15 Best Rewards Credit Cards in December 2024

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

One of the most popular cards in Capital One’s lineup, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card lets you earn cash back on every purchase, including an elevated 3% rate on useful categories like dining, groceries and streaming services. However, sports fans and nightlifers will get the most value from this card, as you’ll get a whopping 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. Plus, you’ll get a solid welcome offer and long intro APRs — all for a $0 annual fee.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

A good business rewards card is a must-have for any business owner, big or small. The Capital One Spark Cash Plus comes with no preset spending limit and lets you earn Earn 2% Cash Back on every purchase; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It also boasts one of the largest sign-up bonuses you can earn (albeit with a high spending requirement), which can help offset large up-front expenses for new business owners: $2000 Cash Back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year

Citi Custom Cash^® Card

Commuters and road warriors will be hard-pressed to find a better rewards card than the $0-annual-fee Citi Custom Cash^® Card. It lets you earn cash back on every purchase, as well as an impressive 5% in eligible spending categories (including gas) each billing cycle. The average American spends between $150-$200 on gas each month, and this card could put a lot of that back in your wallet. The Citi Custom Cash^® Card also comes with a valuable welcome offer and an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers.

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card is the ultimate low-maintenance rewards card. Redemption options are simple, and there are no bonus categories or quarterly promotions to keep track of — you simply earn 2% cash back on every purchase. Plus, the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card is currently the only 2% cash back card offering a welcome bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

Whether you’re dining in or dining out, the Chase Freedom Unlimited^® is perfect for foodies. It lets you earn 3% cash back on dining, as well as 1.5% back on groceries and all other purchases. And if you take full advantage of the card’s generous welcome offer, you could end up with some serious cash to dedicate towards dining after your first year.

Discover it^® Secured Credit Card

The Discover it^® Secured Credit Card is great choice if you want to earn cash back on purchases but have limited / poor credit. You’ll get a solid rewards program, an intro APR on balance transfers and a cash back match after your first year. This combination of features is rare for a secured credit card — especially one with a $0 annual fee. The Discover it^® Secured Credit Card does require a refundable $200 minimum security deposit, which you’ll get back if you close your account or graduate to an unsecured card.

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great choice if you have limited / fair credit and want to earn cash rewards while building your credit. Although it doesn’t come with a sign-up bonus, you’ll earn a high rate of cash back on every purchase — including 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, you won’t have to provide a security deposit to carry the card, and Capital One will start considering you for a credit line increase in as little as six months.

The is a great way for students to get started on their credit-building journey — and score some serious cash back while doing so. You don’t need a credit score to apply, and you won’t have to pay an annual fee to carry the card. You’ll earn cash back on every purchase, including 5% on useful rotating bonus categories. Just know that you’ll need to activate the bonus categories each quarter to take advantage of this elevated rate.

Prime Visa

If you’re already doing most of your shopping at Amazon, why not earn some cash back while you’re at it? The Prime Visa is a no-brainer for Amazon Prime members, who get 5% back on purchases made at Amazon, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods. But this isn’t your typical store card — you’ll also earn on every purchase made outside the Amazon network, including boosted rates on restaurants, gas stations, transit and Chase Travel purchases. To further sweeten the deal, new cardmembers will also receive an Amazon gift card upon approval.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

For many, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is the ideal travel card. You’ll earn valuable, flexible travel points on every purchase you make, highlighted by 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You’ll also get a boosted rate on everyday spending categories, like dining, groceries and select streaming services. Points can be redeemed in several ways, including cash back, gift cards and travel purchased through Chase. However, you’ll get the most bang for your buck if you transfer your points to one of Chase’s 14 travel partners.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express

If you’re a Hilton Honors loyalist, you can earn unbeatable rewards on participating Hilton hotel and resort stays with the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. The $550 annual fee might be too steep for some, but avid travelers can take advantage of the card’s numerous travel credits and perks to offset that cost. Plus, you’ll get an opportunity to earn an excellent welcome offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.

A rewards credit card gives you cash back, points or miles as a reward for making purchases with the card. For many consumers, cash back is king. However, frequent travelers may find that a travel card’s points or miles are more valuable. The best rewards credit cards come with flexible redemption options, sign-up bonuses and other valuable perks.

Rewards credit cards can be divided into two main categories: cash back cards and travel cards. Cash back credit cards give you a percentage of your purchases back as cash rewards, while travel cards offer valuable points or airline miles.

• Pick your rewards

  The first step in choosing the right rewards card is to decide what kind of rewards you want: cash back, points or miles. If you only travel a few times a year, you’re better off with a cash back card. But if you’re constantly on the road or in the air, you may find points and miles more valuable.

• Match rewards with your spending

  Find a card that rewards you for the spending you’re already doing. For example, if you typically dine out or order in, look for a dining rewards credit card. But if you cook most of your meals at home, a grocery rewards credit card is a better choice.

