The best rewards credit cards to add to your wallet
Rewards credit cards are a great way to earn valuable reward currency for expenses you already make on the regular. They also make travel more comfortable thanks to transferable points and miles. Earlier in my credit card journey, I initially thought I had to be tied to one particular airline or hotel loyalty program to …

Rewards credit cards are a great way to earn valuable reward currency for expenses you already make on the regular. They also make travel more comfortable thanks to transferable points and miles.
Earlier in my credit card journey, I initially thought I had to be tied to one particular airline or hotel loyalty program to maximize credit card rewards. If I liked to stay in Marriott hotels, for example, surely I was limited to a Marriott-branded credit card.
But then my eyes were opened to the world of transferable credit card points which are so much more valuable than points that earn directly into one airline or hotel loyalty program. I now have a choice of many different partner programs to transfer those points to, which I can mix and match and switch up as often as I choose.
Some credit card issuers offer regular transfer bonuses to select transfer partners, which has meant I’ve been able to boost their balance by up to 30% when a transfer bonus has been offered.
Unfortunately, some airline and hotel programs have increased their redemption rates recently, sometimes without notice, meaning that the trip I had in mind has become more expensive overnight.
The beauty of transferable points is that I can keep them in my credit card account until I am ready to use them, and if one transfer partner increases their redemption rates unexpectedly, I can just switch to a different transfer partner, protecting myself from unpleasant devaluations.
Regardless of the valuable rewards you receive on a credit card, prioritize using it responsibly and paying your bills in full each month. Otherwise, the interest and penalties you incur will likely be much higher than the value of any rewards received.
Whether you are a beginner traveler or an experienced one, a business owner or a renter, here is our selection of the best rewards credit cards.
The best rewards credit cards
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees)
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- American Express® Gold Card
- Bilt Mastercard®* (see rates and fees)
*TPG’s Brian Kelly is a Bilt advisor and investor.
Comparing the best rewards credit cards
Here are TPG’s top recommendations for best rewards credit cards.
Card | Best for | Welcome offer | Earning rates | Annual fee |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Earning miles | Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in the first cardholder year |
|
$95 |
The Platinum Card from American Express | Lounge access | Earn 80,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. |
|
$695 (see rates and fees) |
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | Maximizing business purchases | Earn 90,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening |
|
$95 |
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card | Freelancers | Earn $750 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening |
|
None |
Citi Strata Premier Card | Starter travel | Earn 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening |
|
$95 |
Chase Freedom Unlimited | Flexible cash rewards | Earn $250 after spending $500 in the first three months from account opening |
|
None |
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express | Gas and supermarkets | Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first six months from account opening |
Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. |
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 thereafter (see rates and fees) |
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Beginner travelers | Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. |
|
$95 |
American Express Gold Card | Dining at restaurants | Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months from account opening |
|
$325 (see rates and fees) |
Bilt Mastercard | For renters | N/A |
|
None (see rates and fees) |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year.
Annual fee: $95
Standout benefits: This uniquely rewarding welcome offer includes earning both miles and a Capital One Travel credit. In addition to its industry-leading 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, every day, when you book hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars through Capital One Travel, the earning rate increases to 5 miles per dollar spent.
This card also has rental car insurance, travel assistance insurance and up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
Why it’s great for rewards: With no foreign transaction fees, this is a great card to take traveling compared with an American Express card, which I’ve found may not be accepted in quite as many places abroad. If you aren’t comfortable with the thought of paying the $395 annual fee of the Venture Rewards big sister, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, the Venture Rewards annual fee is more palatable with an annual fee of $95.
It still earns 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, which is about as good as it gets for a card with a sub-$100 annual fee. I love the 15-plus transfer partner options, especially transferring my Capital One miles to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program to book business-class flights to Europe in fancy lie-flat seats from as little as 60,000 points or domestic flights on United from just 6,000 points in economy.
JetBlue’s TrueBlue program has recently returned as a Capital One transfer partner, too.
Or, if you want to book a flight or hotel that is not available through a transfer partner, you can also redeem Capital One miles at a rate of 1 cent each through Capital One Travel, a perk that has helped me return home from some of the more unusual destinations I’ve visited.
For more details, see our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Platinum Card from American Express
Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of cardmembership.
Annual fee: $695 (see rates & fees)
Standout benefits: The Amex Platinum earns a healthy 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, making it an excellent travel companion.
