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Rewards credit cards

Compare credit cards with a variety of valuable rewards.

Our pick for travel rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

  • Low intro rates on purchases and balance transfers
  • 1.25x miles on all purchases
  • 5x miles on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel
  • See rates & fees
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Use our table to compare rewards credit cards and find the right option for your needs. To start, click "Show filters" to select your credit score, the features you want and the rewards type. You can also select specific card issuers to browse.

1 - 5 of 34
Name Product Welcome Offer Rewards Annual fee Filter values
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
Up to 5x miles
$0
Earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. See rates & fees
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Up to 5x miles
$95
Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months ​from account opening. See rates & fees
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card
Bilt does not have a welcome offer. However, they have a unique bonus offer of double points on the first of each month – that’s 6x points on dining, 4x points on travel, and 2x points on other purchases (except rent). Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.
Up to 3x points
$0
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
$200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Up to 1.5% cash back
$0
More than an unlimited 1.5% cash back card: you'll also earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). See rates & fees
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months.
Up to 3% cash back
$0
Earn $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 in the first 6 months on Amex’s flagship everyday cashback card. Terms apply, see rates & fees
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The best rewards credit cards of 2024

Finder’s credit card experts selected 11 credit cards out of 200 based on the cards’ rewards program and additional perks.

How to compare rewards credit cards

When shopping for a rewards credit card, consider the following:

  • Rewards. Consider where you spend most of your money and compare the cards with the highest rewards rate on those categories.
  • Interest rates. Rewards cards come with high interest rates, but these are rarely meant for carrying balance. The exception here is a card with a 0% intro APR period on purchases or balance transfers, which come with an interest-free period for carrying your balance during a promotional period of between 12 and 18 months.
  • Annual fee. Most everyday cards come with a $0 annual fee, which is great. But the cards with the highest rewards and the most valuable benefits charge an annual fee of between $99 and $550. Consider whether you can offset the annual fee with the card’s perks and rewards.
  • Additional perks. The more expensive the card, the higher the benefits. This means a travel card with a $550 annual fee offers way more than a card with a $0 annual fee. For example, the premium travel card comes with airport lounge access, up to $300 statement credit, points transfer to partners, premium travel insurance and more.

Compare rewards cards by spending type

To maximize your rewards, get a rewards card that offers more points in the category you spend most.

Types of rewards credit cards

There’s a wide variety of rewards credit cards available on the market catering to a variety of financial needs. Here’s a breakdown of each of your major options and who should get them.

Cash back

Rewards earned with these cards are given as cash back. Redeem this cash back as a statement credit or deposit into your bank account.

Get this type of rewards card if: you prefer a simple, fire and forget rewards structure.

Points

These cards earn points on certain purchases, such as restaurants, gas or streaming services.
Redeem these points in a variety of ways, such as travel, gift cards or cash back.

Get this type of rewards card if: you like flexibility and enjoy getting even more value out of your rewards with a little research.

Travel

These cards earn points or miles on travel purchases, such as flights, cruises or hotel nights. These cards aren’t tied to a specific travel brand, letting you earn rewards regardless of how you travel.

Get this type of rewards card if: you travel frequently but don’t have a single airline or hotel you use more than others.

Airline

Earn bonus miles when you spend on flights and other eligible categories. You can redeem these miles on additional flights and other rewards. These cards often come with additional airline benefits associated with a specific airline such as Delta or American Airlines.

Get this type of rewards card if: you largely fly with a single airline, want to redeem your credit card rewards back into flights, and want additional perks for your flights and airport travel.

Hotel

Earn points when you spend on hotel stays and other eligible categories. Redeem these points on rewards nights and other hotel rewards. Like airline cards, hotel cards often come with additional hotel perks associated with a specific hotel chain.

Get this type of rewards card if: you have a preferred hotel chain you use, plan on spending your credit card rewards on additional nights and want additional perks associated with that hotel chain.

Retail

These cards offer benefits and rewards tied to a particular retailer. Often, you can only use these cards with the affiliated company.

Get this type of rewards card if: you often shop at a particular retailer, want to redeem rewards back into that retailer and don’t need to use your credit card for other purposes.

Gas

Gas credit cards are worth it if you’re often on the road and want to earn some cash back when filling up your tank. Most gas credit cards let you earn cash back, but some offer discounts, points or miles on your purchases. You’ll get rewards on gas purchases, as well as on other categories such as groceries and dining.

Get this type of rewards card if: you drive more than you fly for travel, enjoy cashback features and have strong credit.

Crypto

Crypto credit cards are the newest type of “rewards” card on the market. They allow you to earn or redeem cryptocurrency on eligible purchases. The type of crypto you can earn depends on the crypto card and affiliated crypto platform.

Get this type of rewards card if: you don’t mind taking risks with your money and are interested in investing your earned rewards more than spending your rewards.

Common credit card rewards programs

Most credit card providers offer a rewards program of some kind. To choose the best rewards program for your needs, consider whether you want a simple rewards structure like cash back or whether you want rewards redemption flexibility.

