Our pick for travel rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
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.
When shopping for a rewards credit card, consider the following:
To maximize your rewards, get a rewards card that offers more points in the category you spend most.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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 program | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Amex Membership Rewards |
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| Bank of America Rewards |
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| Capital One rewards |
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| Chase Ultimate Rewards |
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| Citi ThankYou Rewards |
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| Discover rewards |
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Back to topTake advantage of miles, points and perks with a card that best fits your lifestyle.
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