This card is packed with annual credits* which can easily cover the cost of the annual fee, including:
- Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by one airline you select with all major U.S. airlines available to choose from*
- Up to a $200 annual hotel credit per calendar year, in the form of a statement credit, on prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with Amex Travel when you pay with my Amex Platinum (Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum)
- A $199 Clear Plus credit to help cardholders pass through airport security faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on their membership (subject to auto-renewal) when they use their Platinum card*
- You receive up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made on your favorite streaming services like Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock and The Wall Street Journal (up to a $240 annual statement credit per calendar year)*
- This card provides up to $200 per calendar year in Uber Cash, valid on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. (split into monthly up to $15 credits plus an up to $20 bonus in December)*. Uber Cash will only be deposited into one Uber account when you add the Amex Platinum as a payment method and redeem with any Amex card.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4½ years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to the Platinum Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
Additional credits from Equinox, SoulCycle and Walmart+ that I don’t use myself may benefit you if you frequent these places.
*Enrollment is required.; terms apply.
Why it’s great for rewards: I can’t think of another personal card that offers more perks than the almighty Amex Platinum. There’s no denying that the annual fee is a serious investment, but even if you travel infrequently, the number of travel benefits can’t be beaten.
I love accessing the Centurion Lounges with my Amex Platinum, already open at 15 U.S. airports, with new lounges opening soon. These spaces feature food and drinks from award-winning chefs and top mixologists and are worth arriving early to enjoy before your next flight.
Did you know that if you fly Delta on a same-day flight and show your Amex Platinum you can enjoy 10 Sky Club visits each year? Plus, if you’re flying out of or through an airport without a Centurion Lounge or Delta Sky Club, you can still access more than 1,400 lounges across 140 countries thanks to American Express’ Global Lounges Collection.
In my travels to almost 100 countries, I rarely arrived at an airport and did not find a lounge available through the Global Lounge Collection, which made waiting for my next flight much more enjoyable.
I also really value the complimentary Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. The Hilton status for stays outside the United States is especially great as it provides free breakfast for myself and any registered guests (a food and beverage credit is offered at properties in the United States); Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
I don’t use every credit offered by the Amex Platinum every year (Equinox and SoulCycle are a bit fancy for me), but Global Entry is such a time-saver to beat long lines at TSA security screening and immigration on arrival, and I know I’ll easily use the airline, hotel, Saks Fifth Avenue and Uber Cash credits just through regular travel and shopping each year — which together provide several hundred dollars in benefits each year.
For more details, see our full review of The Platinum Card from American Express.
Apply now: The Platinum Card from American Express
Check the CardMatch tool to see if you’re targeted for a 150,000-point Platinum Card offer (after meeting minimum spending requirements). These offers are subject to change at any time and not everyone will be targeted for the same offer.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Welcome offer: Earn 90,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $95
Standout benefits: This card offers both a generous welcome bonus and the ability to earn valuable Ultimate Rewards points, all for a low annual fee.
You’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines. In other categories (and after you reach that $150,000 combined limit), the card still earns a respectable 1 point per dollar.
Several travel and purchase protections are also available, including cellphone protection, primary car rental coverage, trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.
Why it’s great for rewards: Ultimate Rewards are some of the best credit card points you can earn. Over the years, I’ve found so many great uses for them, especially the ability to transfer them to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 rate for great-value hotel stays like Crossbasket Castle in Scotland, though this property as part of SLH has now moved from World of Hyatt to Hilton Honors.
I’m also a big fan of KLM’s new premium economy product and can transfer my Ultimate Rewards to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program at a 1:1 rate to book flights to Europe from 40,000 Flying Blue points.
The welcome bonus for this card is huge, and the 3 points per dollar earning rate on so many categories in which the average business owner spends regularly makes it easy to rack up Ultimate Rewards points.
For more details, see our full review of the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.
Apply here: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Welcome offer: Earn $750 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Standout benefits: Though we recommend paying your card off in full each and every month, the Ink Business Unlimited has an introductory 0% annual percentage rate (APR) for 12 months from account opening on purchases (increasing to a 17.49% – 23.49% variable APR after that).
This card also offers:
- Purchase protection: For up to 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver: When you rent a car for business purposes, you can decline the rental car company’s collision insurance and be covered by the card up to the vehicle’s cash value in the case of theft or collision damage on most rentals both at home and abroad.
