover it Secured. It offers 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants every three months, in addition to 1% back for every other dollar you spend. That’s above average for any rewards card, let alone a secured card that you can get with bad credit. There’s more, too. What really makes this deal a gem is the fact that Discover will double the rewards you earn the first year your account is open. All Discover it cards have this feature right now, so you’re pretty much getting excellent-credit perks in a poor-credit package.

Discover it Secured is the best secured credit card with rewards, all things considered. But it definitely isn’t the only card in the conversation. You can get a feel for the costs and benefits of all the top offers below.

Here are the best secured credit cards with rewards:

• Overall: Discover it® Secured
  $0 annual fee. $200 security deposit. 2% back on $1,000 spent on gas and dining per quarter. 1% back on everything else. First-year rewards doubled. Reports to all 3 credit bureaus monthly.
• Airline Miles: Aeromexico Secured Credit Card
  $25 annual fee. $300 security deposit. 3,500 bonus miles and 1 companion ticket after first use. 2 miles per $1 spent on gas and groceries. 1 mile per $1 on other purchases. Companion ticket each account anniversary. Reports to 3 credit bureaus monthly.
• Motorcycle Rewards: Harley-Davidson® Secured Credit Card
  $0 annual fee. $300 security deposit. 1% back on purchases. Reports to 3 credit bureaus monthly.
• Hotel Points: Best Western Secured Credit Card
  $29 annual fee. $300 deposit. 3 points per $1 spent at Best Western. 2 points per $1 on other purchases. Reports to 3 credit bureaus monthly.
• Military Community: Navy Federal Credit Union nRewards® Secured Credit Card
  $0 annual fee. $500 deposit. 1 point per $1 spent. Reports to 3 credit bureaus monthly.
• Small Business: Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card
  $25 annual fee. $500 deposit. 1.5% cash back. Reports to 3 credit bureaus monthly.

There are a few factors you need to take into account when choosing a secured credit card. They include the annual fee, the minimum deposit requirement and whether the card offers rewards.

Paying an annual fee just to get rewards only makes sense if the amount you earn will exceed both the fee and your earnings with a cheaper card combined. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that because the best secured credit card with rewards also happens not to charge an annual fee.

Most major retailers have their own rewards credit cards. Some are so-called store credit cards, which can only be used at the retailers they’re affiliated with and typically require just fair credit for approval. Others have the Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express logo and work wherever those card networks are accepted. That type often requires good credit.
Both types of store credit cards typically don’t charge annual fees and can help you save a bundle on specific types of purchases.
Here are some examples of some popular store reward cards:

• Department Stores: TJX Store Card, Victoria's Secret Credit Card, Saks Fifth Avenue Store Card
• Online Retailers: Amazon.com Store Card, Fingerhut Credit Account
• Discount Stores: Target REDcard, Walmart® Store Card
• Grocery Store: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
• Gas Station: Marathon Credit Card

To find the right retail rewards for your needs, compare the best store credit cards.