Best Rewards Credit Cards of February 2024

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige® Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card†, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Citi® Double Cash Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

Many of the best credit cards reward you with valuable points, miles, or cash back on your purchases. If you qualify and you're able to pay your statement balance in full each month to avoid incurring interest, opening a rewards credit card is a great way to maximize your spending and work toward an award flight or hotel stay, or put some cash back in your pocket.

Best Rewards Credit Cards of 2024

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best travel rewards card overall
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best travel rewards card for beginners
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best travel rewards card with luxury benefits
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best premium travel rewards card
• Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: Best card for flat-rate cash rewards earning
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Best premium rewards card if you spend a lot on travel and dining
• Citi Premier® Card: Best card for earning travel rewards in multiple categories
• American Express® Gold Card: Best card for earning travel rewards on dining and groceries

These are Personal Finance Insider's picks for the best rewards credit cards currently available, based on welcome bonus offers, rewards earned on everyday spending, benefits, and overall value. 

Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards

Best Rewards Credit Card Reviews

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Product Name Only

It's harder to recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve® as the best travel card overall now that it comes with a hefty Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Annual Fee annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, on the other hand, has broader appeal with many similar features, all for a significantly lower Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Annual Fee annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (2x points on all other travel purchases) and 3x points on dining instead of the Reserve's 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit) and 3x points on other travel and dining.

Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece on travel booked through Chase, and you can transfer them to airline and hotel partner loyalty programs. You don't receive an annual travel credit, but you'll still have car rental primary coverage, as well as trip delay coverage and purchase protection. And each year on your account anniversary, you'll receive a points bonus equal to 10% of all purchases made in the previous year.

If you don't think you'll be able to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve®'s benefits, such as airport lounge access, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card could be a better choice for you. If you eventually decide that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is worth it, you can ask to upgrade your card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you're new to credit card travel rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an excellent starting point. It offers a generous welcome bonus of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (worth Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card based on Personal Finance Insider's valuation of Capital One miles). 

What makes this card so appealing is its straightforward earning structure and its flexibility in redeeming rewards. Cardholders earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal and 2x miles on all other purchases. 

On the redemption side, you can keep it simple by using your Capital One miles to offset travel purchases made with your card at a rate of 1 cent per mile — no fussing with award charts or availability. Alternatively, you can transfer your miles to Capital One's airline and hotel partners to book award travel and potentially get even more value.

You'll also get an impressive range of perks, including up to $100 in credit toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, car rental insurance, travel accident insurance, extended warranty, purchase protection, lost luggage insurance, and more.***

Capital One Venture Card Review

Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express has a high The Platinum Card® from American Express - Annual Fee annual fee, but offers a long list of benefits to match. The Platinum Card is also one of the best options for paying for flights because you'll earn 5x Membership Rewards points on airfare purchased directly with airlines and with American Express Travel (starting January 1, 2021, earn 5x points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year).

Like Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can use Amex Membership Rewards points to purchase travel, gift cards, or products directly from the issuer, or transfer points to partner airline and hotel loyalty programs. The best value comes from that latter use. If you redeem points by using them to book flights through Amex, you'll get a value of 1 cent per point.

The Platinum Card® from American Express gives you access to the same Priority Pass airport lounges (enrollment required) as the Sapphire Reserve, plus Delta Sky Clubs when you fly Delta, as well as the proprietary American Express Centurion Lounges.

Platinum Card members also get exclusive access to major events and experiences, including once-in-a-lifetime "By Invitation Only" events.

Of course, The Platinum Card® from American Express - Annual Fee is a lot to shell out each year. Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits** and up to $200 in annual Uber Cash credits (including Uber Eats)** certainly help offset that cost, but the airline credit can be difficult to use if you aren't checking bags or buying drinks on flights. 

