Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Finder Rating: 4.7 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | $300 |
---|---|
Rewards | 6.5% cash back |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
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Finder’s expert credit card team analyzed over 200 rewards to find the best performing rewards cards for 2023 across 11 categories. We weighed reward categories, the average value of points upon redemption, welcome offer value, annual fees and introductory APRs. Unlike our competitors, Finder’s experts provide unbiased, trustworthy evaluations of all rewards credit cards and providers, not just those we partner with on the site.
Credit cards | Best for… | Learn more |
---|---|---|
Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Best for flat-rate cash back | |
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Best for groceries and streaming services | |
The Platinum Card® from American Express | Best for welcome offer | |
Chase Freedom Flex℠ | Best for rotating categories | |
Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Best for travel | |
Sam's Club® Mastercard® | Best for gas | |
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card | Best hotel credit card | |
Citi Rewards+® Card | Best for small purchases | |
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Best for dining and entertainment |
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Finder Rating: 4.7 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | $300 |
---|---|
Rewards | 6.5% cash back |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Finder Rating: 4.3 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | $250 |
---|---|
Rewards | Up to 6% cash back |
Annual fee | $95 after the first year intro |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Finder Rating: 4.4 / 5★★★★★
Welcome Offer | 80,000 points |
---|---|
Rewards | Up to 5x points |
Annual fee | $695 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Finder Rating: 4.7 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | $200 |
---|---|
Rewards | Up to 5% cash back |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Finder Rating: 4.6 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | 60,000 points |
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Rewards | Up to 10x points |
Annual fee | $550 |
Minimum credit score | 740 |
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card
Finder Rating: 4.6 / 5★★★★★
Welcome Offer | 175,000 points |
---|---|
Rewards | Up to 26x points |
Annual fee | $99 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Finder Rating: 4.4 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | $300 |
---|---|
Rewards | 8% cash back |
Annual fee | $95 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Citi Rewards+® Card
Finder Rating: 4.1 / 5★★★★★
Welcome Offer | 20,000 points |
---|---|
Rewards | 2x points |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
Welcome Offer | $200 points |
---|---|
Rewards | Up to 4x points |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 740 |
Sam's Club® Mastercard®
Finder Rating: 4 / 5 ★★★★★
Welcome Offer | $30 |
---|---|
Rewards | 5% cash back |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Discover it® Secured
Finder Rating: 4.4 / 5★★★★★
Welcome Offer | Other |
---|---|
Rewards | Up to 2% cash back |
Annual fee | $0 |
Minimum credit score | 300 |
In addition to the card’s rewards program, here are a few big items to review when comparing rewards cards:
When choosing a credit card, Alex Claro, VPN analyst at CreditDonkey, suggests considering the specific perks a card offers and determine which perks you’ll likely use most.
“Some credit cards provide a variety of incentives, including cash back, redeemable miles or points, and discounts on future purchases,” Claro tells Finder. “You can earn rewards on some or all of your purchases, and depending on the rewards program, you can redeem them once you’ve earned a specific amount. Travel and trip cancellation insurance, rental car insurance, extended warranty, and purchase and price protection are examples of credit card benefits that differ per credit card.”
With a rewards credit card, you get a percentage back of what you spend, typically in the form of cash back, points or miles. You can redeem this earned currency through your card provider’s rewards portal. These points and miles represent a certain value in cash which can range depending on the rewards program.
For cashback cards, rewards are usually expressed as a percentage. If a card offers 2% cash back on all purchases, for example, you’ll receive $2 back for every $100 you spend.
For other cards, rewards are usually expressed as a point or mile multiple. A card might offer 2x points on all purchases, for example, which means you’ll receive 2 points for every dollar you spend. To learn more about how rewards credit cards work, you can read our guides on how to compare rewards cards and how to earn and redeem rewards.
A rewards credit card is worth it when you earn an appreciable amount of points or cash back through your spending such that it exceeds the annual fee of the card (if it has one). Even the simplest of rewards credit cards can offer value if you use it properly. To make a rewards card worthwhile, consider where you spend the most and get a card that offers more points in those areas.
A rewards card’s annual fee is the primary concern when evaluating whether the card is worth it. Some of the more luxurious rewards cards come with steep annual fees, so you’ll need to use enough perks and earn enough rewards to overcome that.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® sports an annual fee of $550. To make this card worth it, you’d have to take advantage of enough of the card’s perks and features to outweigh this $550 fee in value. Here are a few ways to create that value.
Perks | Value |
---|---|
Annual travel statement credit | $300 |
Two Priority Pass stays | $160 |
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry credit (every 4 years) | $100 |
One year of Lyft Pink membership (one time) | $240 |
Total | $800 |
Here you can see you can get $800 of value out of the card perks in one year before you even factor in the rewards you can earn with the card on your everyday spending. This outweighs the cost of the annual fee, so the rewards card is worth it if you take advantage of the perks.
With so many airline credit cards to choose from, it’s only natural to have some questions. Here are the 5 most common questions we receive on the subject.
The best rewards card depends on your finances and the rewards you’re looking for. If none of our top picks are the right fit for you, compare more rewards cards to find one that is.
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our team evaluates credit cards to determine their value against similar cards on the market.
We rank card types — travel, cash back, business — on a set of factors that are most relevant to that type of card. We create these rankings to help you narrow down a credit card that best suits your spending and budget.
Cash reigns as the favored reward across cardholders, according to industry reports.
Here are our latest calculations for loyalty point valuations.
Over 120 million Americans use a credit card just to take advantage of the cash, points or miles our purchases earn. Learn how chasing points breaks down by gender, generation and more.