Rewards programHighlights
Amex Membership Rewards
  • Points worth 1 cent on average
  • Pay eligible charges on your credit card statement with points
  • Pay with points on Amazon, PayPal, Grubhub and more
  • Redeem for gift cards
  • Book hotel stays, flights, car rentals and cruises
  • Shop with points
  • Transfer points to 22 partner airlines and hotels, including Delta, British Airways, Hawaiian
    Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Hilton and Marriott
Bank of America Rewards
  • You can earn cash with cashback cards and points with travel cards
  • Points are worth 1 cent apiece for travel statement credit redemption
  • Gift cards and cash back have a lower redemption value for points
  • Cashback rewards can only be redeemed for cash with equal value
  • Preferred Bank of America members can earn 25%, 50% or 75% more rewards on purchases
Capital One rewards
  • You can earn cash with cashback cards and miles with travel cards
  • Travel miles are typically worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed for travel purchases
  • Redeem miles for gift cards and cash with a lower redemption value
  • Transfer miles to partner airlines, including Air Canada and Air Mexico
Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • All Chase Freedom, Sapphire and Ink Business cards earn points
  • Combine points between multiple cards
  • Points worth 1 cent on average
  • Book hotel stays, airfare, car rentals and cruises via the program
  • Points are worth 25% more when redeemed at the portal with a Sapphire Preferred card
  • Points are worth 50% more when redeemed at the portal with a Sapphire Reserve card
  • Redeem for cash as a statement credit or gift cards
  • Buy merchandise
  • Shop with points on Amazon.com
  • Transfer points to 12 partner airlines and hotels, including Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, IHG, World of Hyatt and Marriott
    Citi ThankYou Rewards
    • Points are worth 1 cent on average for travel purchases
    • Redeem for cash as a statement credit or gift cards
    • Shop with points on Amazon.com
    • Pay with points to cover statement credit purchases
    • Use points toward your student loan or mortgage
    • Transfer points to partner airlines, including JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines and
      Aeromexico
    • Donate points
    Discover rewards
    • Travel card earns miles
    • Cashback card earns cash
    • Miles are worth 1 cent apiece
    • Redeem miles for a statement credit toward travel purchases or cash as a direct deposit
    • You can’t transfer miles to airlines or hotels

    How to make the most of your rewards

    With a good or excellent credit score getting a rewards credit card is easy. But to make the most of your rewards, and to stay out of debt, you’ll need to do some work.

    How to earn points

    Spending is the best way to earn points. But some cards offer more points for certain categories, like gas, groceries, department stores, dining and travel. Other cards offer a flat reward for all purchases. Review your spending habits to find the right rewards card for you.

    How to maximize points

    Maximizing your credit card rewards takes dedication. You need multiple credit cards that each earn accelerated rewards on a particular category. Then use each card where it earns the most.

    Another way of maximizing points is by earning the signup bonus and redeeming your points with the highest redemption value. In some cases — as with the Chase credit cards — you can transfer your points from one card to another and get up to 50% higher redemption value.

    How to redeem points for the best value

    To get the highest points redemption value, you need to use your points for the right reward. For example, travel credit cards often have a 1 cent value per point, but only if you redeem it toward travel purchases. This means, avoid gift cards, cash and merchandise and focus only on travel redemption.

    Some credit cards let you transfer points to partner airlines and hotels. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get better points value. To be sure you get the most for your points, compare the redemption value in points on your credit card and travel partners by dividing the cash price by the points price.

    Example

    A hotel stay costs $200 when paid with cash, 30,000 with credit card points and 40,000 points with partner hotel rewards program.

    $200 divided by 30,000 points = 0.006
    $200 divided by 40,000 points = 0.005

    This means you get a 0.6 cents per point value with your credit card points and 0.5 cents per point value with the partner hotel. The higher the number, the higher the redemption value. In this case, it makes more sense to redeem your points with your credit card program than to transfer them to the partner hotel rewards program.

    Are rewards credit cards worth the effort?

    You might have thought about getting a rewards credit card to earn cash back, flights or even complimentary hotel stays. While getting a card with such perks might seem like a no-brainer, a rewards credit card is not right for everyone.

    To determine if a rewards credit card is worth it for you, consider factors such as your spending habits, rewards goals and the card’s annual fee. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons before applying.

    Who should use a rewards card?

    • Frequent spenders. If you plan on using your credit card frequently, you can benefit from strong rewards.
    • Loyal customers. If you do most of your shopping through a particular store, a retail card can reward you especially well versus another rewards card.
    • Cardholders who make regular payments. Making timely payments is crucial if you wish to make the most of your rewards credit card. If you keep a balance on your card, you’ll accrue interest that will eat into your rewards.

    Who shouldn’t use a rewards card?

    • People in debt. If you’re in debt, consider a balance transfer card rather than a rewards card. It may be wise to avoid the temptation of earning rewards through additional spending.
    • Irregular spenders. If you don’t use your credit card regularly, it may not be worth paying the fees for a rewards card. This product type is only beneficial if the monetary value of your rewards exceeds the costs of the card.

    Ask the experts

    Mark D. Groza
    Lee Huffman
    Eliot Buchanan
    Audrey Guskey
    Yuliya Strizhakova
    Paolina Medina
    Vassilis Dalakas
    Matthew Fisher

    Bottom line

    There’s no shortage of rewards credit cards to choose from. Think about what rewards you want and how you typically spend, then compare a few cards before settling on the winner.

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