- Extended warranty: Even if you purchase something on the card with a U.S. manufacturer warranty of three years or less, the warranty will be extended by an additional year.
Why it’s great for rewards: If running your business is complicated enough, this card offers a simple way to save 1.5% on every business expense charged to the card through its straightforward cash back offer. The welcome offer puts even more money back in your pocket, and with no annual fee, you can be way out ahead.
If you have employees with business expenses, you can issue them with cards as authorized users at no extra cost and collect the cashback they spend on the card. Just be aware you’ll be responsible for all charges, though.
There’s also a neat way to turn all that cash back into Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to a range of valuable airline and hotel loyalty programs by pairing the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card with any of the following cards:
For more details, see our full review of the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.
Apply here: Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Citi Strata Premier Card
Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $95 (see rates & fees)
Standout benefits: The Citi Strata Premier offers $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through Citi Travel. This is an easy way to cover the cost of the annual fee each year.
Why it’s great for rewards: This card tends to fly under the radar, and while some other rewards cards offer bonus points in one or two major categories, the Strata Premier has been one of the most valuable cards I’ve ever held because it features an earning rate of 3 points per dollar spent in popular categories including air travel, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations.
I can’t think of another card that earns 3 points per dollar across so many categories where I spend regularly. This has helped me to earn tons of Citi ThankYou Rewards, which I transfer to programs like JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Virgin Atlantic’s fantastic new Saver fares allow me to book flights to London for as low as 6,000 Virgin points (transferred from Citi at a 1:1 rate) plus fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges, as well as to fly back from Tanzania following a special birthday safari in KLM business class recently, also with Virgin points.
When I book travel through the Citi Travel portal, I earn an incredible 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rental and attractions, which I value as earning 18% back as points according to TPG’s latest monthly valuation of ThankYou Rewards. This is a great reward for all the travel I book; the Citi Strata Card has been one of the best cards I’ve added to my wallet.
For more details, see our full review of the Citi Strata Premier Card.
Apply here: Citi Strata Premier Card
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Welcome offer: Earn $250 after spending $500 in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Standout benefits: Earn at least 1.5% cash back on every purchase you make on the card, increasing to 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services), and 5% back on travel booked through Chase Travel.
Why it’s great for rewards: Sometimes, you just want to be rewarded with uncomplicated cash back without navigating the world of transferable points or the best airline and loyalty transfer partners. The Chase Freedom Unlimited keeps things simple while still rewarding you generously.
I recommend this as a great option if you’re looking for a card that earns more than 1% cash back on all purchases without paying an annual fee, and the welcome offer also sweetens the amount you can earn back in the first year.
If you love to travel, then consider the convenience of booking flights, hotels, cars, cruises and more through Chase Travel. Not only can this be a one-stop shop for your next vacation, but you’ll earn a generous and rewarding 5% cash back on all travel booked via Chase Travel.
You can also convert the cash back you earn from this card into transferable points by pairing it with a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
For more details, see our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Apply here: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (see rates and fees)
Standout benefits: This card lets you supercharge your cash back with an impressive 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) and on select U.S. streaming services on the Blue Cash Preferred Card.
Why it’s great for Rewards: For a card that does not charge an annual fee in the first year, the Blue Cash Preferred Amex is seriously rewarding. The $250 statement credit puts you well in front, and that’s before you even factor in the 6% cash back for U.S. supermarkets and select streaming services — which is among the highest cash back you’ll find offered on any category on any card.
The 3% cash back offered on transit and gas has a generously wide definition, covering most ground transportation options, including when you park your vehicle. Because of this, I recommend the Blue Cash Preferred as a terrific cash-back credit card. This is an especially good option for larger families with large grocery bills.
For more details, see our full review of the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express.
Apply here: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $95
Standout benefits: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card makes it easy to earn lots of valuable Ultimate Rewards points all for a low annual fee. On top of the generous welcome bonus, you can build up your earnings with elevated rewards rates in the (massively popular) travel and dining categories.
Why it’s great for rewards: When friends and family ask me if there’s one card I recommend more than any other to begin collecting rewards, it’s usually this one. This is the credit card I have held the longest and still love.
Even though there are so many great Ultimate Rewards transfer partners, I have redeemed most of mine over the years through World of Hyatt for the simple reason that their award charts are really reasonable, and I know I can always get great value without having to pay 100,000 points per night like some other programs now charge.
