Credit card rewards come in many forms, and they all exist to provide incentives to use credit rather than cash or a debit card. Here you'll find a selection of the very best reward cards that offer points for purchases, followed by a variety of other cards that serve helpful purposes along with their rewards.
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The information related to Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, American Express® Business Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Capital One Spark Miles for Business, Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, and World of Hyatt Credit Card have been collected by Credit Card Insider and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of these products.
How We Picked These Cards
In the market for a new rewards credit card? Consider these card features and your spending habits before you apply.
- Good opportunities for use: Make sure that you’ll be using the card enough to justify having it. Take your spending habits into consideration — how often will you make purchases eligible for rewards?
- Rewards that fit your lifestyle: Normal, everyday spenders can probably get a lot out of simple cash back cards. But if you’re looking to travel, a travel rewards card that allows point transfers to various airlines or hotels could be perfect for you. And if you have a favorite airline or hotel, check out the available co-branded cards.
- High rewards compared to other cards: Not all reward cards are created equal. Don’t just look for the right card for you: Look for the best card for your situation, with the highest potential reward value compared to other options.
- A strong signup bonus: It’s not the most important feature, but getting $100–$1,000 just for buying things you were already going to buy is icing on the cake. Most intro offers require you to spend at least several hundred dollars in a few months, which can be easy if you use the card fairly frequently, or you can explore alternative spending options.
- Other perks and benefits: There’s more to credit cards than just rewards. Look for cards with valuable extra benefits you can make use of, like travel credits, airport lounge access, and free credit scores.
- A 0% introductory APR: Having a year or so to make interest-free purchases can be very helpful if you’re looking to finance some expensive items, giving you time to pay them back without accruing finance charges.
- A reasonable annual fee: Some rewards cards have annual fees, while others don’t. There’s no reason to avoid a card just because it has an annual fee; in fact, many of the better rewards cards, especially the travel credit cards, have fees. Just make sure that you’ll be getting a positive expected value every year.
- A commitment to responsible credit use: Having a rewards credit card won’t do you much good if you’re swamped with credit card debt and paying interest. Commit to paying off your full statement balance on time each month to avoid interest charges (unless you have a card with a 0% rate).
Is a Rewards Card Right for You?
It’s our opinion that using credit cards is typically more profitable than using cash or debit cards (as long as you use your credit cards responsibly).
A rewards credit card will provide cash back, points, or miles for every purchase you make. This is effectively like getting a small discount on everything you buy, and over time those rewards can really add up.
When it comes to finding a rewards card that suits your lifestyle, the first thing you should do is analyze your spending habits.
Where do you shop the most? Do you buy gas and groceries every month? Do you shop at a wide variety of retailers, or do you tend to stick with major sites like Amazon? Do you have a very high level of spending per month, or are you more frugal?
Travelers have a very wide selection of cards to choose from. They include general-use travel cards, which are good for different kinds of travel spending, and co-branded cards which are made to be used with specific airlines and hotels.
Most people will benefit from using a combination of at least two rewards cards: One or more for common, repeating purchases, like gas, groceries, or travel; and another general-use card for less common purchases that don’t easily fall into categories.