American Express Platinum Card Review

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Capital One's travel rewards program has become very competitive, with expanded card benefits, new transfer partners, and occasional transfer bonuses. The transfer value has improved as well, with most partners offering a 1:1 transfer ratio, and Capital One miles are easy to earn and redeem.

Along with earning 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles on all other purchases, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with top-notch benefits.

Cardholders receive $300 per year in credits toward travel booked through Capital One, Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Capital One airport lounge access (even for authorized users), a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary (worth $100 in travel), and Visa Infinite travel and purchase benefits.

You can redeem miles at a fixed rate toward a statement credit to cover travel purchases with Capital One. For example, if you buy a $500 plane ticket, you can apply 50,000 miles to cancel that charge. Or, for potentially even more value, you can transfer miles to over a dozen Capital One airline and hotel partners.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Review

Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card

All the other top picks in this guide earn credit card rewards that can be redeemed in a variety of ways, and they're especially valuable when you redeem for travel. The Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card is a cash-back card, on the other hand — this option may be a better option if you prefer the ultimate in flexible rewards or don't know for sure that you'll be traveling.

Cardholders earn 2% cash rewards on purchases, and there's a solid welcome bonus offer of Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card - Intro Bonus. On top of that, the card offers a Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card - Intro APR (then a Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card - Regular APR APR). 

The Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card is a great choice if you want a card that earns a high rate of cash rewards without having to worry about keeping track of bonus categories. You'll earn 2% cash back no matter what you buy.

If you want to get maximum value out of your spending, a rewards card will get you a higher return. For instance, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2x miles on non-bonus purchases, but 2x miles isn't equal to 2% cash back. Our points and miles valuations peg Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each, because you can redeem them for travel through a variety of airline and hotel programs. Travel redemptions will usually get you more than 1 cent per mile or point in value. But if cash back is the most useful to you, this probably doesn't matter.

See our guide to the best cash-back credit cards for more top picks.

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Review

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

With 5x points on air travel and 10x points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit), 3x points on other travel and dining, and 1 point per dollar on everything else, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® makes it easy to maximize your everyday spending, and it comes with a slew of perks. It used to be our top travel rewards card pick, but now that it has a Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Annual Fee annual fee, it's harder to recommend to everyone.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® annual fee is offset by a travel credit of up to $300 each year, good for things like taxis, subway fares, parking, tolls, and flights. This effectively decreases the annual fee to $250, so you'll have to decide whether the card's other benefits are worth it for you.

You now get a complimentary two-year Lyft Pink All Access membership, $5 per month in DoorDash in-app credit (along with complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership through December 2024), and up to $15 per month in Instacart credits (activation required by July 31, 2024). If you use these services frequently you may be able to justify the higher annual fee — but that's not the case for everyone.

Check out our guide to the best travel credit cards for more options like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Review

Citi Premier℠ Card

The Citi Premier℠ Card is our top pick for the best Citi credit card, in part because of the card's intro bonus offer of Citi Premier® Card - Intro Bonus. The Citi Premier℠ Card earns Citi ThankYou points, which you can redeem for gift cards, merchandise, travel, and more through the Citi portal. You can potentially get even more value out of your points by transferring them to Citi's airline and hotel partners. 

This is also a good pick whether you're staying close to home right now or traveling again. It earns bonus points in pandemic-friendly categories: 3x points at supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and on air travel, and 1x on everything else. Plus, with so many ways to redeem your Citi ThankYou points, you've got options even if you're not ready to travel just yet.

Citi Premier Card Review

American Express® Gold Card

The American Express® Gold Card earns a massive 4x points at restaurants and on up to $25,000 per calendar year at U.S. supermarkets (and 1x points after that), 3x points on flights booked directly through the airline, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Based on the fact that you can easily redeem Membership Rewards points for more than 1 cent of value each when you transfer them to airline and hotel partners, this is one of the highest-earning available cards for everything food-related.