Some of my Ultimate Rewards from my beloved Chase Sapphire Preferred were redeemed for basic Category One Hyatt Place airport hotels, which were nothing fancy but rewarded me a value of two cents per point from each Ultimate Rewards point.
What was more aspirational was redeeming these points for four nights at The Grayson, an Unbound Collection property in the heart of New York City, for my husband’s special birthday trip. With no resort fees on World of Hyatt redemptions, we enjoyed four nights of accommodation with no out-of-pocket costs, and he gasped when he saw the view of the Empire State Building from our window.
For more details, see our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
American Express Gold Card
Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months from account opening.
Annual fee: $325 (see rates & fees)
Standout benefits: This card gives you many ways to earn more than one point per dollar, especially if groceries and dining out (or ordering takeout) take up a lot of your budget.
There’s also a single $10 monthly dining credit you can use at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com and Five Guys (up to a $120 annual statement credit per calendar year), plus $10 per month in Uber Cash, which can be used on Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. (up to a $120 annual statement credit per calendar year). Uber Cash will only be deposited into one Uber account when you add the Amex Gold Card as a payment method and redeem with any Amex card.
Why it’s great for rewards: I dine out regularly, especially when traveling and away from my home kitchen, so this is a great way to eat my way to more Membership Rewards points.
For group dinners where splitting the bill at the restaurant can be awkward, I sometimes offer to pay on my credit card and then have my dining companions send me their share of the check. I can earn the points for the entire check — which, for a big group dinner, can easily be thousands of Membership Rewards points.
I love transferring this reward currency to British Airways Executive Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Even beyond earning 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and supermarkets, the monthly credits can quickly add up to cover the annual fee each year. Even if I only order from Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Five Guys once a month, the credits are seriously rewarding. And that’s before I’ve factored in the $100 annual Resy statement credits every calendar year (broken down as two up to $50 credits biannually). Enrollment is required.
Then, there’s the up to $7 monthly Dunkin’ credit when you pay with your Amex Gold at U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts locations (up to a $84 annual statement credit per calendar year), covering at least one coffee each month. Enrollment is required
Basically, if you love eating out at places that accept American Express, this card should be in your pocket.
For more details, see our full review of the American Express Gold Card.
Apply here: American Express Gold Card
Bilt Mastercard
Welcome offer: None.
Annual fee: $0 (see rates and fees)
Standout benefits: Earn one Bilt Point per dollar on rent without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points per calendar year. If your landlord isn’t part of the Bilt network, you can make an ACH (bank transfer) payment through your landlord’s online payment system (if available) or have Bilt send a check on your behalf, and you won’t be charged transaction fees for making rent payments this way.
When you use the card five times each statement period, you’ll earn points on rent and qualifying net purchases, such as 3 points per dollar spent on dining, 2 points per dollar spent on travel and 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases.
If your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason, you can receive up to $5,000 in reimbursement for nonrefundable tickets thanks to the card’s Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection*.
This card also has an Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver* and a Cellular Telephone Protection benefit* that provides up to $800 of cellphone protection (subject to a $25 deductible) against damage or theft. You just need to pay using the Bilt Mastercard to use these benefits. *A maximum benefit amount and certain restrictions and limitations apply.
Why it’s great for rewards: Did you know you could earn rewards just for paying your rent? This innovative product also offers double points on the first day of each month, which is called Rent Day. You can earn six points per dollar on dining, four points on travel and two points on other transactions (excluding rent), up to 1,000 bonus points each month. Just remember to use the card at least five times each statement period to earn the points.
Don’t let the lack of a welcome bonus deter you from how rewarding this card can be. You can transfer your Bilt Points to 18 different airline and hotel loyalty programs — including Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan — at a 1:1 rate, which are valuable but otherwise tricky miles to earn. Alaska’s loyalty program has a ton of sweet spots like business class to Fiji and Australia/New Zealand on Fiji Airways, domestic flights in Australia on Qantas and business-class award flights to the United Kingdom.
You can also transfer Bilt points to Hyatt at a 1:1 rate, which I rate as some of the most valuable and useful hotel points you can collect. These are probably the two best transfer partners I can think of, so earning them both from one card is a great offer.
You also have access to $5 in Lyft credits each month after paying for three rides that month with your Bilt Mastercard, which is a great way to save money if you’re a regular Lyft user like I am.