• Find out what cards you can qualify for

  Knowing your credit score allows you to focus on the rewards credit cards you’re most likely to get approved for. The best rewards credit cards require good to excellent credit (a FICO Score of 670 or greater), but there are great options for every type of credit. Even people with fair credit or those who are rebuilding their credit can qualify for cards with valuable rewards and benefits.

  FICO Score	Vantage Score
  300-579 is poor credit 580-669 is fair credit 670-739 is good credit 740-799 is very good credit 800-850 is exceptional credit	300-499 is very poor credit 500-600 is poor credit 601-660 is fair credit 661-780 is good credit 781-850 is excellent credit

• Decide how much time you’ll spend maximizing rewards

  Credit card rewards don’t have to be complicated, but you can certainly spend a lot of time planning, tracking and redeeming your rewards in order to maximize their value. If you want a low-maintenance option, go for a cash back card with high rates on your most common spending categories. You can even pair this card with a cash back card that offers cash back rewards on every purchase, like the Citi Double Cash^® Card.

  If you’re willing to invest some time into getting more value out of your rewards, consider pairing a travel credit card with a cash back card that rewards you for everyday spending. You can even get a few rewards cards — just make sure that the benefits and rewards of each card outweigh its annual fee.

• Do the math to decide which card is best for you

  After narrowing down your choices, compare how much you will likely earn from each rewards card during the first year. Factor in the sign-up bonus, rewards earned from spending and annual credits. Then, subtract the annual fee to determine your net benefit from each card. As an example, let’s compare the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express and Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card.

  Feature	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
  Welcome offer	75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.	Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
  Earning rate	2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel	Earn 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more), 1% Cash Back on other purchases. Terms apply.	Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
  Rewards earned on $6,000 in groceries	12,000 points worth at least $120	$360	$120
  Rewards earned on $3,000 in gas	6,000 points worth at least $60	$90	$60
  Rewards earned on $11,000 in other spend	22,000 points worth at least $220	$110	$110
  Annual fee	$95	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.	$0
  First year value (rewards minus annual fee)	$1,055*	$715	$490

  *To see rates & fees for Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, please click here.
  *To see rates & fees for Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, please click here.
  *Estimate based on LendingTree’s value methodology.

  In this scenario, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers the most value during the first year of card membership. However, the comparison looks much different in the second year, when there isn’t a sign-up bonus:

  	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
  Second year value	$305*	$465	$290

  *Estimate based on LendingTree’s value methodology.

  In this case, the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express is the clear winner in terms of ongoing value.

   Remember: The value of points and miles can vary drastically depending on how you redeem them. For example, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card lets you maximize your miles by transferring them to outside loyalty programs. If you are savvy about transferring Capital One miles, you can boost your mile value and beat the two cash back cards above.

1. Don’t transfer until you’ve verified that there is award space available. Once you’ve transferred points, you can’t transfer them back to your credit card’s rewards currency.
2. Take advantage of transfer bonuses to loyalty programs. Periodically, different airline and hotel partners offer transfer bonuses to get even more value for your points.
3. Use multiple cards to maximize category bonuses. You can increase the amount of cash back, points or miles that you earn by rotating cards with different bonus categories. On that note, using cards that earn the same rewards currency (e.g., Chase Ultimate Rewards®) can help you maximize your points or miles in that program.
4. Use shopping portals to earn additional rewards on online shopping. When you shop through your card’s shopping portal, you can earn additional rewards on top of the rewards from your credit card. Some programs offer additional incentives during holidays and other sale events, like back-to-school.
5. Register all your credit cards for shopping or dining rewards programs. Programs like Dosh, Bumped and Rewards Network provide extra rewards when shopping or eating at participating retailers and restaurants.
6. Get your spouse or partner involved as your “Player 2.” When your spouse gets involved, you can double up on rewards by getting the same cards or diversify your points by applying for cards that you’re not eligible for.
7. Use credit cards for your business or side hustle. Earn extra rewards by applying for a credit card in the name of your business. Examples of businesses that may qualify for a business credit card include rideshare driver, rental property owner or an Etsy shop owner. In most cases, the rewards earned from your business credit card can be combined with your linked personal rewards program accounts.

Rewards credit cards are worth it as long as you pay off your balance each month and take full advantage of the rewards program. They typically come with higher interest rates, so carrying a monthly balance could wipe out your earnings. Some of the best rewards cards also come with annual fees, so you’ll need to make sure the card’s benefits cover that cost as well.

Pros and cons of rewards credit cards

• Type of rewards offered

• Value of the card’s sign-up bonus

• Rewards redemption options

• Annual fee

• Interest rates

Other factors that came into play when making our selection include the benefits offered by the card, such as purchase and extended warranty protections.