The American Express® Gold Card offers up to $120 in dining credits per year (after enrollment), broken into chunks of $10 each month. Credits are good for purchases through food delivery services Seamless and GrubHub, and at Milk Bar, Goldbelly, Wine.com, The Cheesecake Factory, or participating Shake Shack locations. Cardholders also receive $120 per year in Uber Cash (this is only applicable to U.S. Eats orders and Rides, and the Gold Card needs to be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit).

These credits can offset most of the card's American Express® Gold Card - Annual Fee annual fee even before factoring in the value of the rewards you'll earn.

Amex Gold Card Review

How to Choose the Best Rewards Credit Card

Rewards credit cards give you something back for every dollar you spend — whether that's points or miles for travel, or cash back that you can use to lower your monthly bill or to treat yourself to a splurge.

But if you currently carry a balance on your credit card, prioritize paying down that debt as soon as possible before getting a new card, since any rewards you could earn will be wiped out by high interest rates from your existing card debt. 

On top of that, many cards offer high welcome bonuses to new cardholders who meet a spending requirement in the first few months after opening a card. Some cards also include benefits like travel and purchase protection. 

So you know you want a rewards credit card, but aren't sure which one?

This guide can help you find your best reward credit card if you already know what you want. But what if you're not sure which type of credit card best suits your spending habits? 

If you're looking to maximize rewards on your everyday spending, look no further than the following credit cards. We'll break it down by spending category — from dining to gas to groceries.

Dining (Valuations Based on Personal Finance Insider's Point-Value Estimates)

Dining is a spend category most people will want to maximize since the average American spends $3,030 each year on dining out, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Luckily, lots of cards offer generous rewards for dining.

The Citi Prestige® Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants) offers the highest return on dining spending, with 5x points on these purchases. You may notice that some cards, like the Hilton cards below, offer more than 5x points — but keep in mind that the points multiplier is only half of the equation.

You also need to know how much each point is worth. We recommend using Personal Finance Insider's points and miles valuations to get a sense of how many cents you'll get in value with different loyalty currencies. These valuations are based on all the different ways you can use a given type of points or miles, from redeeming them as statement credits to transferring them to a travel partner to book a flight.

Below, we'll rank the best dining credit cards in order of highest to lowest return based on how many rewards you earn per dollar spent, and the value of those rewards based on Insider's estimations.

• Citi Prestige® Credit Card: 5 points per dollar spent (points worth 1.6 cents apiece; 8% return on spending)
• American Express® Gold Card: 4 points per dollar at restaurants (points worth 1.8 cents apiece; 7.2% return on spending)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 3 points per dollar spent on dining (points worth 1.8 cents apiece; 5.4% return on spending)
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: 7 points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants (points worth 0.5 cents apiece; 3.5% return on spending)
• Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 4% cash back on dining (4% return on spending)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants (3% return on spending)
• Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi - Product Name Only: 3% back on restaurants (3% return on spending)

Based on the numbers, the Citi Prestige is the most rewarding card for dining purchases, but it's not taking applications anymore. The American Express® Gold Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are better options for you if you prefer to earn Amex or Chase points.

You can transfer Citi ThankYou points to over a dozen airline transfer partners including Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, and Virgin Atlantic, but Amex and Chase's loyalty programs partner with airlines and hotels that are arguably more useful for many US-based travelers, such as British Airways, Delta, and Marriott with Amex and Hyatt, United, and Southwest with Chase. In fact, Personal Finance Insider values Citi points (1.6 cents per point) a bit lower than Amex points and Chase points (1.8 cents each)

Gas (Valuations Based on Personal Finance Insider's Point-Value Estimates)

If you have a car, gas is a big spending category — and it's one that many cash-back credit cards pay out big rewards on.

