15 best rewards credit cards of September 2024

This card is geared toward small-business owners who want to maximize points-earning on business expenses. It’s also great for those who regularly run into problems with their cellphone, as it provides cellphone protection.

“I originally signed up for the Ink Business Preferred primarily for its sign-up bonus. But, over the last year, I've found myself making it my go-to card when booking travel. After all, the Ink Business Preferred earns 3 points per dollar spent on travel and provides excellent travel protections, including trip delay protection and rental car insurance.”  — Katie Genter, senior writer

This card’s main competitor is the American Express? Business Gold Card, which offers 4-points-per-dollar (on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) in select bonus categories that automatically reflect your highest spending areas, such as transit purchases, dining at U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas station purchases. However, its biggest downside is its relatively high $375 annual fee (see rates and fees).

This card is an ideal choice for someone who takes a few trips a year and wants to maximize their earning on travel and dining purchases.

“The Chase Sapphire Preferred has been in my wallet for 5-plus years and is the midlevel rewards credit card that I recommend to people. It usually has a pretty solid sign-up bonus, with points that can be transferred to some of my favorite loyalty programs, like British Airways Executive Club and World of Hyatt. The strong earn rate on dining and travel as well as streaming services makes it a good choice for a millennial like me. Finally, I like using this card when renting cars, as it provides primary car insurance and a little more piece of mind.” — Matt Moffitt, senior credit cards editor

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a flat 2 miles per dollar spent on most purchases, with bonus miles when booking hotels and rental cars through Capital One’s travel portal. Both cards have the same $95 annual fee (see Venture rates and fees).

This card is a great addition to the wallets of those who want to earn a lot of points when dining out and grocery shopping.

"I love that the Amex Gold earns a healthy 4 points per dollar spent on U.S. supermarket purchases and at restaurants (up to $25,000 in spending at U.S. supermarkets and up to $50,000 in spending at restaurants, then 1 point per dollar thereafter) since those are some of my biggest spend categories." — Augusta Stone, associate credit cards writer

There are few direct competitors to this card, but it’s worth checking out the Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve?, which offer more points for travel purchases but fewer bonus points for groceries and dining.

This card is suited to frequent travelers who want lounge access and transferable miles for maximum-value travel redemptions.

“With an annual fee that is $300 less than The Platinum Card? from American Express (see Amex Platinum rates and fees), the Capital One Venture X is my favorite travel credit card. The card comes with an annual $300 Capital One travel portal credit, which I use to book flights. That effectively brings the annual fee down to $95 per year (see rates and fees). Cardholders enjoy a Priority Pass Select membership. I use my Venture X to earn 2 miles per dollar (a 3.7% return, based on TPG's valuations) in spend categories where most cards would only accrue 1 point, such as auto maintenance, pharmacies and medical bills.” — Kyle Olsen, former points and miles reporter

The popular Chase Sapphire Reserve? earns more bonus points on travel and dining purchases but comes with a higher $550 annual fee. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth slightly more than Capital One miles.

If you travel frequently and are looking for a card to help you rack up points you can redeem for future travel, this card is a decent option. Additionally, those looking for a way to fill gaps in their points earning strategy will benefit from the flat 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases outside of the main travel categories.

Another great perk the Autograph Journey features is an annual $50 statement credit triggered by an airline purchase of at least $50. This is on top of elevated earning rates in the certain travel categories and a solid welcome offer for new applicants. There's also no foreign transaction fees on the Autograph Journey card making it a good first travel card as well as a decent supplemental card to add to your travel credit card roster.

If you're looking for a more general use credit card with no annual fee, consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash? Card (see rates and fees). It earns a flat rate of 2% cash rewards on purchases making an excellent choice to help fill gaps in your reward earning strategy. The best part? Like the Autograph Journey card, the Active Cash Card doesn't put a cap on the amount of cash back you can earn.

This card is ideal for frequent travelers who spend a lot on airfare purchases and want access to a wide range of lounges along with a large number of lifestyle perks.

“While this card has a high annual fee, it more than justifies itself for frequent travelers like me. The lounge access options that come with the Platinum are unrivaled by competitors. I put all my flights — whether bought with cash or points — on this card to earn 5 points per dollar spent (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and trip protection insurance*. I make sure to take full advantage of the Uber, Saks Fifth Avenue, Hulu/Disney+ and Clear Plus statement credits (enrollment is required). And, honestly, pulling a Platinum card out of your wallet to pay for something does feel pretty fancy.” — Matt Moffitt, senior credit cards editor

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve? earns more points on travel (except flights) and dining purchases and comes with a lower $550 annual fee. However, the Amex Platinum has better lounge access options.