For more details, see our full review of the Bilt Mastercard.
Apply here: Bilt Mastercard
What to consider when choosing a rewards credit card
It can be dizzying having so many different cards, each with different welcome bonuses, annual fees, earning rates, statement credits and other perks. It helps to set some parameters around how you plan to use a card and its accompanying rewards. This way, you can narrow down the myriad options and make a decision.
And remember, you’re not locked into one card for life. I apply for, downgrade and cancel my cards relatively regularly as my spending and travel habits evolve.
Preferred rewards
Consider whether you value earning cash back or points and miles that you could transfer to a partner program or redeem through a credit card travel portal.
There’s no perfect answer for this and it would depend on your personal preference and travel styles. If the idea of multiple transfer options, award charts and transfer bonuses feels too complex, perhaps start with a card that earns cash back and then work up to a product that earns points or miles once you’re more familiar with the credit card rewards game.
Welcome bonus
It’s tempting to scan a summary table and choose the card with the highest welcome bonus — I’ve certainly been guilty of doing that in the past.
But if you are trying to compare a cash-back bonus of, say, $750, with a welcome bonus of 75,000 points, it’s not as simple as applying a one-cent-per-point value and assuming the 75,000 points are worth $750, as credit card points are usually worth more than that, depending on how you spend them.
While a large welcome bonus of points and miles can certainly sweeten the deal of applying for a new rewards credit card, I’d recommend checking the value of any points against TPG’s current monthly valuations to put an approximate cash value on the welcome bonus.
Spending habits
Which categories do you tend to spend the most in? Do the places you shop at accept American Express? If you can determine this before applying for anything, it’s easier to decide which card will earn you the most rewards.
If you plan to take the card traveling with you, ensure it does not charge a foreign transaction fee. Otherwise, this fee will likely be more than the value of the rewards you would earn.
Annual fee
Some cards I’ve recommended carry annual fees in their first and subsequent years. Though nobody likes paying an annual fee, they may be justified if the benefits of being a cardholder and the accompanying credits provide value that outweighs said annual fee.
A good rule of thumb that I use to decide if and how much of an annual fee I should pay on a rewards credit card is to try and find a welcome bonus that is valued higher than the annual fee for the first year. I then look at the value of the benefits like statement credits, bonus miles and travel protections and benefits to estimate whether they would be higher than the annual fee cost in the second and subsequent years when the welcome bonus would not be applicable.
If in doubt, you could start with a card with no annual fee to be certain you are getting real value from it before considering a card with an annual fee.
How we chose the best rewards credit cards
We rated the best rewards credit cards based on several factors, including but not limited to the welcome offers these cards provide, reward earning rates — especially in popular bonus categories, transfer partners and their rates and other perks associated with each card.
Check out our methodology here to learn how TPG evaluates and chooses cards for our roundups.
Redemption options for rewards credit cards
For a cash back credit card, I’d recommend reducing your credit card bill by applying the cash back earned from the card.
If you’d rather net that extra money or put it toward other expenses, most issuers allow you to redeem cash back in various ways — whether it’s putting cash back toward an Amazon.com purchase, converting cash back to points depending on what other cards within the same issuer family you have that allow you to do this or simply putting cash back into your bank account.
For points and miles earning credit cards, you can usually redeem the rewards through the card issuer’s travel portal, usually at a rate of around one cent each (depending on the card issuer).
While this can be convenient, you’ll usually get better value by transferring them to an airline or hotel partner program. These programs differ from card issuer to card issuer, and you can usually keep points and miles rewards in your account until you find a decent transfer option that makes sense for your travel needs. Plus, many points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, which keeps things simple.
Related: Credit card transfer partners: Guide to transferring points and miles to airlines and hotels
Bottom line
Rewards credit cards have completely changed the way I spend and travel. I put every single purchase on the correct credit card, even a pack of gum or a cup of coffee. I think about the best card to use for each type of purchase based on the earning rates and what I like to do with the rewards. For example, I prefer earning Chase Ultimate Rewards to Citi ThankYou Rewards because Chase has slightly better transfer partners.
With low or no annual fees, my rewards credit cards have earned me hundreds of thousands of points and miles over the years. I’ve also enjoyed various benefits like airport lounge access, elite hotel status, endless statement credits and bucket-list trips.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For the rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred Card, click here
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.