• American Express® Business Gold Card: 4 points per dollar spent at the two categories where you spend the most each month, including U.S. gas stations, on up to $150,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar (7.2% return on spending)
• Citi Premier Card: 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants, supermarkets, air travel, hotels, and gas stations (4.8% return on spending)
• Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi - Product Name Only: 4% back on eligible gas purchases and EV charging on the first $7,000 spent per year, then 1% (4% return on spending)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at U.S. gas stations (3% return on spending)

Again, not all points are created equal, and whether 6 Hilton points are equivalent (or higher than) 4% cash back or 4 Membership Rewards points depends on how you redeem your rewards. Most people will be best off going with the American Express® Business Gold Card for gas rewards.

Thanks to a vast list of hotel and airline transfer partners, you can redeem Membership Rewards points for some incredible travel experiences. If you have a business-class trip to Europe in mind, Membership Rewards transfer partner All Nippon Airways (ANA) offers one of the best deals out there at 88,000 miles round-trip.

However, if you're saving up your Hilton points for a high-end resort in the Maldives, it could be worth channeling gas spending toward the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

Groceries (Valuations Based on Personal Finance Insider's Point-Value Estimates)

• American Express® Gold Card: 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per year (then 1x point; 1.8%-7.2% return on spending)
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year (then 1%; 1%-6% return on spending)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at U.S. supermarkets (3% return on spending)
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per calendar year (then 1%; 1%-3% return on spending)
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs) (5.4% return on spending)

With 4x points on the first $25,000 spent each year at U.S. supermarkets, the American Express® Gold Card offers the most generous payout on grocery spending. Considering the average U.S. household spends $4,445 on groceries per year, these limits shouldn't be problematic for most consumers.

Earning 6% cash back on the first $6,000 spent, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a good option if you prefer cash back to rewards points. When maxed out, the 6% back equates to $360 cash back, which is enough for most people to book at least a couple of hotel nights or a round-trip transcontinental flight.

Flights and Other Travel (Valuations Based on Personal Finance Insider's Point-Value Estimates)

• Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel on up to $500,000 in spending a year, 5 Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel (9% return on spending)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 5x points on air travel (9% return on spending) and 10x points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (after earning the $300 travel credit) (18% return on spending) and 3x points on other travel purchases (5.4% return on spending)
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5 points per dollar on all travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal (9% return on spending)
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com (5.4% return on spending)
• Citi Prestige® Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants): 5 points on air travel, 3 points on hotels and cruise lines (4.8%-8% return on spending)
• Citi Premier Card: 3 points on air travel and gas stations (4.8% return on spending)
• Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi - Product Name Only: 3% cash back on eligible travel purchases

If you're looking for lots of rewards for flights, Platinum Card® from American Express is a great choice. The card earns 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines and through Amex Travel. Prepaid hotel bookings made with American Express also earn 5 points (starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year). One reason I'd recommend this card over the Citi Prestige is that the Amex Platinum now offers trip delay insurance, while Citi has done away with these on its cards. 

While the American Express Platinum is a great option, not everyone will get enough value out of the 5x bonus categories to justify The Platinum Card® from American Express - Annual Fee annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a great alternative. While it earns a lower 3 points per dollar spent (outside of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal, where it earns 10x points on hotels and car rentals and 5x points on air travel), this bonus applies to all travel purchases, not just flights. Plus, the card's annual fee is partially offset by the $300 travel credit.

Unlike American Express, Chase doesn't restrict its travel credit to a specific airline. The credit automatically applies to any purchases coded as travel. That's why the Chase Sapphire Reserve is such a popular card for earning and redeeming travel rewards.