This card is best for two groups of people: those who want to keep rewards lucrative but simple, earning 1% cash back as you buy things and 1% cash back as you pay them off, and those who want to ramp up rewards-earning by converting these rewards to Citi ThankYou points, which TPG values at 1.8 cents each.

“I wasn’t the biggest fan of this card previously, thinking it was just average, but I am a big fan now that it earns Citi ThankYou points. Paired with my other Citi cards, it unlocks huge earning potential on everyday spending. The fact it has no annual fee means it’s a long-term keeper for me.” — Ryan Smith, former credit cards writer

If you want an even simpler rewards-earning structure, also with no annual fee, check out the Wells Fargo Active Cash? Card (see rates and fees), which earns 2% back in cash rewards on purchases.

This card is unique in that it’s a great match for those new to credit card rewards and those looking to squeeze all possible value out of every dollar charged. This makes it a good match for almost anyone, but especially for those who want to one day use some of their rewards for travel.

“The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a great option, especially for anyone with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve. It has solid bonus categories but also gives 1.5% back on all other purchases. And, if you have a higher-end Chase card, you can effectively convert these cash-back earnings into fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points.” — Nick Ewen, director of content

If you like the idea of a no-annual-fee card in the Chase credit card ecosystem but want even more bonus categories, check out the Chase Freedom Flex?, which has unique, rotating 5% bonus categories (up to $1,500 in total spending each quarter, activation required).

It’s perfect for low-budget beginner travelers who want a card with no annual fee and a simple way to earn and redeem points.

 “I’m happy earning 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases on a card without an annual fee. I can’t pay for everything in life with transferable points, and it’s nice to have a card with fixed-value points for those situations. I use this card for travel purchases where I need to pay in cash, then I can reimburse myself with the points.” — Ryan Smith, former credit cards writer

If you’re interested in a card with transferable miles that still has no annual fee (see rates and fees), consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

This card is a good match for anyone who doesn’t want to expend mental energy juggling spending categories.

“I have the Chase Ink Business trilogy — the Ink Business Cash Credit Card, Ink Business Preferred Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card. The first two cards maximize my points-earning on things like office supply, internet and phone purchases, while the Ink Unlimited covers everything else with a flat 1.5% earn rate. The fact that I have the Ink Preferred means I can convert my cash back from the Ink Unlimited into more valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points. This no-annual-fee card will stay in my wallet for years to come.” — Matt Moffitt, senior credit cards editor

The Blue Business? Plus Credit Card from American Express is the only no-annual-fee (see rates and fees) business credit card that can potentially be more valuable. It offers 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 in annual spending, then 1 point), and these points are immediately transferrable to partners; you don't need to carry another card to enable this functionality.

This card is best suited to someone looking for a lot of cash back on groceries, gas, transit and streaming.

“The Blue Cash Preferred Card is the card I recommended to my parents when they were looking for a new cash-back rewards card for their groceries. My parents prefer the simplicity of cash-back rewards, and I knew they'd benefit from earning 6% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in purchases at U.S. supermarkets, then 1% back after that. Compared to the 1.5% cash back they were earning on these purchases, the elevated earnings easily justified adding the Blue Cash Preferred to their wallet.” — Katie Genter, senior points and miles writer

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

If you want a flat cash-back rate on all purchases, then the Citi Double Cash? Card (see rates and fees) is a great option, offering 2% back on every transaction — 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay your bill.

This is a solid cash-back card for many, especially students and credit card beginners with low monthly budgets.

If groceries, gas and online shopping are among your largest spending categories, this is a great starter card to help you dip your toes into the world of credit card rewards.

If you want higher earning rates on a similar card, the Blue Cash Preferred? Card from American Express may be a better choice. You’ll get expanded bonus spending categories and additional perks, though you’ll want to be sure the card’s $95 annual fee (see rates and fees) starting in year two is worth it.

This is a good starter card for enthusiastic foodies, avid streamers and regular concertgoers — especially for international travelers, since the card has no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).

For no annual fee, you’re getting an excellent return on a variety of purchases — both in and out of the U.S (see rates and fees).

The Chase Freedom Flex? offers 5% back on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal and 3% on dining and drugstore purchases. It also has valuable rotating quarterly categories, earning 5% cash back (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter) after activation.

Credit card beginners should consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash if they’re looking for a simple cash back card.

"This card offers 2% cash rewards on all purchases. When the time came to pay my daughter’s preschool tuition, I got the card. I figured I could get 2% cash back on a fixed expense. It was a no brainer for me!” — Eileen Sullivan, senior UX researcher

New credit card users who are looking to earn cash back but want the option to transfer their cash back into travel points should consider the Citi Double Cash? Card (see rates and fees). It features a similar simple earning strategy as the Wells Fargo Active Cash but when combined with select Citi cards, the cash back can be transferred into Citi ThankYou points.