All Other Spending (Valuations Based on Personal Finance Insider's Point-Value Estimates)

• Chase Freedom Unlimited®: 1.5% cash back on most things, bonus cash back on eligible travel and drugstore purchases, can be combined with Chase Ultimate Rewards cards to boost your value 
• Chase Freedom Flex℠: 1% cash back, bonus cash back on eligible travel and drugstore purchases, 5% rotating quarterly category bonuses for up to $1,500 in combined spending (requires activation), can be combined with Chase Ultimate Rewards cards to boost your value (1.5%-3%) (1%-9% return on spending)
• Discover it® Miles: 1.5 miles per dollar spent, and Discover will match the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year (3% return on spending)
• Discover it® Cash Back: 1% cash back, with 5% in rotating quarterly categories on the first $1,500 in purchases each quarter you activate; then 1% cash back (1-5% return on spending) Discover It Cashback rotation
• Citi® Double Cash Card: 1% when you make purchases, 1% as you pay (2% return on spending)

Lots of cash-back credit cards offer at least 1.5% cash back on everything, which is a great benchmark to keep in mind on purchases that aren't eligible for bonus points. The Discover it® Miles is a great option for those looking for a no-annual-fee card with accelerated earning power. Cardholders earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent, which is equivalent to 1.5% cash back. Discover will match all the rewards you earn at the end of your first year and can be redeemed for statement credits toward travel purchases or transferred to your bank account.

For those looking to maximize long-term earnings, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is another great option. It earns 1.5% cash back on most things, with bonus cash back on eligible travel and drugstore purchases. If you have a Chase travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cardor the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can convert your Freedom Unlimited rewards to fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points. Essentially, you could earn 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on everything outside of the bonus travel and drugstore categories, which equals a very solid return on every dollar you spend.

If you want the flexibility of earning occasional category bonuses, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Discover it® Cash Back are worth considering. Both cards earn 1% cash back along with 5% on select category bonuses (for Discover it® Cash Back Discover It Cashback rotation). Bonus categories rotate every quarter and cardholders can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 worth of spending when they activate the bonus each quarter. Be sure to check the cash-back bonus calendar for both Discover and Chase quarterly bonus categories for a better idea of where you can expect to earn more points.

For a more straightforward option, the Citi® Double Cash Card is solid. Cardholders earn 1% cash back on purchases and another 1% when they pay them off. Because you can convert your cash back to ThankYou points, the Citi® Double Cash Card is a great way to earn 2 ThankYou points on every dollar spent.

Best Rewards Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card has the best program?

The Chase Ultimate Rewards loyalty program is incredibly flexible and easy for most people to use. A number of credit cards earn Ultimate Rewards points, including our recommendation for the best rewards credit card overall: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

What is the #1 credit card to have?

The Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card is a simple credit card that earns 2% cash back on every purchase.  

Are reward cards really worth it?

The best rewards credit card is absolutely worth keeping in your wallet. The right card for you will reward you on everyday purchases, either in the form of cash back or travel rewards. Many credit cards do not charge an annual fee, so you won't have any additional costs to consider. 

What is the best credit card for travel rewards?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is Personal Finance Insider's top choice for best rewards credit card overall. This card offers great rewards and benefits with a low Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Annual Fee annual fee. Best yet, this card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are extremely valuable for their flexible redemption opportunities. 

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Rewards Credit Cards

The best rewards credit card for you should offer benefits you can use, that are worth the annual fee to you (if there is one). Look for perks such as statement credits that cover travel purchases, and travel protection benefits such as trip delay and trip cancellation insurance.

Some strong criteria to consider when evaluating your next rewards credit card can include the following questions:

• Does this card earn bonus points or miles where I spend the most?
• Can those points or miles be applied to rewards I'd actually want, such as airlines I typically fly or hotels I want to book?
• Is it easy to redeem my rewards, or will I get lost in a maze of draconian rules, restrictions, and blackout dates?

With these guidelines in mind, our Personal Finance Insider team of experts purposely left out many rewards credit cards currently available to new applicants in order to narrow down our list to the very best options.

We define "very best options" as those that offer concrete value through benefits like annual statement credits and airport lounge access and through rewards such as bonus points on your everyday spending.

This list doesn't include any of our best airline credit cards or best hotel credit cards. If you're specifically interested in travel rewards rather than cash back, check out our full list of the best travel rewards credit cards.

Read Personal Finance Insider's guide to how we rate and review credit cards for more information on our methodology.